LogFAQs > #980024925

You mean Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z?

Yes. Dragon Ball is the beginning story when Goku's a child. It predates DBZ and is a lot more lighthearted and comedy-focused than the action-focused that DBZ is.

In fact in Japan, the manga was all "Dragon Ball". The "Z" distinction only came with the anime.
But in the US, the English release of the manga still uses the "Dragon Ball Z" label when that part of the story happens and it resets the volume numbering.

A lot of people skip Dragon Ball entirely and start with Z but it's up to you on where to begin.

That said, it is a long ass endeavor to go through all of Dragon Ball regardless if how you go about it.

So the alternative, fastest way to go through Dragon Ball, and see the work that Akira Toriyama personally did, would be to get the Shonen Jump app (or use the website), and read through Dragon Ball. Of course you miss out on the animated fight scenes but you can always view the clips or pick and choose what episodes to watch online.