In what order to watch Dragon Ball?

Dragon Ball is one of the most popular series among fans of Japanese animation and anime in general. However, if you haven't seen a single episode or read a single manga by Akira Toriyama, getting into the saga can seem totally confusing! 😵

And given the impressive number of films , episodes and spin-offs, the order in which you'll want to watch Dragon Ball can seem like a big puzzle. After all, it's a huge media franchise made up of manga, anime, feature films, and video games. In this article, we will finally explain to you in which order to watch Dragon Ball ! Stay tuned... 🧏‍♂️

THE HISTORY OF DRAGON BALL

The franchise began in 1984 when Akira Toriyama began publishing the Dragon Ball manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. A “manga” is simply a Japanese style of comic book or graphic novel. The manga introduced us to Goku and other key characters from the eponymous saga and was first broadcast from 1984 to 1995. It is the source for the anime Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, as well as the point starting point of the entire series. 📖

When it comes to anime, there have been official Dragon Ball television series , spin-off series, and theatrically released animated films. All of this has allowed Dragon Ball to become one of the most lucrative franchises in history, with over $20 billion in revenue in 2018. It is one of the most successful action anime series successful games of all time, and it continues to work to this day with the new Dragon Ball Super saga more than thirty years later.

ORDER OF DRAGON BALL

Due to its long history, it can be easily confusing for anime fans to know the correct order to watch Dragon Ball, (sometimes stylized DragonBall) , which is why we're going to break it down for you today. Indeed, if you're new to the Dragon Ball universe, there will be a lot of catching up to do. ⏲

But be careful, young Saiyan! Take your time and watch the anime series in order. We suggest you start with Dragon Ball (the original saga), then move on to Dragon Ball Z , followed by Dragon Ball GT, watch some of the Dragon Ball and DBZ movies , and finally finish with the latest Dragon Ball Super series. . 👁‍🗨

Now let’s dissect this together! 👍

DRAGON BALL SAGA

The anime adaptation of the first 194 chapters of Akira Toriyama's anime Dragon Ball follows the adventures of the series' protagonist, Goku , as an alien "saiyan" child who has recently arrived on earth, while he discovers more, meets new friends and overcomes new challenges. 🤟

While there are films from before this time that delve deeper into Little Goku's origins, it still doesn't make sense to watch them because it's not entirely relevant. Dragon Ball establishes many of the series' themes and characters, including Krillin, Bulma, Master Roshi, Piccolo, and the martial arts tournaments that take place regularly. 🥋

He also reveals why the series is called Dragon Ball and its variations: a planet's seven crystal balls (Dragon Balls) can be used to summon a powerful, all-powerful dragon that can grant a wish. Earth's dragon is named Shenron , and we see him a lot as the series progresses. If you want to know more about this saga and its hero, you can read our article on the Origins of Goku ! 👶

DRAGON BALL Z SAGA

Dragon Ball Z, perhaps the most famous of the series, lasts almost twice as long as Dragon Ball, adapting the manga's subsequent 370 chapters and introducing many iconic villains to the franchise:

• The Saiyan Raditz
• Nappa
• Vegeta
• Frieza
• cell
• Majin Buu

But it's not all bad guys, as new heroes join the Z Fighters (aka Z-Fighters) as we progress through the Dragonball order. As our beloved heroes develop, villains become allies and allies become villains, while our heroes start families and their children join the ranks of the Z-fighters. 👨‍👨‍👦‍ 👦

DBZ also introduced much more than new villains and heroes with new themes such as time travel brought by the warrior Trunks from the Future, and the possibility of becoming Super Saiyan becoming very important to liven up the future storylines of the series. 🔥

The eponymous series continues to be the most adapted video game and holds a special place in the hearts of many fans of Japanese anime and manga . Likewise, Dragon Ball Z was the series to make its soundtrack very popular, with over 20 soundtracks released in the Dragon Ball Hits collection. 🎶

SAGA DRAGON BALL GT

Then, the order of Dragon Ball continues with the controversial Dragon Ball GT saga. It is the first series not to adapt any of Akira Toriyama's popular manga and it will suffer for it.

