Let's be real for a second. If you grew up watching Goku scream for three episodes straight just to power up a Spirit Bomb, you probably have some trust issues with anime pacing. When Toei Animation announced they were bringing the franchise back, the hype was massive. But then the confusion hit. Was it a sequel to Z? Was it ignoring GT? And why did the first twenty-some episodes look like a blurry version of the movies we already saw in theaters? Tracking the Dragon Ball Super episode list is a bit of a trip because it doesn't just follow a straight line; it weaves through movie recaps, tournament fillers, and some of the highest-stakes multiversal brawling ever put to paper by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou.
It’s been years since the final episode aired in 2018, yet the community is still debating the "correct" way to watch it. You’ve got 131 episodes in total. That sounds like a lot, but compared to the original run of Dragon Ball Z, it’s practically a sprint.
The Battle of Gods and Resurrection F Redux
The series kicks off by retreading familiar ground. Episodes 1 through 14 cover the God of Destruction Beerus saga. If you watched the film Battle of Gods, you know the drill. Goku turns pink—well, Super Saiyan God—and fights a cat in space. Honestly, these episodes are often the biggest hurdle for new fans. The animation in Episode 5 became an internet meme for all the wrong reasons. It was rough.
Then we slide right into the Golden Frieza mess from episode 15 to 27. This covers the Resurrection ‘F’ movie arc. Many fans ask if they can just skip these 27 episodes and watch the movies instead. You can. But you’ll miss some weirdly charming slice-of-life moments, like Vegeta taking his family to an amusement park just to keep a promise to Trunks. It’s these small character beats that actually make the Dragon Ball Super episode list feel more "human" than the Z era, which was often just constant muscle-flexing.
The Universe 6 Tournament: Where It Gets Good
Things finally get original around episode 28. This is the Universe 6 Saga. We meet Champa, Beerus’s brother, and a whole new cast of characters like Hit and Cabba. This is where the lore expands. We find out there are twelve universes. Our guys are in Universe 7.
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The stakes here feel lower than the Cell Games, but the creativity is higher. We see Goku use the Kaio-ken on top of Super Saiyan Blue for the first time in episode 39. That moment was a massive turning point for the series’ popularity. It felt like the old school hype was back. This arc runs until episode 46, including some weird filler about a "Commenson" or "Copy-Vegeta" which, frankly, most people just ignore. It’s skippable. Don't feel guilty.
Why Everyone Obsesses Over the "Future" Trunks Saga
Ask any fan about their favorite part of the Dragon Ball Super episode list, and they’ll likely point to the stretch between episode 47 and 67. This is the "Future" Trunks Saga, also known as the Goku Black arc. It brought back the grit.
Future Trunks returns, his world is once again a nightmare, and the villain looks exactly like Goku. The mystery of who "Goku Black" actually was fueled fan theories for months back in 2016. It wasn't just about punching harder; it was a detective story mixed with a cosmic horror vibe. The antagonist, Zamasu, is arguably the most complex villain in the franchise because he actually thinks he’s the hero. He wants to wipe out mortals to "save" the beauty of the universe. It’s dark. It’s twisted. And the ending is surprisingly bleak for a show that usually solves everything with a wish.
The Long Road to the Tournament of Power
After the heavy drama of Zamasu, the show takes a breather. We get some of the funniest filler in anime history. Episode 70 is a baseball game. Yes, a baseball game between Universe 6 and 7. Yamcha finally gets his moment of glory (or shame, depending on how you look at it).
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But the meat of the late-series content starts around episode 77. This begins the "Universal Survival" arc. Goku, being a bit of a knucklehead, reminds the Omni-King (Zeno) about a multiversal tournament. The catch? If your team loses, your entire universe is erased from existence. Simple stakes, right?
The Dragon Ball Super episode list dedicates a massive chunk of time—from episode 77 all the way to 131—to this single event. That’s 54 episodes. To put that in perspective, the entire Saiyan Saga in DBZ was only 35 episodes.
Breaking Down the Tournament of Power
The pacing here is wild. The actual tournament is only 48 minutes in "show time," but it takes over 50 episodes to play out. It’s the ultimate ensemble piece. We see characters who haven't been relevant since the 90s get their shine.
- Master Roshi actually does something significant.
- Android 17 returns and becomes the MVP.
- Gohan tries to find his "ultimate" form again.
- Frieza... well, Frieza is just being a delightful jerk the whole time.
The introduction of Ultra Instinct in episode 110 was a cultural event. Crunchyroll’s servers literally crashed because so many people were trying to watch Goku fight Jiren. It wasn't just a new hair color; it was a change in how Goku moved. It felt earned.
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Filling the Gaps: What’s Not in the Episodes?
A common mistake is thinking the story ends at episode 131. It doesn't. If you’re looking at the Dragon Ball Super episode list and wondering why the story feels unfinished, it’s because it shifted back to the big screen and the manga.
The movie Dragon Ball Super: Broly takes place immediately after episode 131. Then you have the Super Hero movie. Meanwhile, the manga written by Toyotarou has moved way past the anime, introducing arcs like the "Moro Saga" and the "Granolah the Survivor Saga." If you only stick to the TV show, you’re missing about half the story at this point.
Technical Reality: The Production Grind
We have to talk about the "why" behind the episode count. Unlike Dragon Ball Z, which was adapting a finished manga, Super’s anime and manga were produced simultaneously. This led to some weird discrepancies. In the anime, Goku uses the Kaio-ken. In the manga, he doesn't. In the anime, certain characters are much stronger than their manga counterparts.
The production was grueling. There were weeks where animators were finishing frames hours before the episode aired in Japan. This explains the fluctuating quality. If you find yourself annoyed by a specific stretch of episodes, usually it’s because the production committee was stalling for time or the lead animators were saving their energy for the "big" fights.
How to Navigate the Series Today
If you are diving into the Dragon Ball Super episode list for the first time, or maybe a rewatch before the next project drops, here is the most efficient way to handle it without burning out:
- Watch the Movies First: Watch Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’. They are better produced than the first 27 episodes.
- Jump in at Episode 28: This starts the Universe 6 stuff. It’s fresh, original, and the animation starts to stabilize.
- Don't Skip the Filler (Wait, Really?): Unlike DBZ, the filler in Super is actually funny. Episode 69 (the Dr. Slump crossover) and Episode 70 (Baseball) are legitimately great television.
- Prepare for the Long Haul at 77: Once the Tournament of Power starts, it’s a marathon. Don't try to binge it all in one weekend; the repetitive "reaction shots" from the sidelines can get grating if you watch ten episodes in a row.
- The Post-Anime Homework: Once you hit episode 131, go straight to the Broly movie. It’s the peak of the franchise's animation quality. After that, look up the manga starting at Chapter 42 to see what Goku and Vegeta are up to with the Galactic Patrol.
The series is a weird, colorful, sometimes messy addition to the Dragon Ball legacy. It traded the bloody intensity of the 90s for a more "cosmic adventure" feel, but by the time you reach the end of the episode list, it feels like Dragon Ball is exactly where it needs to be.