The short answer: Dragon Ball (1986), then Dragon Ball Z, then Dragon Ball Super. Those three carry Akira Toriyama's story from Goku's childhood onward, and all three stream on Crunchyroll in the US. The rest can be added later: GT, Daima, the films, and Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, a new edition of Super that premiered in Japan on October 11, 2026.
Dragon Ball began as Toriyama's manga in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1984. Every anime series on this page, from the 1986 original to Beerus, is Toei Animation's. The original series adapts the first 194 chapters, Z adapts the remaining 325, and Super's story came from Toriyama himself, who outlined it for the TV staff and the manga artist Toyotarou. He died in March 2024.
📋 Release Order and Where Each One Streams in the US
| # | Title | Released | Length | Where it streams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragon Ball | 1986–1989 | 153 episodes | Crunchyroll, Hulu |
| 2 | Dragon Ball Z | 1989–1996 | 291 episodes | Crunchyroll |
| 3 | Dragon Ball GT | 1996–1997 | 64 episodes | Crunchyroll, Hulu; free on Hoopla |
| 4 | Dragon Ball Z Kai (a recut of Z) | 2009–2015 | 167 episodes in the US version | Hulu |
| 5 | Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods | 2013 | Film | Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll |
| 6 | Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' | 2015 | Film | Crunchyroll |
| 7 | Dragon Ball Super | 2015–2018 | 131 episodes | Crunchyroll |
| 8 | Dragon Ball Super: Broly | 2018 | Film | Crunchyroll, Hulu |
| 9 | Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | 2022 | Film | Crunchyroll, Hulu |
| 10 | Dragon Ball Daima | 2024–2025 | 20 episodes | Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll |
| 11 | Dragon Ball Super: Beerus | 2026– | Airing weekly (19 episodes listed for season 1) | Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll |
Checked on October 19, 2026 against TMDB and JustWatch (US). Hoopla is free with a participating US library card. The Crunchyroll channel on Prime Video is the same Crunchyroll catalog, so it is not counted as a service here.
🧭 Three Ways Through
| Route | Watch | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| The full route | Dragon Ball → Z → Super → Broly → Super Hero | 575, plus two films |
| The shorter route | Dragon Ball → Z Kai → Super → Broly → Super Hero | 451, plus two films |
| Everything | The table above, top to bottom; Kai, the two mid-table films and Beerus retell story you will already have seen | All 11 entries |
Kai was made for Z's 20th anniversary. It re-records the dialogue, cleans up the animation, and drops most of the material the TV staff added that is not in the manga, which is how 291 episodes become 167. In the US it streams on Hulu rather than Crunchyroll, so the shorter route means two services.
The two films in the middle of the table, Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', are also the source of Super's first two arcs, which retell them as TV episodes. You can watch either the films or those episodes. Broly and Super Hero are different: they come after Super's last episode and are not retold anywhere else.
🆕 Beerus Starts Super Over
Beerus is not a sequel. Toei calls it an enhanced edition of Super that aims to be more faithful to Toriyama's manga, and it starts over from the Battle of Gods arc. It premiered on Fuji TV in Japan on October 11, 2026, and Netflix began streaming it in the US on October 17; Hulu and Crunchyroll list it too. Listings show 19 episodes for the first season, so it looks set to cover Super's early arcs in far fewer episodes.
That puts it in the same slot as the start of Super. If you have just finished Z, watch Beerus first, then continue the original Super from the arc after the last one Beerus covers. If you have already seen Super, Beerus retells the same early arcs. The next new story is a separate series: Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol, announced in January 2026, will adapt the manga's Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc, which the Super anime never reached.
🧩 Daima, GT and the Older Films
Daima After Z, GT at the End
- Daima (2024–2025) is set after the Majin Buu saga in Z, before Z's last episodes jump ten years ahead. Toriyama conceived its story, and it aired after his death. Watch it after Z, or after Super Hero if you are going in release order.
- GT (1996–1997) is an anime-original sequel set after Z's final episode. It does not come from the manga, so the two routes above leave it out; add it at the end if you want more.
- Thirteen Z films came out between 1989 and 1995, including the three 1990s Broly films (separate from 2018's Dragon Ball Super: Broly) and Fusion Reborn. They are side stories outside the TV continuity, and all thirteen stream on Crunchyroll in the US.
- The four original Dragon Ball films (1986–1996), including The Path to Power, and the two Z TV specials, Bardock: The Father of Goku and The History of Trunks, have no US subscription listing on JustWatch.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skip the original Dragon Ball and start with Z?
You can. Z opens five years after the original ends and reintroduces its cast. But the original is where Goku meets Bulma, Krillin and Piccolo, and Z assumes you already know them.
Should I watch Z or Kai?
Kai if you want only the manga's story (167 episodes instead of 291). Z if you want the original broadcast as Japan saw it. Kai is on Hulu in the US, Z on Crunchyroll.
Is Dragon Ball on Netflix in the US?
Partly. As of October 19, 2026, Netflix has Daima, Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Super: Beerus. The original Dragon Ball, Z and Super stream on Crunchyroll.
Is GT canon?
It is not based on the manga. Toriyama designed some of its characters, but its story was written for the anime and is not part of the manga's timeline.
What is the chronological order?
Dragon Ball, Z through the Majin Buu saga, Daima, then Super (Battle of Gods onward), Broly and Super Hero, then Z's final episodes set ten years later, then GT. Use this list for a second pass; the first time through, release order is simpler.
📝 Final Thoughts
The 1986 series is the part of this franchise I have actually sat through, plus two Z films, Fusion Reborn and Resurrection 'F', and it is still where I would start, even if Z is the name you know. Goku is a kid with a monkey tail on a hunt for seven wish-granting balls, and the early episodes play more like an adventure comedy than the fights Z is famous for. Once the tournaments begin, the fights take over, and they stay the center of the story from then on. After that, choose the shorter route or the full one. Both end at Super Hero, and Beerus is the only part still airing.
