《七龍珠》之所以能從充滿惡搞與童話色彩的冒險漫畫，逐步蛻變為定義整個世代的熱血格鬥經典，其實並不是單一因素所造成，而是讀者期待、市場現實與故事本身自然演化共同推動的結果。這種轉變看似劇烈，實際上卻是循序漸進、合乎邏輯的創作軌跡。

在連載初期，鳥山明明確是以《西遊記》作為創作藍本，塑造一個天真、單純又力大無窮的孫悟空，搭配布瑪、烏龍、龜仙人等角色，展開一段輕鬆詼諧的尋寶冒險。當時的重點放在奇幻世界觀、搞笑橋段與角色互動，戰鬥只是情節的一部分，更多時候甚至帶有惡作劇式的幽默感。這種風格延續鳥山明在《阿拉蕾》中累積的人氣與創作習慣，也讓作品在少年漫畫市場迅速站穩腳步。

然而，隨著連載時間拉長，讀者群逐漸成長，口味也開始發生變化。天下第一武道會的登場，成為風格轉向的重要催化劑。這些比賽篇章不僅讓角色之間有更明確的勝負與目標，也讓「修行—變強—再戰鬥」的循環開始成形。讀者對於誰更強、如何突破極限、下一場戰鬥會有多激烈，產生強烈期待，戰鬥本身逐漸成為作品最吸引人的核心。

真正的分水嶺，則出現在賽亞人篇。從拉蒂茲揭露悟空的外星血統開始，《七龍珠》的世界觀徹底被打開，戰鬥規模從地球內部的比武，擴張到宇宙層級的生死對決。比克的轉變、那美克星篇的長篇苦戰、弗利薩這類壓倒性反派的登場，使得單靠搞笑與冒險已無法支撐劇情張力。角色必須不斷修行、瀕死、重生與進化，戰鬥也因此變得更加嚴肅、殘酷且情緒濃烈，熱血格鬥的風格幾乎成為不可逆的選擇。

這樣的轉型在商業層面上獲得巨大成功。漫畫銷量與動畫收視率同步暴漲，角色變身、戰鬥招式與強弱分級成為討論熱點，也為周邊商品、遊戲與跨媒體發展奠定基礎。對編輯部而言，維持這條已被市場驗證的熱血戰鬥路線，顯然是最穩妥的選擇；對鳥山明來說，即便他本人偏好簡單直覺的創作方式，但故事已經走到必須不斷「超越前一個高潮」的階段，戰鬥自然成為推動劇情最有效的工具。

值得注意的是，《七龍珠》的轉變並非完全拋棄早期精神，而是將冒險與幽默轉化為戰鬥之外的調劑元素。即便到了後期，角色之間的插科打諢、龜仙人的搞笑、悟空的純真性格，仍然保留初期作品的影子，讓熱血之中不至於完全失去輕快感，這也是作品能長期受到不同世代讀者喜愛的重要原因。

總體而言，《七龍珠》從搞笑冒險走向熱血格鬥，並非刻意迎合某種潮流，而是在連載壓力、讀者反饋與世界觀擴張的交互作用下，自然而然完成的進化。正是這種演變，使它從一部有趣的少年漫畫，最終成為奠定「熱血格鬥」類型標準、影響無數後輩作品的時代經典。

The reason Dragon Ball was able to evolve from a lighthearted, comedic adventure manga into a defining classic of hot-blooded combat lies not in a single cause, but in the combined influence of reader expectations, market realities, and the story’s own natural development. Although the shift appears dramatic on the surface, it was in fact a gradual and logical creative progression.

At the beginning of its serialization, Akira Toriyama clearly drew inspiration from Journey to the West, creating a pure-hearted, superhumanly strong Son Goku and surrounding him with characters such as Bulma, Oolong, and Master Roshi. The early narrative focused on humorous adventures, whimsical world-building, and character interactions, with combat playing only a secondary role and often carrying a playful, tongue-in-cheek tone. This approach reflected Toriyama’s creative roots in works like Dr. Slump and helped Dragon Ball quickly establish itself in the shōnen manga market.

As the series continued, however, its readership grew older, and audience tastes began to change. The introduction of the World Martial Arts Tournament marked an important turning point. These arcs gave battles clearer stakes and outcomes, while establishing a recurring pattern of training, growth, and confrontation. Readers became increasingly invested in questions of strength, limits, and rivalry, and combat gradually emerged as the most compelling element of the story.

The true watershed moment arrived with the Saiyan Saga. Beginning with Raditz’s revelation of Goku’s extraterrestrial origins, Dragon Ball dramatically expanded its worldview from Earth-bound martial arts to cosmic-scale conflict. Characters such as Piccolo, the battles on Namek, and overwhelming antagonists like Frieza pushed the narrative beyond what light comedy and adventure could sustain. The escalating scale and intensity of these conflicts forced the characters to constantly surpass their limits, making serious, high-stakes combat an unavoidable narrative focus.

This transformation proved extraordinarily successful from a commercial standpoint. Manga sales and anime ratings surged, while transformations, special techniques, and power hierarchies became central topics of fan discussion. The popularity of this combat-driven formula also fueled merchandise, games, and multimedia adaptations. From an editorial perspective, maintaining a proven and profitable direction made sense, and for Toriyama himself, even though he preferred simple and intuitive storytelling, the narrative had reached a stage where each new arc needed to surpass the previous climax. Intense combat thus became the most effective way to drive the story forward.

Importantly, Dragon Ball never entirely abandoned its early spirit. Rather than eliminating humor and adventure, it wove them into the margins of its increasingly serious battles. Even in later arcs, comedic interactions, Master Roshi’s antics, and Goku’s childlike innocence preserved traces of the series’ original tone. This balance between humor and intensity is one reason Dragon Ball has continued to resonate with readers across multiple generations.

In the end, Dragon Ball’s shift from comedic adventure to hot-blooded combat was not a forced trend-chasing decision, but a natural evolution shaped by serialization demands, audience feedback, and the expansion of its world. It was precisely this evolution that allowed the series to grow from an entertaining shōnen manga into a genre-defining classic that influenced countless works that followed.