The Anime Order 
Watch order
Dragon Ball Watch Order
The Dragon Ball franchise runs to 42 entries — eight TV series, 21 films and 13 OVAs and specials — spanning 1986 to 2026, 914 episodes in all. The list below follows release order: start with Dragon Ball (1986) and work down. Filler turns up in four of them, the heaviest being Dragon Ball at 13.7%.
- Entries42
- Episodes881
- TV series8
- Films21
For most franchises release order is also the best viewing order. The common exception is a prequel — released late, but set first — so check the years in the table if a title looks out of place.
The order
| # | Title | Type | Year | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dragon Ball 13.7% filler — see what to skip Watch on Hulu Crunchyroll +1 | TV | 1986 | 153 |
| 2 |  | Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies Dragon Ball: Shen Long no Densetsu Watch on Bilibili TV Amazon Prime Video | MOVIE | 1986 | 1 |
| 3 |  | Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle Dragon Ball: Majinjou no Nemuri Hime Watch on Bilibili TV | MOVIE | 1987 | 1 |
| 4 |  | Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure Dragon Ball: Makafushigi Daibouken Watch on Bilibili TV | MOVIE | 1988 | 1 |
| 5 |  | Dragon Ball Z 13.1% filler — see what to skip Watch on Crunchyroll Bilibili TV | TV | 1989 | 291 |
| 6 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone Dragon Ball Z: Ora no Gohan wo Kaese!! Watch on Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1989 | 1 |
| 7 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest Dragon Ball Z: Konoyo de Ichiban Tsuyoi Yatsu Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1990 | 1 |
| 8 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might Dragon Ball Z: Chikyuu Marugoto Chou Kessen Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | 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 Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1991 | 1 |
| 11 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge Dragon Ball Z: Tobikkiri no Saikyou Tai Saikyou Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1991 | 1 |
| 12 |  | Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler Dragon Ball Z: Gekitotsu!! 100-oku Power no Senshi-tachi Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1992 | 1 |
| 13 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! Dragon Ball Z: Kyokugen Battle!! Sandai Super Saiyajin Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | 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 Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1993 | 1 |
| 17 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound Dragon Ball Z: Ginga Girigiri!! Bucchigiri no Sugoi Yatsu Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | 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 Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1994 | 1 |
| 20 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly Dragon Ball Z: Super Senshi Gekiha!! Katsu no wa Ore da Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1994 | 1 |
| 21 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no Fusion!! Goku to Vegeta Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1995 | 1 |
| 22 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon Dragon Ball Z: Ryuuken Bakuhatsu!! Goku ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru Watch on Bilibili TV Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 1995 | 1 |
| 23 |  | Dragon Ball GT Watch on Hulu Crunchyroll +1 | TV | 1996 | 64 |
| 24 |  | Dragon Ball: The Path to Power Dragon Ball: Saikyou e no Michi Watch on Bilibili TV | 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 Watch on Max Hulu | 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 Watch on Max | 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 Watch on Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 2013 | 1 |
| 32 |  | Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters Dragon Ball Kai (2014) Watch on Max | TV | 2014 | 69 |
| 33 |  | Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu no "F" Watch on Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 2015 | 1 |
| 34 |  | Dragon Ball Super 13% filler — see what to skip Watch on Crunchyroll Adult Swim +3 | 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 3.9% filler — see what to skip | ONA | 2018 | 56 |
| 38 | | Dragon Ball Super: Broly Watch on Crunchyroll | MOVIE | 2018 | 1 |
| 39 |  | Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Watch on Crunchyroll Amazon Prime Video | MOVIE | 2022 | 1 |
| 40 |  | Dragon Ball DAIMA Watch on Crunchyroll Hulu +2 | TV | 2024 | 20 |
| 41 |  | Dragon Ball Super: Beerus | TV | 2026 | — |
| 42 |  | Dragon Ball Super: Ginga Patrol | — | — | — |
Where to watch Dragon Ball
Crunchyroll carries the most of it, 22 of the 42 entries. Each link goes to the earliest entry that service carries, so you start at the beginning rather than wherever its search drops you.
These links open in a new tab.
Streaming destinations as listed by AniList, checked September 26, 2026. Catalogues differ by country and change often — check the service for your own region.
Filler in Dragon Ball
4 series in this franchise have their own filler list.
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…
What to watch after Dragon Ball
713 people who watched Dragon Ball recommend One Piece as the next thing — more than any other title. These are votes cast by viewers on AniList, not genre matches:
More like this
Dragon Ball is filed under 4 genres on this site. Each one lists every other franchise that shares it, with its watch order and filler figures.
Franchises sharing the most genres with Dragon Ball — a rough match by subject, not the vote-ranked suggestions above.
Frequently asked
How many episodes of Dragon Ball are there?
Dragon Ball has 881 episodes across 8 TV series, plus 21 films, which are counted separately.
How many Dragon Ball entries are there?
42 in total: 8 TV series, 21 films, and 13 OVAs and specials.
What order should I watch Dragon Ball in?
Release order works for Dragon Ball — start with Dragon Ball (1986) and follow the table on this page.
Do I need to watch the Dragon Ball 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.
Last refreshed September 6, 2026