Dragon Ball Z

Item: Dragon Ball Z
Rating: 10
Author: Chitra Sampada Editorial

Years after his adventures as a boy, Goku is now a grown man with a son named Gohan, and his peaceful family life is shattered when a fearsome stranger named Raditz arrives and reveals a secret: Goku is not from Earth, but a member of a warrior race called the Saiyans. With a far greater threat looming, Goku and his former rivals must team up and train harder than ever to protect the planet from the Saiyans, and later from even more terrifying enemies like the tyrant Frieza and the artificial warriors known as the Androids. Along the way, Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and the rest of the Z Fighters grow into powerful heroes, with some friendships and rivalries changing more than anyone expected. The story is packed with huge power-ups, explosive battles that can shake entire planets, and the ever-present hope of the Dragon Balls to undo the worst losses. At heart, it's an energetic tale about teamwork, determination, and pushing past your limits to protect the people you care about.

Genres

ActionAdventureFantasyShonen

Added to Site:2026-10-16

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Updated 8d ago

Watch Order6 Filler List

Watch Order Roadmap6 Franchise Titles

Dragon Ball Z Watch Order

How to watch Dragon Ball Z and the complete Dragon Ball franchise in chronological order, including where every series and movie fits into the timeline.

Filler Note: Episode ranges below show full broadcast totals and do not separate out filler episodes. To check if this series has skippable non-canon filler episodes, open the Filler List tab.

Franchise Watch Order

Watch Dragon Ball in chronological story order below.

Dragon Ball (Episodes 1–153): Start here, following the story from the Emperor Pilaf saga through the Piccolo Jr. saga.
Dragon Ball Z (Episodes 1–287): Spans from the Raditz saga through the Kid Buu saga; pause after Episode 287 before the ten-year time jump.
Dragon Ball DAIMA (Episodes 1–20): Adapts the Demon Realm adventure set shortly after the Kid Buu battle.
Dragon Ball Super (Episodes 1–131): Follows the God of Destruction Beerus saga through the Universe Survival saga (Episodes 1–27 retell the Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' movies, so you can watch either those episodes or the two movies).
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (Movie): Required movie continuing the story after Episode 131 as Goku and Vegeta confront another surviving Saiyan.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (Movie): Required movie set after the Broly film as Gohan and Piccolo face a rebuilt Red Ribbon Army.
Dragon Ball Z (Episodes 288–291): Closes out the chronological timeline with the Peaceful World saga set ten years after the Kid Buu battle.

Note

This is the end of the main watch order, and everything below is optional.

Besides the main story, there are extra entries that are not part of it, and you can watch them if you want.

Extras for Dragon Ball

These go with the original Dragon Ball series.

TV specials:

Dragon Ball: Goku's Traffic Safety
Dragon Ball: Goku's Fire Brigade

Non-canon films:

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (after the Emperor Pilaf saga, Episode 13)
Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle (after the Tournament saga, Episode 28)
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (after the Tien Shinhan saga, Episode 101)
Dragon Ball: The Path to Power (after the Piccolo Jr. saga, Episode 153)

Extras for Dragon Ball Z

These go with the Dragon Ball Z series.

OVAs:

Dragon Ball Z Side Story: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans
Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans (remake of Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans)
Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
Dragon Ball Z: Gather Together! Goku's World

TV specials:

Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks
Dragon Ball Z: Summer Vacation Special

Recaps:

Looking Back at It All: The Dragon Ball Z Year-End Show! (1993 year-end TV recap special, covers the Cell Games saga up to Episode 194)

Crossover specials:

Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special!!

Non-canon films:

Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (after the Raditz saga, Episode 6)
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (after the Vegeta saga, Episode 35)
Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (after the Vegeta saga, Episode 35)
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (after the Frieza saga, Episode 107)
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (after the Trunks saga, Episode 125)
Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (after the Imperfect Cell saga, Episode 152)
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (after the Imperfect Cell saga, Episode 152)
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (after the Cell Games saga, Episode 194)
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (after the Cell Games saga, Episode 194)
Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming (after the Great Saiyaman saga, Episode 209)
Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly (after the Majin Buu saga, Episode 253)
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (after the Fusion saga, Episode 275)
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (after the Peaceful World saga, Episode 291)

Other extras

These aren't tied to one series.

ONAs:

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

Spin-off series:

Dragon Ball GT
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy (TV special set 100 years after Dragon Ball GT)

Non-canon films don't have an exact place in the main timeline, so each one is placed at the end of a completed arc where watching it doesn't interrupt the story.

Release order differs from this chronological order by finishing all 291 episodes of Dragon Ball Z before watching Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball DAIMA.

Dragon Ball Z Kai (167 episodes internationally, or 159 episodes in the Japanese broadcast split between Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters) is a remastered, shortened cut of Dragon Ball Z that removes most filler, so you can watch either Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai, not both.

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus (currently airing) is an enhanced television remake of the opening arcs of Dragon Ball Super, and this note covers the episodes released so far.