Do we really need to sell you on Dragon Ball Z? We’d struggle to think of a manga or anime series more popular or influential than the late Akira Toriyama’s masterpiece. It’s like turning to someone and saying, “Hey, have you heard about Super Mario Bros or The Beatles?” Yeah, we have.
If you’ve only engaged with the anime adaptations of Dragon Ball and DBZ, then you owe it to yourself to check out the original manga. The complete Dragon Ball Z manga box set is on sale for $225, down from the usual price of $420. The DBZ box set includes the manga’s 26 volumes, a double-sided poster and a collector’s booklet. Truth be told, the series is well worth the full price cost, but we’ll gladly take a 46 per cent discount on it too.
The complete box for the original Dragon Ball manga is also on sale as well. For $149.99 – down from $255 – you’ll get a set that contains the 16 volumes of the pre-Z Dragon Ball manga, a collector’s booklet and a double-sided poster. With those discounts, you could buy both box sets and it’d still be cheaper than buying the DBZ set at full price.
At the very least, these box sets are a good way to pass the time while we wait for Sparking Zero to drop.
As far as storytelling goes, Dragon Ball Z is Toriyama at his peak – especially during the Frieza Saga. His art crackles with such energy and flow. After you finish reading it, you totally understand why every other shonen series draws inspiration from it. Almost 40 years later and it’s still an exciting read.
Reading the DBZ manga for the first time, you’ll notice that so many iconic shots from the anime are ripped almost exactly from Toriyama’s pages. The man got it right the first time and you can’t improve on perfection.
Even the Buu Saga, which most people consider the low point of the series, plays much better. However, the anime version of Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation is still untouchable.
If you’ve only read the Z-era stuff, the original Dragon Ball set is a real treat. This earlier section of the series is from back when collecting the titular Dragon Balls was a whole adventure in and of itself, instead of something characters would do off-panel in later DBZ arcs. Back before it was revealed that Goku and Piccolo are both aliens. Back when Yamcha actually did stuff (although he still loses to most characters).
What’s great about reading Dragon Ball from the start is that you get to see it evolve in real time. While DBZ is noticeably more serious, these early Dragon Ball stories are just a lot of fun. While big fights play more of a role in the series’ later arcs, DB is much more whimsical.
What starts as a fantastical adventure series slowly becomes more focused on high-energy fights as Toriyama improves as a manga artist and storyteller, with his concept of what Dragon Ball is becoming much clearer.
Those earlier chapters are a bit wackier than others, but when Toriyama does his first martial arts tournament arc, you can really see things click as he realises this is what he wants to do. The fight between Goku and Piccolo Jr. during the last arc of Dragon Ball makes a strong argument for the best battle of the entire franchise.
The complete Dragon Ball Z manga box set is available here, while the complete Dragon Ball manga box set is available here. You’re going to love this, trust us.
This article has been updated since it was originally published.
Image: VIZ Media
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