When it comes to manga and anime, few franchises are quite as well-known as Akira Toriyama’sDragon Ball. Since starting life as a manga back in the early eighties, it’s gone on to spawn seven anime series and counting, not to mention more than twenty movies anda string of successfulDragon Ballvideo games. Due to the chronologically confusing nature of its naming conventions, however, figuring out how to watchDragon Ballin order can be more than a little tricky.
Though some might assume that it’s simply a case of watching the series in the order that they were first released, this isn’t actually the case. This is because one of them is effectively an abridged HD remaster of the one that came before it, while another inexplicably decides to revert the main protagonist Goku back to his childhood form. As a result, the best order to watchDragon Ballisn’t quite as straightforward as it appears at first glance, especially when the movies are taken into account.
Updated July 29, 2025, by Tom Bowen:Few anime franchises are quite as accessible as Dragon Ball. Thanks to its enduring popularity and prominence in modern pop culture, it’s considered a lot less niche than some of the other Japanese anime that have made their way West and is a lot easier to find online and on TV as a result. One of the only obstacles preventing people from watching it is the franchise’s chronologically confusing timeline, which is made up of multiple overlapping series and more than twenty movies. That’s okay, though, as those looking for the best order to watch Dragon Ball can find it right here.
The Best Order to Watch Dragon Ball (All Dragon Ball Series in Order)
Super Dragon Ball Heroeshas been omitted from the above timeline, as in addition to it not being canon, the events it depicts take place at various points across the fullDragon Balltimeline.
Dragon Ball
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Much like some of the humor, the animation in the original run ofDragon Ballis starting to show its age a little, though this is perhaps to be expected given that it’s now more than three decades old. The stories explored during the series' 153 episodes remain thoroughly enjoyable, however, as too dosome of the iconicDragon Ballcharacters who feature in them.
When combined with his childlike innocence, Goku’s immense power makes him an incredibly intriguing protagonist, whilecharacters like Master Roshi and Krillinprovide viewers with both humor and wisdom in equal measures.Dragon Ballis also a little more grounded than its many sequel series, with much more of an emphasis placed on martial arts than on ki blasts and energy balls.
Dragon Ballalso introduces many of the key characters who are found in later series and so should be interesting to those who’ve only ever seenDragon Ball Z. In particular, Bulma, Tien, and Krillin all play much bigger roles than they do later on, so fans of those characters would do well to check the series out. Of course, the same also holds true for those who are new to the franchise, as it’s where Akira Toriyama’s epic story first begins.
Dragon Ball Z
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
For most Westerners growing up in the nineties,Dragon Ball Zwill likely have served as their first real introduction to anime; and what an introduction it was. Though the Saiyan Saga starts out quite slowly, things begin to ramp up once the Z Fighters arrive on Namek, and, aside from the odd filler saga here and there, they don’t really slow down until the very end of the series.
WithiconicDragon Ballvillainsincluding Frieza, Cell, and Vegeta all making their debuts acrossZ’s 291 episodes, most consider the series to be the very pinnacle of theDragon Ballfranchise. In retrospect, it did have a few issues when it came to pacing, though some will argue that this only helped to elevate the suspense. For those with less patience for padding, however, there is thankfully a viable alternative.
The impact thatDragon Ball Zhas had on the world really is phenomenal, with many people able to recognize the likes of Goku and Vegeta despite not being fans of the show. The series also spawned a number of fantastic video game adaptations, with titles likeSuper ButodenandUltimate Battle 22helping to establish the trend of adapting anime into fighting games. Of course, there have been a fewDragon Ball ZRPGs over the years as well, but these are very much in the minority.
Dragon Ball Z Kai
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Despite theDragon Ballmanga having a sizeable headstart over the anime, it really didn’t take too long for the latter to catch up. As a result, viewers were forced to sit through several filler arcs to prevent the show from overtaking the source material. This can be seen quite a lot throughoutDragon Ball Zand is one of the main reasons why Toei Animation opted to release a revised HD remaster of the series in 2009.
The Saiyan, Frieza, Androids, and Cell sagas were broadcast back-to-back over the course of two years, with the World Tournament, Majin Buu, and Evil Buu sagas arriving four years later. Though some found enjoyment in the original series' filler content, many considerDragon Ball Z Kaito be the better of the two series and the definitive way to enjoy the core content explored throughoutZ.
