Every Dragon Ball Arc Ranked from Worst to Best

Nov. 3, 2023, noon

Movies

Every Dragon Ball Arc Ranked from Worst to Best

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Summary Dragon Ball has a wide range of story arcs, and while every fan has different opinions on them, it's possible to rank them based on factors like story content, character utilization, and entertainment value.

As simplistic as Dragon Ball might seem, there’s actually a great variety to its story arcs, from the largely simple comedic stories of Dragon Ball to the bombastic battles and sci-fi leanings of Dragon Ball Z and beyond.

Based merely on execution, some arcs come off as better than others. The result is a varied experience perfectly befitting the longevity of the franchise.

Dragon Ball has been around for almost 40 years now, and it’s amassed a large number of story arcs. Most of them, of course, were part of the original anime and manga, but as the franchise has evolved, its canon has started to include movies and even new anime and manga content from Akira Toriyama and other talented creators.

There are over a dozen story arcs within Dragon Ball’s canon, and some are naturally better than others. While each fan will always have a subjective opinion and their favorite arcs, factors like story content, how the characters involved in each arc are utilized, and the entertainment value of the fights, there’s a hierarchy at play with Dragon Ball’s story arcs and plenty of merit to ranking them.

Non-canon stories like Dragon Ball GT and the original movies won’t be included, nor will one-off stories like Dragon Ball Minus and The History of Trunks. Also, every ranking is subjective, so a story arc’s placement shouldn’t be seen as a definitive statement of its quality for anyone who might think differently.

Related Dragon Ball Daima Release Window, Trailer, Story, & Everything We Know So Far Dragon Ball Daima is a new anime from series creator Akira Toriyama that stars Goku and Vegeta in an original story that is not what fans expect.

22 Golden Frieza Saga

Resurrection 'F' Film & Episode 16 - 27 of Dragon Ball Super

Of all of Dragon Ball Super's arcs, the one that stands out as the worst is the Golden Frieza Saga. Whether it’s the movie or the anime, the story is filled with senseless padding and questionable art and animation, so it quickly becomes tiresome to sit through.

What truly sinks Resurrection F and the Golden Frieza Saga in general is that, despite the story being Frieza’s big return to the franchise, Frieza is largely treated as a joke by the narrative, and his unceremonious defeat has the biggest contrivances and anticlimax of the entire franchise. Everything that should have made the Golden Frieza Saga work fails from its terrible execution, and as such, it’s easily the worst arc in Dragon Ball Super, saved from being Dragon Ball's worst arc only due to Dragon Ball GT.

21 Emperor Pilaf Saga

Chapters 1 - 23 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 1 - 13 of Dragon Ball's Anime

The Emperor Pilaf Saga’s placement, along with other Dragon Ball-era arcs, is less because it’s a bad story and more because of what it’s lacking. As the very first story arc in Dragon Ball, the Emperor Pilaf Saga is, naturally, much rougher than the arcs that would follow in terms of action, comedy, characterization, and overall writing.

That isn’t to say it’s not entertaining, as it’s still a great introduction to Dragon Ball, but it’s clear that Akira Toriyama still needed time to figure out how things were going to work, so it’s hard to justify putting it ahead of the arcs where the writing was far more concrete. The Pilaf Saga is definitely Dragon Ball at its goofiest, and though that plays to Toriyama's strengths after he spent so long working on gag manga like Dr. Slump, it also results in a weaker story at times.

20 Super Android 17 Saga

Episodes 41-47 of Dragon Ball GT

At just seven episodes, the Super Android 17 saga is the shortest in all of Dragon Ball, and it shows in the worst of ways. Despite the interesting premise of Dragon Ball's past villains returning from Hell, the Super Android 17 saga never uses its returning villains for anything other than quick cameos, which makes it feel like they shouldn't have come back, in the first place. Frieza and Cell provide a bit more than other villains, but with how easily Goku deals with them, with Goku never even needing to transform, it still does a disservice to their characters.

The biggest problem with the story, of course, is the titular Super 17. Between his lack of personality and how he provides a largely boring and repetitive fight for Goku and everyone else, Super 17 is one of the worst villains in all of Dragon Ball, and it wasn't until Dragon Ball Super that Android 17's reputation would recover from being turned into Super 17. Dragon Ball GT might not be as hated now as it used to be, but even now, it's hard to see the Super Android 17 saga as anything other than the worst saga in GT.

