Doragon ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump 1984-1995, with 519 chapters each published in 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was originally inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. The series follows the adventure of the protagonist, Songoku, from his childhood to adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven spheres known as the Dragon Balls, who summon the wishes-giving of dragons when assembled. Along the way, Goku makes some friends and battles various criminals, many of them also looking for Dragon Balls.