Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma could use the help of a certain super-strong boy... (In Japan, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were originally a single 42-volume series. VIZ Media's Dragon Ball contains vols. 1-16 of the original Japanese Dragon Ball, from the beginning of the series to the climax of Goku's last fight with Piccolo.)

When Kuririn is killed by a lizard-like monster, Goku goes in search of the culprit and finds his most terrifying enemy yet: the evil Demon King Piccolo! Freed after centuries of imprisonment, Piccolo sends waves of monsters on a mission to find the Dragon Balls and destroy any martial artists who might oppose him. With his flying cloud destroyed, Goku finds himself lost in the jungle where he meets an unlikely new ally. Meanwhile, Kame-Sen'nin prepares a last-ditch plan to defeat Piccolo... but at what cost?