Since its debut in 1984, Dragon Ball has grown to become one of the most well-known anime and manga franchises ever. But how should you watch the entire series right now?
With Dragon Ball in the 1980s, Akira Toriyama permanently altered popular culture. Since his energetic manga about a youthful Goku and his search for the dreaded dragon balls, he has produced a number of the greatest anime works ever, as well as an extensive catalog of anime films.
From Goku’s time traveling the Earth with Bulma and his friends, things have grown much larger and more audacious. We’ve met a few of Shenron’s dragon siblings and he’s visited different planets and stopped a variety of bad guys.
That’s all presented in the form of an uneven timeline and literally hundreds of episodes. But fear not—we have our Dragon Radar at your disposal, so here’s how you can easily explore every episode of Dragon Ball.
How to see Dragon Ball in chronological order
Everything that is still recognized by the Dragon Ball franchise today is covered by the canon order. Whether they are filler or not, there is a potential that these events will all be mentioned in some capacity in any shows or movies that are produced in the future.
Two prominent instances of ambiguity are the decision between Z and Kai, as well as the first 27 Super episodes. Z is the version to watch if you want to see the original franchise in all its grandeur, while Kai tightens creative license while sprucing up production. The former is completely up to personal preference.
The latter, therefore, merely recreates Resurrection ‘F’ and Battle of Gods, so viewing those eliminates the necessity to watch the broadcast version.
There is really only one significant omission: Dragon Ball GT, the space-faring property’s black sheep. Reactions were conflicted, and when it was discovered that Akira had not been involved at all, complaints were few.
Order of the Dragon Ball canon:
- Episode 1-153 of Dragon Ball
- Comparing Dragon Ball Z 1-291 with Dragon Ball Z Kai 1-167
- Dragon Ball Z: Gods versus Dragons
- Z: Resurrection ‘F’ from Dragon Ball Z
- Super Dragon BaBattle of the Gods in Dragon Ball Zm Dragon Ball Super
- Super Hero Dragon Ball Super
How to watch Dragon Ball from beginning to end
While watching the Dragon Ball franchise in chronological sequence takes the longest, it’s also possibly the most gratifying as you get to experience every high and low point. You receive every creative flourish from the Toei Animation production staff as well as from Akira Toriyama.
But be advised, this might be very tedious. You will lose many hours watching people level up and get ready for war in some parts of the game (such as the first half of the Androids Saga before we reach Perfect Cell).
But in exchange, you get to see some of the greatest, most amazing, most memorable, and genre-defining scenes and moments in anime history.
Chronological order of Dragon Ball:
- Dragon Ball: 1-43
- Curse of the Dragon Rubies in Dragon Ball
- From Dragon Ball 44 to 70
- Sleeping Princess at Devil’s Castle in Dragon Ball
- Dragon Ball 71–118
- Dragon Ball: A Mysterious Journey
- Dragon Balls 119–153
- Z Dragon: Dead Zone
- Z Dragon Ball Z 1-86
- Bardock, the father of Goku in Dragon Ball Z
- Sword Ball Z 87–107
- Bardock’s episode in Dragon Ball
- Dragon Ball Z: The Mightiest Show on Earth
- The Tree of Might in Dragon Ball Z
- Lord Slug in Dragon Ball Z
- Zeta Ball Z 108–123
- Dragon Ball Z: The Background of the TrunkTrunks in Dragon Ball Z: The Historys Revenge in Dragon Ball Z
- Z Dragon Ball 126–146.
- Super Android 13 in Dragon Ball Z
- 147–173 in Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Return
- Broly, the legendary Super Saiyan, in Dragon Ball Z
- Beast Ball Z 174–194
- Bojack Unbound in Dragon Ball Z
- Zeta Dragon Z 195-207
- Broly’s Second Coming in Dragon Ball Z
- D Dragon Z 208-250
- Bio-Broly in Dragon Ball Z
- Z Dragon Ball 251-253
- Dragon Ball Z: Resurrected Fusion
- Dynamite Z 254-288
- Wrath of the Dragon in Dragon Ball Z
- GT 1-64 Dragon Ball
- Dragon Ball Super 1-3
- Z: Battle of the Gods for Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Super Episodes 4–18
- Z: Resurrection ‘F’ from Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Super 19-131
- Broly from Dragon Ball Super
- Super Hero Dragon Ball Super
- Z Dragon Ball 289–291
How to watch Dragon Ball without wasting any time
Not all of Dragon Ball’s episodes adhere to the plot. The franchise actually contains a lot of filler in between each of its chapters; in certain situations, you may skip right over entire sagas if you simply want the plot.
Dragon Ball Z Kai, as opposed to the original, is the version you want in this case because of the better animation and less filler from the start. It is still possible to ignore the first 27 episodes of Dragon Ball Super.