19 World Tournament Saga

Chapters 24 - 54 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 14 - 28 of Dragon Ball's Anime

Dragon Ball’s second story arc, the World Tournament Saga, is a definite step above the Emperor Pilaf Saga, but it’s still not without its flaws. With the World Martial Arts Tournament, Dragon Ball started better developing the martial arts elements that would define the franchise, and the fights are appropriately entertaining, especially Goku and Master Roshi’s.

Unfortunately, though this is the start of Dragon Ball's famous tournament arcs, the fights in the World Tournament Saga still lack the polish that later ones would have, and while the comedy and overall writing are good, there are still numerous moments where it feels noticeably weak. Tournament arcs would later become a staple of Shonen storytelling but weren't quite as common outside of sports manga when Dragon Ball first started. All of it results in a story arc that doesn’t rank very highly but is still a step in the right direction.

18 Red Ribbon Army Saga

Chapters 55 - 69 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 29 - 45 of Dragon Ball's Anime

The Red Ribbon Army Saga, while still being weak, is another step above its predecessors. While the writing still needed polishing at this point, it does a much better job of establishing how the characters and the world would behave, especially Goku. The addition of the titular Red Ribbon Army also worked well to show how varied Dragon Ball could be with its stories and the action that accompanies them, and as such, the inventive ways with which Goku deals with every enemy adds a lot of life to the story.

The Red Ribbon Army are Goku's first major villains that aren't a complete joke like Emperor Pilaf, and this results in their titular saga inadvertently setting up plot points that wouldn't be paid off till years later. The Red Ribbon Army Saga still doesn’t hit the franchise’s highs, but it has plenty to offer, nonetheless.

17 Tien Shinhan Saga

Chapters 113 - 134 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 84 - 101 of Dragon Ball's Anime

The Tien Saga is where Dragon Ball truly began to find its footing. While it still had trouble with pacing and anti-climax, the more serious tone of the saga still lent itself to both great fights and stellar character moments. Tien’s character arc of abandoning his villainous ways is especially good for how well-executed it is from start to finish, something that would undoubtedly play a big part in his character still being held in such high regard after so many years.

The roots of what sort of writing would define Dragon Ball are especially apparent in the Tien Saga, and as such, it ends up deserving plenty of praise. Villains becoming heroes, and a greater focus on one specific villain as opposed to a villainous group are all hallmarks of later Dragon Ball, and those elements truly started with the Tien Saga.

16 Saiyan Saga

Chapters 195 - 241 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 1 - 26 of Dragon Ball Z

The Saiyan Saga was the first story arc of Dragon Ball Z, and its quality is appropriately mixed. The increased intensity of the action and stakes perfectly set things apart from the original Dragon Ball era, and there is never truly a dull moment to be found. Dragon Ball had always had science fiction elements, but the revelation that Goku was a Saiyan completely redefined the series' lore and fans' understanding of shonen's most iconic hero.

What ends up holding the arc back though is that most characters who are not Goku end up contributing very little to the plot, and similar to the Emperor Pilaf Saga, it’s clear that Akira Toriyama still needed time to work out how everything would work going forward. There are plenty of rough patches to be found, but even so, the Saiyan Saga is a great start to Dragon Ball Z.

15 Shadow Dragon Saga

Episodes 48-64 of Dragon Ball GT

The Shadow Dragon saga was, for a time, Dragon Ball, as a whole, and unfortunately, it's very much a mixed bag. While the Shadow Dragons work as a perfect way of making the Dragon Balls central to the plot again, all of the Shadow Dragons, save for Nuova and Omega Shenron, never give Goku a challenge, and with their relatively flat characterizations, it's hard to get invested in them as villains. The final fight against Omega Shenron has plenty of highlights, most notably Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, but with its inconsistent and repetitive animation, it's notably lackluster.

The ending to the Shadow Dragon saga is what saves it as an arc, if only ever so slightly. Dragon Ball GT ending with the Dragon Balls vanishing, Goku ascending to a higher plane of existence with Shenron, and Goku being revered as a hero a century later made for a truly poignant finale that did a great job of closing the book on Dragon Ball. There are plenty of good reasons for people to not like Dragon Ball GT, but the Shadow Dragon saga shouldn't be one of them, if only for its ending.

