Editing Dragon Ball (manga) (section)

===Critical reception===
The manga has received a mostly positive reception from critics. Jason Thompson commented that ''Dragon Ball'' "turns from a gag/adventure manga to a nearly-pure fighting manga".<ref name="ANNJT">{{cite news|author=Thompson, Jason|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2011-03-10|title=Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Dragon Ball|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=March 10, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916075738/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2011-03-10|archive-date=September 16, 2016}}</ref> James S. Yadao, author of ''The Rough Guide to Manga'', explains that the first several chapters "play out much like ''Saiyuki'' (''Journey to the West'') with ''Dr. Slump''-like humour built in" and that ''Dr. Slump'', Toriyama's previous manga, has a clear early influence on the series. He feels the series "established its unique identity" after the first time Goku's group disbands and he trains under Kame-Sen'nin. On the second half of the manga, he commented that it developed "a far more action-packed, sinister tone" with "wilder" battles and aerial and spiritual elements with an increased death count.<ref name="Yadao116117"/> David Brothers for [[ComicsAlliance]] wrote that: "Like [[Osamu Tezuka]] and [[Jack Kirby]] before him, Toriyama created a story with his own two hands that seeped deep into the hearts of his readers, creating a love for both the cast and the medium at the same time." He said that while the author has "a sublime combination of ''[[Looney Tunes]]''-style classic humor and dirty jokes," the best part of ''Dragon Ball'' is the fight scenes. Brothers explained that while Western superhero comics "would focus on a series of cool poses or impact shots" with the reader having to fill in the blanks between [[Panel (comics)|panels]], ''Dragon Ball'' has a panel dedicated to one action and the next panel features the very next maneuver, making them incredibly easy to follow.<ref>{{cite web|author=Brothers, David|url=http://comicsalliance.com/akira-toriyamas-dragon-ball-is-full-of-laughs-and-action-that/|title=Akira Toriyama's 'Dragon Ball' Has Flawless Action That Puts Super-Hero Books to Shame|work=[[ComicsAlliance]]|date=September 7, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010101706/http://comicsalliance.com/akira-toriyamas-dragon-ball-is-full-of-laughs-and-action-that/|archive-date=October 10, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

[[Fusanosuke Natsume]] says that the theme of disaster and growth in the manga is a reference to "post-War Japanese manga" that Osamu Tezuka began in the mid 1940s. He also comments that the violence in the manga has context that children can understand, and is not just there at random.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Fusanosuke, Natsume|year=2003|title=Japanese manga: Its expression and popularity|url=http://www.accu.or.jp/appreb/09/pdf34-1/34-1P003-005.pdf|volume=34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330200020/http://www.accu.or.jp/appreb/09/pdf34-1/34-1P003-005.pdf|archive-date=March 30, 2016|journal=ABD On-Line Magazine|number=1|page=4}}</ref> While Toriyama has said that ''[[Journey to the West]]'' was an influence on the manga, Xavier Mínguez-López comments that it is a [[parody]] of the Chinese novel, since the stories are similar. He notes that Toriyama uses [[Chinese mythology]] and [[Japanese folktales]], the dragon Shenlong who is summoned from the Dragon Balls, as well as characters who are able to come back to life as examples of similarities.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mínguez-López|first1=Xavier|title=Folktales and Other References in Toriyama's Dragon Ball|journal=Animation|date=March 2014|volume=9|issue=1|pages=27–46|doi=10.1177/1746847713519386|hdl=10550/44043|s2cid=35435730|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Rachel Cantrell says that the manga parodies martial arts very well, and mentions how Toriyama uses panels to a full extent. She notes that the manga has a [[coming-of-age]] theme due to how the story captures Goku from a child to an adult.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cantrell|first=Rachel|title=Critical Survey of Graphic Novels : Manga|date=May 2013|publisher=Salem Press|isbn=978-1-58765-955-3|location=Ipswich, Mass.|pages=93–97|chapter=Dragon Ball}}</ref> Dr. Frédéric Ducarme compared Goku's backstory to that of [[Superman]], with whom the character has often been compared, but wrote that Goku remains a sportsman throughout the manga, not an avenger or vigilante.<ref name="Ducarme">{{cite journal|last1=Ducarme|first1=Frederic|date=2018|title=Are nekketsu shōnen manga sports manga? The example of Dragon Ball|url=https://journals.openedition.org/comicalites/3194|journal=Comicalites|doi=10.4000/comicalites.3194|s2cid=248758349|doi-access=free|access-date=September 19, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101124905/https://journals.openedition.org/comicalites/3194|url-status=live}}</ref>

