Who created the manga series Dragon Ball?

Akira Toriyama created the manga series Dragon Ball, which began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1984.

The story follows Son Goku from childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts, forms friendships, and searches for the mystical Dragon Balls. Collecting all seven allows their holder to summon the dragon Shenron and request a wish.

Toriyama’s early inspiration included the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West, especially the journeying hero and the magical staff. The manga gradually shifted from a humorous adventure toward increasingly large-scale martial-arts and science-fiction conflicts.

Dragon Ball originally ran from 1984 to 1995 and was collected in 42 tankōbon volumes. Its anime adaptations, including Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, made the franchise internationally famous, but Toriyama is the manga’s original creator.