How to watch Dragon Ball in order

❘ Updated: 2024-09-10T15:21:02

Crunchyroll

One of the most popular anime and manga franchises ever, Dragon Ball has been going strong since it started in 1984, but how should you watch the whole thing now?

Akira Toriyama changed pop culture forever with Dragon Ball in the ’80s. Since his spirited manga about young Goku and the quest for the eponymous dragon balls, we’ve had several of the best anime ever, including a long list of anime movies.

Things have gotten a lot bigger and bolder since the days of Goku wandering the Earth with Bulma and his pals. He’s travelled to other planets, stopped all sorts of villains, and we’ve met a couple of Shenron’s dragon siblings.

That’s all come in the shape of literally hundreds of episodes, and a timeline that’s a little misshapen. Have no fear, though – we have our Dragon Radar handy, so here’s how you can check out all of Dragon Ball with ease.

How to watch Dragon Ball in canon order

The canon order for Dragon Ball covers everything still acknowledged by the franchise today. Filler or not, these events all have a chance of being referenced in one way or another by whatever future shows and films happen.

There are a couple of notable ambiguities: the choice between Z and Kai, and the first 27 episodes of Super. The former is entirely up to personal taste – if you want the original franchise in all its glory, Z is the version to watch, whereas Kai spruces up production while trimming down creative liberties.

The latter, then, just remakes Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’, so watching those negates needing to see the televised iteration.

Really, there’s just one large omission: Dragon Ball GT, the spacefaring black sheep of the whole property. Featuring less involvement from Akira, reception was mixed, and complaints were low when it was revealed to be inessential overall.

Dragon Ball in canon order:

Dragon Ball 1-153
Dragon Ball Z 1-291/Dragon Ball Z Kai 1-167
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
Dragon Ball Super 29-131
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

How to watch Dragon Ball in chronological order

The chronological order of the Dragon Ball franchise is the longest way to watch, but also perhaps the most rewarding, because you see every high and low. You get every creative swing from both Akira Toriyama and the production teams at Toei Animation.

Be warned, though, this can be a slog. Some sections (like the first half of the Androids Saga before we get to Perfect Cell) definitely feel drawn out at times, and you’re going to spend many hours watching people power up and preparing to battle.

But you’re rewarded with some of the most epic, incredible, iconic, and genre-defining moments and sequences in all of anime.

Dragon Ball in chronological order:

Dragon Ball 1-43
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Dragon Rubies
Dragon Ball 44-70
Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle
Dragon Ball 71-118
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure
Dragon Ball 119-153
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
Dragon Ball Z 1-86
Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku
Dragon Ball Z 87-107
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest
Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug
Dragon Ball Z 108-123
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks
Dragon Ball Z 124-125
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge
Dragon Ball Z 126-146
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13
Dragon Ball Z 147-173
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
Dragon Ball Z 174-194
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound
Dragon Ball Z 195-207
Dragon Ball Z: Broly’s Second Coming
Dragon Ball Z 208-250
Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly
Dragon Ball Z 251-253
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn
Dragon Ball Z 254-288
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon
Dragon Ball GT 1-64
Dragon Ball Super 1-3
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods
Dragon Ball Super 4-18
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
Dragon Ball Super 19-131
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Dragon Ball Z 289-291

How to watch Dragon Ball without filler

Sticking to the plot isn’t always Dragon Ball’s strong suit. In fact, the franchise has quite a bit of filler across the various installments, and if you just want the story, you can actually gloss over whole sagas in some cases.

Given the improved animation and lower amount of filler to begin with, Dragon Ball Z Kai is the version you want in this instance, rather than the original. Dragon Ball Super’s opening 27 episodes can still be glossed over, too.