It was broadcast over a short period of two years, with more than 60 episodes following Dragon Ball Z and featuring original characters and storylines from Toei Animation . It still lacked some of the magic that made the original series so special. ✨

While many fans unfairly state that GT is "non-canonical" and therefore does not count in the overall Dragon Ball timeline (like some animated films, which include "What if this happened?" storylines) , Dragon Ball GT actually involved Akira Toriyama a little, in the sense that he gave his name to the series, GT meaning Grand Tour... 🤡

The creator then spoke of a "side story." Dragon Ball GT wasn't bad per se, though, and should definitely be part of the Dragon Ball order. She was perhaps most famous for introducing the Super Saiyan 4 form, which was a popular design that hasn't been used since, as well as the black star crystal balls and dragons that go with it. 🐲

It's worth mentioning that DBGT was more popular outside of Japan, and continues to receive love and attention in the Dragon Ball series video games, where you'll often find characters from the GT series. 🎮

DRAGON BALL MOVIES

OVAs (Original Video Animations) should be a huge part of the Order of the Dragon Ball franchise, because without them you won't meet Son Goku's parents, popular villains such as Janemba and Broly, and you'll miss out epic fight scenes and never-before-seen fusions. 💥

There have been a total of 20 animated films in the Dragon Ball universe! While not all of these films directly follow the anime's story, they all offer a unique adventure alongside Goku and his friends, and are definitely worth watching for fans new to the franchise! The films are presented in the order of their release:

• Dragon Ball: The Legend of Shenron
• Dragon Ball: The Princess Sleeping in the Demon Castle
• Dragon Ball: The Mystical Adventure
• Dragon Ball Z: The Hunt for Garlic
• Dragon Ball Z: The Ice Robot
• Dragon Ball Z: The Battle of Brotherhood
• Dragon Ball Z: Menace of Namek
• Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge
• Dragon Ball Z: One Hundred Thousand Metal Warriors
• Dragon Ball Z: Cyborg Offensive
• Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Super Warrior
• Dragon Ball Z: Space Mercenaries
• Dragon Ball Z: Dangerous Rivals
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Warrior Attack!
• Dragon Ball Z: Fusions
• Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Dragon
• Dragon Ball: Red Ribbon Army
• Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
• Dragon Ball Z: The Resurrection of 'F'
• Dragon Ball Super: Broly

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the live-action film adaptation titled Dragon Ball Evolution , which is best forgotten. Since 2013, the films have respected and exceeded the Dragon Ball Z timeline (ignoring the events of Dragon Ball GT) and introduced new characters such as the Gods of Destruction and their Angels, who become important characters in the new series. 🎥

DRAGON BALL SUPER SAGA

A true sequel to Dragon Ball Z, and this time written by series creator Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball Super was a huge success and benefited from five major storylines (the Arcs) before taking a break. 🎞

The story arc is about understanding that Goku and his friends are now by far the strongest fighters on earth, and to find new challenges they will have to aim for universes further than earth. It doesn't take long before new threats arise, and Goku, Vegeta, and the Z-Fighters must defend Earth once again. 🌍

The culmination of this evolution is the "Universe Survival Arc ", which was hugely successful and introduced the first non-Super Saiyan transformation in a long time: Ultra Instinct , in which Goku is able to encounter and to surpass the powers of the Gods he has encountered and fought before. 😇

While the Dragon Ball Super saga introduces a whole slew of new villains, it brings back old favorites like Awesome Turtle and the Kais , while series villain Frieza returns, this time to fight for the forces of good. Dragon Ball Super and the films associated with it should be an essential culmination to the order of the Dragon Ball saga and to your viewing pleasure, because it represents everything that fans of anime, manga and Dragon Ball have come to know and love. ♥