# List of Dragon Ball films

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. Since 1986, there have been 24 theatrical films based on the franchise, including 21 anime films produced by Toei Animation, one official live-action film, and two unofficial films.

## Background
### Original run (1986–1996)

Theatrical event circuit films (1986-96) :
| 1986 | Curse of the Blood Rubies |
| 1987 | Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle |
| 1988 | Mystical Adventure |
| 1989 | Dead Zone |
| 1990 | The World's Strongest |
| 1990 | The Tree of Might |
| 1991 | Lord Slug |
| 1991 | Cooler's Revenge |
| 1992 | The Return of Cooler |
| 1992 | Super Android 13! |
| 1993 | Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan |
| 1993 | Bojack Unbound |
| 1994 | Broly – Second Coming |
| 1994 | Bio-Broly |
| 1995 | Fusion Reborn |
| 1995 | Wrath of the Dragon |
| 1996 | The Path to Power |
During the franchise's original broadcast run (1986-1996), Toei produced Dragon Ball films rapidly, in some cases twice per year, to match the Japanese spring and summer vacations. Seventeen films were produced during this period—three Dragon Ball films from 1986 to 1989, thirteen Dragon Ball Z films from 1989 to 1996, and finally a tenth anniversary film that was released in 1996, and adapted the Red Ribbon arc of the original series. These films have a running time below feature length (around 45–60 minutes each) except for the 1996 film, at 80 minutes. These films were mostly alternate retellings of certain story arcs involving new characters or extra side-stories that do not correlate with the same continuity as the manga or TV series.
These were generally screened back to back with other Toei films for that season as special theatrical events in Japan. The first through fifth films were shown at the Toei Manga Festival (東映まんがまつり, Tōei Manga Matsuri), while the sixth through seventeenth films were shown at the Toei Anime Fair (東映アニメフェア, Toei Anime Fea). By 1996, the first sixteen anime films up until Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995) had sold 50 million tickets and grossed over ¥40 billion ($501 million) at the Japanese box office, making it the highest-grossing anime film series up until then, in addition to selling over 500,000 home video units in Japan.
While the majority of these films were only screened in Japan, Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (1992) and Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995) were both screened in the United States in 2006 to promote Fusion Reborn's dubbed DVD release that year.

### Live-action film (2009)

A single live-action adaptation of the series, Dragonball Evolution, was released in 2009. The film only vaguely adapted elements from the franchise and made $56.5 million worldwide against a production cost of $30 million. It received a 15% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 3.5/10, amid criticism for its plot elements, acting performances, and whitewashing.
Sequels to Evolution were planned. James Marsters, who played King Piccolo, said that he had signed on for three films and expressed interest in making as many as seven in a 2009 interview with IGN. However, due to the critical and commercial failure of Evolution, no sequels were ever produced. The rights to any further live-action films are currently owned by the Walt Disney Company after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Evolution remains the only licensed live-action film in the franchise, though two unlicensed films were released in the early 1990s.

### Animated revival (2013–present)

Films with wide theatrical releases (2013–) :
| 2013 | Battle of Gods |
| 2014 |
| 2015 | Resurrection 'F' |
| 2016–2017 |
| 2018 | Broly |
| 2019–2021 |
| 2022 | Super Hero |
The franchise returned with Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013), the first animated film since 1996, and the first produced with the involvement of Akira Toriyama. The film—a sequel to the original series—became the franchise's most successful at the time and was received well by critics, earning an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike the classic event circuit films, those from 2013 onwards were developed with an international theatrical release planned from the beginning by 20th Century Studios (previously known as 20th Century Fox). Battle of Gods was followed by Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' in 2015. The second film introduced Jaco to Dragon Ball, a character who had debuted in Toriyama's spin-off manga Jaco the Galactic Patrolman in 2013. These two movies were adapted by the Dragon Ball Super TV series, with the plotlines from the two films forming multi-episode arcs early in the show's broadcast.
Later movies would adopt the Super moniker, beginning with Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018), which grossed more than $122.7 million worldwide. As of May 2023, the film is the 18th highest-grossing anime film of all time. Resurrection 'F' and Broly hold approval ratings of 83% and 82%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes. A second Super film, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, was released in 2022, earning over $86.6 million worldwide. The film is the most critically successful in the franchise to date, earning a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

