How to watch Dragon Ball
The original Dragon Ball series is 153 episodes of pure canon content — there is virtually no filler to worry about. This is the starting point of Goku's story, from his childhood adventures with Bulma through the World Martial Arts Tournaments to his rivalry with Piccolo. Watch it from Episode 1 straight through to the end. It is highly recommended to watch Dragon Ball before moving on to Dragon Ball Z, as it establishes the core characters, world-building, and power system that DBZ builds upon. The four Dragon Ball movies are non-canon side stories that can be watched at the points indicated in our movie guide below, or skipped entirely without missing anything. At roughly 51 hours total, it is the shortest and most focused watch in the Dragon Ball franchise.