In Japan, Akira's manga Dragonball was 42 volumes long. For the English translation it was divided into Dragonball (Volumes 1-16) & Dragonball Z (Volumes 17-42 (1-26)). In Japan there was no Dragonball Z, all of it was called Dragonball.
Akira: I was an avid anime watcher until I was about 10, when I moved to manga. I think I am influenced by Osamu Tezuka's and Walt Disney's works which I watched during that time, such as Tetswan Atom and 101 Dalmations.