## Films

Dragon Ball films  Dragon Ball Z films  Dragon Ball Super films

### Animated

| No. | English title (Japanese title) | Directed by | Written by | Animation directed by | Theatrical release | American release | Antagonist |
| 1 | Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (Dragon Ball Shenron no densetsu; ドラゴンボール 神龍の伝説) | Daisuke Nishio | Toshiki Inoue | Minoru Maeda | December 20, 1986 (1986-12-20) | December 28, 1989 (1989-12-28) September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09) December 28, 2010 (2010-12-28) | King Gourmeth |
| A retelling of Dragon Ball's origins, this is a different version of the meeting of Goku, Bulma, Oolong, and Yamcha. They are all looking for the dragon balls for different reasons when they cross paths with an evil king named Gurumes, who is also looking for the dragon balls. The events of the movie take place in place of the Emperor Pilaf Saga of Dragon Ball. ||||||||
| 2 | Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle (Doragon Bōru Majin-jō no nemuri hime; ドラゴンボール 魔神城のねむり姫) | Daisuke Nishio | Keiji Terui | Minoru Maeda | July 18, 1987 (1987-07-18) | December 15, 1998 (1998-12-15) | Lucifer |
| Goku and Krillin are given an assignment by Master Roshi to retrieve the sleeping princess from Lucifer by which he accept them as his students. But the mission proves to be more perilous than originally thought. The movie takes place at the start of Goku and Krillin's training under Master Roshi. ||||||||
| 3 | Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (Doragon Bōru: Makafushigi Dai-Bōken; ドラゴンボール 魔訶不思議大冒険) | Kazuhisa Takenouchi | Yoshifumi Yuki | Minoru Maeda | July 9, 1988 (1988-07-09) | December 28, 1989 (1989-12-28) November 21, 2000 (2000-11-21) | Shen Tao |
| Goku and Krillin attend the World Martial Arts Tournament for fun, which is hosted by Emperor Chiaotzu. Bora and his son Upa attempt to hide the dragon ball they found from the emperor's forces, which are under the control of the evil Shen and General Tao; and Bulma conducts her own search for the dragon balls with the help of Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong. The movie seemingly takes place during Goku and Krillin's training under Master Roshi. ||||||||
| 4 | Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (Doragon Bōru Zetto; ドラゴンボールZ) | Daisuke Nishio | Takao Koyama | Minoru Maeda | July 15, 1989 (1989-07-15) | December 17, 1997 (1997-12-17) May 31, 2005 (2005-05-31) | Garlic Jr. |
| Garlic Jr. kidnaps a young Gohan so that he may use the Dragon Ball on his hat to wish for immortality. Now Goku and his friends must rescue Gohan from Garlic Jr. and his minions. ||||||||
| 5 | Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (Doragon Bōru Zetto: Kono Yo de Ichiban Tsuyoi Yatsu; ドラゴンボールZ この世で一番強いヤツ) | Daisuke Nishio | Takao Koyama | Minoru Maeda | March 10, 1990 (1990-03-10) | August 26, 1998 (1998-08-26) November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14) | Dr. Wheelo |
| After Dr. Kochin frees Dr. Wheelo's lab with a wish and kidnaps Bulma, it's up to Goku and friends to defeat the scientists. ||||||||
| 6 | Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (Doragon Bōru Zetto: Chikyū Marugoto Chōkessen; ドラゴンボールZ 地球まるごと超決戦) | Daisuke Nishio Storyboarded by : Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Yoshihiro Ueda, Mitsuo Hashimoto & Tatsuya Orime | Takao Koyama | Minoru Maeda | July 7, 1990 (1990-07-07) | November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)-November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22) March 13, 1998 (1998-03-13) November 14, 2006 (2006-11-14) | Turles |
| Turles, a Saiyan pirate, plants a tree to absorb all life on Earth, leading Goku to stop the former from using the tree. ||||||||
| 7 | Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (Doragon Bōru Zetto Sūpā Saiyajin da Son Gokū; ドラゴンボールZ 超スーパーサイヤ人だ孫悟空) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Takao Koyama | Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru & Masaki Satô | March 9, 1991 (1991-03-09) | August 7, 2001 (2001-08-07) | Slug |
| Lord Slug uses the Dragon Balls to restore his youth. Now it is up to Goku and his friends to stop the newly rejuvenated Slug from taking over the Earth. ||||||||
| 8 | Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (Doragon Bōru Zetto: Tobikkiri no Saikyō tai Saikyō; ドラゴンボールZ とびっきりの最強対最強) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Takao Koyama | Minoru Maeda | July 20, 1991 (1991-07-20) | January 22, 2002 (2002-01-22) | Cooler |
| Cooler comes to Earth looking to avenge the death of his brother Frieza. ||||||||
| 9 | Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (Doragon Bōru Zetto Gekitotsu!! Hyaku-Oku Pawā no Senshi-tachi; ドラゴンボールZ 激突!!100億パワーの戦士たち) | Daisuke Nishio | Takao Koyama | Minoru Maeda | March 7, 1992 (1992-03-07) | August 13, 2002 (2002-08-13) | Metal Cooler |
| Cooler returns to take over New Namek, so Goku and his friends must deal with him once more. ||||||||
| 10 | Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (Doragon Bōru Zetto Kyokugen Batoru! San Dai Sūpā Saiyajin; ドラゴンボールZ 極限バトル!三大超サイヤ人) | Daisuke Nishio | Takao Koyama | Minoru Maeda | July 11, 1992 (1992-07-11) | February 4, 2003 (2003-02-04) | Android #13 |
| Dr. Gero's computer creates three new androids to kill Goku, Now the Z Fighters must deal with them. ||||||||
