adminSince the franchise was first created in 1984 by legendary anime creator Akira Toriyama, 24 films have been produced. This includes 21 anime films, as well as a live-action movie (Spoiler: It’s an absolute train wreck) and a few unofficial films. But if you’re just getting into the world of Goku, we’ve got a few picks for the best Dragon Ball movies to get you started.
Best Dragon Ball Movies as of 2025
Besides checking out the best Dragon Ball movies, you might want to dive into the Dragon Ball manga, the source that started it all. Not to mention, there’s the whole original Dragon Ball anime series that kicked things off. But if you’re not planning to start from the very beginning of the series, a solid entry point is Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies. Released in 1986, it begins roughly after the first forty or so episodes of the original Dragon Ball TV series. The animation is pretty basic, but it does a great job of introducing you to this world.
You’ll notice that a few of these movies on our list are recent ones, so we also recommend checking out some of the earlier ones. Wrath of the Dragon is absolutely peak classic Dragon Ball Z, kaiju battle included. Also, I would add Bardock: The Father of Goku to the list, but it’s technically a TV Special. Watch it anyway.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018)
Created in 2018, Dragon Ball Super: Broly is the 20th film in the franchise and the first to carry the Super title, taking place after Dragon Ball Z. A reboot of Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Legendary Super Saiyan (1993), it’s directed by Tatsuya Nagamine and written by Akira Toriyama, with animation from Toei Animation. Hands down, this features some of the best animation in anime history — maybe ever?
The movie reimagines the character Broly, a Saiyan warrior with unspeakable power. Typically, he has been depicted as a villain. He had appeared before in non-canon Dragon Ball Z movies, but this version finally brings him into the official Dragon Ball Super timeline. The story picks up shortly after the Tournament of Power. Goku and Vegeta are off training when Frieza returns, this time with a mighty new Saiyan (for newcomers, that’s an exceptionally powerful, nearly extinct extraterrestrial warrior race) at his side. What starts as a straightforward battle turns into a full-on war for survival. And we get some of the absolute best fight scenes in anime movie history here.
The Tree of Might (1990)
This one’s a great nostalgia film, and I’m a sucker for that keen sting of years gone by. The main villain is someone who resembles Goku but embodies everything Goku isn’t. Turles, a rogue Saiyan, plans to plant a tree that harnesses ultimate power. If you eat the fruit, you get the power. But as the tree drains Earth’s life force, Goku and the Z Fighters step in to stop Turles. Unfortunately, our villain has the power of the tree fueling him.
That kind of villainy is fun, though maybe not the most clever premise by today’s standards. However, this one is one of the best Dragon Ball movies because of how it feels so classically DBZ, making it hard not to love. The naysayers will say the ending is rushed and undoes everything that came before it, but I’ll have to disagree. Watch it yourself and find out — good writing, good characters, solid arc.
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)
The movie takes place in the Other World, where a teenage ogre (or oni, in Japanese) accidentally causes a machine to explode in the afterlife’s soul-cleansing station. This triggers a massive rupture between the worlds of the living and the dead, letting souls flood back to Earth. And out of that chaos emerges Janemba, a reality-warping demon and one of the coolest villains in all of Dragon Ball. Goku, already dead and hanging out in the Other World, steps up to stop him. But Janemba’s power is growing, and Goku’s going to need some backup.
As one of the best Dragon Ball movies, Fusion Reborn is like, action on action. Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, this one gives us some of the best-animated fights in the series. We get epic team-ups and supernatural chaos, with just enough lore to give it some importance. All around, it’s a blast to watch and is another 90s Dragon Ball classic.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods (2013)
Fast forward to 2013, when Battle of the Gods marked the relaunch of the franchise and laid the groundwork for Dragon Ball Super. Directed by Masahiro Hosoda, with a story by Akira Toriyama and a screenplay by Yūsuke Watanabe, this film gave us the most hype Dragon Ball Z had seen in years.
Set a few years after the defeat of Majin Buu, Battle of the Gods follows Goku as he faces Beerus, the God of Destruction, who awakens from a long slumber in search of a legendary warrior known as the Super Saiyan God. When Beerus arrives on Earth, Goku must undergo a special Saiyan ritual to unlock this divine form. What follows is a battle that shakes the planet and opens the door to an even larger universe. While the premise sounds pretty serious, the movie is not. It’s very fun, and the newer style of animation is a nice move forward while still honoring the history of anime.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022)
The sequel to Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Super Hero, was released in 2022. Fun fact: its release was delayed by a few months due to a cyberattack at Toei Animation Studios. The second Super film was the first to use CGI animation. If you’re skeptical about it, so were we. However, we were ultimately blown away by the visuals. This film was fantastic and ended up being the second-highest-grossing Dragon Ball film to date.
Directed by Tetsuro Kodama with a script and story from Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero puts Piccolo and Gohan front and center to face a new threat: the revived Red Ribbon Army. This time, they’ve created two powerful androids and a monstrous secret weapon. When Pan is kidnapped and the Earth is in danger, Gohan must tap back into his true potential. This film is so good. Though definitely modernized, it feels like a love letter to longtime fans.
How we chose the best Dragon Ball movies
No, seriously, how do we choose? There are plenty to pick from, and most of them are genuinely satisfying — aside from the previously mentioned live-action trainwreck. But hey, watch that one anyway just for kicks. Generally speaking, we tried our best to include a range of Dragon Ball movies, while also considering the impact each movie had on the franchise. We also factored in the evolution of animation styles over time, character depictions, and, of course, the writing. I also selfishly thought about which ones had the best fight sequences.