What to Know
- Canonically: Includes Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super.
- Chronologically: Includes all series and movies. Start with Dragon Ball and end with Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
- Release order: Earliest title is Dragon Ball (1986) and the most recent is Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022).
This article will cover the main Dragon Ball viewing orders and where you can watch it all online. Many Dragon Ball movies and series are on streaming platforms like Funimation or Crunchyroll, but others are only available for purchase through platforms like the Microsoft Store or iTunes.
How Should I Watch Dragon Ball?
Based on Akira Toriyama’s manga series of the same name, Dragon Ball is one of the most popular and influential anime franchises in the world. Numerous sequels, spinoffs, and feature films have been released since Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball premiered in Japan in 1986, which makes watching it all an enormous undertaking.
Fortunately, there are a few different ways to watch Dragon Ball. While you can go the completionist route, a large portion of the franchise isn’t considered canon so you can save a lot of time if you cut out non-canon content. However, you’ll also miss some of Dragon Ball’s most creative and epic moments if you go this route so you might be better off doing a chronological viewing and deciding for yourself how much you’d like to watch.
How to Watch Dragon Ball in Canonical Order
If you’re just looking for the “core” Dragon Ball experience, a canonical viewing is the way to go. This viewing order cuts out the movies, as well as a few series like Dragon Ball GT. Consider this Goku and the Z Fighters’ main story.
One important consideration you’ll need to make is whether to watch Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai. The former is the original anime that ran from 1989 - 1996, while the latter is an updated version of the same series with remastered picture and sound, as well as a more streamlined story that cuts out much of the filler material found in Dragon Ball Z.
It’s debatable which is better—Kai is higher-quality in a number of ways, but lacks some of the charm of Dragon Ball Z’s wackier excursions. You could always hop back and forth to decide which you prefer but it’s arguably worth sticking to one since there’s so much overlap.
Title | Where to Watch |
Dragon Ball (all episodes) | Hulu
Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z or Kai (end of Frieza Saga) | Hulu (Kai)
Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku (TV special) | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z or Kai (end of Frieza Saga until the end of the Cell Saga) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (TV special) | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z (all remaining episodes) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Super | Hulu
Funimation Crunchyroll |
How to Watch Dragon Ball in Chronological Order
If you want to expand beyond the canonical texts, you might prefer watching Dragon Ball in chronological order. This viewing incorporates all of the movies and inserts them roughly where they would take place in the main series canon. It also means stopping and re-starting Dragon Ball Z at numerous points, so keep this in mind if you want to stick to the suggested viewing order.
To simplify things, Dragon Ball Z has been incorporated into this viewing order and not Dragon Ball Z Kai. You can still complete this viewing with Kai instead, but the specific episode numbers will be different than those listed below.
Title | Where to Watch |
Dragon Ball (episodes 1-13) | Hulu Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (movie) | Funimation Apple TV |
Dragon Ball (all remaining episodes) | Hulu Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle (movie) | Funimation Apple TV |
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (movie) | Funimation Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (movie) | Funimation Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 1-86 (Vegeta killed by Frieza) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku (TV special) | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 87-107 (end of Frieza Saga) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (movie) | N/A (limited release) |
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (movie) | Funimation Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (movie) | Funimation Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (movie) | Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 108-123 (Garlic Jr. Saga up to Goku’s return to Earth) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (TV special) | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 124 and 125 (pre-Android Saga interlude) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (movie) | Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 126-146 (Android Saga up to Goku’s recovery) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (movie) | Funimation Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 147-173 (Trunks and Vegeta enter Hyperbolic Time Chamber up to Dende becoming Guardian of Earth) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (movie) | Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (movie) | Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 174-194 (Cell Games up to Trunks returning to his own timeline) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (movie) | Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 195-207 (Goku visits Grand Kai up to Trunks’ first Super Saiyan transformation) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming (movie) | Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 208-250 (Goten meets Goku up to Gohan breaking the Z sword) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly (movie) | Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 251-253 (Gotenks fights Majin Buu) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (movie) | Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 254-288 (Buu’s good and evil sides separate up to beginning of Peaceful World Saga) | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (movie) | Funimation Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z episodes 289-finish | Hulu (Kai) Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball GT | Hulu Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Super (episodes 1-3) | Hulu Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods (movie) | Apple TV Google Play Microsoft Store |
Dragon Ball Super (episodes 4-18) | Hulu Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F (movie) | Apple TV Google Play Microsoft Store |
Dragon Ball Super (episodes 19-finish) | Hulu Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (movie) | Crunchyroll Fandango at Home Amazon |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (movie) | Crunchyroll Amazon YouTube |
How to Watch Dragon Ball in Release Order
This viewing order is similar to the ones listed above but instead of going through events chronologically, it’s categorized by release date. This can be considered the completionist viewing since it includes Includes all series, movies, specials, and OVA (original video animation).
Title | Release Year | Where to Watch |
Dragon Ball | 1986-89 | Hulu
Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies | 1986 | Funimation
Apple TV |
Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle | 1987 | Funimation
Apple TV |
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure | 1988 | Funimation
Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z | 1989-96 | Funimation
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone | 1989 | Funimation
Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest | 1990 | Funimation
Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might | 1990 | Funimation
Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku (TV special) | 1990 | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug | 1991 | Funimation
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge | 1991 | Apple TV
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Summer Vacation Special | 1992 | N/A (limited release) |
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler | 1992 | Funimation
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! | 1992 | Funimation
Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Destroy the Saiyajin | 1993 | N/A (limited release) |
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan | 1993 | Apple TV
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (TV special) | 1993 | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound | 1993 | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming | 1994 | Apple TV |
Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly | 1994 | Apple TV
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn | 1995 | Apple TV
Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon | 1995 | Funimation
Apple TV Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball: The Path to Power | 1996 | Funimation
Apple TV |
Dragon Ball GT | 1996-97 | Hulu
Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy | 1997 | Funimation |
Dragon Ball: Yo! The Return of Son-Goku and Friends!! | 2008 | N/A (limited release) |
Dragon Ball Z Kai | 2009-11 | Hulu
Microsoft Store |
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock | 2011 | N/A (limited release) |
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods | 2013 | Apple TV
Google Play Microsoft Store |
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ | 2015 | Apple TV
Google Play Microsoft Store |
Dragon Ball Super | 2015-18 | Hulu
Funimation Crunchyroll |
Dragon Ball Super: Broly | 2018 | Crunchyroll
Vudu Amazon |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | 2022 | Crunchyroll
Amazon YouTube |