| 11 | Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (Doragon Bōru Zetto Moetsukiro!! Nessen Ressen Chō-Gekisen; ドラゴンボールZ 燃えつきろ!!100熱戦・烈戦・超激戦) | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Takao Koyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | March 6, 1993 (1993-03-06) | August 26, 2003 (2003-08-26) | Broly |
| After being invited to a New Planet Vegeta, the Z Fighters come into conflict with Paragus and his son, The Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly. ||||||||
| 12 | Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (Doragon Bōru Zetto: Ginga Giri-Giri!! Butchigiri no Sugoi Yatsu; ドラゴンボールZ 銀河ギリギリ!!100ぶっちぎりの凄い奴) | Yoshihiro Ueda | Takao Koyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | July 10, 1993 (1993-07-10) | August 17, 2004 (2004-08-17) | Bojack |
| Bojack and his gang invade a martial arts tournament after being sealed away, now Gohan and the Z Fighters must stop the aliens. ||||||||
| 13 | Dragon Ball Z: Broly – Second Coming (Doragon Bōru Zetto Kiken na Futari! Sūpā Senshi wa Nemurenai; ドラゴンボールZ 危険なふたり!超戦士はねむれない) | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Takao Koyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | March 12, 1994 (1994-03-12) | April 5, 2005 (2005-04-05) | Broly |
| Broly survives his defeat and returns to take down Gohan, Goten and Trunks. ||||||||
| 14 | Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly (Doragon Bōru Zetto Sūpā Senshi Gekiha!! Katsu No wa Ore da; ドラゴンボールZ 超戦士撃破!!100勝つのはオレだ) | Yoshihiro Ueda | Takao Koyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | July 9, 1994 (1994-07-09) | September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13) | Bio-Broly |
| As a scientist clones Broly making it merge with a bio-fluid, Goten, Trunks and Krillin must deal with the creature. ||||||||
| 15 | Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (Dragon Ball Z Fukkatsu no Fusion!! Goku to Vegeta; ドラゴンボールZ 復活のフュージョン!!100悟空とベジータ) | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Takao Koyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | March 4, 1995 (1995-03-04) | March 17, 2006 (2006-03-17) | Janemba |
| A monster Janemba invades the other world as Goku, Vegeta and Pikkon deal with it while Gohan, Goten and Trunks save the city from some past enemies. ||||||||
| 16 | Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (Dragon Ball Z Ryū-Ken Bakuhatsu!! Gokū ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru; ドラゴンボールZ 龍拳爆発!!100悟空がやらねば誰がやる) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Takao Koyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | July 15, 1995 (1995-07-15) | September 12, 2006 (2006-09-12) | Hoi Hirudegarn |
| A hero trapped in a music box warns the Z Fighters about an approaching evil beast who wants to stop them. ||||||||
| 17 | Dragon Ball: The Path to Power (Doragon Bōru Saikyō e no Michi; ドラゴンボール 最強への道) | Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Aya Matsui | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | March 4, 1996 (1996-03-04) | April 29, 2003 (2003-04-29) | Commander Red Assistant Black |
| A retelling of the original Dragon Ball merging elements from the Pilaf and Red Ribbon sagas. ||||||||
| 18 | Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (Doragon Bōru Zetto: Kami to Kami; ドラゴンボールZ 神と神) | Masahiro Hosoda Storyboarded by : Kimitoshi Chioka, Tadayoshi Yamamuro, Kazuhisa Takenouchi & Masahiro Hosoda | Yusuke Watanabe | Tadayoshi Yamamuro (Chief animation director) Takeo Ide Yōsuke Yabumoto Ryō Ōnishi Toshiyuki Kan'no Masahiro Shimanuki Yūichi Hamano | March 30, 2013 (2013-03-30) | August 5, 2014 (2014-08-05) | Beerus |
| When the God of Destruction Beerus reawakens, he ventures the universe for the prophesied Super Saiyan God which leads him to Goku. ||||||||
| 19 | Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' (Doragon Bōru Zetto: Fukkatsu no 'Efu'; ドラゴンボールZ 復活の「F（エフ）」) | Tadayoshi Yamamuro | Akira Toriyama | Tadayoshi Yamamuro (Chief animation director) Takeo Ide Kōji Nashizawa Yūki Hayashi Masahiro Shimanuki Miyako Tsuji Kōdai Watanabe | April 11, 2015 (2015-04-11) | August 4, 2015 (2015-08-04) | Frieza |
| After his army resurrected him using the Dragon Balls, Frieza vows revenge against Goku by leading a second invasion on Earth. ||||||||
| 20 | Dragon Ball Super: Broly (Doragon Bōru Sūpā: Burorī; ドラゴンボール超スーパー ブロリー) | Tatsuya Nagamine Storyboarded by : Tatsuya Nagamine, Kazuya Karasawa & Masato Mitsuka | Akira Toriyama | Naohiro Shintani (Chief animation director) Miyako Tsuji Yūya Takahashi Yukiko Nakatani Takeo Ide Naoki Tate Kōdai Watanabe | November 14, 2018 (2018-11-14) | January 16, 2019 (2019-01-16) | Broly |
| Following the Tournament of Power, Saiyan survivors Broly and his father Paragus are rescued by the Frieza force and join Frieza in his revenge against Goku while Paragus vows revenge against Vegeta due to his history with Vegeta's father, King Vegeta. ||||||||
| 21 | Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (Doragon Bōru Sūpā: Sūpāhīrō; ドラゴンボール超：スーパーヒーロー) | Tetsurō Kodama Storyboarded by : Tetsurō Kodama, Kazuo Sakai, Shinji Ishihira, Naotoshi Shida, Susumu Nishizawa, Susumu Mitsunaka | Akira Toriyama | Chikashi Kubota (Chief animation director) Hideaki Maniwa Naohiro Shintani | June 11, 2022 | August 19, 2022 | Red Ribbon Army Gamma 1 Gamma 2 Cell MAX |
| While Goku, Vegeta, and Broly are busy training with Whis, Piccolo and Gohan must defend the Earth from a new resurgence of the Red Ribbon Army. ||||||||

