From the Sage: The Dragonballs are an interesting creation and a great plot element. Their mystical divine powers provide a backdrop for one of the most entertaining and invigorating genres ever created. I offer to you now, my research on the Dragonballs
themselves!
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The Earth Dragonballs: The best known to Dragonball fans are our own.
Name of Dragon: Shenron
Creator(s): Kami-sama, Dende
Number of Wishes: 1, 2
The Earth Dragonballs were originally created by Kami-sama after he split from Piccolo and became the Guardian of Earth. They are lost once when Piccolo is killed and takes Kami with him, then again after the two merge. Dende, who gave them a power-up, then recreated them so that they could grant two wishes instead of one. Originally, Shenron was unique in the fact that he could affect a limitless number of people with a single wish.
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The Namekian Dragonballs: First introduced in Dragonball Z.
Name of Dragon: Porunga
Creator(s): The Great Namek Elder (Guru in English)
Number of Wishes: 3
The lone survivor of a famine that struck the planet Namek more than five hundred years ago created the Namekian Dragonballs. This lone Namek then proceeded to asexually produce a new Namekian race. All living Namekians except for Piccolo/Kami are his
children. The Namekian dragon, Porunga, can grant three wishes, but each wish can only affect a single individual. After the fiasco with Frieza, the next Great Namek Elder gave Porunga a considerable upgrade, giving him unlimited power with his three wishes.
Given the above information, it is quite safe to assume that there was even earlier Namekian dragon whose creator was killed in the famine.
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The Black Star Dragonballs: Introduced in Dragonball GT.
Name of Dragon: Shenron
Creator(s): The Namek (Original form of Kami and Piccolo)
Number of Wishes: 1 unlimited wish
Arguably the most powerful dragon is the Black Star Shenron. The Namek who was sent to Earth five hundred years ago to escape the famine plaguing the Namek homeworld created this dragon. The Black Star Dragonballs were not used immediately after their
creation, but were locked away inside Kami's lookout. They are discovered by Lord Pilaf at the start of Dragonball GT and accidentally used to change Goku back into a child. The Black Star Dragonballs scatter over the entire universe after their use and will destroy the planet they were used on if not re-gathered within one year. After a botched attempt to gather them, the Earth is destroyed and must be restored with Porunga. In the cataclysm, Piccolo sacrifices himself so that the Black Star Dragonballs would never be abused again.