Celebrate the Anniversary of the Dragon Ball Manga with Us on November 20th! Monthly Dragon Ball Report #1: Looking Back on Young Goku's Adventures (Part 1)!
November 20th is the day that the epic Dragon Ball manga began its original publication!
As we march toward the series' 40th anniversary next year, let's take a look back at the history of Dragon Ball and relive all of the excitement! This is the first installment in the Monthly Dragon Ball Report, a brand-new column series here on this site.
The theme of this first column is the adventures of Goku in his youth, going from Tale 1 all the way up to the first summoning of Shenron.
So, without further ado, let's begin our exciting retrospective flipping through the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump issues 1984 No. 51 to 1986 No. 4!
Young Goku's Adventures (Part 1): Weekly Shonen Jump 1984 No. 51 – 1986 No. 4
The tale of Dragon Ball began in Weekly Shonen Jump's 1984 No. 51 issue! This new magical, mysterious adventure from Akira Toriyama, then famous for creating the wildly popular manga Dr. Slump, meant that fans' expectations were already high from just the preview.
The sensational kickoff featured a memorable cover and opening page, all in glorious color!
You could really feel the anticipation building for Goku's limitless power and the grand adventure searching for the Dragon Balls!
1985 issues No. 2 and No.3 also both featured color opening pages! The setting depicted in the cover and title page looked so cool, you couldn't help but get excited for the story.
Weekly Shonen Jump 1985 No. 13 featured Goku and Chichi's journey to borrow the Bashosen from Kamesennin, as well as a poster depicting the grand adventure!
The Kamehameha that Kamesennin fired at Fry-pan Mountain gripped Japanese readers at the time, and kids all over Japan could be seen intently practicing their own Kamehamehas!
The end of the grand adventure was at hand, and there was only one Dragon Ball left to find. Pilaf, who had his sights set on world domination, stole the Dragon Balls from Goku and the others and trapped them in his castle! The vivid, full-color cover and title page heralded the climax of the struggle over the Dragon Balls!
And then, at long last… all the Dragon Balls were gathered and Shenron appeared!
The dragon's epic debut took up an entire page, and fans could only wait with bated breath until the next week's issue was released to find out what wish would be granted! In the end, Pilaf's makes his wish for world domination... but Oolong jumps in and interrupts at the very last moment to make a ridiculous wish of his own: "The panties of a hot babe!"
It was definitely a gag that no one expected! And speaking of developments no one would expect…
The next issue would have Goku seeing the full moon and transforming into a Great Ape on an impressive 2-page spread!
At the time, Akira Toriyama hadn’t even considered the idea of Goku being a Saiyan, and readers were shocked by Goku’s incredible strength.
In the midst of Goku's Great Ape rampage, Weekly Shonen Jump No. 23 featured the results of the Dragon Ball "Catchphrase Grand Prix" for manga readers! And the winner was the catchy "Dragon Ball: Filled with dreams, gags, and even a tail or two." Posters featuring an illustration with the catchphrase were put up in major train stations throughout Tokyo, leading to a bunch of heartbroken fans outside of Tokyo…
But then, a poster featuring the catchphrase was included as a bonus in Weekly Shonen Jump No. 31!
There was even a giveaway where fans could win an extra-large version of the poster and some amazing T-shirts!
With the hunt for the Dragon Balls coming to a close, Goku then became a student of Kamesennin! Kamesennin style's eccentric training methods, such as running around delivering milk while wearing a heavy turtle shell, caused quite a stir.
And when the Tenkaichi Budokai began, Dragon Ball's popularity shot up even more! The tumultuous covers and color opening pages of 1985 issues No. 42, No. 44, and No. 45 allowed fans to really feel the tournament's excitement!
The tournament’s participants were one unique character after another, and no one knew how the nerve-wracking matches would end!
And novel techniques like the Lassooin' Gum, Aerial Cross Attack, and Afterimage brought a new surprise to every fight!
As the battle between Goku and Giran raged on, the first Jump Comics Dragon Ball volume was published! The full page announcement in the comics definitely made its presence known.
Fans also experienced the finals of the Tenkaichi Budokai! The impressive panel layout of Goku's and Jackie Chun's Kamehameha beam struggle took the audience's breath away!
And when the finals reached their climax in Weekly Shonen Jump No. 50, tons of Dragon Ball character merch was given away as gifts!
At the time, most readers were probably thinking "You can do it, Goku!" and "Goku's sure to win since he's the main character!", but such fans had their expectations shattered when it was Jackie Chun who emerged victorious!
And with excitement of the Tenkaichi Budokai still palpable, Goku set off to find the keepsake from his grandfather, the Four-Star Dragon Ball. And thus, a grand adventure began anew...
Just what kind of adventure awaits?!
Next time, we'll look back on the battle against the Red Ribbon Army!
And just like it felt to wait for the next Weekly Shonen Jump issue, we're sure that you'll have fun waiting for the next column!
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