Dragon Ball in chronological order to view the entire series, movies and manga

Dragon Ball is an inexhaustible work, one of the biggest phenomena in the manga and anime world, not only in Japan but worldwide. With more than thirty years of history behind it, Akira Toriyama’s creation is living one of its greatest historical moments; from constant releases of new movies to everything related to Dragon Ball Super, whose anime has been a success and its manga continues to be one of the Shonen Jump’s favorites. But everything has a beginning. The original Dragon Ball has a special flavor and it is essential to see how it all began in order to familiarize ourselves with its universe, with Goku and the fundamental laws of the force. It is in Dragon Ball where the great adventure of Son Goku, the little boy with a tail who met a young Bulma and embarked on one of the greatest adventures ever told. Then came Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.

In this feature, we will try to organize Akira Toriyama’s saga, born in 1986, not only with the canon and official events, but also with the TV specials, movies, and Toei’s creations beyond the canon designed by its creator and followed by his disciple. It should be noted that we are going to cover two types of creations, the audiovisual ones and the ones we find in manga format. And that some of the locations of certain audiovisual products have a more or less obvious space, but are not precise, since many of them include vague events and are interspersed in impossible moments during the original work.

What is the order to watch Dragon Ball?

What is Dragon Ball?

Dragon Ball is basically a Shonen, a style of manga and anime aimed at a teenage audience in which action, hints of humor, and a plot involving great fantasy adventures in which they fight with increasingly powerful enemies stand out. Among the most popular shonen, we have Dragon Ball itself and One Piece or Naruto, which can be recreated in anime and manga format. One of the great successes of Dragon Ball is usually explained in the visual narrative of Akira Toriyama’s drawings, capable of generating dynamism, sequences, and movements in a fluid and disruptive way with respect to other works that made it a reference.In fact, that is one of the points that Toyotaro, the disciple in charge of Dragon Ball Super nowadays, is most criticized -although less and less so-. Without further ado, this is the order to watch the entire saga created by Akira Toriyama and enjoy, once again, the great adventures of Goku and company. We have used the sagas that are officially mentioned in the Dragon Ball Compendium 1. Will you join us on this journey to discover the Dragon Balls?

Prequel: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman and Dragon Ball minus - Canon

In 2013, a manga was published under the name Jaco, The Galactic Patrolman, original work by Akira Toriyama in which he narrated the adventures of Jaco, a character we would meet until Dragon Ball Super. He arrives on Earth on an interplanetary mission and meets Bulma’s older sister. The manga also serves to introduce the idea of the low-ranking soldiers of the planet Vegeta and to introduce Dragon Ball Minus, the story that recounts how Goku’s parents, Bardock and Gine (the first appearance of his mother), send him to Earth.

Emperor Pilaf Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

Once the prequel to the Dragon Ball work is known, we enter the first of the canon sagas and the one that introduces us to Goku and Bulma. The two youngsters meet and set out on a quest to find the dragon balls. During their journey they will meet Yamcha and Puar, they will face Pilaf’s gang, and will see how Goku transforms into Ozaru when he looks at the full moon.

Extra: Curse of the Blood Rubies (movie, non-canon). An OVA that reinterpreted Goku and Bulma’s first adventure until the appearance of the Dragon after obtaining the seven dragon balls.

Tournament Saga - Canon

The adventure of Goku and his friends ends and he decides to go to train with that old Master Roshi who had shown so much strength and incredible techniques, such as the Kamehameha. In this arc, he will meet Krilin, another character who wants to become stronger. Both of them will train under the hard sessions delivering milk, swimming among sharks, and helping in a construction site or in the field. The goal of following Master Roshi’s training is to become stronger and be able to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Extra: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle (movie, not canon). A movie that changes the events of Goku and Krilin, who will have to rescue a princess from a cursed castle if they want to get trained by Master Roshi.

World Martial Arts Tournament Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

The two disciples participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament, where they will go through rounds until they meet in the grand finale with other fighters such as Nam, Yamcha or the mysterious Jackie Chun. The saga recounts all the events from the start of the tournament until the grand finale, where Goku ends up losing by a hair’s breadth after a fight that had everything, including the transformation into Ozaru.

