Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball turned anime into an international phenomenon. While not a solo effort, DBZ's reach was unprecedented, and the show left an undeniable mark on Latin America and parts of Europe, along with enjoying a strong presence in most other parts of the world. Sure, nowadays, anime is readily accessible thanks to services like Crunchyroll, but that was not the case during Dragon Ball's heyday. No, people had to tune in daily to experience the continuing adventures of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and the rest of the Z-Fighters. DBZ (and its predecessor and GT) became part of everyday life. It was great.