You're sitting on the couch, looking at a streaming queue that seems to stretch into the next decade, and you just want a straight answer: how many episodes is Dragon Ball anyway? It sounds like a simple question. It isn't. Depending on who you ask, you'll get five different numbers because this franchise is a sprawling, messy, beautiful beast of a series that has been running since the mid-80s.
If you just want the raw, combined number across the entire main TV run, we are looking at 806 episodes.
That is a lot of screaming. That’s hundreds of hours of hair changing colors and villains taking three episodes just to power up their final move. But honestly, if you're a purist or someone just trying to catch up before the next movie drops, that number doesn't tell the whole story. You've got the original run, the massive "Z" era, the controversial GT years, the modern "Super" era, and the weirdly specific "Kai" recut. It's a lot to navigate.
Breaking Down the Original Dragon Ball Count
Before Goku was an alien god fighting for the fate of the multiverse, he was just a kid with a tail living in the woods. The original Dragon Ball series—the one based on the first 16 volumes of Akira Toriyama’s manga—consists of 153 episodes.
It’s a different vibe. It’s more of an adventure comedy than a straight-up battle shonen. You’ve got the Emperor Pilaf saga, the Red Ribbon Army, and the iconic 21st, 22nd, and 23rd World Martial Arts Tournaments. Most people who skip this are doing themselves a disservice. You miss the context of why characters like Krillin or Master Roshi even matter.
The pacing here is actually decent for an 80s anime. It ran from 1986 to 1989. By the time it wrapped up with Goku growing up and marrying Chi-Chi, Toei Animation knew they had a gold mine on their hands. They didn't wait. They jumped immediately into the sequel that would define the genre for decades.
The Dragon Ball Z Era: The Heavy Hitter
This is the one. If someone says they like "Dragon Ball," they usually mean Dragon Ball Z. It is the undisputed king of 90s anime.
Dragon Ball Z has 291 episodes.
That’s where the "how many episodes is Dragon Ball" question gets tricky. These 291 episodes cover the Saiyan Saga all the way through the Buu Saga. It is famous—or perhaps infamous—for its filler. We're talking about the time Goku and Piccolo tried to get their driver's licenses. Or the months spent on a dying Planet Namek while the clock allegedly had "five minutes" left.
Because the anime was catching up to Toriyama’s manga chapters too fast, the studio had to stall. They did this by adding scenes of characters staring at each other or inventing entire subplots that never happened in the book. If you watch the original Z, you're signing up for a lot of "padding." It’s charming if you grew up with it, but it’s a grind for a modern viewer.
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What About Dragon Ball Z Kai?
Around 2009, Toei realized that modern audiences might not have the patience for 291 episodes of Z. So, they created Dragon Ball Kai (known as Dragon Ball Z Kai in the West).
This is a "high-definition" recut that removes almost all the filler. It sticks closer to the manga's original pacing.
- The initial run of Kai (Saiya through Cell) is 98 episodes.
- The "Final Chapters" (The Buu Saga) adds another 69 episodes.
So, if you watch Kai instead of Z, you're looking at 167 episodes total. You save over 100 episodes of your life. Is it better? Purists hate the redrawn art in some scenes and the changed voice lines, but for a first-time viewer, it’s arguably the more efficient way to see the story.
Dragon Ball GT: The Black Sheep
We have to talk about GT. It’s the "Grand Tour." It ran for 64 episodes.
Here is the thing: Akira Toriyama didn't write this one. It was an anime-only sequel produced by Toei. For years, fans debated if it was even "canon." Once Dragon Ball Super came out, GT was essentially pushed into an alternate timeline or a "what if" scenario.
Even so, it exists. It has its fans, mostly because of the Super Saiyan 4 design. If you are a completionist, you add these 64 episodes to your list. If you just want the main story, you can skip them entirely without losing a beat.
The Modern Era: Dragon Ball Super
After a nearly 20-year hiatus from TV, the series came back with Dragon Ball Super in 2015. This series takes place in the ten-year gap between the defeat of Kid Buu and the very end of the Z series.
Dragon Ball Super has 131 episodes.
It started off a bit rough with some questionable animation quality during the retelling of the Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' movies. However, by the time it hit the "Goku Black" arc and the "Tournament of Power," it regained its spot at the top of the anime world.
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The series "ended" in 2018, but the manga has continued way past that point. We’ve had the Moro arc and the Granolah arc in the manga, which haven't been animated yet. So, while the current count is 131, that number is destined to grow eventually.
