Dragon Ball is a series originally created by Akira Toriyama, which has had a lot of success in Japan and even other countries. It started as a manga series in 1984, featured in the magazine Shonen Jump. It was inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West, which is especially shown in the main character Son Goku. The series followed the adventures of the young protagonist as he trained and participated in martial arts tournaments, and met new friends along the way. It also showed his adventures in finding the Dragon Balls, wish granting orbs that summon the dragon Shenron.
The Dragon Ball series has been adapted into two anime series, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, and has had two sequels titled Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super. Dragon Ball followed the first 194 manga chapters, premiering on Fuji TV on April 26, 1986, and running until April 12, 1989. It ran for 153 episodes, and while it showed promise in Japan, it wasn't too popular in its eventual premiere in America. Dragon Ball Z, however, was much more popular in America, as it was advertised and dubbed in english better than its predecessor. Z took place five years after where Dragon Ball left off, and followed the final 325 chapters of the manga, plus some filler that was not in the manga at all. It ran for 291 episodes and ended on January 31, 1996. Those two served as the main anime series that most people will watch, although there were plenty of spinoffs and movies afterwards.
Speaking of spinoffs, there are lots of fan works and labors of love that the fans have created about Dragon Ball. From fanart to even fan mangas the Dragon Ball series has had a vast amount of different works from its fans. However one of the most prominent fan works is the works of TFS, or Team Four Star. Team Four Star is a Dragon Ball team that makes a parody series based on the anime, and puts it on both their Youtube page and their website. They have been quoted countless times and has even been recognized by Funimation, and at points has worked together with them. Their work is highly recognized by Dragon Ball fans, although some don't really like it. If you want to see their works their Youtube page is linked here.
Throughout the series there have been many arcs, chapters, friends and foes introduced, and Dragon Ball has become a sensation all over the world. Its popularity exploded even more after the announcement of two new movies and an eventual new anime and manga series, leading to Battle of Gods, Resurrection of F, and Dragon Ball Super. And, due to modern technology, people can easily access Dragon Ball Super translated only an hour after it airs in Japan! Now that Dragon Ball's popularity is higher than ever, the series seems to have a bright future ahead of it.