Red Ribbon Army Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

Goku finishes World Martial Arts Tournament and sets out on a new adventure to find the four-star ball given to him by his grandfather. He doesn’t know that he will encounter some of the greatest possible dangers on Earth, the Red Ribbon army, who are also looking for the dragon balls. The journey to fight against this military group will take him to different locations worldwide, to kill all kinds of generals, and even rediscover the pleasure of living adventures with Bulma and, this time, Krillin. During his journey, he will meet the Sacred Land of Korin, his great tower, and face enemies like Mercenary Tao.

Fortuneteller Baba Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

In order to resurrect one of the dead left behind by the Red Ribbon army, Goku sets out to get the last of the dragon balls. But to do so he will have to get the approval of Fortuneteller Baba, who only wants either a lot of money or for Goku and his friends to face the enemies that this witch has prepared. Dangers and surprises lurk in this plot.

Tien Shinhan Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

Goku and his friends meet again to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament, where they will meet another rival school of Master Roshi, where Chaoz and Ten Shin Han are disciples. In addition, their master is certainly connected to Red Ribbon events, as he is the brother of Tao Pai Pai. The saga chronicles all the events that take place in the tournament.

Extra: Mystical Adventure (movie, non-canon). The third film recounts the events of Dragon Ball reinventing the World Martial Arts Tournament and the role of Ten Sin Han and Chaoz.

King Piccolo Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

Directly linked to the end of the Tournament, Goku has to face the greatest of enemies, the demon King Piccolo who has come back to life because of Pilaf and his henchmen, and who wants to get the dragon balls to rejuvenate himself. Goku must face this enemy and resurrect all the dead, including his friends, who have been left behind by the arrival of the great demon.

Piccolo Jr. Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

Goku will train with the Kami and prepare to face the heir of King Piccolo, Piccolo Junior. The two will meet in the third major tournament in the Dragon Ball storyline, where many of Goku’s friends return, a mysterious girl from the past appears, and the protagonist has grown up to become a young teenager.

Dragon Ball Z - The Saiyan Saga (manga, anime - canon)

The end of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament also means the end of Dragon Ball and the beginning of Dragon Ball Z in the anime. Years go by and we are reintroduced to Goku, the father of Son Gohan, who lives peacefully with Chi Chi, his wife. Events escalate with the arrival of Raditz, Goku’s brother, who reveals his true identity. After Goku’s battle and death, the warriors of Earth and the Saiyan himself must train because two stronger Saiyans, Nappa, and Vegeta, will arrive after a year. The saga recounts all the confrontations to defend the earth from this attack.

Extra: Dead Zone (movie, non-canon). The film is set at the dawn of Dragon Ball Z, with a new enemy who wants to get the Dragon Balls, which is why he kidnaps Gohan, who wears one in his hat.

Extra: The World’s Strongest (movie, non-canon). The second feature film narrates the events of a scientist who wants to get the body of Goku, the strongest in the world.

Namek Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

After repelling the Saiyan attack, one of the humans’ problems is that they have run out of dragon balls due to Piccolo’s death. It is then that they learn of the existence of the planet Namek, where the race of Namekians and other dragon balls exist. While Goku recovers from his injuries, an expedition consisting of Bulma, Gohan, and Krillin goes to look for the balls. There they encounter the problem that Vegeta is also looking for them and someone much worse, Freezer, wants the same goal.

Extra. Bardock - The Father of Goku (anime, non-canon). TV special that was released to explain how Freezer destroys the planet Vegeta and to meet a new warrior, Bardock, Son Goku’s father.

Returning to Namek, it is the longest saga to date, since on Dragon Ball Definitive Edition occupies almost 80 chapters in which a whole game of betrayals and theft of dragon balls takes place in three bands, with the arrival of the Ginyu Special Forces and Goku and eternal combat with Freezer and his multiple transformations. Everything leads to the legendary Super Saiyan when Goku transforms for the first time to finish once and for all with the greatest villain ever known.

Extra. Super Battle in the World (movie, non-canon). An unknown Saiyan named Turles, with a strong resemblance to Goku, arrives on Earth to plant the sacred tree and improve his power thanks to the fruits of this evil tree. Goku will fight to kill him.

Extra. Lord Slug (movie, non-canon). Lord Slug, an evil Namekian, arrives on Earth to confront the Z Warriors, who will have to join forces to defeat him.

