(Tale 1)

She is attacked by Goku, who mistakes her car for a monster, and is stunned by his extraordinary strength.

(Tale 1)

She discovers the Four-Star Ball in Goku's house, but he is reluctant to hand it over, as it's a keepsake from Grandpa Gohan. Undaunted, Bulma decides to drag him along on her adventure as her bodyguard.

(Tale 1)

She brushes Goku off after seeing him attempt to return a sea turtle to its home in the ocean, saying, "We can't be wasting time on turtles!!" But upon seeing that Goku is carrying the Four-Star Ball with him, she changes course and follows after him. When they reach the ocean, the sea turtle's friend, Kamesennin appears. As a thank-you gift, he hands over the Three-Star Ball, which he had been wearing around his neck.

(Tale 4)

Kamesennin gives Goku the Kintoun, which can only be ridden by those pure of heart. Unfortunately, Bulma is unable to ride it.

(Tale 4)

Next, the two arrive at a village being terrorized by a monster called Oolong. They promise to take care of the monster in exchange for the Six-Star Ball held by an elderly woman in the village. Although Bulma is initially charmed by Oolong when he takes the form of a refined gentleman, she does a 180 and freezes him out once he turns into an ox, exclaiming, "You think I'm wastin' all this on an ox?!!!"

(Tale 5)

After Goku defeats Oolong, Bulma decides to have Oolong join them on their journey, thinking that his shapeshifting abilities may come in handy.

(Tale 7)

Next, the party is attacked by the desert bandit Yamcha, who Bulma falls in love with at first sight. However, Yamcha has a crippling fear of women, and he slips away.

(Tale 8)

After obtaining the Seven-Star Ball on Fry-Pan Mountain, the party stops by a town where they end up crossing paths with the villainous Rabbit Gang. Their leader, Toninjinka, turns Bulma into a carrot with his Carrotification technique, but she is able to return to her normal form with the help of Yamcha, who had secretly been following them.

(Tale 17)

Just as the final Dragon Ball seems to be within reach, Shu and Mai of the Pilaf Gang arrive and make off with the Dragon Balls. As Bulma breaks down in tears, Yamcha appears, and joins them as they infiltrate Pilaf's Castle to retrieve the Dragon Balls.

(Tale 18)

Pilaf summons Shenron to make his wish but is intercepted by Oolong. Having granted a wish, the Dragon Balls turn to stone and cannot be used again for a full year, leaving Bulma crestfallen.

(Tale 20)

Enraged, Pilaf throws the party into a dungeon cell which happens to have a glass ceiling. Though they are fearful for their lives, Goku sees the full moon, allowing him to transform into a Great Ape. In his new form, Goku destroys their cell, allowing his friends to make their escape.

(Tale 22)

Though Bulma expresses her disappointment, saying, "Another year without the perfect boyfriend...", she ends up hitting it off with Yamcha, who had actually been after the Dragon Balls to cure his fear of women.

First Appearance

"Dragon Ball" Tale 1

Family

Dr. Brief
Bikini

Trivia

Bulma is a genius inventor!

The Dragon Radar, a high-tech device used to locate the Dragon Balls, was invented by Bulma after she noticed the faint electromagnetic pulse they give off.

(Tale 1)

Bulma also invented PP Candy, which causes intense stomach distress whenever a beeping sound goes off. She gave this candy to Oolong when he was misbehaving to prevent him from deserting the group.

(Tale 7)

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*All images are from the Japanese version.