Dragon Ball is a long and sprawling franchise, with the anime having been running in Japan since 1986. As a result, there are hundreds of episodes to sift through, and four different long-running anime series to contend with. The series effectively documents Goku’s entire life, from his childhood in Dragon Ball to becoming a grandfather in Super.

Rather uniquely, Dragon Ball as a franchise has its own system of dates, referred to as “ages”. For example, the original Dragon Ball series begins in Age 749. While dates aren’t frequently given in the series proper, they are provided occasionally, and databooks help to fill in the blanks, allowing for a pretty strong timeline of events in Dragon Ball to be constructed. One “Age” is equivalent to a year on Earth, and they seem to count from an arbitrary point in time, rather than a major event that occurred in Age 0 or Age 1. Using this information, here’s a timeline of every Dragon Ball anime series that’s aired to date.

Dragon Ball (1986-1989)

Set in Ages 749-760

Dragon Ball is the first series, and appropriately, the first in the in-universe timeline as well. It begins in Age 749, with Goku as a child meeting Bulma for the first time. Age 750 is when many Dragon Ball arcs take place, including the first-ever tournament arc and the Red Ribbon Army arc. The series then has a three-year time-skip, during which Goku and friends are training heavily, before returning in Age 753, when King Piccolo first appears.

That’s followed by another three-year time-skip, this time from Age 753 to Age 756, during which time Goku is also training. Goku himself grows up a bit in this period as well, now more of a teenager than a child. This is when he takes on his more modern appearance for the first time, even though Goku would only be around 18 at the time. This is also the time period of the Piccolo Jr. saga, where Goku meets and trains with Kami for the first time, and must go up against the reincarnated Piccolo in the World Martial Arts Tournament.

After winning the tournament, Goku marries Chichi and Dragon Ball ends, clearing the way for the beginnings of Dragon Ball Z.

Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996)

Set in Ages 761-776

Dragon Ball Z, the second series, begins in Age 761, picking up about 4 years after the end of Dragon Ball, just enough time for young Gohan to be born and to have grown a little. Age 761 marks the arrival of the Saiyans, and a massive transition from Dragon Ball being fantasy to becoming more sci-fi. Goku dies in 761 in a self-sacrificial move, holding down his brother Raditz so that Piccolo can defeat him. He spends a good chunk of this year in the afterlife, and is revived with the Dragon Balls in Age 762, so that he can help to fight of Vegeta and Nappa when they arrive.

In Age 762, Gohan, Bulma, and Krillin (and later Goku) head out into space, seeking out the planet Namek. The battle for Namek, Goku’s first ascension to Super Saiyan, and Frieza’s defeat all occur before the year ends. Age 763 is a relatively peaceful year, with the heroes using the Dragon Balls to wish their fallen comrades back to life. The story picks back up in Age 764, when Frieza comes to Earth for revenge and is cut down by Future Trunks. With the warning that the Androids are coming, the Z Fighters take several years to train, preparing for the appearance of the Androids in Age 767.

Age 767 is when the Android Saga and Cell Saga take place. Goku and friends start making use of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at this point, meaning their physical ages no longer match up properly with how much time has passed on Earth. They train to battle the Androids and Cell, but the Androids are soon absorbed by Cell, creating his perfect form and launching the Cell Games. Gohan ultimately defeats Cell, but not before Goku sacrifices his life to stop Cell’s self-destruction, and ends up staying dead for quite a while this time. This is also, tragically, the year that Goten is born, meaning he grew up without a father.

There’s a long time-skip to Age 774 at this point, during which time Goten and Gohan grow up, with Gohan now in high school and acting as a superhero known as Great Saiyaman. Goku receives a day-pass to come back to Earth and participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament, but during this time, Babidi attacks in his search for the Majin Buu egg. While Babidi and most of his minions are killed, it’s not before Majin Buu revives and begins causing chaos. This year marks the destruction of the Earth by Buu; Goku is resurrected once again, this time by Old Kai, and he and Vegeta fuse into Vegito for the first time. Buu is finally defeated, and Earth is restored.

Dragon Ball Z ends with an epilogue set 10 years after Buu, in which Goku finds out about Buu’s reincarnation, Uub, and begins to train him. This epilogue, set in Age 784, features several new characters, such as Gohan and Videl’s daughter, Pan, who would go on to become a major character in later series.

Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018)

Set in Ages 778-781

Dragon Ball Super, the fourth series to be produced, is actually set in the interim between the end of the Buu Saga and the epilogue seen at the end of Dragon Ball Z. Four years after Buu is defeated, in Age 778, the God of Destruction, Beerus, arrives on Earth, searching for the Super Saiyan God which he dreamed of. Goku undergoes a special ritual which allows him to reach the level of Super Saiyan God, and his battle with Beerus impresses the destroyer so much that he spares the Earth.

