How To Watch Dragon Ball In Order (CHRONOLOGICAL)

This is an anime anthology that collects all of the Dragon Ball series and airs them in the sequence that they originally aired, covering more than 30 years of episodes.

The history of Dragon Ball is extensive and event-filled. This is a series that goes much further than Super Saiyans, Battle Power, and enemies whose bones need to be wiped from the face of the earth in order for them to be considered dead. 

A series that has been running for as long as Dragon Ball inevitably goes through a variety of incarnations. Toei decided to divide their version of Dragon Ball despite the fact that the name of the original manga was just Dragon Ball.

RELATED

Dragon Ball Super Huge Change Coming for GOKU & VEGETA(DETAILS!!!)

Not only that but the animated series was continued in the version of an official continuation known as Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball has indeed been consistently producing new material for many years, and this has occurred despite the absence of Toriyama’s participation. 

The video games succeeded the anime for a while as the “primary” product, but the success of Battle of the Gods and Dragon Ball Super has ensured that the series will continue to have anime versions for the foreseeable future, even though 2per has not yet been seen.

Renan Fontes was the one who last modified this entry on November 3, 2022. It is not an easy task to watch Dragon Ball in the correct order. The first episode of the anime aired in 1986, and subsequent seasons have only taken brief hiatuses of several years each before returning in full force. 

In spite of the fact that Super has been taken out of commission, the Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime has been going strong ever since 2018. This is the greatest time to watch every episode of the Dragon Ball series in the correct sequence because there is only a little amount of time left before a second Dragon Ball Super anime is ultimately produced.

RELATED

Dragon Ball Super: The Way of the Super Hero Vegeta and Goku Are Dumb

7. Dragon Ball (1986 – 1989) 153 Episodes

The first anime version of the program is known solely as Dragon Ball, and it is widely considered to be the top of the group. Dragon Ball does not deal with almost as much uneven animation or uncomfortable filler as its sequels do. 

In addition, it adapts its 6 plot cycles notably better than Dragon Ball Z did with its four. The filler additions that Dragon Ball generally provides are ones that give depth to the main tale, extending on something that was existing in the manga series.

RELATED

The 10 Most EXPENSIVE ANIME Series Of All Time (How Much Did They Cost)

Dragon Ball’s transition to Dragon Ball Z can indeed be dated directly to the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, which is when the majority of the team who would go on to build up DBZ began working on the anime.

This is an amazing fact that can be found out about the series. Additionally, it is apparent. When compared to whatever came before it, the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai has a far more leisurely pace, allowing participants to make the most of each and every one of their experiences.

Although this method of timing would prove to be a major obstacle for Dragon Ball Z, it was effective in lending an air of solemnity to the final tournament of Dragon Ball.

6. Dragon Ball Z (1989 – 1996) 291 Episodes

Dragon Ball Z is, in several ways, merely a sequel to the original Dragon Ball series. The first episode aired one week after the conclusion of its precursor, and the pilot episode of Dragon Ball Z was actually written to be an episode of Dragon Ball rather than the 1st episode of Dragon Ball Z.

Despite this, the chance to rename the anime assisted breathe new life into its cast and crew, as well as its budget and its reputation. Even with all of the chaos that occurs in Dragon Ball Z, there is a good explanation for why the show is so successful.

RELATED

Who Would Win, Goku or Naruto? (INTERESTING EXPLANATION)

In addition to the sometimes brilliant translations of Toriyama’s combat choreography and the great performances by the Japanese actors, the Saiyan arc is Toei’s best work as far as Dragon Ball is concerned, and it is featured prominently in the opening episode of Dragon Ball Z. 

This is an almost flawless adaption that exceeds the level of animation found in movies during the battle between Goku and Vegeta. An initial assertion made by Dragon Ball Z was that the show was much more epic than real life. 

Dragon Ball Z would go on to become the Dragon Ball anime with the longest runtime, despite the fact that it only covered four plot arcs.

5. Dragon Ball GT (1996 – 1997) 64 Episodes

Even though Akira Toriyama had finished writing Dragon Ball by the time the Buu story arc had concluded, Toei wanted to continue to capitalize on the franchise as much as possible. 

Regardless of the reality that the series’ reputation has been on the decline ever since the manga it was based on came to an end, Toei decided to produce one more sequel series called Dragon Ball GT. 

GT would be a “show” to the Buu arc that might only be included in the anime. It would be entirely based on entirely new content.

RELATED

The Most Popular BLACKED-Haired Anime Characters (Ranked By FANS)

It is important to point out that although the main series does not consider GT canon, the chronology of the original anime does consider its storyline. 

