There are 21 Toei animated theatrical Dragon Ball movies, from The Legend of Shenron (1986) to Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO (2022). The list below puts them in theatrical release order—the clearest way to watch every film. It is not a single official in-universe timeline: many older movies are side stories or retellings that do not fit neatly between TV episodes. This list covers theatrical animated films, not TV specials, OVAs, live-action films, or compilation and crossover releases. The official series chronology and Toei Animation’s movie catalog document the releases.
All 21 Dragon Ball movies in theatrical release order
Toei’s English catalog titles are listed first. Familiar North American distributor titles appear in parentheses where they differ.
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- Dragon Ball: The Legend of Shenron (1986), also marketed as Curse of the Blood Rubies.
- Dragon Ball: Sleeping Beauty in Devil Castle (1987), also called Sleeping Beauty in Devil’s Castle.
- Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988).
- Dragon Ball Z: Get Back My Gohan (1989; commonly Dead Zone).
- Dragon Ball Z: The Strongest Guy in the World (1990; commonly The World’s Strongest).
- Dragon Ball Z: Super Battle in the World (1990; commonly The Tree of Might).
- Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiyan, Son Goku (1991; commonly Lord Slug).
- Dragon Ball Z: The Strongest Rivals (1991; commonly Cooler’s Revenge).
- Dragon Ball Z: Fight! 10 Billion Power Warriors (1992; commonly The Return of Cooler).
- Dragon Ball Z: Super Battle of Three Super Saiyans (1992; commonly Super Android 13!).
- Dragon Ball Z: The Burning Battles (1993; commonly Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan).
- Dragon Ball Z: Super Guy in the Galaxy (1993; commonly Bojack Unbound).
- Dragon Ball Z: Dangerous Rivals (1994; commonly Broly: Second Coming).
- Dragon Ball Z: Attack! Super Warriors (1994; commonly Bio-Broly).
- Dragon Ball Z: Revival Fusion (1995; commonly Fusion Reborn).
- Dragon Ball Z: Explosion of Dragon Punch (1995; commonly Wrath of the Dragon).
- Dragon Ball: The Way to the Strongest (1996; also known as The Path to Power).
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013).
- Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (2015).
- Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018).
- Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO (2022).
The first three films are the original Dragon Ball theatrical trilogy; the Dragon Ball Z films began in 1989. The list’s first entry, The Legend of Shenron, is the first Dragon Ball theatrical movie.
Does release order match the story chronology?
No. Release order tells you when the films came out, not where every one belongs among the episodes. The older movies include alternate tellings of early material and standalone stories with continuity conflicts, so assigning each a precise episode-by-episode place would suggest certainty the films do not support. The Way to the Strongest, for example, retells early Dragon Ball material; it is not a sequel to the preceding Z movies.
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For a complete run through the theatrical films, release order is the straightforward choice. Treat the older entries as film stories rather than a continuous chronology. A continuity guide likewise distinguishes the older films from the connected modern sequence.
The modern Dragon Ball movie sequence
Four later films form the useful connected viewing sequence:
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- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013).
- Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (2015).
- Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018).
- Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO (2022).
The first two films’ broad stories are retold in the opening arcs of the Dragon Ball Super anime. You can watch the movies or those anime arcs; watching both gives you two versions of the same broad story beats. The 2018 Super: Broly is a revised Broly story in the modern continuity, distinct from the 1993 and 1994 Dragon Ball Z Broly movies.
Which watch order should you choose?
- Want every theatrical movie? Follow the 21-film release list above, accepting the older entries as side stories or alternate retellings.
- Want the connected modern films? Watch Battle of Gods, Resurrection ‘F’, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, then Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO.
- Watching the anime as well? Choose either the first two movies or the corresponding Dragon Ball Super arcs if you want to avoid repeating their main story beats. Watch both only if you want to compare the versions.
What this list does not include
This count is limited to the 21 animated theatrical films in Toei’s movie catalog. TV specials and OVAs are separate formats; live-action Dragonball Evolution and compilation or crossover releases are also outside this theatrical-film list. Toei catalogs OVAs separately from movies.
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