Dragon Ball recap: the story so far

No. 01 · 1986 · Series

Dragon Ball recap

Goku, a strong, naive boy with a monkey tail who lives alone in the mountains, meets Bulma, a genius girl searching for the seven Dragon Balls, which summon the dragon Shenron to grant a wish. They are joined by the bandit Yamcha, the shapeshifter Oolong and Master Roshi, the old martial artist who gives Goku the Flying Nimbus. Goku trains under Roshi with Krillin, and fights in the World Martial Arts Tournament. He takes on the Red Ribbon Army, which wants the Dragon Balls for world domination, and destroys it, climbing Korin's Tower along the way to beat its assassin, Mercenary Tao. At the next tournament, he meets Tien and Chiaotzu, students of the rival Crane Hermit. The Demon King Piccolo is freed and kills Krillin and Roshi, and Goku kills him. Piccolo's reincarnation, Piccolo Jr., vows revenge, and Goku trains with Kami, Earth's guardian, for three years.

How Dragon Ball ends

At the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, the teenage Goku fights Piccolo Jr. in the final and beats him, then spares him, since killing Piccolo would also kill Kami. Goku keeps his old promise to Chi-Chi and marries her, and the two fly off together on the Nimbus. The story continues in Dragon Ball Z.

No. 02 · 1989 · Series

Dragon Ball Z recap

In the Saiyan saga, Goku learns he is a Saiyan, an alien warrior race, when his brother Raditz kidnaps his son Gohan. Goku dies taking Raditz down with Piccolo, trains in the afterlife with King Kai, and returns to fight the Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta, who kill several of his friends. In the Frieza saga, the group goes to planet Namek for its Dragon Balls and faces the tyrant Frieza, who destroyed the Saiyan homeworld; when Frieza kills Krillin, Goku becomes the legendary Super Saiyan and defeats him. In the Android and Cell sagas, Trunks, Vegeta's son from a ruined future, warns of androids built by Dr. Gero. Cell, a bio-android, absorbs Androids 17 and 18 and holds the Cell Games; Goku dies sacrificing himself, and Gohan, now a Super Saiyan 2, kills Cell. In the Buu saga, seven years later, the wizard Babidi releases Majin Buu, Goku returns from the dead for a day, Gohan's friends and Vegeta's son Trunks fuse into Gotenks, and Buu wipes out the Earth.

How Dragon Ball Z ends

Goku and Vegeta fight Kid Buu, the original, purest form, on the Supreme Kai's planet. Everyone on the revived Earth gives energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb, which destroys Buu. Ten years later, at a tournament, Goku meets Uub, a boy who is Buu's reincarnation, and flies off to train him.

No. 03 · 1996 · Series · optional

Dragon Ball GT recap

Emperor Pilaf accidentally wishes on the Black Star Dragon Balls for Goku to become a child again, and the Balls scatter across the galaxy, threatening to destroy Earth in a year if not gathered. Goku, his granddaughter Pan and Trunks fly into space to find them. In the Baby saga, a parasite from the Tuffles, a race wiped out by the Saiyans, takes over Vegeta and the people of Earth; Goku gets his tail back and becomes a Super Saiyan 4 to beat him. In the Super 17 saga, Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu, a Tuffle scientist, merge two versions of Android 17 to escape hell. In the Shadow Dragons saga, overuse of the Dragon Balls has built up negative energy, and seven evil dragons emerge, each from a Ball, led by Omega Shenron. Goku and Vegeta fuse into Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta.

How Dragon Ball GT ends

Gogeta's fusion wears off, and Goku destroys Omega Shenron with a Spirit Bomb made of energy from the whole universe. Shenron restores the dragons and leaves, taking Goku with him. A hundred years later, Pan, now old, watches her descendant Goku Jr. fight at a tournament and sees the adult Goku in the crowd. GT is not part of the newer canon.

No. 04 · 2013 · Film · optional

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods recap

A few years after Buu, Beerus, the God of Destruction, wakes from a decades-long sleep after a prophetic dream of a Super Saiyan God. With his attendant Whis, he visits King Kai's planet, where Goku challenges him and is beaten in seconds. Beerus goes to Earth and finds Vegeta at Bulma's birthday party. When Buu refuses to share a pudding with him, Beerus attacks, beating every fighter there. Vegeta, furious when Beerus slaps Bulma, briefly surpasses himself. Goku arrives and the Dragon Balls tell him how to become a Super Saiyan God: a ritual where five pure-hearted Saiyans, including the unborn Pan in Videl, pass their power to a sixth.

How Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods ends

As a Super Saiyan God, Goku fights Beerus across the planet and into space. He loses, and admits he could not win, but Beerus is impressed and spares Earth, saying he is too sleepy to destroy it. Whis reveals Beerus held back. Goku keeps some of the god power. The same story is retold in Dragon Ball Super's first arc.

Post-credits scenes

No. There is no post-credits scene.

