You're probably itching to see Goku hit Ultra Instinct again, or maybe you're just starting the journey from the Tournament of Destroyers. It’s been years since the show first aired, but figuring out how to watch dbs without jumping through twenty different hoops or landing on a sketchy site that gives your computer a virus is surprisingly annoying.
The licensing is a mess. Depending on where you live, one app has the sub, another has the dub, and a third might only have the movies. It’s a headache. I've spent way too much time navigating these platforms, and honestly, the landscape shifts every time a new streaming merger happens.
If you want the short version: Crunchyroll is usually your best bet. But it isn't the only way, and depending on your budget or your preference for the English voice cast, you might want to look elsewhere.
The Best Platforms to Stream Dragon Ball Super
Crunchyroll is the undisputed king here. Ever since Sony merged Funimation into Crunchyroll, almost the entire Dragon Ball catalog moved over. You get all 131 episodes. You get the choice between the Japanese audio with subtitles—which many purists swear by because of Masako Nozawa’s legendary performance—and the English dub featuring Sean Schemmel and Christopher Sabat.
It’s not free anymore, though. Gone are the days of watching the latest hits with just a few ads. You’re looking at a monthly subscription fee. But if you're serious about the series, it's the most stable high-definition stream you’ll find.
Then there’s Hulu. People often forget about Hulu. They have a decent chunk of the series, but there's a catch. Sometimes they only have the first few "sagas." If you’re trying to get all the way to the Tournament of Power, you might hit a wall on Hulu. Always check the episode count before you commit to a month of service just for DBS.
What About Netflix?
This is where it gets tricky. If you are in the United States, you're out of luck. Netflix doesn't have the series. However, if you're traveling or living in certain international regions, like parts of Asia or Europe, Dragon Ball Super occasionally pops up on Netflix due to different licensing deals. If you see people on Reddit claiming they watched it on Netflix, they’re likely using a VPN or living in a different zip code than you.
🔗 Read more: All I Watch for Christmas: What You’re Missing About the TBS Holiday Tradition
Digital Purchases and Physical Media
Sometimes you just want to own the thing. I get it. Streaming services remove content all the time without warning. If you want to buy it digitally, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Microsoft Store sell the seasons.
- Pros: You own it forever (mostly). No monthly fee.
- Cons: It’s expensive. Buying every volume adds up fast, often costing way more than a year of a streaming sub.
If you’re a collector, the Blu-rays are actually the superior way to experience the show. Why? Because the broadcast version of Dragon Ball Super had some notoriously "rough" animation in the early episodes. You remember that Episode 5 fight between Goku and Beerus? It looked like it was drawn on a napkin. The Blu-ray releases actually went back and touched up the animation. It looks significantly crisper.
Why the Order of Watching Matters
When you're looking into how to watch dbs, you have to decide if you want to watch the movies or the TV episodes first. This is a huge point of contention in the fandom.
The first two major arcs of the show—the Battle of Gods arc and the Resurrection 'F' arc—are essentially retellings of the movies Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F'.
- The Movies: Better animation, tighter pacing, finished in 4 hours.
- The TV Series: More character moments, some extra lore, but the animation can be spotty and it takes about 27 episodes to cover the same ground.
Most people I talk to recommend watching the two movies first, then skipping to episode 28 of the anime. You don't miss much. Honestly, the TV version of the Golden Frieza fight is a bit of a slog compared to the film version.
The Broly and Super Hero Problem
After you finish the 131 episodes of the TV series, you aren't done. The story continues. You have to watch Dragon Ball Super: Broly. It’s canon. It’s also arguably the best-looking piece of Dragon Ball media ever produced.
💡 You might also like: Al Pacino Angels in America: Why His Roy Cohn Still Terrifies Us
After Broly, there is Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. This one uses 3D CGI animation. It’s different, but it’s officially part of the timeline. Finding these on the same streaming service as the show can be a gamble. Usually, Crunchyroll has them, but occasionally they rotate off to platforms like Starz or even HBO Max (now Max) depending on who has the movie rights that year.
International Viewing: UK, Canada, and Australia
If you’re in the UK, your options are slightly more limited. Funimation used to be the go-to, but again, that’s all folding into Crunchyroll. In Australia, AnimeLab was the hero, but they also got absorbed.
For fans in Canada, the situation is mostly identical to the US, with Crunchyroll being the primary hub. If you are trying to find the show on cable TV, it occasionally airs on Adult Swim’s Toonami block, but they usually cycle through different shows, so catching it from the beginning there is basically impossible unless you have a DVR and a lot of patience.
Common Misconceptions About Watching DBS
A lot of people think you can just watch it for free on YouTube. You can’t. Not legally, anyway. You’ll find "episodes" that are cropped, zoomed in, high-pitched, or just 10-minute clips designed to dodge copyright bots. It’s a terrible way to watch a show. You miss half the frame and the audio sounds like it's underwater.
Another weird myth is that you need to watch all of Dragon Ball GT first. You don't. GT isn't canon to the Super storyline. Super takes place right after the defeat of Kid Buu in Dragon Ball Z, jumping over the 10-year gap at the end of the original manga. You can completely ignore GT and you won't be lost at all.
Technical Specs for the Best Experience
If you’re watching on a big 4K TV, make sure your streaming settings are cranked up. Dragon Ball Super was produced in 1080p. It’s not native 4K, so if a site tells you they have it in "Ultra HD 4K," they’re probably just upscaling it poorly.
📖 Related: Adam Scott in Step Brothers: Why Derek is Still the Funniest Part of the Movie
Stick to the official apps. The bitrates on Crunchyroll are generally higher than what you'll find on third-party "free" sites, meaning less macroblocking during the fast-paced fight scenes. When Goku and Jiren are throwing a thousand punches a second, you want those frames to be clear, not a blurry mess of pixels.
A Note on the Manga
While you're figuring out your watch plan, keep in mind that the Dragon Ball Super manga actually goes further than the anime. The show ends at the Tournament of Power, but the manga has two entire massive arcs—the Moro Arc and the Granolah the Survivor Arc—that haven't been animated yet. If you finish the show and feel a void in your soul, go read the manga chapters starting from chapter 42.
How to Get Started Now
Don't overthink it.
Start by signing up for a free trial of Crunchyroll. It's the most direct path. Search for "Dragon Ball Super" and you'll see the various "seasons." Note that they often list the Japanese and English versions as separate "seasons" in their menu, which is confusing as heck. Just check the tags for "Sub" or "Dub."
If you prefer the movies' pacing for the start, rent Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' on Amazon or YouTube for a few bucks. Then, jump into the anime at Episode 28. This saves you about 10 hours of viewing time and gives you the highest quality introduction to the world of Beerus and Whis.
Once you hit the "Future Trunks" arc (around episode 47), buckle up. That's where the show really finds its footing and the animation quality stabilizes. From there, it's a straight shot to the end. Just remember to have the Broly movie ready to go the second you finish episode 131. You'll want to see it immediately.
To summarize your roadmap:
- Check Crunchyroll for the full 131-episode run.
- Use Hulu as a backup if you already have a subscription, but watch for missing episodes.
- Watch the movies (Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F') first to save time.
- Finish the TV series and immediately move to the Broly and Super Hero films.
- Transition to the manga at Chapter 42 to see what happens next in the current continuity.