Summary

• Dragon Ball Z is the peak of the franchise, with iconic moments and impact that shaped cultures worldwide.
• Dragon Ball Super revived the franchise with new concepts and characters, presenting epic battles and expanding the universe.
• Super Dragon Ball Heroes lacks depth and pacing, failing to deliver significant character growth or engaging plotlines.

Akira Toriyama's legendary Dragon Ball franchise has changed millions of lives worldwide, even if the six anime series released so far are of differing quality. Some countries immediately fell in love with Goku and his early adventures with Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi during the first Dragon Ball anime, but certain countries like the US were introduced to Dragon Ball Z first. Many fans like to debate which series is their favorite, but only one can be considered the best Dragon Ball series so far.

It all began with Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga, which released its first chapter in 1984, with the anime's first episodes beginning to air in 1986. Although the iconic manga told Goku's story up to his defeat of Kid Buu, the anime broke the series up into two anime series: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.

After the epic conclusion of that story, the sequel anime, Dragon Ball GT, began shortly after and ran for 64 episodes. Years later, Dragon Ball Z Kai remastered and condensed the DBZ anime. Many younger fans may have been introduced to the franchise with newer series like Dragon Ball Super, while hardcore fans who can't get enough of Toriyama's world also have the exuberant and controversial Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime. Here are how each Dragon Ball anime series rank against each other.

An entirely new anime series called Dragon Ball Daima will release in Fall 2024.

6 Super Dragon Ball Heroes Is Shallow and Hard To Recommend

Super Dragon Ball Heroes Anime Is Ongoing From 2018 to Present and Currently Contains 54 Episodes

Unlike every other anime series on the list, Super Dragon Ball Heroes has not been broadcast on television. It's a series that is only released online for free, with episodes that last around 10 minutes. It's debatable if SDBH even belongs on the list of the best and worst Dragon Ball series, but because it has technically been running longer than Dragon Ball Super did, it's a series that some of the most hardcore fans may be willing to try.

Because of the franchise's popularity, several Dragon Ball video games and trading card games have been released to the delight of fans. One particular trading card game, Super Dragon Ball Heroes, spurred the creation of the promotional anime of the same name. Video games focused on the trading card game feature storylines that use time travel, rifts, and other methods to include multiple versions of characters from different series to interact with one another in plotlines that explore other universes, demons, and foes that threaten the entire Dragon Ball multiverse.

One of the most significant issues with Super Dragon Ball Heroes is its pacing and writing, which fail to give its plot or characters time to grow effectively. Fan-favorite characters are smashed together like action figures, and tension is difficult to build with incredibly shallow plotlines. Fans who enjoy the intense build-up and moments of payoff that litter other Dragon Ball series will watch Super Dragon Ball Heroes and feel like it's a fever dream that tries to make everything epic but instead succeeds in making almost none of it feel epic.

The Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime can be watched on YouTube.

5 The Next Generation Gets Pushed Aside In Dragon Ball GT

Dragon Ball GT's Anime Ran From 1996 to 1997 and Contains 64 Episodes

Until the promotional Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime, Dragon Ball GT was the most divisive series in the franchise. After the overwhelming popularity of DBZ, there was pressure to keep the story going beyond the manga. Akira Toriyama contributed very little to the sequel series that took place ten years after DBZ, which was essentially Toei Animation's project. Still, the series introduced a few iconic transformations and characters that fans fondly.

The story of DBGT begins by focusing on Gohan's teenage daughter Pan and a version of Goku who has been reverted into a child thanks to the old and mischievous Emperor Pilaf. The first substantial Dragon Ball villain returned and accidentally made the wish on a particularly cursed set of magical spheres known as the Dark Star Dragon Balls. While the first arcs of the series are difficult to recommend for their lackluster storytelling, the series eventually picks up steam to deliver some entertaining arcs like the Baby Saga.

By the time DBGT ends, it becomes clear that the series could have been better thought out with how much it shifts its focus from building up newer characters to relaying on features that have proven to work, such as large-scale battles centered around Goku. Still, the Super Saiyan 4 transformation and the idea that Dragon Balls can be overused with dire consequences are story elements fans hope to be included and remade in future Dragon Ball content.

The Dragon Ball GT anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

4 Dragon Ball Super Revived The Franchise Like A Clever Wish

Dragon Ball Super's Anime Ran From 2015 to 2018 and Contains 131 Episodes

Dragon Ball Super is one of the newest series that played a considerable role in rekindling the franchise, and it technically takes place before Dragon Ball GT, which is canon to the timeline. DBS introduced the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his more powerful Angel companion, Whis, who dramatically expanded the franchise's universe by introducing Gods who sur the Kais. Many of its arcs also introduce warriors from other universes who dramatically helped provide battles that excited the fanbase like never before.