No. 05 · 2015 · Film · optional

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' recap

Sorbet, the leader of what is left of Frieza's army, gathers the Dragon Balls and revives Frieza, who has been tortured in hell for years. Frieza trains for the first time and achieves a golden form. He comes to Earth with an army of a thousand soldiers to take revenge on Goku, who is training on Beerus's planet with Vegeta under Whis. Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and the others hold off the soldiers. Goku and Vegeta arrive, and Goku fights Golden Frieza as a Super Saiyan Blue, the next form beyond Super Saiyan God. Frieza tires quickly, and Goku gains the upper hand, but Sorbet shoots Goku with a laser ring.

How Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' ends

Frieza blows up the Earth in a rage. Whis rewinds time three minutes, and Goku kills Frieza with a Kamehameha before he can do it, sending him back to hell. The fight is retold in Dragon Ball Super.

Post-credits scenes

No. There is no post-credits scene.

No. 06 · 2015 · Series

Dragon Ball Super recap

Dragon Ball Super takes place after the defeat of Kid Buu. It first retells Battle of Gods and Resurrection F, as Beerus spares Earth and a revived Frieza is beaten, and Goku and Vegeta start training with Whis. In the Universe 6 arc, Beerus's brother Champa, God of Destruction of a twin universe, holds a tournament against Universe 7, and Goku and Vegeta fight Hit, an assassin who can skip time. In the Future Trunks arc, Trunks comes back from his future, which is being destroyed by Goku Black, an evil god in Goku's body; Black is Zamasu, a Kai apprentice, and he merges with a future Zamasu. Zeno, the King of All, erases that timeline. In the Universal Survival arc, Zeno holds the Tournament of Power, in which eight universes fight and every loser is erased. Goku recruits Frieza and Android 17, and he reaches a new state, Ultra Instinct, against the mighty Jiren of Universe 11.

How Dragon Ball Super ends

Goku and Frieza knock Jiren out of the ring, and Android 17, the last fighter standing, wins for Universe 7. He wishes for all the erased universes to be restored. Frieza is brought back to life as a reward, and Goku returns to training. The story continues in the film Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

No. 07 · 2018 · Film

Dragon Ball Super: Broly recap

Forty-one years earlier, King Vegeta exiles Broly, a baby with frightening power, to a barren planet, Vampa, and Broly's father Paragus follows him to raise him for revenge. The Saiyan Bardock sends his son Kakarot, Goku, to Earth before Frieza destroys planet Vegeta. In the present, Frieza's soldiers find Broly and Paragus and bring them to Earth to fight Goku and Vegeta, while Frieza tries to steal the Dragon Balls. The battle in the Antarctic goes on as Broly, with no control over his own rage, grows stronger, and Frieza kills Paragus to trigger Broly's Super Saiyan form. Goku and Vegeta use the Fusion Dance to become Gogeta.

How Dragon Ball Super: Broly ends

Gogeta overwhelms Broly. Cheelai, a soldier who befriended Broly, uses the Dragon Balls to send him home to Vampa before he can be killed. Goku later visits Broly on Vampa, brings supplies, and offers to train him.

Post-credits scenes

No. There is no post-credits scene.

No. 08 · 2022 · Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero recap

Commander Magenta, the son of the Red Ribbon Army's founder, revives the army and hires Dr. Hedo, a young genius obsessed with superheroes, by telling him Capsule Corp is evil. Hedo builds two androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, and Cell Max. Piccolo, who is training Gohan's daughter Pan while Gohan focuses on research, finds the army's base. Piccolo has Shenron unlock his potential. He lets the army think it has kidnapped Pan to make Gohan angry, and Gohan fights Gamma 1 while Piccolo, in a new orange form, fights Gamma 2. Gamma 2 learns Magenta lied, and Hedo turns. Magenta releases Cell Max anyway, and is killed by Hedo.

How Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero ends

Cell Max is too strong, and Gamma 2 dies damaging it. Gohan takes a new form, Beast, and destroys Cell Max with a Special Beam Cannon while Piccolo holds it. Bulma gives Hedo and Gamma 1 jobs at Capsule Corp.

Post-credits scenes

Yes. In a post-credits scene, Vegeta beats Goku in a sparring match on Beerus's planet, then collapses.

No. 09 · 2024 · Series

Dragon Ball Daima recap

A year after Majin Buu's defeat, Gomah, the new Supreme Demon King, kidnaps Dende and uses Earth's Dragon Balls to turn Goku and his friends into children. Glorio, a demon sent by the king of the Third Demon World, asks Goku for help. Goku, Shin, the Supreme Kai and Glorio travel through the Demon Realm, where they meet Panzy, a princess and inventor. Vegeta, Piccolo and Bulma follow. They collect the Demon Realm's own Dragon Balls, including from the Tamagami guardians, and learn the history of the Nameks and Neva, a Namekian who made the Dragon Balls. Vegeta reaches Super Saiyan 3. Dende is rescued, and Gomah takes the Third Eye, a cursed jewel that makes him very strong. Arinsu, a scheming demon, works with Marba to create the Majins Kuu and Duu.

How Dragon Ball Daima ends

Neva's magic lets Goku transform into Super Saiyan 4, and Glorio uses the wish to restore everyone to adult form. Goku as a Super Saiyan 4 and Vegeta fight Gomah, and Piccolo and Kuu dislodge the Third Eye, which Glorio crushes. Gomah is sealed away, Kuu becomes the new Supreme Demon King, and Panzy spots two more Third Eyes for sale.