How to watch Dragon Ball in order

Your guide to watching all the series and films from the long-running anime franchise in the correct order.

By Patrick Cremona

Published: Monday, 03 April 2023 at 12:00 am

Dragon Ball is one of the most popular, not to mention extensive, anime franchises of all time  – and for newcomers, the wealth of content can make it slightly tricky to know the best order to watch Dragon Ball in.

Having first aired in 1986, the original series (which is based on the manga of the same name) has spawned a huge number of spinoffs and sequels including Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super and the most recent entry to the franchise Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

Aside from the series, there are also a number of movies and television specials that confuse matters further, and then there’s the complication that not all the series are necessarily considered “canon”. Much like trying to watch Naruto in order, all of this makes it quite difficult to know how to watch the Dragon Ball series in order.

So where to begin? We have you covered.

How to watch Dragon Ball in chronological order

While this method might be frowned upon by hardcore fans, one way to watch Dragon Ball in order is to go in chronological order in terms of the time scale of the story.

This order does not take into account whether each series or film is considered canon or not – hence why some fans would say it isn’t the best way to watch – and as such, it includes a lot of content. 

Meanwhile, a note that we have included Dragon Ball Z but not Dragon Ball Z Kai, given that the two series are essentially the same thing. (For reference, Dragon Ball Z Kai is a remake of the earlier series, telling the same story but with less filler and some new dialogue as well as updated animation.)

Here is how to watch Dragon Ball in chronological order:

How to watch Dragon Ball in order by canon

If you want to skip all the Dragon Ball that isn’t considered canon, i.e the series and films which don’t follow the events of the manga and were made without any input from creator Akira Toriyama, then there is an alternative watch order below.

Those entries considered non-canon include the series Dragon Ball GT in addition to the majority of the films. Then you also have to make the choice of whether to watch Dragon Ball Z for the more extensive experience or Dragon Ball Kai for the more refined approach.

Here is the list for fans who wish to watch Dragon Ball canonically:

Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.