Where to start with Dragon Ball?

Life long Sailor Moon fan here. Everyone swears by Dragon Ball.

But I have no clue where to start.

What movie/episode/special would you recommend someone watch to get them hooked? I don’t mind spoilers etc cos I’ve watched many anime’s by seeing a later season episode first and then going backward to the start if I liked it.

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AutoModerator2026-02-02 10:52

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Playest_42472026-02-02 10:55

If you were not opposed to '80s and '90s stuff I would just go back and watch the original dragon Ball.

The first series is fun and has maybe the best fight of the entire franchise.

Medium_Discipline5782026-02-02 10:56

Don’t wanna start from ep 1 and be bored with character intro. I wanted recommendation to get me hooked. What’s the single best watch of the entire franchise for you?

Playest_42472026-02-02 11:02

Goku vs Tien

Few_Highlight11142026-02-02 11:23

Just skip to dbz then. Otherwise, just skip both shows since you dont even seem that interested.

Medium_Discipline5782026-02-02 11:35

You’re clearly misunderstanding the point of my post but not surprise this is reddit

Striking-Speaker86862026-02-02 11:36

If you want to watch the show then starting with character intros makes sense. You're going to be witb the characters for a very long time if you watch through the entire show

nimbat10032026-02-02 11:01

Probably just dragon ball z kai, the Re-edit/re-dub of the og show with alot of filler cut out etc.

You mention sailor moon so if Ur really fine with old anime and goofiness go all the way back to dragon ball with Goku as a kid.

It's starts as a zanny martial arts anime and then shifts into the power level stuff beam battles in dbz.

If U just want a taste try one of the modern movies battle of gods, broly or super hero.

Super hero in particular is a throw back too the goofier style of dragon ball but has alot of inside jokes.

Striking-Speaker86862026-02-02 11:35

I read the manga to start with before watching DBZ because it was way faster to do (about 200 chapters or so iirc), but if you're opposed to that just go and start with the original show from the 80s/90s whenever it was and then watch DBZ, there's DBZ Kai which cuts through the fillers and bad pacing and whatnot too if you want to watch that. If you're unaware, DBZ is the second part of the DB story, it's about when Goku was grown up and has a kid, as opposed to the DB manga which was about Goku as a kid. DB was a comedy manga at first before being about the epic foghts and whatnot that it's now known for in the DBZ phase, when I think in retrospect, I prefer the comedy parts toward the start over the big fights for whatever reason