Dragon Ball Watch Order
All 42 entries in the Dragon Ball franchise, in the order to watch them — 1986–2026.
- Entries42
- Episodes914
- TV series 8
- Films 21
This list is in release order — the order these were broadcast. For most franchises that is also the best viewing order, but prequels are the common exception.
The order
| # | Title | Type | Year | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dragon Ball | TV | 1986 | 153 |
| 2 |  | Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies Dragon Ball: Shen Long no Densetsu | MOVIE | 1986 | 1 |
| 3 |  | Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle Dragon Ball: Majinjou no Nemuri Hime | MOVIE | 1987 | 1 |
| 4 |  | Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure Dragon Ball: Makafushigi Daibouken | MOVIE | 1988 | 1 |
| 5 |  | Dragon Ball Z | TV | 1989 | 291 |
| 6 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone Dragon Ball Z: Ora no Gohan wo Kaese!! | MOVIE | 1989 | 1 |
| 7 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest Dragon Ball Z: Konoyo de Ichiban Tsuyoi Yatsu | MOVIE | 1990 | 1 |
| 8 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might Dragon Ball Z: Chikyuu Marugoto Chou Kessen | MOVIE | 1990 | 1 |
| 9 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku Dragon Ball Z: Tatta Hitori no Saishuu Kessen - Freeza ni Idonda Z Senshi Son Goku no Chi | SPECIAL | 1990 | 1 |
| 10 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiyajin da Son Goku | MOVIE | 1991 | 1 |
| 11 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge Dragon Ball Z: Tobikkiri no Saikyou Tai Saikyou | MOVIE | 1991 | 1 |
| 12 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler Dragon Ball Z: Gekitotsu!! 100-oku Power no Senshi-tachi | MOVIE | 1992 | 1 |
| 13 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! Dragon Ball Z: Kyokugen Battle!! Sandai Super Saiyajin | MOVIE | 1992 | 1 |
| 14 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Atsumare! Goku's World | OVA | 1992 | 1 |
| 15 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks Dragon Ball Z: Zetsubou e no Hankou!! Nokosareta Chousenshi - Gohan to Trunks | SPECIAL | 1993 | 1 |
| 16 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan Dragon Ball Z: Moetsukiro!! Nessen - Ressen - Chou Gekisen | MOVIE | 1993 | 1 |
| 17 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound Dragon Ball Z: Ginga Girigiri!! Bucchigiri no Sugoi Yatsu | MOVIE | 1993 | 1 |
| 18 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans Dragon Ball Z: Saiya-jin Zetsumetsu Keikaku | OVA | 1993 | 2 |
| 19 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming Dragon Ball Z: Kiken na Futari! Super Senshi wa Nemurenai | MOVIE | 1994 | 1 |
| 20 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly Dragon Ball Z: Super Senshi Gekiha!! Katsu no wa Ore da | MOVIE | 1994 | 1 |
| 21 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no Fusion!! Goku to Vegeta | MOVIE | 1995 | 1 |
| 22 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon Dragon Ball Z: Ryuuken Bakuhatsu!! Goku ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru | MOVIE | 1995 | 1 |
| 23 |  | Dragon Ball GT | TV | 1996 | 64 |
| 24 |  | Dragon Ball: The Path to Power Dragon Ball: Saikyou e no Michi | MOVIE | 1996 | 1 |
| 25 |  | Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy Dragon Ball GT: Goku Gaiden! Yuuki no Akashi wa Suushinchuu | SPECIAL | 1997 | 1 |
| 26 |  | Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! Dragon Ball: Ossu! Kaette Kita Son Goku to Nakama-tachi!! | SPECIAL | 2008 | 1 |
| 27 |  | Dragon Ball Z Kai Dragon Ball Kai | TV | 2009 | 97 |
| 28 |  | Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans Dragon Ball: Super Saiya-jin Zetsumetsu Keikaku | OVA | 2010 | 1 |
| 29 |  | Dragon Ball Z Kai: Peace for the Future! The Spirit of Goku is Forever Dragon Ball Kai: Mirai ni Heiwa wo! Goku no Tamashii yo Eien ni | SPECIAL | 2011 | 1 |
| 30 |  | Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock | SPECIAL | 2011 | 1 |
| 31 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods Dragon Ball Z: Kami to Kami | MOVIE | 2013 | 1 |
| 32 |  | Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters Dragon Ball Kai (2014) | TV | 2014 | 69 |
| 33 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no "F" | MOVIE | 2015 | 1 |
| 34 |  | Dragon Ball Super | TV | 2015 | 131 |
| 35 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D | SPECIAL | 2016 | 1 |
| 36 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D at Super Tenkaichi Budokai | SPECIAL | 2017 | 1 |
| 37 |  | Super Dragon Ball Heroes | ONA | 2018 | 56 |
| 38 |  | Dragon Ball Super: Broly | MOVIE | 2018 | 1 |
| 39 |  | Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | MOVIE | 2022 | 1 |
| 40 |  | Dragon Ball DAIMA | TV | 2024 | 20 |
| 41 |  | Dragon Ball Super: Beerus | TV | 2026 | — |
| 42 |  | Dragon Ball Super: Ginga Patrol | — | — | — |
Where to start
Dragon Ball (1986) is the earliest entry. Goku Son is a young boy who lives in the woods all alone—that is until a girl named Bulma runs into him in her search for a set of magical objects called the "Dragon Balls." Since the artifacts are said to grant one wish to whoever collects all seven, Bulma hopes to gather them and wish for a perfect boyfriend. Goku…
Frequently asked
How many Dragon Ball entries are there?
42 in total: 8 TV series, 21 films, and 13 OVAs and specials.
Do I need to watch the films and OVAs?
Most films and OVAs in a long-running franchise are side stories that sit outside the main continuity. They can be watched at any point, or skipped entirely, without losing the thread of the main series.