The story of Dragon Ball begins by introducing our protagonist, Goku. Goku is a small boy with a monkey-like tail who lives on his own in the jungle. One day, while hunting for food, he meets a girl named Bulma. Goku has never seen a girl before, but his grandpa told him that if he ever met one that he should treat her nice. So he invites Bulma to his house for food.

When Bulma walks in, she sees that Goku is in possession of the four-star Dragon Ball. Bulma wants to take it, but Goku won’t let her because it is the only thing of his deceased grandpa that he has left. Then, Bulma shows Goku that she already has two Dragon Balls herself. She tells Goku that she found one in her cellar, but no one knew what it was. After doing some research, Bulma learned that there are seven in all, and each one has a different number of stars inside, ranging from one to seven. If one gathers all seven and recites a certain chant, the Dragon God Shenlong will appear and will grant the gatherer a wish, but only one. Bulma is currently on a quest to once again gather the seven Dragon Balls so she can make a wish of her own.

Bulma still wants Goku’s Dragon Ball, but Goku refuses to hand over his only memento of his grandpa. So Bulma allows Goku to come along on her quest. (She reminds Goku of what his Grandpa told him about girls, and she points out that Goku doesn’t have anything better to do.) So, the two embark on an adventure to find the legendary Dragon Balls into a world much unlike our own.

The world of Dragon Ball is, as MasakoX describes, a mixture of the past, present, and future [see Footnote 1]. It is a world where dinosaurs and flying cars exist in the same time period as modern-living people.

To help her find the Dragon Balls, Bulma has a Ball Detector – a device that can pinpoint the exact location of each Dragon Ball.

To help her travel, Bulma has a collection of Hoi-Poi capsules. These capsules have a button on top, that when pressed, will transform into virtually anything. Bulma activates one that turns into a motorcycle.

When beginning their journey, Bulma and Goku encounter a nasty Pterodactyl that wants to gobble Bulma up.

Aside from Goku’s incredible strength, the boy also has a Nyoibō, a stick that can extend to any length. He uses it to save Bulma from the Pterodactyl by smashing its skull.

With a Ball Detector, Hoi-Poi capsules, and a Nyoibō; Goku and Bulma are equipped and ready for any dangers that might come their way.

Images from the Dragon Ball manga were obtained from https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/dragon-ball

Footnotes

1. “Dragonball Evolution – Nostalgia Critic.” Youtube, uploaded by Channel Awesome, 8 Nov 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV312ljwD2M