14 Piccolo Jr. Saga

Chapters 162 - 194 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 123 - 153 of Dragon Ball's Anime

The Piccolo Jr. Saga was the grand finale of Dragon Ball, and there’s a lot to praise for it. The action is some of the best-choreographed in the entire franchise, and it provides a great bridge between the differing styles of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The story, however, is very simplistic and largely an extension of the King Piccolo Saga, with Piccolo mostly being a copy of King Piccolo at this point, so a lot of the dramatics have trouble landing.

Even so, between Goku’s becoming a champion and marrying Chi-Chi, it still did an excellent job of closing out Dragon Ball and setting up Dragon Ball Z. All the seeds for Dragon Ball's second part were sown in the Piccolo Jr. Saga, so for its place in the series' history, the Piccolo Jr. Saga deserves a decent rank among the franchise's arcs.

13 Future Trunks Saga

Episodes 47 - 76 of Dragon Ball Super's Anime & Chapters 14 - 26 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga

The Future Trunks Saga had an incredible start, but it ultimately failed to live up to any of it. In addition to bringing back a fan-favorite like Future Trunks, the mystery of Goku Black presented an engaging conflict for the series, and the lengths Goku and Vegeta had to go to deal with him did a lot to add genuine weight to the story. What it would look like to see Goku go evil has long been a subject of speculation among fans, and Goku Black certainly didn't disappoint.

Goku Black actually ties well into Goku's mythic origins as Son Wukong.

Unfortunately, the ending of the story is filled with terrible contrivances that not only ruin the goodwill of what came before it, but everything Future Trunks has ever done, and that brings what could have been an amazing story down to a far more middling ranking. Still, at its height, the Future Trunks Saga is good fun with a great antagonist.

12 Universe 6 Saga

Chapters 5 - 13 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga & Episodes 28 - 41 of Dragon Ball Super's Anime

The Universe 6 Saga was the first wholly original story arc of Dragon Ball Super, and it has a lot going for it. On the negative side, it’s one of the most egregious examples of Goku and Vegeta hogging the spotlight, as the story seems to deliberately go out of its way to keep everyone other than them on the sidelines. Dragon Ball has an incredibly iconic supporting cast of heroes who rarely get their time to shine, so Universe 6 largely ignoring fan-favorite side characters is definitely a major knock against Dragon Ball Super's first original arc.

Despite the cast problem though, the Universe 6 Saga's story still does a good job of introducing Super’s multiverse gimmick, and the fights are all fun to watch, especially Goku and Hit’s. Hit has an interesting powerset that makes for a much different kind of fight than Dragon Ball fans are used to. While it might be a weaker arc, the Universe 6 Saga still has plenty of merit.

11 Baby Saga

Episodes 1-40 of Dragon Ball GT

The Baby Saga was the first saga of Dragon Ball GT, and it wasn't the best opening to the series. The first half of the saga, a deliberate callback to the adventurous stylings of the original Dragon Ball, has some good ideas and interesting locations, but between its poor pacing and overall lazy comedy, the first half of the Baby Saga fails at understanding what made Dragon Ball so great. Toonami very famously skipped over the first 16 episodes of Dragon Ball GT to start when Baby started to be involved with the plot, and it's easy to see why.

Once Baby becomes the story's focus, there's a definite uptick in quality. Not only does Baby naturally fit into the world of Dragon Ball through his connections to the Saiyans, but Baby's parasitic nature and need to continually grow stronger make him a very unique Dragon Ball villain, all of which is helped by him being the first person in Dragon Ball GT to give Goku a genuine challenge. Baby is generally seen as the best and most iconic villain from Dragon Ball GT, and it's easy to see why.

Everything, of course, comes to a head in the final battle between Goku and Baby on Planet Tuffle. Between Goku's transformation into his iconic Super Saiyan 4 form, Baby turning into a Great Ape, and some of the best animation of Dragon Ball GT, the final fight of the Baby Saga is one of the biggest highlights of Dragon Ball GT, and it still holds up decades later. The Baby Saga is incredibly uneven, but its ending does a lot to make up for that, and if GT had ended there, it would have been hard to complain about anything.