Carlo Santos of the [[Anime News Network]] described ''Dragon Ball''{{'}}s setting as "a melting pot of sci-fi, fantasy, and folklore". Santos praised its quick development of new characters and storylines, and claimed that the series' crowning achievement is in its dynamic fight scenes. However, he did not enjoy the cliché training and tournament segments, nor its crude humor.<ref>{{cite news|author=Santos, Carlo|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/dragon-ball-3-in-1-edition/gn-1|title=Dragon Ball [3-in-1 Edition] GN 1 - Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=August 11, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506115853/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/dragon-ball-3-in-1-edition/gn-1|archive-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> His colleague Allen Divers praised the manga's story and humor as being very good at conveying all the characters' personalities. Divers also called Viz's translation one of the best of all the English editions of the series due to its faithfulness to the original Japanese.<ref>{{cite news|author=Divers, Allen|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/dragon-ball-gn-5|title=Dragon Ball GN 5 -Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=November 18, 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506190050/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/dragon-ball-gn-5|archive-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> ''[[Animerica]]'' felt the series had "worldwide appeal," using dramatic pacing and over-the-top martial arts action to "maintain tension levels and keep a crippler crossface hold on the audience's attention spans".<ref name="Animerica">{{cite journal|date=March 2001|title=Anime Radar: News|journal=[[Animerica]]|volume=9|issue=2|page=36|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|location=San Francisco, California|issn=1067-0831|oclc=27130932}}</ref> Comic Book Bin's Leroy Douresseaux described Toriyama as a "super-cartoonist," a blend of [[Carl Barks]], Jack Kirby, and [[Peyo]]. He gave ''Dragon Ball'' a perfect rating and called it one of the best manga and comic books he has ever read.<ref>{{cite web|author=Douresseaux, Leroy|url=http://www.comicbookbin.com/dragonballthreeinone001.html|title=Dragon Ball 3-in-1: Volume 1 manga review|work=Comic Book Bin|date=August 30, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010124041/http://www.comicbookbin.com/dragonballthreeinone001.html|archive-date=October 10, 2016}}</ref> Ridwan Khan of Animefringe.com commented that the manga had a "chubby" art style, but as the series continued the characters became more refined, leaner, and more muscular. He cited one slight problem in Viz's release; the translation uses informal language to capture Goku's country accent, but it ends up feeling "forced and odd". Khan prefers the manga over the slow pacing of the anime adaptations.<ref>{{cite web|author=Khan, Ridwan|url=http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/2003/07/reviews/08/|title=Dragon Ball Vol.1 review|work=Animefringe.com|date=July 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211064603/http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/2003/07/reviews/08/|archive-date=December 11, 2008}}</ref> Including it on a list of "10 Essential Manga That Should Belong in Every Comic Collection", Matthew Meylikhov of ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' also praised the manga over the anime as an entirely different and more "involved experience." He wrote that "You come to know and care for the characters more intimately, and the joy and wonder of watching them fight, learn and grow throughout the series improves tenfold."<ref>{{cite web|author=Meylikhov, Matthew|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/06/10-essential-manga-that-belong-in-every-comic-coll.html|title=10 Essential Manga That Should Belong in Every Comic Collection|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=June 5, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501213216/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/06/10-essential-manga-that-belong-in-every-comic-coll.html|archive-date=May 1, 2016|access-date=July 29, 2018}}</ref> Manga author [[Nobuhiro Watsuki]] commented that there was a shift in the traditional portrayal of protagonists and their adversaries engaging in killings in {{transliteration|ja|shōnen}} manga after ''Dragon Ball'' started a trend of bringing characters back to life.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:和月伸宏インタビュー 『るろうに剣心 最終章』に至る、実写と漫画が歩んだ10年|url=https://kai-you.net/article/80090/page/3|website=Kai-You|access-date=December 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208225659/https://kai-you.net/article/80090/page/3|archive-date=December 8, 2022|language=ja|date=April 23, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>