There are 21 animated Dragon Ball movies. Seventeen came out between 1986 and 1996, while the TV series were at their peak, and four have been made since 2013 with Akira Toriyama personally involved. Only those four belong to the official story; the rest are side adventures, often great fun, that don't fit the main continuity. Below you'll find the full list, what's worth your time and the order to watch them in.
Two very different eras
Until 1996, Toei Animation turned out Dragon Ball movies at a brisk pace, often two a year, timed for the Japanese spring and summer holidays. They were screened as part of package events, first the Toei Manga Matsuri and later the Toei Anime Fair, alongside other studio titles. That's why they're short: most run 45 to 60 minutes, the exception being the tenth-anniversary film from 1996, at about 80 minutes.
After seventeen years away from theaters, Battle of Gods changed the rules in 2013: a proper feature film, a standalone release, international distribution planned from day one and, above all, a story conceived by Toriyama. It was followed by Resurrection 'F', Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Every movie at a glance
Titles are the official English ones; the year is the Japanese release.
| Year | Title | Parent series | Canon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Curse of the Blood Rubies | Dragon Ball | No |
| 1987 | Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle | Dragon Ball | No |
| 1988 | Mystical Adventure | Dragon Ball | No |
| 1989 | Dead Zone | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1990 | The World's Strongest | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1990 | The Tree of Might | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1991 | Lord Slug | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1991 | Cooler's Revenge | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1992 | The Return of Cooler | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1992 | Super Android 13! | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1993 | Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1993 | Bojack Unbound | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1994 | Broly – Second Coming | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1994 | Bio-Broly | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1995 | Fusion Reborn | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1995 | Wrath of the Dragon | Dragon Ball Z | No |
| 1996 | The Path to Power | Dragon Ball | No |
| 2013 | Battle of Gods | Dragon Ball Z (later Super) | Yes |
| 2015 | Resurrection 'F' | Dragon Ball Z (later Super) | Yes |
| 2018 | Dragon Ball Super: Broly | Dragon Ball Super | Yes |
| 2022 | Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | Dragon Ball Super | Yes |
The classic movies (1986–1996)
The first three films retell Goku's early days in alternate versions: the hunt for the Dragon Balls with Bulma, training under Master Roshi alongside Krillin, a martial arts tournament. The Path to Power, made for the anime's tenth anniversary, starts the story over, blending the Pilaf and Red Ribbon Army arcs with the length and polish of a real feature.
The thirteen Z movies follow a familiar pattern: a new villain lands on Earth, overwhelms everyone and is beaten in the finale by Goku, often with help from Gohan, Vegeta or Piccolo. A few of those villains became fan favorites well beyond their films: Cooler, Frieza's older brother, the demon Janemba and above all Broly, who headlined three movies. The 1995 film also introduced Gogeta, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta through the Fusion Dance.
They were a huge hit. According to Japanese figures cited by Wikipedia, by 1996 the first sixteen films had sold around 50 million tickets in Japan, making it the highest-grossing anime film series up to that point. Most of them reached North America in English between 1997 and 2006, and two, The Return of Cooler and Fusion Reborn, even got US theatrical screenings in 2006 to promote a DVD release.
The theatrical revival (2013–2022)
The four modern movies are a different beast. They run 85 to 100 minutes, open in theaters around the world and put Toriyama at the center: he wrote the story for Battle of Gods and the full screenplay for the other three.
- Battle of Gods (2013): Beerus, the God of Destruction, arrives and Super Saiyan God is born.
- Resurrection 'F' (2015): Frieza comes back to life with a new golden form.
- Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018): the Legendary Super Saiyan joins the official story for the first time.
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022): Gohan and Piccolo take the lead in a film made largely in CG.
Broly is the franchise's highest-grossing film, with more than $120 million worldwide; Super Hero comes second at roughly $100 million.
The TV specials
Alongside the movies there are a few TV specials, aired on Fuji TV, that often get lumped in with them.
- Bardock – The Father of Goku (1990): the story of Goku's father and his doomed rebellion against Frieza before Planet Vegeta is destroyed. It's an anime original, not adapted from the manga.
- The History of Trunks (1993): the hopeless future Trunks comes from, with adult Gohan as Earth's last defender against Androids 17 and 18. It's based on a bonus chapter of the manga.
- A 1997 special for Dragon Ball GT, set a hundred years after the end of that series.
There are also shorter extras, such as the 2011 short Episode of Bardock.
Did you know? Years after the 1990 special, Toriyama wrote his own take on baby Goku's escape from Planet Vegeta, the short story Dragon Ball Minus. Elements of it were folded into the prologue of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which is now the official version of those events.
Which movies are canon
The four movies released since 2013 are canon. Toei presented Battle of Gods as part of Dragon Ball's "official history", set during the ten-year gap between Majin Buu's defeat and the last chapter of the manga, and Resurrection 'F' is its direct sequel. Both stories were later retold, with changes and extra scenes, as the first two arcs of the Dragon Ball Super anime (episodes 1–18 (per Toei; some sources split it as 1–14 and 15–27) and 19–27). Broly and Super Hero take place after the TV series ends.
All seventeen classic films are non-canon. You can wedge many of them into a rough spot in the story, but something almost always breaks: characters who shouldn't be there, transformations that show up too early, events nobody ever mentions again. Enjoy them as specials, not as chapters of the main saga. The same goes for the American live-action film Dragonball Evolution (2009), which has nothing to do with the continuity.
What order to watch them in
It depends on what you're after.
- Official story only. After Dragon Ball and Z (or Kai), watch Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F'. Then pick up Dragon Ball Super from episode 28, since the first 27 episodes cover the two films. Once the series wraps with the Tournament of Power, finish with Broly and then Super Hero.
- The full experience. Slot the classic films in as you go: the first three and The Path to Power alongside Dragon Ball, the Z films during that series or right after it. Don't hunt for the perfect placement; there isn't one.
- Release order. The simplest option, and it works well: the classic films stand on their own and the four modern ones already follow each other chronologically.
To fit in the series, specials and Daima as well, see our full watch order guide.
Where to start: our pick
If you only have time for one, make it Dragon Ball Super: Broly. It's the high point of the franchise's animation and almost stands on its own thanks to its long Saiyan prologue. Among the classics, Fusion Reborn (with Gogeta) and Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan are our favorites and still the best way into 1990s Dragon Ball on the big screen. Battle of Gods, on the other hand, is the one for fans of the series' comedy: fewer punches, more birthday party, and a cat god who steals every scene.