Extra. Cooler’s Revenge (movie, non-canon). Cooler, Freezer’s brother, wants to finish off the enemy that is capable of defeating his brother.

Android Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

Time passes and Goku’s return is accompanied by other unexpected arrivals. The one from Freezer, who wants to exterminate the inhabitants of Earth, and the one from a mysterious young man, Trunks, who destroys the emperor and his father Cold with ease. When Goku lands, Trunks tells him that after a while androids created by an evil Red Ribbon doctor will wreak havoc. Goku falls ill, and Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiyan can not cope with androids that are different from what Trunks spoke of the future when he arrived.

Extra. The History of Trunks (anime). Another TV special that told about the future Trunks comes from, how he trains as Gohan’s disciple and when he transforms into a Super Saiyan for the first time. Also how he manages to travel back in time thanks to Bulma’s time machine project.

Extra. The Return of Cooler (movie, non-canon). Cooler is resurrected in a metallic form and attacks the new planet Namek, where Goku will travel with Vegeta to try to finish him off once and for all.

Extra. Super Android 13! (movie, non-canon). Goku, Trunks, and Vegeta will have to fight against new android models created by the supercomputer that continued to work after Dr. Gero’s death.

Extra. Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan (movie, non-canon). Paragus is another exiled Saiyan who invites the Earth Saiyans to restore the race. There, the Z warriors discover that there lives Broly, son of Paragus and legendary super Saiyan with incalculable power, who also has a special grudge against Goku.

Cell Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

The events of the androids are disrupted when the news of Bulma, who discovers a new time ship, and Piccolo’s bad omen, end up leading to the appearance of Cell, a bioandroid that comes from another timeline to absorb A17 and A18 and become the perfect machine. The warriors will have to try to prevent him from reaching his perfect form and then participate in the Cell Tournament where Goku has an idea, the only one that can save them all from the great enemy they face: Gohan with a power greater than the super Saiyan had achieved so far.

Extra. Bojack Unbound (movie, non-canon). After the Cell Games, a new tournament is organized in which all the warriors participate. There, they face space pirates led by Bojack, against whom Gohan will have to transform again into SSJ2.

Great Saiyaman (manga, anime) - Canon

Son Gohan becomes the main character of Dragon Ball Z, and his story revolves around his adventures in the big capital where he goes to study. There he will try to become a champion of good while he meets Videl, daughter of Mr. Satan, and begins to train with his brother Goten to prepare for the World Martial Arts Tournament in which his father Goku will also participate. Vegeta and his young son Trunks also train to take part in it.

Extra. Broly - Second Coming (movie, non-canon). The legendary Saiyan reappears on planet Earth and Gohan and little Trunks and Goten will have to fight him without the help (or is it?) of Goku, who is no longer present on Earth.

World Tournament Saga (anime, manga) - Canon

A saga in which all the characters meet again to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament. In it, two mysterious fighters warn that something is wrong. And indeed, the tournament leads to a series of events that reveals the intention of Babidi, an evil sorcerer, to resurrect the monster Buu. Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan try to prevent it, but their fights against Darbra and other henchmen end up allowing the monster’s arrival.

Extra. Bio-Broly (movie, non-canon). Goten and Trunks will have to face Broly again, as a scientist is working on a new army of clones that results in a nondescript beast made with Broly’s DNA.

Majin Buu Saga (manga, anime) - Canon

With the arrival of Buu, the warriors will increase in power to try to defeat him. Buu will be transformed into a greater and more evil enemy, while there are sacrifices such as Vegeta’s, Goku’s transformation into SSJ3, or the fusions to try to avoid the disappearance of the Earth. Neither Gohan with unleashed power nor Vegetto can finish him off, and everything will lead to the great final battle in the Sacred World of the Kais where only with the help of the entire universe can the greatest of the enemies be finished.

Extra. Fusion Reborn (movie, non-canon). It is set in a strange time, with Vegeta dead but Goku alive, and both must fight Janemba in the other world while on Earth, in cartoon format (more), they have to fight against great defeated villains, among them old acquaintances. Gogeta’s fusion is performed for the first time.

