Is Dragon Ball good? Is it worth watching? A review

Dragon Ball is an anime that has been widely disseminated across every nook and corner of the globe. It has vastly contributed to making Japanese culture and manga intensely popular in other parts of the world.

It is the first anime in the vast Dragon Ball franchise, which consists of anime sequels like Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, films, video games, and merchandise. It is also one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, earning a whopping 20 billion dollars.

The anime Dragon Ball was created by Akira Toriyama and serialized on Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 till 1995. All its chapters have been collected and branded into 42 tankobon volumes.

Many fans have watched the animes of Mangakas, who were inspired to create and write Mangas by Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series. Many of them haven’t watched Dragon Ball.

Read on to help you decide if it would be watching an anime that started it all!

1. Quick Review

If you watch the anime Dragon Ball, you will understand why it’s been so popular. It has an amazing combination of comedy, fight scenes, weird monsters, all of which are spiced up with a dash of fan service for the predominantly male audience.

While the anime can feel a little too light on color and the drawing slightly childish for your liking, I assure you that the anime does deliver a lot of good punches.

2. Is it worth watching?

Dragon Ball can be credited with popularising the Shounen Genre as many of its themes, characters, and fight scenes have influenced many animes of the 21st century. It doesn’t stop bombarding the viewers with lots of visual stimuli and entertainment.

There is never a boring moment in the anime as it keeps on dishing out exciting adventures, usually followed by some creepy, exotic-looking monsters, new villains.

I. Plot

The plot of Dragon Ball is set in a multiverse, which is composed of twelve universes, who are identified by their numbers. The entire plot of the anime takes place in Universe 7. Also, each of the universes is presided over by many deities, gods, and goddesses who are either benevolent or harbor destructive, malicious intentions.

The anime follows the trials and tribulations of the main protagonist called Goku. He embarks on tons of adventures with his friends like the perverted Roshi, Bulma et cetera to find the dragon balls, which, when collected together, grants you a wish.

As he aspires to collect these dragon balls, he becomes a much more resilient and stronger fighter and participates in various tournaments. He also has various encounters with many villains who also seek to get the power of the dragon balls.

The plot is packed with tons of action, adventure, and fight scenes, all of which serve as the main attractions. It helps heighten the enjoyment one can get from watching the anime.

Also, the anime has tons of comic relief that punctuate the entire plot and give the viewers a break from all the intense battles, even if they are enjoyable. The entire world-building of the settings is so intricate and beautifully designed. This helps make the viewing experience much more memorable.

II. Characters

The whole universe of Dragon Ball is filled to the brim with kind, fun-loving and memorable people. It also doesn’t lack in providing a lot of weird and perverted characters whose perversions know no limits.

For instance, the character of old man Roshi can be downright creepy at times. He constantly makes sexual advances at younger women, watches porn on the Internet, and has stacks of dirty magazines.

While his perverted antics like bribing Bulma shows him her panties in exchange for a dragon ball are marketed as comic relief, his character gets annoying and overdone. That being said, there are times when the antics of many other characters are humorous and add flavor to the plot.

The character development of Goku as the focal point around which the plot progresses is pretty impressive. He constantly tries to improve himself and isn’t afraid to admit when he makes mistakes or commits immature acts.

3. Final Thoughts

The anime Dragon Ball has a very unique concept note, which fortunately is executed very well. It is riddled with a lot of mythological, religious, and cultural influences, which give it depth.

Also, as an anime that has influenced generations of not only Mangakas but also comic artists and filmmakers outside Japan, it continues to be one of the best-selling mangas, second only to One Piece.

Anyone who has watched this anime will have only good points to say. The only catch might be that the quality and the coloring are not up to the mark since it is an 80s anime. However, for me personally, I liked that sort of vintage vibe that it oozed out.

4. Grade

5. Info Card

6. Watch Order

A watch order is necessary to navigate through the numerous fillers that are scattered across the anime. Click on the link below: