The Dragon Ball franchise is having a big year, thanks in large part to the breakthrough success of Dragon Ball Super. While that series will end in a few months, the release of a new Dragon Ball prequel movie and the highly anticipated Dragon Ball FighterZ video game are keeping the franchise relevant on a lot of fronts.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Dragon Ball FighterZ has resonated particularly strong with fans as it chronicles a story that serves as a non-canon epilogue to Dragon Ball Z‘s “Cell Saga” and incorporates characters and story elements from all over the Dragon Ball mythos. That connection to the series’ past has sent a lot of fans back down memory lane, binge watching Dragon Ball content to be reminded of all the details. However, finding that content can be challenging, so we’ve put together a helpful guide to help anyone interested in viewing Dragon Ball — and its various incarnations — in its entirety.
Note: If you purchase one of the awesome, independently chosen products featured here, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.
Dragon Ball
The originalย Dragon Ballย series isn’t the most popular part of the franchise, as it looks rather old and dated by today’s animation standards. Still, if you want to see how the saga of Gokuย first began, and how he formed bonds with the likes of Bulma, Master Roshi, and Krillinย — or first battled The Red Ribbon Army that eventually created Cell —ย this is where you need to start.ย
Where to watch Dragon Ball:ย
- US – Funimationย (Sub and Dub); Huluย (Sub); Yahoo (Sub)
- Canada – Funimationย (Sub and Dub)
- Australia / New Zealandย – Animeย Labย (Sub and Dub)
Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Zย remains the most popular entry of the franchise, having been responsible for bringingย Dragon Ballย stateside in the late ’90 through early ’00s,ย and pushing it into the mainstream. As the longest-running series in the franchise (277 episodes), rewatching the whole thing can be a challenge.
Where to Watchย Dragon Ball Z:ย
- US – Funimationย (Sub and Dub)
- Canada – Funimationย (Sub and Dub)ย
- Australia / New Zealandย – Animeย Labย (Sub and Dub)
Dragon Ball GT
Dragon Ball GTย is that middle child everyone kind of likes to forget. It began in the late ’90s as a sequel toย Dragon Ball Z, but since it wasn’t based on Akiraย Toriyama’sย manga, and took on a kind of lackluster story (Gokuย being reverted back to childhood), it isn’t considered canon. This is probably the easiest entry of the franchise to skip, but if you want to complete the whole marathon…
Where to Watchย Dragon Ball GT:ย
- US – Funimationย (Sub and Dub); Huluย (Sub); Yahoo (Sub)
- Canada – Funimationย (Sub and Dub)
- Australia / New Zealandย – Animeย Labย (Sub and Dub)
Dragon Ball Z Kai
Dragon Ball Z Kaiย isย Dragon Ball Zย recutย for the digital HD era. The original Dragon Ball Zย was remasteredย into an HD format, new dub voices were recorded, and epiosdeย “fillers” were edited down,to make theย Dragon Ball Z Kaiย plotlineย more aligned with Toriyama’sย original manga series. If you are going to watch Dragon Ball Z, this is the preferred version — only problem is, it’s hard to find the whole series laid out for binging purposes.ย
Where to Watchย Dragon Ball Z Kai:ย
- US – Adult Swim On Demand (via Cable Provider)
Dragon Ball Super Movies
If you’re just looking to jump intoย Dragon Ball Super, then the easiest way to start is by watching the two popularย Dragon Ball Zย movies that were later adapted into the first two seasons ofย Super: Battle of the Gods and Resurrection F. Both are available on DVD/Blu-ray, but if you were hoping to stream them, you’ll have limited options.ย
Where to Watchย Battle of the Godsย andย Resurrection F:
- UK – Netflix
Dragon Ball Super
Dragon Ball Superย is the series that has catapultedย Dragon Ballย to a new level of mainstream exposure. Theย simulcast airingsย have been bringing together fans from both the Eastern and Western hemispheres,ย while the twists, turns, new character reveals and power-ups in the show’s that have kept fans buzzingย throughout the series’ nearly three-year run. Now that it’s coming to an end (for now), more and more new fans have ironically been looking to jump on board!ย
Where to Watchย Dragon Ball Super:ย
- US – Crunchyrollย (Sub); Funimationย (Sub and Dub)
- Canada -Crunchyrollย (Sub);ย Funimationย (Sub and Dub)
- Australia / New Zealandย – Animeย Labย (Sub and Dub); Crunchyrollย (Sub)
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Granted,ย Dragon Ball FighterZย isn’t an installment of the franchise TV series, but since it’s a pretty big deal right now, we had to shout it out.
The game follows a (non-canon) storyline where a new Android antagonist (the mysterious Android 21) emerges from the aftermath of the Cell Saga. No. 21 resurrects the noble Android 16, and launches a plan to replace Goku and the Z-Fighters with “Super Android” versions of themselves. It’s as heavy on story as it is on fight gameplay, so for fans of the franchise, it’s definitely a must-play.
Where to Watch or Buyย Dragon Ball FighterZ:ย ย
[Embed id=56853]Dragon Ball Super (TVShow: dragon-ball-super)[/Embed]