The initial Dragon Ball adaption, followed by Dragon Ball Z, and then eventually Dragon Ball GT made up Toei’s original animation canon for the Dragon Ball franchise. 

Even more impressively, the conclusion of the final episode of Dragon Ball Z leads right into the first episode of Dragon Ball GT, complete with a sneak peek at the following episode.

Even though its popularity has gradually recovered over the past few seasons, the fanbase as a whole continues to despise Dragon Ball GT despite the fact that it was relatively unpopular and continues to dislike it now. 

Dragon Ball GT was a terrible note on which to close the book on the anime continuity of the series because it was unoriginal, repetitive, and overall plagued with mediocre combat action.

4. Dragon Ball Kai (2009 – 2011) 167 Episodes

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dragon Ball Z, the anime company Toei chose to re-edit the series so that it would be more faithful to Akira Toriyama’s original manga. 

In Kai, certain scenes have been recut, the number of episodes has been reduced, a completely new score has been composed by the brilliant plagiarist Kenji Yamamoto, and the cast has given completely new appearances. 

RELATED

BEST Shonen Anime(RANKED BY FANS)

Kai allows for much more brisk and enjoyable digestion of Dragon Ball Z, despite the fact that many aspects of this are extremely win-or-fail according to the arc.

Viewers will be deprived of a significant portion of what caused watching the Dragon Ball Z anime such a fantastic adventure, but Dragon Ball Kai does provide a pleasant recreation of Z’s 1st 3 plot arcs. 

Most significantly, it manages to make the Frieza arc watchable in animated form. The Saiyan arc isn’t exactly as fantastic, but the rescore certainly fits this phase of the plot better, and Kai’s conclusion at the end of the Cell arc is a satisfying way to wrap things up.

3. Dragon Ball Kai: The Final Chapters (2014 – 2015) 69 Episodes

Overall, the sequel Dragon Ball Kai: The Final Chapters, titled Kai: The Final Chapters, is a letdown compared to the first installment. 

Even though Kai was far from flawless, having certain fluff that very simply should have been eliminated at moments, it at least provided real direction and did not have a greenish tint that made the whole display look distorted. 

After Kenji Yamamoto’s dismissal, The Final Chapters now features a score that is excruciatingly unoriginal and grating on the ears.

The Final Chapters does not have a compelling enough story to warrant its continued existence. 

The animated Buu arc continues to have an excessively drawn-out feel to it, and the Japanese version, in general, boasts a weaker overall performance. 

The English dub is simply breathtaking, trying to follow in Kai’s footsteps, therefore there is a lot of incentive in viewing both Kai and The Final Chapters in English rather than Dragon Ball Z. 

This is especially true since the English dub follows in the footsteps of Kai.

2. Dragon Ball Super (2015 – 2018) 131 Episodes

The unexpected conclusion of Dragon Ball Super’s story with the Tournament of Power was something that no one could have possibly anticipated. 

The anime has been completed for a number of years at this point, and despite the fact that there has been additional canon illustrated material in the shape of Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes, the manga series has, in all intents and purposes, taken over as the primary property at this point.

Despite this, Dragon Ball Super is a rather entertaining show on its own merits. 

Numerous fans were dissatisfied with the early run of DBS due to its relatively poor quality, which was caused by timing issues. 

Nevertheless, beginning with the Goku Black arc, Super was capable of bringing in a big chunk of the intensity that was there in Dragon Ball Z. 

When the Tournament of Power rolled around, it appeared like production-wise, Dragon Ball Super was in a respectable state of readiness.

Super manages to establish a stronger footing for itself inside the larger framework of the series, despite the fact that the plot of the anime is lacking, not unlike Dragon Ball GT. 

There is generally always such a piece of life episode around the corner to try to convince viewers why they absolutely adore Dragon Ball: the protagonists. 

Especially though Super is falling behind with storyline and character development, there is nearly always such a piece of daily existence episodes across the horizon.

1. Super Dragon Ball Heroes (2018 – Present) 45 Episodes (Ongoing)

Even though Dragon Ball Super has concluded, the animation portion of the franchise has been kept active thanks to Super Dragon Ball Heroes, which debuted in 2018.

The episodes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes are indeed a different species; they present a tale, but mainly only for advertising reasons; this distinction is vital to note because the episodes are only last about six minutes each.

Nevertheless, Super Dragon Ball Heroes is capable of producing some nice animation every so and then, and the plot is so absurd that it is actually kind of enjoyable to get lost in for a while. 

There’s a lot of anime that doesn’t hold back and isn’t afraid to push the envelope since it knows it has the freedom to do just whatever it chooses, whenever it desires. 

There is some truth to the statement when applied to a show like Dragon Ball.

Conclusion

This article will help you watch the Dragon Ball anime in chronological order.