On top of all this, Goku is training up to fight in the periodic 'Strongest Under the Heavens' tournament. Of course, no sooner has someone gathered and used the Dragon Balls than they scatter and have to be sought out again. The story follows Goku and a huge cast of friends and enemies as they search for the magical Dragon Balls that can make any wish come true if one collects all seven. The manga was soon adapted into one of the most popular anime productions ever made, starting in 1986 and ending in 1997. It began as a manga that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995, chronicling the adventures of a cheerful monkey boy named Son Goku, in a story that was originally based off the Chinese tale Journey to the West (the character Son Goku both was based on and literally named after Sun Wukong, in turn inspired by Hanuman). Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama.
