Danica Davidson
November 21, 2024 
Yesterday was an important “birthday” in the world of manga — the 40th anniversary of Dragon Ball’s debut! Yes, it was on November 20, 1984 that the world was introduced to Son Goku, who would continue on through Dragon Ball Z and more, with Dragon Ball Daima being the latest iteration.
Since 1984, more than 260 million copies of the manga have been published around the globe. The manga of course led to multiple anime series, which have aired in different languages worldwide, bringing in new fandom. In Latin America, where there’s an especially high amount of Dragon Ball fans, a Mexican newspaper wrote a tribute to the series for its birthday. And in Japan, there are celebrations.
Tsutomu Tanaka, a 19-year-old student in Japan, said to the press, “It’s a seminal work that celebrates victory gained through friendship and hard work. I think the simplicity of the story has been an important factor in the series’ success.”
Tadashi Sudo, a journalist with an expertise in manga, noted that, “The commercial machine is already there [for Dragon Ball].”
There’s going to be a Dragon Ball theme park in Saudi Arabia, another sign of the franchise’s power. However, even as people in Japan and around the world celebrated, many also grieved that creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away earlier this year, isn’t here for the 40th birthday.
“The challenge remains whether it can maintain its creativity without Toriyama,” remarked Sudo.
VIZ Media publishes the Dragon Ball manga franchise, and gave this description for the very first volume of Dragon Ball:
Dragon Ball Plot
Before there was Dragon Ball Z, there was Akira Toriyama’s action epic Dragon Ball, starring the younger version of Son Goku and all the other Dragon Ball Z heroes! Meet a naive young monkey-tailed boy named Goku, whose quiet life changes when he meets Bulma, a girl who is on a quest to collect seven “Dragon Balls.” If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma needs Goku’s help (and his super-strength)! With a magic staff for a weapon and a flying cloud for a ride, Goku sets out on the adventure of a lifetime…
Source: Japan Today
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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