Dragonball is the first part of the Dragonball/Z/GT series. It tells about the first adventures of the series' main hero, Goku, and how he first learns about the Dragon Balls. Most of the characters seen in Dragonball Z are introduced here, such as Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Korin, and Puar. Dragonball is mainly used as a prelude to the next part of the series, Dragonball Z, one of today's most popular action cartoons. The anime was first created by Akira Toriyama and is now published by FUNimation in the United States, and was published originally in Japan by Toei, Inc.