Extra. Wrath of the Dragon (movie, non-canon). The plot is set on Earth with the arrival of Tapion, a mysterious character who managed to seal a legendary monster called Hirudegarn, released by a sorcerer. The Saiyans will have to put an end to this new challenge.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (movie, canon)

In 2012, Dragon Ball returns in full force with the movie Battle of Gods, which tells the legend of the Super Saiyan God. Beerus, God of Destruction, is interested in fighting this new form, which ends up getting Goku in a battle that will unite ties with the deity and his angel, Whis.

Dragon Ball Super: Resurrection ‘F’ (movie, canon)

Published in 2015, Freezer returns to the fray thanks to the dragon balls collected by his henchmen. This catches Earth off guard, and neither Goku nor Vegeta are present as they are training with Whis. As they return, Gohan, Piccolo, and others try to keep Freezer and his new Golden transformation at bay. The latest Super Saiyan blue transformation will be able to finish him off.

This is the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, which in the anime revisits the two movies to retell them and in the manga, by Toyotaro, skips some events to follow the adventures of Goku and Vegeta. In any case, the plot continues as follows.

Universe 6 Saga - Canon

The plot of Dragon Ball Super continues with the rivalry between Beerus and Champa, both gods of destruction of their respective universes. Their arguments end up leading to an inter-universe tournament where the Z-warriors will have to face new enemies, such as characters from Freezer’s race, a Saiyan from the other universe or Hit, a mysterious assassin who pushes Goku’s potential to the limit.

“Future” Trunks Saga - Canon

Trunks returns from the future to ask his old friends for help. Despite putting an end to all known evils in Z, Trunks finds himself fighting a villain of superlative power, Goku Black. The protagonists’ investigations bring to light the secret: Zamasu, a disciple of a Supreme Kai from another universe, urges a plan to eradicate all humans. Goku and Vegeta, who will even merge into Vegetto Blue, and a Trunks who will unleash a power never seen before, will have to face the power of a God.

Universe Survival Saga - Canon

During the previous sagas, Goku befriends Zeno, Lord of Everything, and the latter is encouraged to hold a tournament between several Universes. The Tournament of Power will have a Battle Royale system, where only the last one standing will win and the rest will be eliminated. Universes will disappear if there are no representatives left in the tournament. A great occasion to see the best warriors fighting with rivals of great entity, being Jiren the strongest of all. Goku will break the limits once again with his Ultra Instinct transformation, which not even the gods are able to control, but only a surprising union between former enemies will be able to put an end to the final triumph of Universe 7.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly (movie, canon)

After the tournament of power, a new danger lurks on Earth. Freezer gets the help of Broly, a Saiyan banished by Vegeta’s father some time ago, with whom he will return to Earth to get the dragon balls. Goku and Vegeta face a rival who accumulates and unleashes power as he fights, to levels that force them to create the ultimate warrior to defeat him: Gogeta.

Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga (manga, canon)

While waiting to find out if the Dragon Ball Super anime returns, Toyotaro’s manga continues its course with a new saga featuring Moro, a sorcerer who escapes from his intergalactic prison and fights to restore his original powers. How can one defeat an enemy that absorbs and drains the other warriors of their energy? The answer is found in the following chapters of it, as both Goku and Vegeta manage to train and improve with different techniques, including the most polished Ultra Instinct of all, to be able to finish off surely the most dangerous villain they have ever met. All this, in addition, to a dose of violence and some sacrifices that had not been seen in the series for a long time, makes the Moro saga possibly the best of all Dragon Ball Super, although that will depend on each of you, of course.

Granolah the Survivor Saga (manga, canon)

Dragon Ball Super does not stop, and after the events of the Moro saga, we are already in the Granolah the Survivor Saga. A new adventure in which we are presented with a survivor of the planet Cereal, who wants to claim revenge against Freezer for destroying his world as he knew it. Granolah’s adventures are the protagonists of the first chapters of this manga while Goku and Vegeta continue training with Whis and Bills. The former wants to perfect the ultra instinct, which closely resembles the combat style of the angel of the God of Destruction, while the latter is starting to train with Bills to master the power to destroy everything, including of course the Hakai. Granolah’s wish to the dragon of the spheres of her planet is going to change everything. All this progresses until he asks to be the strongest in the universe. Goku and Vegeta will fight with him, the latter with the new transformation Megainstinto, although a more powerful enemy will come: Gas.

