Akira Toriyama's original Dragon Ball was critically successful in its own right, but Z catapulted the franchise overall into the mainstream, with the concepts of "Super Saiyans" and characters like Goku and Vegeta being almost instantly recognizable in pop culture.
Undoubtedly one of the most influential anime series of all time with some of the most iconic anime characters ever, Dragon Ball Z was a juggernaut for the genre as it helped build its influence westward. Akira Toriyama's original Dragon Ball was critically successful in its own right, but Z catapulted the franchise overall into the mainstream, with the concepts of "Super Saiyans" and characters like Goku and Vegeta being almost instantly recognizable in pop culture.