There have been many long-lasting, popular and influential anime and manga series over the years, but few of them have had the longevity of Dragon Ball. Akira Toriyama’s legendary series, which debuted 30 years ago this December, continues to inspire manga artists today. The creators of series such as One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto have all said they consider Dragon Ball as a source of inspiration in their own works.

The Dragon Ball manga ran from December 3, 1984 through June 5, 1995 in Shonen Jump and was collected into 42 separate volumes; these have sold more than 230 million copies worldwide to make the series the second-bestselling manga in history. But it wasn’t until the Dragon Ball Z started airing on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block that it really took off in the United States.

The story follows Goku, a young boy with a monkey tail who travels with a girl named Bulma to find the seven Dragon Balls, which, when brought together, have the ability to summon the dragon Shenlong who will grant the summoner a wish. Though this original story arc is loosely based on the classical Chinese story, Journey to the West, it quickly took on a life of its own as the action got more intense and became the bigger focus. The audience sees Goku turn into a young adult with a wife and child, and it is revealed that he is part of a race of extraterrestrials called the Saiyans. Goku was originally sent to earth to conquer it for the Saiyan race, but lost memory of his mission upon his arrival to the planet. He works alongside allies he made earlier in his story to protect the earth from the evil Saiyans and various other threats.

Beyond the original manga, there have been four anime series based off of the story (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Kai), 18 animated theatrical films, an American-made live action film, soundtrack CDs, collectible card games, and countless video games. The most recent film, Battle of the Gods, was released in 2013. And given the incredible number of Dragon Ball cosplayers still seen at conventions today, it’s clear that even after three decades, this series isn’t going anywhere.