Without filler, Dragon Ball:
- Manga Dragon 1–28, 35–41, 46–49, 51–78, 84–131, 133, 148
- 1-6, 8-54, 55-57, 59-72, 74-98 Dragon Ball Z Kai
- Dragon Ball Z: The History Of Trunks
- Dragon Ball Z Kai 1–99, 10–228; 1–158; 160–165
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods
- Z: Resurrection ‘F’ from Dragon Ball ZDragon Ball Z: Gods versus Dragons31–41, 47–51, 53–67, 77–89, 92–131
- Broly from Dragon Ball Super
- Super Hero Dragon Ball Super
Which key Dragon Ball villain makes an appearance when?
When it comes to villainous entrances, Dragon Ball has a knack for it. Given how many villains Goku and the Z Fighters have encountered throughout the years, the franchise has undoubtedly had a lot of experience.
We’ve included a list of all the prominent villains’ appearance dates. To be clear, this only applies to main antagonists; Vegeta and the Androids 16, 17, and 18 are not included, nor are one-off opponents like Ginger. If they were, we would be here all day.
Where in the anime each main Dragon Ball villain makes an appearance:
- First Dragon Ball: Pilaf
- Dragon Ball 30’s Commander Red
- Dragon Ball 58’s Mercenary Tao
- 102 Dragon Balls: King Piccolo
- Using Raditz, Dragon Ball Z 1
- Nappa: Dragon Ball Z Edition
- Z44 of Dragon Ball: Frieza
- Dragon Ball Z 60’s Captain Ginyu
- Dragon Ball 108 – Garlic Jr.
- Pokémon Z 126 on Androids 19 and 20
- Cell – Z 141 of Dragon Ball
- Broly, the legendary super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Z 232’s Majin Buu
- Dragon Ball GT 13’s Dr. Myuu
- The Dragon Ball GT 22 baby
- Shenron Synth – Dragon Ball GT 57
- DBZ: Battle of the Gods – Beerus
- Super 47 Goku Black – Dragon Ball
- Jiren, the 85th Dragon Ball Super
How many Dragon Ball episodes are there?
The Dragon Ball anime has 639 episodes total from its initial run. This covers Super, Z, GT, and Dragon Ball.
Counting Kai instead of Z makes that 515, and counting Kai but excluding Z and GT makes it 451.
Each Dragon Ball show has a certain number of episodes:
- Episodes in Dragon Ball: 153
- 291 episodes make up Dragon Ball Z.
- 167 episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai
- Episodes: 64 in Dragon Ball GT
- 131 episodes of Dragon Ball Super
How many Dragon Ball films have been made?
Throughout the entire franchise, there have been 22 Dragon Ball movies released thus far. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, released inCurse of the Blood Rubies in Dragon Ballragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies being the first one released back in Super Hero Dragon Ball Superto date:
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Sleeping Princess at Devil’s Castle in Dragon Ball
- Dragon Ball: A Mysterious Journey
- Z Dragon: Dead Zone
- Dragon Ball Z: The Mightiest Show on Earth
- The Tree of Might in Dragon Ball Z
- Lord Slug in Dragon Ball Z
- Cooler’s Revenge in Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Return
- Super Android 13 in Dragon Ball Z!
- Bojack Unbound in Dragon Ball Z
- Broly, the Second Coming in Dragon Ball Z
- Bio-Broly in Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball Z: Resurrected Fusion
- Wrath of the Dragon in Dragon Ball Z
- Dragon Ball: The Road to Triumph
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
- Z: Resurrection ‘F’ from Dragon Ball Z
- Broly from Dragon Ball Super
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
What role does Daima from Dragon Ball fit in the timeline?
Dragon Ball Daima is said to occur prior to Battle of Gods but after the Majin Buu Arc in Dragon Ball Z. Reputable insider Geekdom101 provided this information, deconstructing the show’s place in the franchise in September 2024.
Dragon Ball Daima’s exact position won’t be known until it’s released, but based on the cast and what we’ve seen so far, it seems most logical to place him at the end of Z.
For the Dragon Ball franchise, what’s next?
The future is uncertain after Dragon Ball Daima. Who would direct a new television series or film in light of Akira Toriyama’s passing? His only period of time away from creative leadership was during Dragon Ball GT, and things didn’t work out that well.
Prior to anything similar occurring, a rights movement has formed following Akira’s passing. He left a need that hasn’t been filled, even though a number of people were in talks to license Dragon Ball before he passed away.
We’ll watch what transpires after Daima; the conclusion most likely will hint at future developments.
Where can I view all of the Dragon Ball movies and television shows?
Crunchyroll has every Dragon Ball movie ever made. It wasn’t until February 2024 that the service acquired the rights to Dragon Ball Z, concluding the story, that this became feasible.
For customers in the US and the UK, the whole movie library is now available on the platform. Streaming services that are truly the Super Saiyan 4.
