a Japanese manga series written
and illustrated by Akira Toriyama.
It was originally serialized in
Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 through 1995...
Since its release, Dragon Ball has
become one of the most popular manga series
of its time in both Japan and North America.
It enjoys a high readership,
with over 150 million volumes of
the series sold by 2007.
Several manga artists have noted
that the manga series was the inspiration
for their own now popular works,
including Naruto and One Piece.
