Dragon Ball is one of the longest-running anime franchises in the world, and its watch order looks intimidating only because of how much of it there is. The good news: the core story follows a single straight line, and the rest is either optional or clearly marked. This guide lays out the definitive Dragon Ball watch order, explains what GT is and why it is different, and shows exactly where the Broly film belongs.
The Core Order: Dragon Ball, Then Z, Then Super
Start with the original Dragon Ball, which follows a young Goku’s adventures, his training, and his search for the Dragon Balls. Then move to Dragon Ball Z, the series that covers Goku’s adult life, the Saiyan saga, Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu, across 291 episodes that ran from 1989 to 1996. After Z comes Dragon Ball Super, which picks up after the Buu saga and runs 131 episodes, from Beerus’s awakening through the Tournament of Power. That three-step path — original series, Z, Super — is the entire canon story in order, and it is the only path a first-time viewer needs.
Z or Kai? The Shortcut Question
Many fans recommend Dragon Ball Z Kai as an alternative to Z. Kai is a remastered recut of Z that trims filler, tightens the pacing and brings the episode count down substantially, while keeping the same story and the same major battles. If you want the full, classic experience with all its detours and filler episodes, watch Z. If you want the story at its leanest and fastest, watch Kai. You do not need to watch both: they are the same story in two different edits. Either way, the next step is the same — Super, which follows on from the end of the Z story.
Where Does GT Fit? Nowhere in Canon
Dragon Ball GT is the franchise’s awkward middle child, and its status is the single most common source of watch-order confusion. GT was made as a sequel to Z, but it was not based on Akira Toriyama’s manga, and it is not part of the canon story that Super continues. Treat GT as an optional side series: a what-if continuation with its own adventures, set after Z, that you can watch after Z and before or after Super purely for fun. Skipping GT loses nothing from the main story, and watching it will not confuse you as long as you know it sits outside canon. For completionists, GT goes after Z; for everyone else, it is entirely skippable.
Where Does Broly Fit?
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is the film that every Dragon Ball fan should see, and its placement is simple: watch it after Super’s Tournament of Power arc, because the film is set after that tournament and builds on the power levels and relationships established there. Broly reintroduces the legendary Saiyan in a canon story, directed by Tatsuya Nagamine, and it is essential viewing for anyone following Super’s story forward. Unlike GT, Broly is canon, and unlike the older Z-era films, it is not a standalone side story you can slot in anywhere. Watch it after Super, before any future Super material, and it slots in perfectly.
The Full Order, Summarized
The complete Dragon Ball watch order is: the original Dragon Ball, then Dragon Ball Z (or Kai), then Dragon Ball Super, then the Broly film, with GT as an optional, non-canon extra after Z if you want it. That is the whole franchise in order, with no alternate timelines to untangle and no filler guides required — although Z’s filler episodes are skippable if you ever feel the pace dragging. For the heart of the saga, start with Dragon Ball Z, continue into Dragon Ball Super, and finish with Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
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