Dragon Ball Super: Superhero (2022)

The new Dragon Ball movie was released at the end of 2022 and has been a hit around the world. In it, Piccolo and Gohan are the protagonists as the Red Ribbon tries to recover its glory days with the creation of three new androids: Gamma 1, Gamma 2 and Cell Max. Both the Namekian and Goku’s son must push their limits with new transformations (Piccolo Orange and Gohan Beast) to try to put an end to this new evil. The film was made entirely with CGI for the first time and left out Vegeta and Goku for the first time in years.

Dragon Ball GT: Black Star Dragon Ball (anime, non-canon)

Dragon Ball GT was born from Toei’s need to continue with Dragon Ball’s success and Toriyama’s refusal to continue with it. In theory, Super is placed before GT and after Z, that’s why we leave this series for the end. The production company released a series of 64 chapters that followed the story after the tournament where Goku meets Uub. The first saga explains how Pilaf wishes for Goku to become a boy again. The continued use of the balls endangers the Earth, and Goku, Trunks and Pan -his granddaughter- embark on a journey to find the balls once again.

Baby Saga (anime, non-canon)

Once they get the dragon balls, when they return to Earth they find that a new enemy, Baby, can manipulate the characters and, as if it were a parasite, control their bodies. The battle will be bloody because it will be between their own family and friends, until Goku gets the new level of Super Saiyan 4 to face him.

Super 17 Saga (anime, non-canon)

From hell itself, Gero works on a new plan to fight the Saiyans and claim revenge. Merging the two Androids 17, the one from Trunks’ future and the one from the present, into a new killing machine before which they will have to fight with all their might.

Shadow Dragon Saga (anime, non-canon)

The dragon balls end up emitting negative energy after years of abuse, and from each one an evil dragon is born. Goku and Vegeta, who manages with the help of Bulma to transform into SSJ4, will have to face all these enemies with the help of his companions, reaching Omega Shenron, the hardest of all, against whom we will see Gogeta in Super Saiyan 4.

Other contents: Dragon Ball Heroes, Live Action

Dragon Ball has been expanding tremendously with multiple spin-offs and titles of all kinds. The main plot that revolves around the manga and anime is developed from Dragon Ball to GT, but there is much more content that you can consume.

A Hero’s Legacy (anime, non-canon). A TV special that tells us what happens to the world of Dragon Ball 100 years after Dragon Ball GT, when Pan is an old woman and is in charge of Goku Jr, a little boy who is the spitting image of his great-great-grandfather.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes (anime, non-canon). Promotional series in spin-off format that covers different sagas: planetary prison, universal conflict, and dark king Mechikabura. They are 7-minute chapters, full of fanservice and multiple crossed universes.

Dragon Ball Heroes (manga, non-canon). Adaptation of the arcade videogame -with portable versions- in manga format under the title Mission Victory, which has several chapters. In Spain, two of them have already been translated.

Dragon Ball Evolution (movie, non-canon). Movie with flesh and blood people that was released at the end of the first decade of the 2000s and is despised by everyone. It had a video game for PSP.

Episode of Bardock (TV Special). Another movie based on Bardock, which tells how Goku’s father survives Freezer’s attack, ends up in the distant past and transforms into a Super Saiyan.

Neko Majin Z (manga). Series of chapters of Toriyama where he created the Neko Majin race, which interacts at various times with characters related to Dragon Ball.

Dragon Ball Z Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans (OVA). A movie where the Saiyans face a new and huge enemy: Hatchyack, as well as reviving fights against certain enemies already defeated. It came out as a movie, was as a video in the Playdia game, and arrived as a remake in 2010 in the game Raging Blast 2.

Dragon Ball The Real 4-D. Two digitally animated film experiences that wanted to transcend what was seen on screen. One was made in 2016 and the other in 2017; in this one, the rival was a God version of Broly.

Other specials. In Japan, other TV specials of all kinds were released. One in which Gohan explained to Goten everything that had happened so far, very much in the style of the PC Engine game; another of the same style where the events were remembered (Summer Vacation Special, from ‘92) and another special in which the Z Warriors met Vegeta’s brother, Tarbles.