Dragon Ball without filler:

Dragon Ball 1-28, 35-41, 46-49, 51-78, 84-131, 133, 148
Dragon Ball Z Kai 1-6, 8-54, 55-57, 59-72, 74-98
Dragon Ball Z: The History Of Trunks
Dragon Ball Z Kai 99-100, 102-128, 130-158, 160-165
Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Gods
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
Dragon Ball Super 28-29, 31-41, 47-51, 53-67, 77-89. 92-131
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

When does every major Dragon Ball villain appear?

Dragon Ball has a flair for entrances when it comes to baddies. The franchise definitely has plenty of practice, considering the amount of evildoers Goku and the Z Fighters have faced over the years.

If you want to know when every main villain shows up, we’ve got them all listed. However, we should note this is for major antagonists, one-off adversaries (such as Ginger) and most anti-villains (such as Vegeta and Androids 16, 17 and 18) aren’t counted, because otherwise we’d be here all day.

Where each major Dragon Ball villain appears in the anime:

Pilaf – Dragon Ball 1
Commander Red – Dragon Ball 30
Mercenary Tao – Dragon Ball 58
King Piccolo – Dragon Ball 102
Raditz – Dragon Ball Z 1
Nappa – Dragon Ball Z 5
Frieza – Dragon Ball Z 44
Captain Ginyu – Dragon Ball Z 60
Garlic Jr – Dragon Ball 108
Androids 19 and 20 – Dragon Ball Z 126
Cell – Dragon Ball Z 141
Broly – Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
Majin Buu – Dragon Ball Z 232
Doctor Myuu – Dragon Ball GT 13
Baby – Dragon Ball GT 22
Syn Shenron – Dragon Ball GT 57
Beerus – Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Goku Black – Dragon Ball Super 47
Jiren – Dragon Ball Super 85

How many episodes of Dragon Ball are there?

In total, there are 639 episodes of Dragon Ball from the franchise’s original run. That includes Dragon Ball, Z, GT and Super.

That becomes 515 if you’re counting Kai instead of Z, and it becomes 451 if you count Kai but take out Z and GT.

How many episodes are in each Dragon Ball show:

Dragon Ball – 153 episodes
Dragon Ball Z – 291 episodes
Dragon Ball Z Kai – 167 episodes
Dragon Ball GT – 64 episodes
Dragon Ball Super – 131 episodes

How many Dragon Ball movies are there?

There are 22 Dragon Ball movies so far, spread across the entire franchise. The first was Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies, way back in 1986, and the latest is Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, from 2022.

Every Dragon Ball movie so far:

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest
Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming
Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon
Dragon Ball: The Path to Power
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

Where does Dragon Ball Daima fit in the timeline?

Dragon Ball Daima reportedly takes place after the Majin Buu Arc in Dragon Ball Z, but before Battle of Gods. This comes from reputable insider Geekdom101, who broke down the show’s spot in the franchise in September 2024.

We won’t know exactly where Dragon Ball Daima sits until it comes out, but given the roster and what we’ve seen so far, towards the end of Z makes the most sense so far.

What’s next for the Dragon Ball franchise?

After Dragon Ball Daima, the future is unclear. Akira Toriyama’s death raises questions over who’d lead any new show or movie. The only time he wasn’t involved in creative leadership was Dragon Ball GT, and that didn’t turn out so well.

Before anything like that happens, a rights struggle has emerged in the wake of Akira’s death. Several bodies were in conversation for licensing Dragon Ball before he passed, and now he’s left a vacuum that’s yet to be filled.

We’ll see what happens after Daima; in all likelihood, the ending may give us clues about what’s on the way.

Where can you watch all the Dragon Ball shows and movies?

You can watch the entire Dragon Ball franchise on Crunchyroll. This only became possible in February 2024, when the service finally got the rights to Dragon Ball Z, completing the saga.

Now every show and movie can be found on the platform for UK and US subscribers. Truly the Super Saiyan 4 of streaming services.

That’s a complete rundown on watching Dragon Ball – phew. Check our upcoming anime guide if you’re keen for something newer to check out, and we have guides on One Piece and My Hero Academia for other big franchises to dig into.