Dragon Ball watch order: how to rewatch from episode 1 to Super

When Dragon Ball Super was coming to an end, I figured many people would go back and rewatch the Dragon Ball series from beginning to end, and I think it's a great time to do it. This is the order I think you should watch the Dragon Ball anime in, with the movies and specials slotted where they make the most narrative sense. I created it for fun, and it's also the order I'd use to get a friend, girlfriend or boyfriend into the series for the first time.

Plenty of people have either forgotten what happened in Dragon Ball, or watched Super without ever seeing the old series, which is weird to me. Some of them only played the games and saw a few clips. This list is for the anime, not the manga, and it covers the original run that aired in Japan from 1986 to 1997.

Why my Dragon Ball watch order follows the original Japanese broadcast

Where you watch depends on your region, so I can't tell you exactly where to find it everywhere. There are DVDs and Blu-rays you can pick up, and Funimation in North America has most of this material. Super is on Crunchyroll, but this list is mainly about the old Dragon Ball series.

I put this together to be a close reflection of how things were when Dragon Ball and Z first aired in Japan. I want to give you an experience that is similar, not identical, because I think that's the right way, and it makes things flow better. When Funimation was dubbing it, things came out of order, and that caused some confusion back in the late 90s or early 2000s.

I also recommend watching in Japanese with subtitles, especially if you've never seen it before. The Japanese version is the original, and lots of things were lost in translation. The English dub had many censorship issues, and a lot of the jokes, including many sexual jokes, were cut out. I think you'll enjoy them.

This list does not include Dragon Ball Kai. If you want to watch Kai, that's fine, and there's nothing wrong with preferring it. I left it out because the purpose here is to give you an experience like you're seeing it for the first time, based on what fans had in Japan from 1986 to 1997, not what they had in 2009. This list in particular is "the og series." I come back to the Super era movies and specials at the end.

Original Dragon Ball episodes 1 to 153 and the three Dragon Ball movies

Start with the original Dragon Ball series all the way through, episodes 1 to 153. The original three Dragon Ball movies are fun and can be seen as a trilogy, but they are not necessary. I'm talking about Curse of the Blood Rubies, also known as Legend of Shenron, Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle, and Mystical Adventure. Path to Power is not one of them; that came out later.

You can watch those three as the series progresses by looking up their release dates and matching them to the episodes. In my opinion, though, it's more effective to watch them as a trilogy, because the three movies have their own continuity. Watched back to back, they give you a condensed story that is mostly a retelling of the Dragon Ball manga and anime. They are optional, but I do recommend them because they are fun to watch. I'd put them at the Piccolo arc, once you're past all the Red Ribbon material, or wait until the end of the series.

Dead Zone, the Saiyan arc and The World's Strongest

When you get to Dragon Ball Z, I would start with Dragon Ball Z movie 1, Dead Zone. I think it's a perfect in-between story bridging Dragon Ball and Z. You could watch it after Z episode 7 instead, because that's roughly when it came out; I think it was 7 or 8, and it might have been episode 9. Gohan powering up and raging out is retold in the movie from the Raditz material, but I think it still fits before episode 1.

Then watch Dragon Ball Z episodes 1 to 35, the Saiyan arc or Vegeta saga, whatever you want to call it. It ends with episode 35, when Vegeta leaves Earth, which is the big cliffhanger, and the Namek arc begins in episode 36.

Right after the Saiyan arc, put in The World's Strongest. The movies do not fit the main timeline, and everybody knows this. The reason I place it here is that it has Goku using the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb, which have already been explained in the Z series by this point. Watch it too early with a new fan and they'll be confused, asking what the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb are.

The Tree of Might, the Namek saga and why the Bardock special must not come first

This one is going to be a bit controversial, but trust me: movie 3, The Tree of Might, goes here too. It sort of fits, but not really. The one weird thing is Goku using Kaio-ken times 10, but I don't think that affects the Namek arc at all. In The Tree of Might the Z fighters are all alive, which is impossible, because nearly all of them died against Nappa and Vegeta. I still think this placement makes the most sense, because it takes place on Earth.

