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Dragon Ball has a lot of installments ever since its first release in the 80s. Check out this guide to figure out Dragon Ball watch order!
Dragon Ball has been around since the dawn of shonen anime. Despite its age, this series is pretty much alive nowadays. This legendary series was first released way back in February 1986. Later on, Toei decided to continue the series with a sequel, Dragon Ball Z. This sequel became the image of the series for most people. Toei definitely amped up the actions and the stakes for Goku in Dragon Ball Z, which became the highlight of the anime.
Fast forward almost forty years later to 2024, the title name still rings a bell for almost every anime fan. Not to mention, even people who are not into anime are likely to still have heard of Dragon Ball at least once. This is because this series has had a lot of sequels, in the form of anime and movies alike. Not to mention, the manga is still ongoing. However, it’s currently on an indefinite hiatus following the death of its mangaka, Akira Toriyama.
With a lot of anime and movie adaptations, new fans might get intimidated even just by looking at the episode numbers. However, there’s nothing to be worried about when you have a Dragon Ball watch order guide. Check this following guide to know the chronological order of the Dragon Ball series!
Dragon Ball Watch Order
A good rule of thumb for watching any long-running anime is to watch them according to when they’re released. Most anime adaptations follow the manga’s chronological order. However, it’s not always the case. Sometimes, there are some exceptions to this rule.
The Dragon Ball series is one of these exceptions. Especially considering the movies sometimes take place in the middle of one of the anime’s timelines. So, below is a chronological Dragon Ball watch order guide:
| Dragon Ball Anime/Movies | Episode |
| Dragon Ball | 1-13 |
| Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies | Movie |
| Dragon Ball | 14-153 |
| Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle | Movie |
| Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 1-86 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 87-107 |
| Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 108-123 |
| Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks | TV Special |
| Dragon Ball Z | 124- 125 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 126-146 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 147-173 |
| Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 174-194 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 195-207 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 208-250 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 251-253 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z | 254-288 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon | Movie |
| Dragon Ball GT | All Three Seasons |
| Dragon Ball DAIMA | All Episodes |
| Dragon Ball Super | 1-3 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Super | 4-18 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Super | 19-131 |
| Dragon Ball Super: Broly | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | Movie |
| Dragon Ball Z episodes | 289-291 |
As you can see, Dragon Ball has a lot of anime seasons and movies. If you prefer to watch things chronologically, make sure to take this guide with you.
Should You Watch the Dragon Ball Movies?
When it comes to anime movies, some series make their movie to be a part of the canon story. However, others might only treat them as recap movies or fillers. However, in Dragon Ball’s case, there are some movies that are considered canon and some others that are non-canon.
To summarize things, most Dragon Ball movies are considered non-canon. However, some movies contribute to the depth of the story, such as Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods and Dragon Ball Super: Broly. For a complete list of the filler list, you can check out the Dragon Ball filler guide, which also includes a filler list for the anime.
Where To Pick Up the Manga After Dragon Ball Anime?
Chronologically, Dragon Ball Z’s ending is the conclusion of the animated story and the last thing in Dragon Ball watch order. If you have reached this endpoint, you can start reading the Dragon Ball Super manga from the beginning. The manga has been running since 2015, and it picks up the story right after Majin Buu’s defeat.
However, if you have watched all of the Dragon Ball Super anime and the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie, you can skip right to chapter 42. But it’s recommended to check the manga from the beginning anyway.
Do You Need To Watch Dragon Ball Daima Anime?
Dragon Ball Daima is the newest anime installment of the Dragon Ball series. It premiered back in October 2024 and is currently still ongoing. Originally, this anime was supposed to be an anime original series. However, Akira Toriyama became more involved with all aspects of the production.
In Dragon Ball watch order, Dragon Ball Daima’s story takes place between Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. If you’re absolutely about the story, then watching this anime is a must because the story is considered canon. In summary, Goku and his friends were all turned into a small version of themselves. He then goes on an adventure to turn everything back to normal.
Where To Watch Dragon Ball
You can watch most of the Dragon Ball series on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, or Hulu. However, the availability of the anime and movies varies depending on the websites and your location.
For instance, you can watch Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Daima, and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero the movie on Crunchyroll. Dragon Ball Daima is also available on Netflix. On the other hand, Hulu has Dragon Ball Z Kai available to stream. It’s a remastered and recut version of the original Dragon Ball Z.
Conclusion
Akira Toriyama definitely has left a long-lasting legacy for the anime and manga world. Even after almost forty years, the Dragon Ball series is still alive and well. As one of the most revered pillars of anime, Dragon Ball has set the standard for shonen anime and has become what other animation studios and manga strive to achieve.
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