This is the original series by Akira Toriyama, which
was launched in 1985. The story line was similar
to that of Dr. Slump, with an innocent character
(Goku in Dragon Ball and Arale in Dr. Slump) confronting
the rest of the world in a comical manner.
During
the early chapters of Dragon Ball, Goku demonstrates
his good-hearted nature by helping out people who
were in need en route his quest for the Dragon Balls.
That slowly developed into a combat oriented story
with less and less humour, which could be to save
lives, for competition or for both. The serious
nature of the story fully unfolds into Dragon Ball
Z.