Then watch Dragon Ball Z episodes 36 to 64. Episode 36 is the first Namek saga episode, when Bulma and the others pick up the Z fighters and start planning for Planet Namek, and 64 is around the Ginyu Force. After that, watch the TV special Bardock: The Father of Goku. I don't remember whether it aired after episode 60 or 65, but I think putting it there is perfect.

Listen to me: "do not watch the Bardock special first." I know people say it's the first story chronologically, but when you introduce new fans, you don't want to spoil who Frieza is or that Goku is an alien. You're not supposed to know that until Dragon Ball Z. Watch it first and people will sit through 153 episodes of Dragon Ball wondering what happened to Frieza and Bardock.

Frieza is teased a little at the end of the Saiyan arc, when King Kai says a root of evil still exists, and there are small teases in the early Namek arc filler. But you're not supposed to know who Frieza is until the Namek saga. One thing that irritated me about Kai is that it took clips from the special and put them at the start of episode 1, assuming most fans had already seen Z and the manga. I'm telling you this is a bad idea. I know it's the earliest in the timeline, but narratively speaking, after episode 64 is where it fits.

Lord Slug before Goku's real Super Saiyan form

Next, watch Dragon Ball Z episodes 65 to 71, which takes you close to the Frieza fight. Then pause and put in movie 4, Lord Slug, also known as Super Saiyan Son Goku. Lord Slug has the fake Super Saiyan form, and you don't want to reveal the actual look of Goku's real form to a new fan too early. It's best to show the fake one first and then show them the real thing.

If you don't agree with me on that one, I'm okay with it, because that movie has always been weird to place. The movies don't fit the timeline, but in my opinion that's the best place for it.

Cooler's Revenge, the Android arc and The History of Trunks

Continue with Dragon Ball Z episodes 72 to 124. That covers the rest of the Frieza saga, the arrival of Trunks and his explanation to Goku. Episode 124 is the filler episode where Vegeta and Bulma start to hook up, the episode before the driving episode. Then put in movie 5, Cooler's Revenge. That movie sort of maybe can fit into the three year time skip between Trunks arriving and the Android fight. At the end of episode 125, the driving episode, Goku and the gang head off to fight the androids, beginning the next chapter, so the time skip is the closest place for it, even though it doesn't really fit.

Then watch episodes 125 to 136, the first act of the Android arc. Episode 136 is when the androids beat the Z fighters badly and leave, with Vegeta and Trunks left beaten up. That's when you should watch The History of Trunks. In Japan it came out later, though I think it came out earlier in the English dub, and it leads into Trunks going back in time.

The reason it belongs here is that watching it before episodes 125 to 136 would spoil what 17 and 18 look like, and spoil that 19 and 20 aren't the real villains. I'm building this for the correct narrative. Watching it right after the androids beat the heroes means you're thinking "these androids are unstoppable," and that's where I think it fits best.

Return of Cooler and Broly during the nine day wait for the Cell Games

Then watch most of the Android and Cell saga, Dragon Ball Z episodes 137 to 174. This is going to be the most controversial part of the list, but I had to do it like this. You'll marathon three movies plus the special that came with the Raging Blast game, Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans, if you have it; if you don't, it's not necessary. The movies are 6 through 8: Return of Cooler, Super Android 13 and Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan.

Episode 174 falls during the nine day wait for the Cell Games, so that gap is where these go. Return of Cooler came out earlier in Japan, but it spoils that Dende is the god of Earth. It was released in Japan well before that was revealed in the anime, and that has always bothered me. Yes, it's odd because Goku and Vegeta are much stronger by this point. But watch it before Dende officially becomes god and a new fan will wonder how he got that role. After Return of Cooler, watch Super Android 13, then Broly, then Plan to Eradicate as a back to back triple feature.