### Live-action

| No. | English title (Korean title) | Director | Writer | South Korea release |
| 1 | Dragon Ball: Son Goku Fights, Son Goku Wins (Deulaegonbol Ssawola Son O-gong Igyeola Son O-gong; 싸워라 손오공 이겨라 손오공) | Ryong Wang | Akira Toriyama Seok-hun Yun | December 12, 1990 |
| The young warrior Son Goku goes on an outrageous quest to acquire seven magical orbs, along the way beating up evil persons who want to steal the orbs for their own ends. |||||
| No. | English title (Mandarin Chinese title) | Director | Writer | American release | Taiwan release |
| 2 | Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins (Xīn Qīlóng Zhū Shénlóng de Chuánshuō; 新七龍珠 神龍的傳說) | Chun-Liang Chen | Ching-Kang Yao Akira Toriyama | June 13, 2000 | November 1991 |
| An evil alien searches the Earth for seven "Dragon Pearls" which can grant him ultimate power. A gang of misfit adventurers band together to stop him. ||||||
| No. | English title | Director | Writer | American release | Japanese release |
| 3 | Dragonball Evolution | James Wong | Ben Ramsey | April 10, 2009 | March 10, 2009 |
| In Dragonball Evolution, a young Goku discovers his past and sets out to fight the evil alien warlord Lord Piccolo, who wishes to gain the powerful Dragon Balls and use them to take over Earth. ||||||

## Reception

In commemoration of the release of the 20th film, an official online poll asked 6,000 Japanese fans to pick their favorite film in the franchise. The top five films were (from first to fifth): Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler.

### Critical response

| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
| Dragonball Evolution | 15% | 45/100 |
| Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods | 88% | — |
| Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' | 83% | — |
| Dragon Ball Super: Broly | 82% | 59/100 |
| Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero | 93% | 65/100 |