dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 through 1995, and its 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Inspired by the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West, it follows the adventures of its lead character, Son Goku from his childhood into old age. The manga series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media, in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga, and in Australia and New Zealand by Chuang Yi.

Dragon Ball has since been adapted into three different anime series, seventeen animated feature films, three television specials, a collectible trading card game, and a large number of video games. A live-action film has been in development since 2002, and is now slated for release on April 10, 2009.

A monkey-tailed boy named Goku is found by an old martial arts expert and raised as his grandson. One day he meets a girl called Bulma and together go on a quest to retrieve the seven Dragon Balls and have her wish granted by the dragon that will appear. Along the way, meets and befriends many martial artists, undergoes rigorous martial arts training regimes and educational programs to fight in the Tenka-ichi Budōkai, a tournament in which the most powerful fighters compete. Outside the tournaments, he also comes to face several opponent and villains such as the Red Ribbon Army, a demon known as Piccolo Daimao and his offspring of the same name.

During his early adulthood, Goku meets his older brother, Raditz, who tells him he comes from a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans who sent him to Earth to destroy it but Goku had amnesia. As Goku refuses to help him, he comes to face other enemies thereafter linked to his heritage, such as the Saiyan prince Vegeta and even Frieza, one of the strongest beings from the universe. After his encounter with Frieza, Goku trains his first child, Son Gohan, to be his successor. Years later, a group of soldiers from the Red Ribbon army known as androids appear to kill Goku. Another android known as Cell absorbs the other ones to increase his power and has a fight against Goku and Gohan that ends in the former's date, but decides to stay dead to train in the Other World. Goku returns to Earth seven years later from the afterlife and is drawn into a battle for the universe against an extraterrestrial named Majin Buu. Along with him other warriors such as Vegeta and Gohan also fight against Buu and are able to destroy him. Goku is revived by one of the gods from the Other World and during the martial arts tournament held ten years after Buu's defeat, Goku meets Buu's human reincarnation, Uub, and takes off with him in the end of the story, intending to train him as another successor.

MOnkey The Luffy

Luffy's dream is to become the "Pirate King", by finding One Piece, the deceased "Pirate King" Gold Roger's treasure. Although his ambitions are that great, he is portrayed as a carefree and sometimes airheaded character with has a huge appetite, often eating to the point of becoming comically fat. But he isn't naive. Knowing the dangers ahead, he is willing to risk his life and possibly die trying to reach his goal.

[edit] Abilities

Luffy gained rubber-like stretching powers from eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi, at the cost of never being able to swim again, like all of the Devil Fruit people in One Piece. Luffy uses the malleability of his limbs to achieve tremendous velocity to strike enemies with devastating impact. His rubber body is virtually immune to recoil attacks. As such, blunt objects, punches and even bullets deflect off his body harmlessly.

Luffy's most powerful abilities are his upgraded Gears, which he developed after being beaten effortlessly by Admiral Aokiji. Luffy's Gears are used to enhance his basic attacks, and are regarded as different forms of his regular body. To date, Luffy has used two forms in the story; Gear Second and Gear Third. He has also been shown as capable of using both techniques simultaneously, although it greatly strains his body. Luffy has also demonstrated the innate ability to intimidate a foe into submission without throwing a single punch, much like his hero Red-haired Shanks, who did the same to the local sea monster at Luffy's village (episode 4/chapter 1 of the book).^[8] This ability is known as "spirit" in the world of One Piece, and is exhibited by Shanks, Luffy and, more recently, Silvers Rayleigh.

[edit] Plot overview

Luffy grew up in a town named Fushia Village. He accidentally ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Devil Fruit, giving his body the durability and stretchability of rubber. According to series author Eiichiro Oda, Luffy can stretch any part of his body.^[9] While defending the Red Hair pirates' honor from a gang of mountain bandits, Luffy is kidnapped by their leader, Higuma. Higuma takes Luffy hostage and escapes to sea, throwing Luffy overboard when he is no longer of use to him. Luffy is then almost swallowed by a fearsome Sea King; one of a variety of mammoth sea monsters that inhabit the oceans of the One Piece world. Shanks saves him from the creature, losing his arm in the process. This event only serves to steel Luffy's determination and when Shanks and crew leave the island, Luffy decides to set his sights on becoming the "King of Pirates". When he told Rayleigh this and was told he would have to conquer the new world he said he didn't want to conquer anything but he thinks the Pirate King is the guy with the most freedom in the world. Although Luffy is very obstinate in making decisions, he will always make the right choices in saving his friends.

Luffy's dream is to become the "Pirate King". He is portrayed as the carefree and sometimes airheaded captain of the Straw Hat pirates and is the son of Monkey D. Dragon, brother of Portgas D. Ace, and the grandson of vice-admiral, Monkey D. Garp. His trademark Straw Hat (from which he gets his nickname "Straw Hat Luffy") was entrusted to him by the pirate captain "Red Haired" Shanks, who inspired him to become pirate, when he was still a child.

Luffy has appeared in a variety of other media. He is present in all the One Piece Movies to date, as well as the One Piece OVA.^[10] He is also playable in the One Piece video games including Unlimited Adventure and Grand Battle.

In Yakitate!! Japan, episode 56, there is a parody of One Piece where Kuroyanagi turns into a "Tenobi Man" as a reaction from trying Azuma's Ja-pan dumpling. To this effect, he dons a straw hat and starts stretching his arms like rubber to great lengths ("tenobi" means "stretching arms").

Luffy's Devil Fruit was referenced in the Japanese TV Drama show Trick.

Along with other One Piece characters, Luffy appeared in a Shonen Jump special, where Enel attacks Tokyo and Odaiba, in Cross Epoch the short story created in cooperation by Oda and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, as well as in the video games Jump Super Stars, Jump Ultimate Stars, and Battle Stadium D.O.N.

Luffy's face can be seen on a Weekly Shonen Jump binding in an episode of the anime for fellow Jump series To Love-Ru.

In an online RPG called Dragonfable there was an enemy pirate monkey dressed up like Luffy, and was called L.D.MONKEE which is backwords for Monkey.D.LUFFY.