Dragon Ball was created in 1984 by Akira Toriyama. The initial manga was illustrated and written by him, and it was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. A total of 519 chapters can be collected into 42 tankobon volumes. The said manga was adapted into two anime: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
Both were broadcasted in Japan that was followed by 20 films, 3 specials, and 2 anime sequels. The popularity of Dragon Ball did not stop there as a lot of companies have developed different types of merchandise based on the original series. Later on, a live-action was released as well as trading card games, action figures, and games.
Is the Manga and the Anime the Same in Dragon Ball?
As mentioned earlier, the Dragon Ball universe was based on a manga that was eventually adapted into two anime. With this, fans can expect that in terms of characters and plot, both are equally the same. The difference is that the anime had non-canon filler episodes and these were obvious in Dragon Ball Z.
The said anime also had slow pacing but this was because when Dragon Ball Z aired, it was close to the manga publication. This could mean that the team animating the anime had to wait for Toriyama to finish the story before making the series.
For the next version of Dragon Ball like Dragon Ball Kai and Dragon Ball Kai (2014), these are revised versions of the earlier series. Fans will notice that there are new openings and better vocal recordings. The filler episodes were removed to follow the original manga closely, making the adaptation faithful to the previous ones.
Dragon Ball GT is an anime original that was made as a sequel for Dragon Ball Z. It is considered non-canon just like the majority of the movies of the franchise. Lastly, Dragon Ball Super is an original anime of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Kai. Toriyama joined the writing and the production of the series, making it canon.
Get the latest update on Dragon Ball Superhere.
RELATED: Dragon Ball Super Season 2: When Will New Episodes Come Out?
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