The Dragon Ball franchise has revolved around a set of seven mystical gems capable of summoning the magical Eternal Dragon to grant a wish for those that have gathered all seven Dragon Balls. The Eternal Dragon has been used to undo some of the most catastrophic consequences in the history of the franchise, the earliest documented wishes with the Dragon Balls taking place sometime before the original Dragon Ball series. This unseen wish quietly sets the premise of the original series into motion and also informs the villainous ambitions of the franchise's first major antagonist, Emperor Pilaf.
Dragon Ball begins with Bulma arriving at Goku's home on Mount Paozu to recover the Four Star Dragon Ball in his possession. As Bulma explains the magical potential of the gathered Dragon Balls, the original manga series has her recount the tale of an individual who recovered the Dragon Balls and successfully used them to wish to Shenron, the Eternal Dragon, to become a king. The person in question is never fully seen, but the legend has enough veracity that a technological genius like Bulma would still put her trust in the Dragon Balls as she embarks on an epic journey to acquire them -- all in the hopes of wishing to Shenron to grant her a boyfriend.
The legend of the Dragon Balls has also reached the mischievous Pilaf, who plots to recover all seven Dragon Balls and similarly use them to wish Shenron to grant him dominion over the world. Pilaf is seen dreaming of ruling over a vast kingdom full of adoring subjects as he passes through his domain, dressed in full regalia as his fantasized destiny of truly becoming an emperor magically comes to pass. Pilaf maintains this ambition throughout the original Dragon Ball series, although he and his loyal associates are far from the first individuals to be seen actually being granted a wish from Shenron over the course of the franchise.
The first wish seen granted in Dragon Ball doesn't go to Bulma or Pilaf, but rather to the shape-shifting pig Oolong. After kidnapping Bulma and her friends in order to recover all seven Dragon Balls, Pilaf summons Shenron and prepares to wish for his rise to power. Using his shape-shifting abilities, Oolong manages to escape from Pilaf's deathtrap and interrupts the would-be emperor by wishing for the world's most comfortable pair of underwear. Shenron easily grants this wish without so much as a second thought, with the panties descending onto Oolong as Shenron vanishes and the seven Dragon Balls are scattered to different corners of the globe, rendered inert for a full year.
Following this nonsensical wish, subsequent uses of the Dragon Balls would often be more impactful. The next time the Dragon Balls were employed, they were used to resurrect the fallen warrior Bora after he was slain by the evil Mercenary Tao, while later uses would see entire universes restored by the Super Dragon Balls in Dragon Ball Super. Pilaf would eventually get the chance to use the Dragon Balls, using them to grant himself and his associates youth, only for the wish to backfire and result in them being transformed into children. In the meantime, the history of the Dragon Balls stretches back for as long as Kami arrived on Earth from Namek, creating the Dragon Balls as he became Guardian of Earth.
