The Dragon Ball franchise has put out quite a few movies over the years. Here they all are in chronological order.
Highlights
- Dragon Ball movies are usually set in their own parallel universe, but still acknowledge the events of the series, making them a potential part of the main timeline.
- Dragon Ball movies feature spectacular highlights and introduce powers and transformations that become canon in future material, making them worth watching for fans.
- The Dragon Ball movies have a specific chronological order and can be enjoyed as additional adventures and fights with Goku and his friends.
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For a franchise known for its various television series, there have been plenty of Dragon Ball movies. Most of them are exciting, self-contained stories that introduce new villains for the Z Warriors to take down. How each one fits into the timeline is interesting because most aren’t technically canon. In fact, they’re basically set in their own parallel universe. Yet, they usually still acknowledge the events of the series, so most could be a part of the main timeline. The movies have a specific chronological order, and slot themselves at various points during the main narrative.
Most other anime movies are non-canon and don’t do anything unique to separate themselves from the masses. However, Dragon Ball‘s movies feature some of the most spectacular highlights in the series. The majority of them aren’t even that long, letting viewers binge through these extra adventures and fights in record time. The fact that some powers or transformations shown in the movies have become canon in future Dragon Ball material is a great example of what makes these movies so great. Any Dragon Ball fan worth their salt should check out these films to spend more time with Goku and his friends.
Updated November 11, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Ball is one of the most popular shonen series of all time, and it’s easy to see why. Fans can’t get enough of Goku’s adventures as he reaches new heights in power and defeats his foes time and again. The series started as an adventure manga before leaning more and more into its many battles, allowing fans to witness some of the best battles in shonen history. The movies of this franchise are also widely beloved, which is a rarity in the shonen landscape. Their popularity is a testament to how beloved Dragon Ball is. Fans who want to check out the movies should ideally do so in a chronological order to witness a steadily rising power creep.
21 Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
Release Date: December 20, 1986
A few of the early Dragon Ball movies present alternate versions of sagas from the anime. Curse of the Blood Rubies covers the early days of the original series, when Goku first met Bulma.
Things are very different, as events are moved around, and there are several new villains. For instance, instead of Emperor Pilaf being the main antagonist, it’s a monster called King Gurumes.
20 Dragon Ball: The Path to Power
Release Date: March 2, 1996
For the tenth anniversary of the Dragon Ball franchise, Toei Animation released The Path to Power. It’s another movie that retells the beginnings of Dragon Ball. Once again, it covers Goku meeting Bulma and some of his other friends. But this time, he’s facing off against the Red Ribbon Army.
It’s a great watch for fans of the Dragon Ball franchise who missed out on the series that started it all, but still wish to check out the origins of Goku and how he met his friends. It might not be the most comprehensive recap of the series, but it’s a decent watch regardless.
19 Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle
Release Date: July 18, 1987
In the Dragon Ball series, Goku and Krillin earned the right to train with Roshi by introducing him to Launch. Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle tells an alternate tale where the two boys have to retrieve a ‘princess’ for the old man. Only then will he make them two of his many disciples.
The movie is essentially nothing more than fan service, and isn’t particularly well done either. Only the most hardcore fans of the Dragon Ball franchise will get any enjoyment out of this film.
18 Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure
Release Date: July 9, 1988
Mystical Adventure is yet another re-telling. This time, it’s based on a combination of the Commander Red and Tien Shinhan Sagas. The movie revolves around a Martial Arts Tournament in Mifan that a few of the heroes enter. But there’s a more sinister plot behind the scenes involving Master Shen and General Tao.
For a recap movie, it does a pretty good job of retelling the plot. Of course, nothing beats the original, which still holds up despite being a little rough around the edges due to its age.
17 Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
Release Date: July 15, 1989
The Dragon Ball Z movies tell original stories. This one takes place before Raditz shows up on Earth. It sees Garlic Jr. and his underlings hunt down all the Dragon Balls and kidnap Gohan in the process. This puts him in the crosshairs of Goku, who wastes no time in trying to hunt down this villain and save his son.
The antagonist also has a separate issue with Piccolo, which lets Goku’s ex-nemesis play a central role in this narrative too. The movie rehashes many concepts from the Raditz Saga, such as Gohan’s random burst of power that changes the dynamic of the battle. Goku and Piccolo team up in this movie as well, which is no coincidence.
16 Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest
Release Date: March 10, 1990
In The World’s Strongest, the villainous duo of Dr. Kochin and Dr. Wheelo attempt to find the strongest man in the world so they can transplant Wheelo’s brain into the fighter’s body. Of course, this leads them to the Z Warriors. It’s pretty much impossible to determine where it would fit in the main timeline, as there are too many inconsistencies.
However, this shouldn’t take away from the brilliance of The World’s Strongest in the slightest. The animation in this movie is of the highest quality, and the villains end up being compelling enough to carry the entire experience.
15 Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might
Release Date: July 7, 1990
The Tree of Might introduces a new Saiyan to the series named Turles. He’s an unsavory individual who plants a magical tree on Earth that intends to use up all the planet’s nutrients. Goku and his friends try to stop them. Based on the main timeline, the heroes should have all been on Namek at this point, as it’s definitely set post-Saiyan Saga.
The antagonists of this movie aren’t all that memorable, with Turles being memorable mostly because he looks like Goku. Just like he does at the end of Vegeta’s battle against the Z Warriors, Gohan also turns into a Great Ape here. However, he only stands in the way of Goku, who cuts off his son’s tail before using the power from the Tree of Might to charge up a Spirit Bomb and unleash it at his evil doppelganger.
14 Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug
Release Date: March 9, 1991
This is another movie that takes place when the Z Warriors are supposed to be on Namek. The plot involves the titular antagonist landing on Earth and trying to take it over. Goku has a tough time stopping him, as Slug is one of the stronger movie villains.