Totaling the Dragon Ball Franchise
If we look at the main timeline (the "canon" path plus the original GT), the math looks like this:
- Dragon Ball: 153
- Dragon Ball Z: 291
- Dragon Ball GT: 64
- Dragon Ball Super: 131
- Total: 639
Wait. Why did I say 806 earlier?
Because of Super Dragon Ball Heroes. This is a promotional web series for a Japanese card game. It’s weird, short (about 8-10 minutes per episode), and features things like Super Saiyan 4 fighting Super Saiyan Blue. As of early 2026, there are over 50 episodes of this series. If you add the 167 episodes of Kai into the mix separately, the numbers get even higher.
Basically, you have enough content to watch an episode a day for over two years and still not be finished.
Is Dragon Ball Daima Part of the Count?
The newest addition to the family is Dragon Ball Daima. This was the final project Akira Toriyama worked on before his passing in 2024. It’s a bit of a throwback, turning the main cast into children and sending them on a galactic adventure.
The first season is slated for around 20 episodes. When asking "how many episodes is Dragon Ball," you have to account for these new releases. The franchise is no longer a static relic of the 90s; it’s a living, breathing thing that expands every couple of years.
Where Most People Get the Count Wrong
The biggest mistake people make is including the movies in the episode count. Dragon Ball has over 20 movies. These are usually 45 to 90 minutes long. They are not episodes.
If you include the TV Specials—like The History of Trunks or Bardock: The Father of Goku—you’re adding more runtime, but they still don't count as numbered episodes in the seasonal run.
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Another point of confusion is the "Sagas." Streaming services like Crunchyroll or Hulu often break the show down by Sagars (The Frieza Saga, The Cell Saga, etc.). These aren't separate shows. They are just chapters within the larger episode blocks. If you see "Season 5" of Dragon Ball Z, you're just looking at a specific chunk of those 291 episodes.
Why the Length Matters for New Viewers
The sheer volume of episodes is intimidating. I get it. Who has time for 600+ episodes?
The beauty of the Dragon Ball episode count is that it’s modular. You don't have to watch all of it to understand what's going on.
- The "Essential" Path: Watch Dragon Ball Kai (167 episodes) and then Dragon Ball Super (131 episodes). You get the core story in under 300 episodes.
- The "Nostalgia" Path: Watch the original Dragon Ball (153) and the original Dragon Ball Z (291). This is the 444-episode journey that most Gen X and Millennials lived through.
- The "Completionist" Path: You watch everything. Original, Z, GT, Super, Daima, and even the Heroes web series. You're looking at 800+ installments.
Honestly, the pacing of the older episodes is slow enough that you can put it on in the background while you’re doing something else. That’s how a lot of us survived the Frieza fight.
The Reality of Filler Content
If you're worried about the count being "bloated," you're right. In the original Dragon Ball Z, about 38% of the show is filler. That is nearly 115 episodes that don't move the main plot forward.
Some of it is great. The "Other World Tournament" arc after the Cell games is fun. Some of it is terrible. The Garlic Jr. saga is widely considered a slog. If you are tight on time, use a filler guide online. It can shrink the "how many episodes is Dragon Ball" question down to a much more manageable size.
Moving Forward With Your Watchlist
If you're ready to dive in, don't start with a spreadsheet. Just start with episode one of the original Dragon Ball. See if the charm of young Goku works for you. If it feels too dated, skip to Dragon Ball Z Kai.
The most important thing to remember is that the "episode count" is a reflection of the series' longevity. It stayed on air for decades because people couldn't get enough of the simple, effective loop of "train, fight, get stronger, repeat."
Practical Steps to Conquer the Series:
- Download a Filler Guide: Sites like Anime Filler List are lifesavers. They mark which episodes are "Manga Canon," "Mixed," or "Filler."
- Choose Your Version: Decide early if you want the fast-paced Kai or the classic Z. Changing halfway through is jarring because the voice actors and music often change.
- Don't Rush: Dragon Ball is "comfort food" anime. It’s meant to be enjoyed over a long period.
- Check Streaming Licensing: Rights move around. In the US, Crunchyroll currently holds the most complete library, but some movies or specific dubs might require a search on Hulu or Amazon.
The count will keep growing. With the manga still being published and Daima hitting screens, the answer to "how many episodes is Dragon Ball" will likely cross the 900 mark before the end of the decade.