Bojack Unbound, Broly Second Coming and Bio Broly around the Buu saga

From here it gets easier. Watch Dragon Ball Z episodes 175 to 194, the rest of the Cell Games up to the episode where Trunks returns to the future and kills the future androids. Then watch movie 9, Bojack Unbound. If you try to fit it into continuity, which is very hard, it takes place after Cell is beaten and before Goku fights in the Other World Tournament, with Trunks supposedly coming back for it. This movie can fit there for the most part, and it's pretty much the last movie featuring kid Gohan before the Buu saga.

Next, watch the five Other World Tournament episodes, 195 to 199, and continue until episode 207, which comes right before the tournament at the start of the Buu saga. Then watch movie 10, Broly Second Coming. It doesn't fit perfectly, but it's the best place, before you get invested in the tournament arc. Gohan, Goten and Trunks are there, and Goku is still dead, before he returns for one day for the tournament.

Then watch Dragon Ball Z episodes 208 to 241. Episode 241 ends right after Majin Vegeta blows himself up, and that's where you watch Bio Broly. Some people don't like Bio Broly, but if you're watching it all the way through, you've got to put it in. These movies aren't meant to fit, but that's the best place for it.

Fusion Reborn before Vegito, then Wrath of the Dragon

Move on to Dragon Ball Z episodes 242 to 264, the Buu saga with Goku fighting Majin Buu, Gotenks and the rest. Stop at 264 and watch Fusion Reborn, because episode 265 begins Vegito. You want to see Gogeta before Vegito, because that's the way it was originally released in Japan and the way it was intended to be. You want the regular fusion before the Potara fusion, since the only fusion you know at that point is the finger fusion.

Then wrap up the Buu saga with episodes 265 to 288, the end of the saga before the ten year time skip and the last three episodes of Dragon Ball Z. At that point watch Wrath of the Dragon, because that movie could have happened during the ten year time skip. I know Dragon Ball Super took place during that time, but this isn't a chronological order. It's narrative, and mostly release order, so we have to be flexible. After the movie, come back for the last three episodes of Z, and you're done with Dragon Ball Z.

Path to Power, Dragon Ball GT and the Goku Jr. special

Then I recommend Path to Power. It can go anywhere, but it fits best here. Even though it was a Dragon Ball movie, in Japan it came out during GT's run, was animated like GT, and was a ten year anniversary movie. There's no set time to watch it, but I think it's a great bridge from Z to GT. If you're watching with somebody who likes Dragon Ball, it's going to be refreshing to see kid Goku again.

Then watch GT if you want; I know some folks will refuse. Watch GT episodes 1 to 40, then the Goku Jr. special, then episodes 41 to 64. The Goku Jr. special did not come out after GT ended in Japan; it came out after episode 40. Episode 40 is the tournament, and 41 begins the Super 17 arc and runs into the rest of the series.

How I'd handle Dragon Ball Super, Battle of Gods and Resurrection F

When it comes to Super, this is entirely up to you. I would recommend the 2008 special Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!, then Battle of Gods, then Resurrection F, and then Super. If you don't want to be redundant, you could watch the Battle of Gods movie, then the four filler episodes of Super between Battle of Gods and Resurrection F, which I think are episodes 15 to 18. Then watch the Resurrection F movie and pick up Super at episode 28.

You could also skip the movies and watch the TV version, but I think the movies are better than the TV version. This is the trickiest one, because I recommend watching both, but if you can't, the movie and four episode route is what I'd do. Super's early arcs are a retelling, which is why it gets complex.

I didn't include the Jaco the Galactic Patrolman manga, but you should read it before Resurrection F. It's helpful but not that necessary; if people ask who Jaco is or who Tights is, the manga will explain it. In my opinion, this is the best way to watch the Dragon Ball anime. Kai is fine if you want it, but this order is about the original run, just how it was originally.