For a first watch, begin with Dragon Ball, then choose either Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai for the next major part of Goku’s story. Continue with Dragon Ball Super and its later films. Dragon Ball GT is an optional separate series, while Dragon Ball DAIMA is newer anime based on a story and characters by Akira Toriyama. This is a practical viewing recommendation—not an official, mandatory canon order.
Recommended Dragon Ball watch order
- Dragon Ball — Start here to meet Goku and the cast at the beginning. Toei lists the original anime as a 153-episode series that began in 1986.
- Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai — Pick one for the next major story portion; you do not need to watch both. Kai is a separately cataloged re-edit of Z.
- Dragon Ball Super — Continue with the 131-episode series, which began in 2015. The franchise chronology also lists the related films Battle of Gods (2013) and Resurrection ’F’ (2015). You can watch those films or follow the series route; the sources here do not establish a precise episode transition for inserting them.
- Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018), then Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022) — Watch these as later films.
- Dragon Ball DAIMA — Add this newer series, which Toei lists as 20 episodes and dates to 2024. The official chronology places it later in its release-history listing but does not specify a definitive viewing position.
This sequence follows the broad release history while giving newcomers a straightforward path. The official chronology is not an episode-by-episode timeline or a declaration of one required order. See the Dragon Ball Official Site overview and official chronology.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Dragon Ball Z - The Complete Series | $155.78 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Dragon Ball Super - Complete Series - Blu-ray | $171.56 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season | $39.96 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Dragon Ball Z - The Complete Series | $162.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Dragon Ball DAIMA - The Complete Season - LE | $71.24 | Buy on Amazon |
Should you watch Dragon Ball Z or Kai?
Choose based on which presentation is available and how you want to approach the next part of the story. Toei catalogs Dragon Ball Z Kai as a distinct re-edited series, divided into Dragon Ball Z Kai and The Final Chapters. Its catalog lists 98 episodes for Kai and 69 for The Final Chapters; it also notes 61 episodes for the Japanese version of the latter. Those figures describe Toei’s catalog entries, not a direct episode-count comparison with the original Z, for which the consulted catalog does not state a total.
There is no need to watch both as consecutive installments: treat them as alternatives for the same broad story portion. Toei’s series catalog lists them separately.
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- Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interviews With the Cast & Crew Look Back at the Hummer Tour: With Sonny Strait Justin Cook Shares His Headshot Collection Upcoming Special Feature Sneak Peek From the Vault: Goku vs. Vegeta Featurette From the Vault: The World of Dragon Ball Z Toei Tour: Raw Footage Dragon Ball Z Trivia Dragon Ball Z Card Game: Past, Present & Future Dragon Ball Z: Coming to America Textless Opening & Ending Songs Trailer
Where does Dragon Ball GT fit?
Dragon Ball GT is an official Toei series, listed at 64 episodes and first broadcast in 1996. Include it if you want to explore the franchise’s release history, but it is not needed for the recommended route above. The sources cited here do not establish a broad canon ruling, so it is more accurate to call GT an optional separate series than to make a stronger claim about its status.
How to interpret the series and film dates
Release dates help orient a watch, but broadcast order and fictional chronology are not automatically identical. The manga began serialization in 1984; the original anime began in 1986, followed by Z in 1989, GT in 1996, Kai in 2009, Super in 2015, and DAIMA in 2024. The official chronology dates Battle of Gods to 2013, Resurrection ’F’ to 2015, Broly to 2018, and Super Hero to 2022. These milestones are a release-history guide, not a complete timeline for every episode or event.
Where to stream Dragon Ball
Streaming rights and catalogs change by country and date, and the available audio, subtitles, films, and series can differ between services. Check the catalog in your region for the particular title and language options before subscribing.
Toei announced in September 2024 that subtitled DAIMA episodes would begin streaming on Crunchyroll on October 11, 2024, in the United States, Canada, Latin America including Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, with weekly subtitled simulcast episodes. That dated launch announcement is historical context; it does not verify the service’s current catalog. See Toei Animation’s press releases for the announcement.
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Optional: read the original manga
Akira Toriyama’s manga began in 1984 and is the source material behind the anime adaptations. Reading it is not required to watch the series, but it can be a useful companion if you want to compare the original version of the story with its animated adaptations. Toei reported in September 2024 that the manga had sold 260 million copies worldwide at that time; that is a dated figure, not a current sales total.
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- New release from Crunchyroll
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