Imagine: you are preparing to see the adventures of Goku and company, either accompanying your children, or simply to relive it again (or to see it for the first time, as there are many who are now entering the world of Akira Toriyama, author of this legend) and searching the Internet you realize that there is a huge amount of content related to the Dragon Balls. So that you don’t get lost, we bring you this little structured guide with which to be clear about what order to follow to watch Dragon Ball today.
Because as you surely know, for a few years now the franchise has continued to expand its universe with products such as movies and series (), and if you have been disconnected from the latest news, you may not know very well where to start with these new installments.
This small guide will clarify the order to watch all the Dragon Ball series and episodes
1. Dragon Ball (1986)
You have to start at the beginning. The original Dragon Ball series in which we meet Goku as a child until he becomes an adult. It introduces us to the majority of recurring characters who will later star in the work throughout the different series, so it is the elemental basis of the entire franchise.
And now you have no excuse not to see it properly because Selecta Visión has launched it in Spain, being the first and only version in the world to be available in high definition and with Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque and Japanese dubbing (with subtitles). A luxury.
2. Dragon Ball Z (1989) or Dragon Ball Kai (2009)
This is where you can choose two different paths:
On the one hand, there is Dragon Ball Z, the original sequel to Dragon Ball in which Goku is already an adult and where we have many of the most iconic scenes of the entire brand. The problem? Which has some completely forgettable filler sagas that do not affect the main plot (although it would be unforgivable not to see the legendary filler episode in which Goku gets his driver’s license).
On the other hand, it is Dragon Ball Kai, a modern, remastered HD version of Dragon Ball Z that removes all the filler, but in Spain it was only broadcast on Catalan television. In addition, it also slightly changes the legendary original soundtrack, so if you are nostalgic, this version may not convince you.
2.5. OVA: Goku and his friends return!
https://youtu.be/deQJKDbiaGo
Is about a short (format also called OVA) of half an hour in which Goku and his friends celebrate a party two years after the end of Dragon Ball Z. Its weight in the plot is not that it is too highbut some references are made later to a character in this footage.
You can see it directly in the YouTube video that you have above these lines (this OVA has never been officially released in Spain).
3. Dragon Ball Super (2013 – present)
3.1. Movie: Battle of the Gods (2013)
In 2013, Dragon Ball Z returned with a theatrical film: Battle of the Gods. The plot of this installment takes place after the immediate end of Dragon Ball Z (but before the epilogue / time jump of the last episode) and marks the opening of a new era of Dragon Ball Z, which would lead to the arrival of what we know today as the Dragon Ball Super series.
3.2. Movie: The Resurrection of F (2015)
After the success of the previous film, Two years later, The Resurrection of F arrived in theaters. and the one that definitively showed that the Dragon Ball franchise was still alive after years without relevant content released to the market. That same year the Dragon Ball Super series was born.
3.3. Series: Dragon Ball Super (2015 – 2018)
This is where the majority of fans need a guide like this to follow in the wake of Dragon Ball.
Dragon Ball Super is the new series by Akira Toriyama that continues the adventures after Dragon Ball Z, between the end of the Buu saga and the epilogue of Z. However, the first two arcs simply adapt the two aforementioned filmsso if you have already seen them you can skip the beginning of the series until episode 27.
Super consists of 131 episodes that have been broadcast on television in Spain and have also been put on sale in domestic format. Currently, the Dragon Ball anime has ceased production and there is no official news about his possible return.
3.4. Movie: Dragon Ball Super Broly (2018)
Once you finish the Dragon Ball Super series, you’ll have to watch the movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Although we had already seen Broly in previous Dragon Ball Z films, it should be noted that that character was not canon (that is, he was not part of the original story), unlike this Broly who is virtually very similar.
This movie is completely canon, as its events have an effect on the main plot of Dragon Ball Super.
3.5. Movie: Super Hero (2022)
This 2022 has been released Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, which apart from the horrible title, the choice of Piccolo and Gohan as the absolute protagonists of the film is surprising. The events of this adventure take place directly after Broly’s.
3.5 Dragon Ball Super (Manga) (2015 – present)
As at the moment there is no news about the return of the anime -beyond the movies-, we will have to make the jump to the manga, since this yes it continues to be published with new deliveries every month.
The Dragon Ball Super manga narrates the same sagas as the anime, but differs in some specific moments without affecting the bulk of the story. However, after the end of the Super anime, we have been able to enjoy new arcs such as The Galactic Patrolman and then that of Granola the Survivor which are also part of the canon of this series.
So, if you are only interested in the new sagas and don’t feel like reading the entire manga, to follow the plot from Broly onwards you must start the manga from chapter 42. You can follow the new chapters of Dragon Ball Super for free every 20th of each month on the website.
4. Dragon Ball GT (1999)
Then there is Dragon Ball GT, an anime that was released in 1999 and that It is not part of the canon conceived by Akira Toriyamabut it is a product that, although it is official, comes purely from the Toei production company.
The plot of GT is also set after the events that occurred after the end of Dragon Ball Z, so we could treat it as a parallel universe to Dragon Ball Super.
?. Dragon Ball Heroes
Finally, we could highlight Dragon Ball Heroes and Dragon Ball Super Heroes (not to be confused with the film listed above), a purely promotional series which gives rise to real madness and mixtures of plots that aim to support the card game of the same name.
However, in recent years it has become so popular on the Internet that it is common to see loose chapters on YouTube, although it should be noted that this series does not follow any course nor is it related to the original canon beyond the appearance of characters from the work. .
For now, this would be all. As a complement, it would also be advisable to watch the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z movies, which are quite a few and help expand the anime universe, but they are not canon and do not affect the main story, so we will leave this to you more. your choice and free time.
We hope this Dragon Ball guide helps you follow the common thread of the series!