This movie marks the first appearance of the Super Saiyan form, albeit in its infancy. Watching Goku turn into a False Super Saiyan after being pushed against the ropes over and over again is pretty exciting and makes for the best part of an otherwise forgettable movie. The fact that Slug is taken out by a whistling Gohan is a pretty disappointing way to take out a villain who had the power to either subjugate all of Earth or destroy it.
13 Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge
Release Date: July 20, 1991
A lot happens between Frieza’s death and the Android’s arrival. For instance, the fallen Emperor’s older brother, Cooler, tries to exact revenge on Goku for embarrassing his family. So, he comes to Earth to kill the Saiyan and destroy the planet. But that’s easier said than done.
After all, this is a Goku that has managed to access the legendary Super Saiyan form. It makes for one of the best transformations in the entire series, with the dub’s soundtrack being the stuff of legends.
12 Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
Release Date: March 7, 1992
Early in The Return of Cooler, it’s shown that Dende is the guardian of Earth. This means the movie must take place in the time before the Cell Games — although Gohan has gotten younger somehow.
Regardless, the story revolves around Cooler and the Big Gete Star, who have taken over New Namek. Their goal is to absorb all the planet’s energy, but the Super Saiyan pair of Goku and Vegeta intervene.
11 Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!
Release Date: July 11, 1992
After their creator, Dr. Gero, is killed, Android 13, 14, and 15 wake up. As always, the main target for these Androids is Goku, so they find and attack the Saiyan at their first opportunity.
This initiates a big fight between Gero’s creations and the Z Fighters. To fit into the main timeline, this would have to happen before Vegeta and Trunks enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
10 Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
Release Date: March 6, 1993
In the first Broly movie, his father tries to get revenge on the Vegeta family by luring the prince of all Saiyans into a trap. However, things take a turn when Broly meets Goku as due to an incident as a child, the titular antagonist hates the heroic Saiyan. So, he goes blind with rage and attempts to destroy all the Z Warriors. These events occur before the Cell Games.
It’s the first appearance of the Legendary Super Saiyan, who wastes no time in showing why he’s such a powerful enemy. That being said, Broly does suffer from an extremely poor origin story that was thankfully fixed in the Dragon Ball Super retcon of this character.
9 Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound
Release Date: July 10, 1993
This movie fits within the main timeline better than most, as it’s set shortly after Cell is defeated. In fact, the antagonist’s self-destruction freed the titular villain of this movie.
Goku, meanwhile, perished from that same blast. Therefore, Gohan is responsible for saving the world from Bojack and his allies…and he manages to do so by using the power of the Ascended Super Saiyan form, better known as Super Saiyan 2.
8 Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming
Release Date: March 12, 1994
Not long before the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, Broly makes his presence known once again. This time, he comes to Earth, and Goku is no longer alive to stop him. Instead, that task falls to the likes of Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Videl.
This movie features the first appearance of the iconic Family Kamehameha, which makes for one of the most iconic scenes in the entire series. It’s still hard to believe that this legendary move originated from a non-canon movie.
7 Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly
Release Date: July 9, 1994
Not one of the most highly regarded movies, Bio-Broly sees a liquid clone of the Legendary Super Saiyan attack Trunks and Goten. As the rest of Earth’s heroes are off trying to stop Babidi and Majin Buu, it’s up to the two young Saiyans, Krillin, and Android 18, to save the day.
It’s one of the stranges movies on this list, and the weakest entry featuring Broly. His gooey form is nowhere near as intimidating as most people would assume, which is a shame.
6 Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn
Release Date: March 4, 1995
In this one, trouble brews in Other World as a new force named Janemba allows the residents of hell to return to the land of the living. To get things back to normal, Goku and Vegeta have to end the powerful foe. The rest of the Dragon Team, however, must protect the Earth from hell’s former inhabitants. It all happens during the Buu Saga.
This movie is iconic for featuring the first appearance of Gogeta, the fused form of Goku and Vegeta through a Fusion Dance. It’s an excellent movie that any fan of Dragon Ball should check out.
5 Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon
Release Date: July 15, 1995
With Buu gone, the Earth finally enjoys a time of peace. That is, until the monster known as Hirudegarn is released from captivity. Alongside a mysterious hero named Tapion, the Z fighters need to find a way to stop the giant beast.
Luckily for them, Goku is once again among the living. He unveils a new attack in his Super Saiyan 3 form called Dragon Fist, which makes for one of the coolest visuals in the entire series.
4 Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
Release Date: March 30, 2013
Battle of Gods is set several years after the victory over Kid Buu. In it, the God Of Destruction, Beerus, wakes from his long slumber and seeks out a challenge that can actually entertain him.
He attempts to track down the fabled Super Saiyan God, which of course leads him to Goku and the others. In this instance, it’s not the movie doing the retelling, as Battle of Gods did this storyline before Dragon Ball Super existed.
3 Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’
Release Date: April 11, 2015
Not long after Beerus’ search for the Super Saiyan God, the events of Resurrection ‘F’ take place. It all begins when a few of the remaining members of the Frieza force summon Shenron to wish the Emperor back.
The villain then trains rigorously before bringing his strongest forces to Earth for his revenge. Thankfully, Goku and Vegeta were training hard and managed to beat Frieza with their powerful Super Saiyan Blue forms.
2 Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Release Date: November 14, 2018
The opening of Dragon Ball Super: Broly actually takes place before any of the other movies as it chronicles the early years of the titular character. But the main portion of the adventure happens after the Tournament of Power.
Paragus attempts to use Broly to take vengeance on the Vegeta family. It leads to some high-octane battles between Broly and Earth’s strongest Saiyans, Goku and Vegeta.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