Age 779 sees Frieza revived by the Dragon Balls, unleashing his wrath upon the Earth using his new Golden Frieza form. While Frieza is able to temporarily destroy the Earth, Whis turns back time to give Goku another chance, allowing Goku to kill Frieza before he can fire his shot. This also happens to be the year Pan is born.

Due to the usage of the Dragon Balls, the Universe 6 Saga and Tournament of Destroyers must be set in Age 780, to allow time for the Dragon Balls to become usable again. The present-day segments of the Future Trunks Saga are also set in 780, with the future segments set in Age 796, making Future Trunks about 30 years old. Goku Black fuses with Future Trunks’ original universe, forcing it to be destroyed by Grand Zeno.

Age 781, then, is the year in which the Tournament of Power and Universal Survival Saga take place. Goku reminds Grand Zeno of his idea of having a multiversal competition, and begins planning for it, much to the chagrin of Beerus, who fears Universe 7’s destruction. Goku is put in charge of selecting a team of 10 fighters, recruiting mostly his friends, but also Frieza, on the condition that he be brought back to life afterward. Goku manages to achieve the Ultra Instinct state for the first time while fighting against Jiren, then quickly gains control over it. Ultimately, Android 17 becomes the winner of the tournament, and wishes to restore the destroyed universes.

Additionally, there are two Dragon Ball Super movies which are considered canon. Dragon Ball Super: Broly is set in 781, not long after the Tournament of Power, and features Frieza returning to Earth with a surviving Saiyan, Broly, intending to destroy Goku and Vegeta. Broly is ultimately spared by a wish on the Dragon Balls, sent back to his world Vampa before they can kill him. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is set in 783, one year before the epilogue of Dragon Ball Z, and features Gohan and Piccolo fighting against the Red Ribbon Army and their android creations.

Dragon Ball GT (1996-1997)

Set in Ages 789-790

Dragon Ball GT is the third series produced, and a follow-up to the epilogue seen at the end of Dragon Ball Z. It stars Gohan’s daughter Pan, alongside Trunks and a de-aged Goku, who has returned to being a child as a result of Pilaf’s wish on the Black Star Dragon Balls, an evil set of Dragon Balls created by corrupt wishes. The team must travel around the universe collecting these Black Star Dragon Balls.

Age 789 sees most of the collection of the Black Star Dragon Balls, but most prominently features the Baby Saga, wherein the eponymous Baby, a member of a race known as Tuffles who used to live on the Saiyan homeworld before being nearly wiped out. Baby wants revenge on the surviving Saiyans, as well as to revive his own people. Baby’s powers allow him to possess other people, culminating in Baby possessing Vegeta and turning most of the people on Earth into Tuffles using parasites. Earth is destroyed once again, but its people are saved, as Piccolo bravely remains behind to ensure the destruction of the Black Star Dragon Balls. Goku defeats Baby by ascending to Super Saiyan 4 for the first time.

Age 790 sees the events of the Super 17 Saga take place. Dr. Gero creates a being known as Hell Fighter 17 while in Hell, which eventually establishes a pathway between Hell and Earth, resulting in it and Android 17 merging into Super 17. Super 17 goes on a rampage, killing Dr. Gero once more, but is eventually defeated by Goku and Android 18.

Age 790 also sees the Shadow Dragon Saga, in which dragons based on each of the Dragon Balls appear as a result of the constant misuse of the Dragon Balls. The Dragon Balls are absorbed by one such dragon, creating Omega Shenron. The Z fighters must battle against these dragons and purify the Dragon Balls of the negative energy. This results in Vegeta ascending to Super Saiyan 4, and fusing with the fusion dance in order to create Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta.

How to Watch Dragon Ball in Chronological Order

Dragon Ball Super is the Only Series Released Out of Chronological Order

Dragon Ball as a series is fairly simple, laid out mostly in chronological order following Goku’s life from childhood to adulthood. For those wanting to experience all of Dragon Ball in chronological order, it’s a simple matter of starting from Dragon Ball, then moving on to Dragon Ball Z, and then Dragon Ball Super. Dragon Ball GT is generally not well-liked among the majority of the fandom, so many fans would recommend skipping it altogether. However, for those who are interested in watching GT, it is set after the time period of Dragon Ball Super. It is not yet known when exactly the upcoming 2024 series Dragon Ball Daima is set; it may take place before or after Dragon Ball Super.

Those looking to watch all of Dragon Ball chronologically have quite the task laid out before them. Dragon Ball has 153 episodes, while Dragon Ball Z has 291, Dragon Ball Super has 131, and Dragon Ball GT has 64. At 23 minutes per episode, that’s about 245 hours to watch the entire series, or just over 10 whole days of non-stop watching. Fans looking to cut the burden down some may want to consider Dragon Ball Z Kai, which removes much of the filler, and clocks in at “only” 167 episodes. Regardless of which you choose, here is the chronological watch order for all of Dragon Ball:

• Dragon Ball
• Dragon Ball Z (Kai)
• Dragon Ball Super
• Dragon Ball GT