Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga series of all time, with over 230 million copies sold worldwide with 157 million in Japan alone, making it the third all-time best selling manga as of 2015, and the #1 manga series not currently publishing. The series is often credited for the "Golden Age of Jump" where the magazine's circulation was at its highest.

VIZ Media serialized the manga in English from March 1998 to March 2005 in monthly comic book anthology format; and was later collected into traditional tankobon format volumes from March 12, 2003 to June 6, 2006. To closer follow the English anime localization, the series is split; in which volumes 17-42 are titled Dragon Ball Z and renumbered as volumes 1-26. Other releases by VIZ include the large format VIZ Big Edition, kanzenban cover based 3-in-1 Edition, and a Full Color Edition of chapters 195-245. Other English publishers include Madman Entertainment in Australia/New Zealand, and the now defunct Gollancz Manga (distribution rights transferred to VIZ) in the United Kingdom. The series is also published in Spanish by Planet DeAgostini Cómics and in French by Glénat Editions.