The beginning of the DBS anime had an unconventional release. In 2013, the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods came out to high acclaim, but it wasn't until 2015 that the anime series began by re-adapting the events of Battle of Gods as a weekly series with dramatically extended scenes and moderate changes to its story. While the beginning of the anime suffered from horrific moments of animation thanks to a controversial production schedule, the series saw dramatic improvements that eventually transformed Dragon Ball Super into one of the most exciting animes the world has ever seen.

Moments featuring Goku using the iconic Kaio-Ken technique to amplify his godly Super Saiyan Blue powers and the series' epic final fights against Jiren thrilled audiences who'd waited years for new Dragon Ball content. Several videos went viral after they captured the excitement of huge crowds grouped up in front of giant screens, all watching the final episodes of the Tournament of Power together. Dragon Ball Super not only brought the franchise back to life, it played a massive role in helping make anime more socially acceptable than it ever had been.

The Dragon Ball Super anime can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

3 Dragon Ball Z Kai Refreshed The Series For A New Audience

Dragon Ball Z Kai's Anime Ran From 2009 to 2011, 2014 to 2015 and Contains 167 Episodes

Although Dragon Ball Z is considered one of the best series in the anime medium, it arguably contained faults because of its weekly release schedule. Like many popular anime series, the manga was being published simultaneously, and because anime episodes often progress the story at a quicker pace than manga chapters, there was a risk that DBZ's anime would catch up to the manga. This is apparent with filler content and moments that drag the pacing of DBZ to fill time. Issues that the Dragon Ball Z Kai series attempted to alleviate.

Nearly 13 years after DBZ ended, the remastered and re-edited series Dragon Ball Z Kai was released. It successfully condensed DBZ's 291 episodes into 167 with improved pacing and a significant decrease in the Dragon Ball Z filler many fans preferred to skip. Like DB Super, the series played a large part in creating a new generation of fans. Dragon Ball Z Kai is arguably the best way to get into the Dragon Ball franchise, even if it does cut out some incredible content like Vegeta and Gohan's training segments, which provide amazing moments of development for both characters.

The Dragon Ball Z Kai anime can be streamed on Hulu.

2 Dragon Ball Changed The World And Built A Strong Foundation

Dragon Ball's Anime Ran From 1986 to 1989 and Contains 153 Episodes

The story of young Goku helped establish a franchise that has grown into one of the world's most recognizable properties. Many people were lucky enough to grow up watching Dragon Ball when it was first released, which immensely helped solidify the series as their favorite. But now that multiple series have significantly expanded on the universe, its characters, and animation styles, many may be curious how well the first series holds up decades after its release.

There are many reasons why ionate fans of the franchise heavily recommend going back and watching Dragon Ball for those who first fell in love with the series thanks to DBZ and DBS. While not all of its humor has aged well, Dragon Ball's first few arcs changed anime forever. The series First World Tournament played a significant role in establishing how to execute engaging Tournament arcs that have helped formulate fan-favorite arcs from series like Yu Yu Hakusho and Naruto. However, as the Dragon Ball anime continued, its narrative threads would help evolve the series into something extraordinary.

Dragon Ball remains one of the best series in the franchise because of its incredible pacing and superb balance of action, humor, and tension. The methods in which the production team animated battles with detailed character acting showcased martial arts more effectively than most battles from every sequel series. Before the series ends, its characters and battles escalate to earth-shaking heights that perfectly transition into arguably the best anime of all time.

The Dragon Ball anime can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu.

1 The Franchise Peaked With Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Z's Anime Ran From 1989 to 1996 and Contains 291 Episodes

Dragon Ball Z is the best series in the franchise because of how much of an impact it's had on people around the world, an impact that has even helped shape multiple cultures. The series kicked off with a bang in a way that enticed both new and existing fans. With exciting battles and the shocking revelation that Goku was, in fact, an alien whose battle-hungry Saiyan race threatened his home, the series immediately raised the bar in both scale and storytelling with how to effectively expand a beloved franchise.

Throughout DBZ's arcs, dozens of iconic moments still have the power to give fans the chills many years after it aired, thanks to its direction and animation that helped establish several of history's greatest anime creators. People like Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru and Shigeyasu Yamauchi became forces of nature during the series Buu arc, and their legendary work would eventually go on to help craft beloved animes like Digimon, One Piece, and Black Clover. Still, after the tragic ing of Akira Toriyama, it became hard to ignore how much DBZ has touched the lives of people around the world.

Several countries worldwide officially declared days of mourning to pay tribute to Akira Toriyama because of how important the series was to its citizens. While other series in the franchise are also filled with impressive moments of action, excitement, and storytelling, DBZ provided several peaks that every series afterward has chased.

The Dragon Ball Z anime can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Source: Crunchyroll Dubs/YouTube