An exceptionally rare original Japanese B2 theatrical poster for the very first Dragon Ball feature film, now internationally known as Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies and in Japan as Dragon Ball: Legend of Shenron / ドラゴンボール 神龍の伝説.
Released in Japan on 20 December 1986, this landmark 50-minute feature marked Dragon Ball’s first appearance on the cinema screen, arriving only ten months after the television anime began broadcasting. Directed by Daisuke Nishio, adapted from Akira Toriyama’s original manga and produced by Toei Doga, the film reimagines the opening Dragon Ball quest as a parallel adventure centred upon the Kingdom of Gurumes.
This is the dedicated Dragon Ball B2 poster created for the ’87 Otoshidama Toei Manga Matsuri, rather than a later home-video, revival or anniversary design. It represents one of the earliest and most historically important pieces of theatrical advertising associated with what would become one of the most influential anime franchises in the world.
The First Dragon Ball Theatrical Film
The original theatrical campaign advertised the film simply as DRAGON BALL / ドラゴンボール, as shown prominently at the bottom of this poster. The subtitle 「神龍の伝説」—Legend of Shenron—became the title by which the film was subsequently catalogued and released on home video, while Curse of the Blood Rubies became its best-known English-language title.
The film presents an alternative retelling of Goku and Bulma’s first search for the seven Dragon Balls. Their journey brings them into conflict with King Gurumes, whose obsessive search for the precious Blood Rubies has devastated his kingdom. The young girl Pansy seeks Goku’s help, setting in motion the first feature-length Dragon Ball adventure.
Its importance is difficult to overstate: this was the moment Akira Toriyama’s creation moved from manga and television into cinemas for the first time, establishing a theatrical tradition that would continue across numerous Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and later franchise films.
Poster Design
The artwork is a spectacular time capsule of the earliest Dragon Ball era, before the later emphasis on Saiyans, cosmic transformations and increasingly powerful adversaries. Its visual language belongs entirely to Toriyama’s original world of fantasy adventure, martial arts, futuristic machinery and anarchic comedy.
A young Son Goku dominates the foreground, charging towards the viewer on the Flying Nimbus, or Kinto’un, with his red Power Pole—Nyoi-bō—projecting dramatically into the composition. His joyful expression captures the optimism and boundless energy of the earliest manga and television episodes.
The original ensemble surrounds him:
- Bulma, dressed in vivid pink, turns dramatically towards the approaching danger.
- Yamcha appears directly behind her, ready for battle.
- Oolong, wearing his green military-style outfit and red-star cap, reacts in comic alarm.
- Puar floats beside the futuristic machinery.
- Master Roshi, or Kame Sennin, crouches at the lower left, characteristically distracted by Bulma.
- Pansy, the film’s young original heroine, appears between Goku and Oolong.
Towering over them are the film’s principal antagonists. The enormous, transformed King Gurumes fills the upper centre, framed by red wings and a dark purple sky. His agents Pasta and the massive Bongo stand on either side, surrounded by aircraft, robots and the mechanised forces stripping the kingdom of its resources.
The composition is framed by an extraordinarily vivid electric-yellow border, creating immediate impact against the blues, purples, oranges and reds of the central artwork. The large period DRAGON BALL logo anchors the bottom of the design alongside the original Japanese production credits, Toei markings and theatrical approval seals.
Original Japanese Tagline
The bold white campaign copy across the top reads:
「つかもうぜ！ドラゴンボール！！」
“Let’s grab the Dragon Balls!!”
The line directly echoes the opening words of the original television theme, Makafushigi Adventure!, instantly connecting the film to the newly popular anime series.
Beneath it appears:
「天下無敵だ！ジャン拳パンチにかめはめ波！！」
“Unrivalled! Jan-ken Punch and Kamehameha!!”
Together, the taglines perfectly capture the mixture of adventure, humour and martial-arts action that defined the original series.
The ’87 Otoshidama Toei Manga Matsuri
The colourful emblem in the upper-left corner identifies the poster as belonging to the:
「’87 お年玉 東映まんがまつり」
“’87 New Year’s Gift Toei Manga Festival”
Although the programme opened in December 1986, it was branded for the approaching 1987 New Year holiday. The term otoshidama refers to the traditional New Year gifts—most famously envelopes of money—given to children in Japan.
Rather than presenting a single feature, Toei’s Manga Matsuri offered children a complete seasonal cinema programme. This particular 149-minute event combined:
- Dragon Ball: Legend of Shenron
- GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Great Yokai War of the Other Dimension
- Kinnikuman: Justice Supermen vs. Warrior Supermen
The festival was composed entirely of animation and has since become an important document of Japanese children’s cinema culture. In 2026, the National Film Archive of Japan reconstructed and screened this complete three-film programme as part of its historical survey of Toei Animation.
Rarity and Collector Significance
Original B2 posters from the earliest Dragon Ball theatrical campaign are exceptionally difficult to locate. They were practical advertising materials created for a short-lived children’s holiday programme, displayed in busy cinema environments and ordinarily discarded once the engagement ended.
This dedicated Dragon Ball design is particularly significant because it promotes the franchise’s first-ever theatrical film, before Dragon Ball Z, the Super Saiyan era or the series’ enormous international expansion.
Surviving examples are rarely encountered in any condition. To find an original, unfolded copy retaining its brilliant yellow border, deep purple upper field and intensely saturated character colours is especially unusual.
Condition
Excellent+ condition. This poster is unfolded, unbacked and unrestored.
The colours remain exceptionally rich and vibrant, with no noticeable fading. The yellow border retains its original intensity, while the blues, purples, reds and oranges remain beautifully saturated. The printed artwork and typography are crisp, and the edges and corners remain remarkably well preserved.
There is only very light surface handling, gentle storage undulation and occasional faint edge creasing visible under close inspection or raking light, entirely consistent with the poster’s age and original purpose. The reverse remains extremely clean overall.
There are no significant tears, pinholes, paper loss, tape repairs, staining or writing apparent. For an original Japanese children’s theatrical poster dating from 1986, the level of preservation is exceptional. Once professionally framed, it will form a museum-grade display piece documenting the very beginning of Dragon Ball’s theatrical history.
Please examine all accompanying photographs carefully, as they show the exact poster offered for sale, including the front and reverse.
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster produced for the first release in 1986.
It is not a reproduction or later reprint.
It was printed almost 40 years ago.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
