And yet its overall sales don’t trail very far behind the number two and three spots, illustrating the incredible popularity of the series, which was widely credited with contributing to manga’s all-time high circulation numbers during the years it ran.
In comparison to the top three bestselling manga series, Dragon Ball was a relatively short series, having only run for just over 10 years and with a meager 42 tankōbon volumes. And yet its overall sales don’t trail very far behind the number two and three spots, illustrating the incredible popularity of the series, which was widely credited with contributing to manga’s all-time high circulation numbers during the years it ran. The story of Dragon Ball is inspired by Journey to the West, a classical Chinese novel, and follows the protagonist, Son Goku, as he embarks on a journey to find magical orbs called the Dragon Balls.