Books like Dragonball (Doragon bo-ru)

Dragonball (Doragon bo-ru) by 鳥山明 [Akira Toriyama] reads as action-packed, humorous. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.

What Dragonball (Doragon bo-ru) is like to read

A breezy, gag-filled quest adventure with a plucky young hero and a rotating cast of allies and comedic villains. Reads as episodic action-comedy rather than serious fantasy. Best for: readers who want lighthearted quest adventure with slapstick humor.

Naruto

Masashi Kishimoto · 2003

A propulsive shonen adventure powered by an underdog's loud earnestness, escalating tournament arcs, and a bond-forged found-family of rival ninja.

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One Piece

尾田栄一郎 · 1997

Both explore friendship

My Hero Academia

Hideyuki Furuhashi · 2019

Both explore power

Dragon Ball vol 13

鳥山明 [Akira Toriyama] · 2000

A breezy, gag-filled quest romp with fast episodic encounters, slapstick humor, and a young cast bouncing between comic setpieces.

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My Hero Academia, Vol. 1

Kohei Horikoshi · 2014

An underdog origin story bursting with earnest hope: a Quirkless kid who refuses to give up meets his idol and gets a shot at his impossible dream.

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My Hero Academia

Hirofumi Neda · 2019

Both explore friendship & self-improvement

Slam Dunk, Vol. 1

井上雄彦 (Takehiko Inoue) · 1999

A brash, funny introduction to a hot-headed delinquent stumbling into basketball for love and staying for the sport itself — broad comedy and sports-manga energy with an underdog team dynamic emerging.

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Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 06

Yoshihiro Togashi · 1999

Both explore friendship & power

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Kazuki Takahashi · 1997

Both explore friendship

Rave Master

Hiro Mashima · 2004

A shonen adventure-fantasy volume built on action set-pieces and a lighter comedic subplot — brisk, episodic battle-manga energy aimed at younger genre readers.

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