Interestingly, despite serving as an abridged retelling ofDragon Ball Z,Dragon Ball Z Kaiactually boasts three more chapters. This is because the series isn’t separated into arcs like the ones that came before it, with each of the seven sagas effectively serving as one big continuous arc. The total episode count is a lot lower though, with only small amounts of filler surviving to help push certain episodes past the 20-minute mark.
Dragon Ball Daima
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Dragon Ball Daimatakes place immediately after the conclusion ofDragon Ball Zand sees Goku and his friends traveling to the mysterious Demon Realm after being turned back into children by the Demon King Gomah. It’s the lastDragon Ballseries that Akira Toriyama worked on before his death in March 2024 and will reportedly consist of twenty episodes.
Dragon Ball Super
ManyDragon Ballfans were a little surprised by the announcement ofDragon Ball Super, which was released as both a manga and an anime series in 2015. This made it the first newDragon Ballstory in almost eighteen years and the first with original creator Akira Toriyama’s direct involvement since the conclusion ofDragon Ball Zall the way back in 1996.
With Goku once again taking his adult form and manyfan-favoriteDragon Ballcharactersalso making their returns, the series was a huge hit with both returning fans and those who were new to the franchise. The Universe Survival Saga that brought the series to a close may not be to everybody’s tastes, but the Golden Frieza and “Future” Trunks Sagas are incredibly reminiscent of classicDragon Balland are well worth a watch.
Dragon Ball GT
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama, had once planned to have Gohan take over from his father as the franchise’s main protagonist. Despitethe young Saiyan’s heroics during the Cell Games, however, neither viewers nor readers ever really warmed to him in the same way that they did to Son Goku. As a result,Dragon Ball GT, which Toriyama himself had very little involvement with, instead opted to use a young Goku as its main hero just like the original series.
If the circumstances that led to him becoming a child weren’t bizarre enough, the fact thatGoku occasionally reverts back to his adult formis puzzling, to say the least. Despite this, some of the storylines inGTweren’t actually half bad, and one or two of the battles were every bit as epic as the very best offerings fromZ. It still remains the black sheep of theDragon Ballfamily, however, and isn’t considered canon due to Toriyama not being involvement.
One of the most notable things to come out ofDragon Ball GTwas the incredibly divisiveSuper Saiyan 4 transformation. Though it still isn’t considered canon, the ape-like transformation has since gone on to appear in numerousDragon Ballvideo games as well as another non-canonDragon Ballseries,Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Love it or loathe it, it’s hard to argue that it’s not an original idea, though having Goku inexplicably become an adult again while using the form was a strange design choice, to say the least.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
LikeDragon Ball GTbefore it,Super Dragon Ball Heroesisn’t considered canon. This perhaps bodes well, as it’s effectively a mini-series designed to promote a video game, which itself is built firmly around peddlingDragon Balltrading cardsto Japanese school children. It’s also fairly inaccessible, with viewers in the West typically having to rely on unofficial translations or fandubs due to the lack of an official North American release.
For all of its flaws though, there are some pretty cool battles inSuper Dragon Ball Heroes, not to mention a handful of really interesting characters. Cumber, in particular, wouldn’t feel at all out of place in one of the previousDragon Ballseries, while other characters like Hearts and Fu also have their moments. For those willing to put up with the show’s sporadic release schedule, there are certainly worse ways to spend one’s time.
Dragon Ball Movies & Specials
As is often the case with successful anime and manga series, there have been plenty ofDragon Ballmoviesover the years as well. None but theSupermovies are really considered canon, though this doesn’t mean that some of them aren’t worth watching. For those looking for a chronological, albeit non-canonical way to watchDragon Ball, the order below is arguably the best way to do so.
Dragon Ball: The Path To Power(1996) has not been included here due to it being more of a soft reboot than a continuation of theDragon Ballstory. For similar reasons,Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies(1986) has also been omitted on account of it being a reimagining of the Emperor Pilaf Saga from the original series.
Dragon Ball GT (Episodes 1 - 64)
