Fake 1st Print Manga - A Closer Look at Dragon Ball Volume 01

After visiting over 500 second-hand bookstores, I never came across a 1st print of Dragon Ball Volume 01…

So, I turned to Mercari Japan and bought two copies. Upon receiving and unboxing them, I immediately spotted the counterfeit. However, with low-quality photos or without an actual copy to compare, it can be difficult to identify potential issues before making a purchase.

Let me explain what I discovered so you don’t get tricked like many buyers do. eBay is also flooded with counterfeit Dragon Ball Tankobon manga for Volume 01, often sold for anywhere between $200 and $300 USD!

I have two counterfeit copies, but they have noticeable differences. One is of better quality than the other, so I’ll refer to one as “Bad Fake” and the other as “Good Fake.”

At the end of this article, I’ll compare some aspects with an official Dragon Ball Volume 04 release, since I’ve never been able to find a single genuine copy of Volume 01. But the idea is clear—you’ll get the point.

Please share this article as much as possible!

If you want to know how to detect fake One Piece copies check this page.

Let’s dive in!

 

Bonus: for more information concerning counterfeit products in Japan, you can follow this Japanese Twitter/X account: 細えモン (Hosoemon)

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Update :

I received a message from Hosoemon mentioning that it all started with counterfeit One Piece volumes, and now it seems to be Dragon Ball’s turn. He fears that Naruto or another popular series might be next. This may never end, so please be very cautious!