Every Dragon Ball TV Show and Movie in Order

For a first watch focused on the main TV story, start with Dragon Ball, then choose either Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai, followed by Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball DAIMA. Add Dragon Ball GT after Z if you want the full broadcast history. The movies are best treated as optional release-history extras: the official chronology dates and names them, but does not provide exact episode-by-episode placement for most films.

What order should you watch Dragon Ball in?

1. Dragon Ball — start here for the original TV story.
2. Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai — choose one version for the Z-era story; they are alternatives, not two consecutive series in a first-watch route.
3. Dragon Ball Super — continue with this series.
4. Dragon Ball DAIMA — add the newer original anime series.
5. Dragon Ball GT (optional) — watch it after Z if your goal is to include every TV series in broadcast-release order. It is not a required step between Z and the later series in this recommended route.

This is a practical route through the main TV releases, not a claim that every show and film fits into one officially settled continuity. Toei Animation’s official chronology establishes release years; it does not settle every continuity question or specify where most films fit between TV episodes.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Dragon Ball Super - Complete Series - Blu-ray	$171.56	Buy on Amazon
2		Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season	$39.96	Buy on Amazon
3		Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season - LE	$71.24	Buy on Amazon

Choosing between Z and Kai

The official chronology lists Dragon Ball Z as a 1989 release and Dragon Ball Z Kai as a 2009 release. For a first watch, pick one rather than watching both as if one follows the other. The chronology alone does not provide a detailed comparison of their edits, episode counts, or runtime.

Where GT fits

Dragon Ball GT began broadcasting in 1996, before Dragon Ball Z Kai began in 2009. That makes GT earlier than Kai in release history, but it does not mean you need to insert GT between Z and later series in the suggested first-watch route. The chronology is not, by itself, a ruling on GT’s continuity status.

#1 Best Overall

Dragon Ball Super - Complete Series - Blu-ray

$171.56

Buy on Amazon

Dragon Ball TV shows and movies in release-year order

The following checklist follows the years and English title renderings on Toei Animation’s official Dragon Ball chronology. It groups titles by year; where several titles share a year, the list does not establish their precise order within that year. Regional release dates and localized title spellings can differ.

How to include the movies

For a first watch

Watch the TV route first and treat the films as optional extras. The older films are useful for a release-history marathon, but the official chronology does not give exact TV-episode insertion points for most of them or label them canon or non-canon. Placing them between particular episodes would therefore suggest a precision the chronology does not establish.

Rank #2

Sale

Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season

• Textless Opening & Ending Songs

$39.96

Buy on Amazon

For a release-history marathon

Use the year-by-year table as a checklist, watching each film in its listed year alongside the TV releases from that year. This preserves the documented release history without presenting it as a definitive continuity sequence. The official chronology contains 21 feature-film entries across the listed years; it does not include a film for every year.

What the official timeline does—and does not—settle

Toei Animation’s chronology records six episodic series and 21 feature films by 2024, when DAIMA had been added to the franchise. It is useful for release years and titles, not a complete canon guide. In particular, it does not establish a detailed episode-level placement for most theatrical films, resolve continuity debates, or provide a scene-by-scene comparison of Z and Kai.

Rank #3

Sale

Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season - LE

• Textless Opening & Ending Songs LIMITED EDITION INCLUDES: 7 foil art cards Goku x Vegeta x Piccolo sticker Rigid box with exclusive art by the character designer

$71.24

Buy on Amazon

Toei announced DAIMA as an original Dragon Ball anime series. Its 2024 announcement said subtitled episodes would launch on Crunchyroll beginning October 11 in named territories. That announcement is historical rather than a guarantee of current availability in every country.

Where to watch the series

Streaming catalogs change by territory and date, so check current local listings before starting. Toei announced that Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT episodes launched on Crunchyroll on March 15, 2022, in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and said Dragon Ball Super was already available there at that time. In a separate 2024 announcement, Toei named the United States, Canada, Latin America including Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Southeast Asia for DAIMA‘s subtitled Crunchyroll launch. Neither announcement establishes today’s catalog in every market.

Optional reading path

If you would rather begin with the source manga, Toei’s official chronology dates its original serialization to 1984. Reading the manga is an alternative way into the story, not a prerequisite for following the screen releases.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Dragon Ball Super - Complete Series - Blu-ray

$171.56

SaleBestseller No. 2

Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season

Textless Opening & Ending Songs

$39.96

SaleBestseller No. 3

Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season - LE

$71.24

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.