The Complete Dragon Ball Manga Sets Are On Sale So Its About Time You Read Them

The Complete Dragon Ball Manga Sets Are On Sale So Its About Time You Read Them
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While you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t engaged with the anime adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z in some way. But just because someone has seen the anime doesn’t mean they’ve read the manga it’s based on.

You’ve already read the headline of this piece, so let’s cut to the chase. The complete Dragon Ball Z manga box set is on sale for $218.75, down from the usual price of $340. Truth be told, this series is well worth the cost at full price, but we’ll gladly take a 36% discount on it too.

The complete box for the original Dragon Ball manga is also currently on sale – although the discount isn’t as good as the DBZ set. For $149.63 – down from $220 – you’ll get a set that contains the 16 volumes of the pre-Z Dragon Ball manga, a collector’s booklet and a double-sided poster.

Do we really need to sell you on Dragon Ball Z? We’d struggle to think of a manga series more popular or influential than it. It’s like turning to someone and saying, “Hey, have you heard about Super Mario Bros or The Beatles?” Yeah, we have. As far as classic manga goes, you just can’t go past this.

Image: VIZ Media

The DBZ box set includes the manga’s 26 volumes, a double-sided poster and a collector’s booklet. If you’re a fan of the anime, then you owe it to yourself to check out the original.

As far as storytelling goes, Dragon Ball Z is Toriyama at his peak – especially during the Frieza Saga. His art crackles with such energy and flow. After you finish reading it, you totally understand why every other shonen series draws inspiration from it. Almost 40 years later and it’s still an exciting read.

Reading the DBZ manga for the first time, you’ll notice that so many iconic shots from the anime are ripped almost exactly from Toriyama’s pages. The man got it right the first time and you can’t improve on perfection.

Even the Buu Saga, which most people consider the low point of the series, plays much better. Although the anime version of Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation is still untouchable.

dragon ball manga complete box set
Image: VIZ Media

If you’ve only read the Z-era stuff, the original Dragon Ball set is a real treat. This earlier section of the series is from back when collecting the titular Dragon Balls was a whole adventure in and of itself, instead of something characters would do off-panel in later DBZ arcs. Back before it was revealed that Goku and Piccolo are both aliens. Back when Yamcha actually did stuff (although he still loses to most characters).

What’s great about reading Dragon Ball from the start is that you get to see it evolve in real-time. While DBZ is noticeably more serious, these early Dragon Ball stories are just a lot of fun. While big fights play more of a role in the series’ later arcs, DB is much more whimsical.

What starts as a fantastical adventure series slowly becomes more focused on high-energy fights as Toriyama improves as a manga artist and storyteller, with his concept of what Dragon Ball is becoming much clearer.

Those earlier chapters are a bit wackier than others, but when Toriyama does his first martial arts tournament arc, you can really see things click as he realises this is what he wants to do. The fight between Goku and Piccolo Jr. during the last arc of Dragon Ball makes a strong argument for the best battle of the entire franchise.

The complete Dragon Ball Z manga box set is available here, while the complete Dragon Ball manga box set is available here. To borrow a quote from Goku, you’re going to love this. Trust us.

This article has been updated since it was originally published.


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At Kotaku, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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