The original series was serialized in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from April 24, 1972, to March 27, 1981, but it was followed by several sequel series running until 2018.

Dokaben is centered on Taro Yamada and his teammates Iwaki, Tonoma, and Satonaka and was focused mainly on their activity as a high school baseball team.

At first, it focused on Yamada, Iwaki, and Sachiko and was set in Takaoka Middle School.

But in Volume 8 the team is transferred to Meikun High School for their baseball skills.

When Takehiko Inoue (author of Slam Dunk and Vagabond) was young, he drew a lot of spectacular scene from Dokaben, the first manga he paid.