10 King Piccolo Saga

Chapters 135 - 161 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 102 - 122 of Dragon Ball's Manga

While the King Piccolo Saga is an early saga, it is exemplary. The darker tone made for an arc that worked well to push Goku to his limits, and King Piccolo, despite the lack of depth for him and the story surrounding him, is an appropriately menacing villain who perfectly exemplifies how serious the story was starting to become. Add in some incredible action that gave a good preview of what the combat would start to evolve towards, and the King Piccolo Saga is easily the peak of the Dragon Ball-era stories.

Long before major threats like Frieza, Cell, and Buu, King Piccolo was Dragon Ball's first truly evil villain. It isn't difficult to see the seeds of what would become Dragon Ball's second part in the King Piccolo Saga, as there is an air of seriousness that would set the tone that the rest of the series would follow. In addition to all that, the King Piccolo Saga introduced Akira Toriyama's favorite character in Piccolo, so there's a lot to like.

9 Granolah The Survivor Saga

Chapters 67 - 87 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga

The Granolah the Survivor Saga of the manga is a markedly different story than what Dragon Ball is known for. The main focus is on the character writing for Goku, Vegeta, and the titular Granolah, and the development they receive does a lot to give the story a different feel from its predecessors. Unfortunately, the action ends up suffering as a result of that, as Gas and the Heeters end up being little more than vehicles for everyone’s development and very quickly bring the story to a crawl.

Goku and Vegeta have had plenty of character development throughout Dragon Ball Z and Super, so it is surprising to see them still have room for development. The Granolah the Survivor Saga adds a lot to the franchise, and its ending, with the terrifying debut of Frieza Black, perfectly sets up something even better for the future. There's a good reason that fans are still waiting for Dragon Ball Super's anime to return, and part of that is undeniably the Granolah Saga.

8 Buu Saga

Chapters 460 - 519 of Dragon Ball's Manga & Episodes 232 - 291 of Dragon Ball Z

As the original finale to Dragon Ball, there’s plenty to discuss about the Buu Saga, both positively and negatively. Vegeta’s character arc is brought to a close in as satisfying a way as possible, and Majin Buu is an excellent blend of goofiness and menace who adds a lot of creativity to every fight. Unfortunately, the story is one of Dragon Ball Z’s weaker ones; in addition to lacking a clear direction until Babidi appears, the way it makes Goku the hero again is disappointing for anyone who wanted something different, especially after Gohan was teased as the new protagonist.

Despite these problems though, the Buu Saga still has a lot to offer. The fights are universally incredible, Buu is a much different villain from his predecessors, and the concept of fusion is Toriyama's most genius twist on Goku and Vegeta's character development. The Buu Saga has a lot to offer, but it’s no wonder why it’s still seen as so divisive.

7 Battle Of Gods Saga

Battle of Gods Movie, Episodes 1 - 15 of Dragon Ball Super's Anime, & Chapters 1 - 4 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga

The Battle of Gods Saga was the first story of Dragon Ball Super, and there’s a lot to praise it for. While Beerus can be something of a grating character in his introduction, especially with all the way he retcons the franchise, he’s a great antagonist whose fight with Goku perfectly shows off just how far Goku still needs to go in the series.

Said fight is also beautifully animated and choreographed, and while the Super Saiyan God transformation doesn’t live up to its hype in its initial appearance, it’s still a sight to behold, and the story surrounding it does wonders to set up Dragon Ball’s new status quo. Battle of Gods began a whole new era of Dragon Ball by reminding fans of what made the franchise so special in the first place.

6 Universe Survival Saga

Chapters 27 - 42 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga & Episodes 77 - 131 of Dragon Ball Super's Anime

As the grand finale of the Dragon Ball Super anime, the Universe Survival Saga, also known as the Tournament of Power, has a lot to offer. The story is very simplistic, and with how long it is, it definitely drags for a lot of its run and can get overly repetitive, but it does a great job of giving characters other than Goku and Vegeta something to do for the most part, especially Frieza.

The art and animation are also consistently great, with Ultra Instinct, in particular, looking incredible whenever it appears, and it all comes together to make the Tournament of Power a story that perfectly captures the spirit of Dragon Ball. Unfortunately, if the Tournament of Power Saga has one flaw it's Jiren. Jiren might be a powerful villain, but his basic design and bland personality makes him more of a force to struggle against rather than a compelling character.

5 Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga

Chapters 42 - 67 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga

The Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga was the first manga-original story of Dragon Ball Super, and it’s of appropriately high quality. Moro stands out as a unique adversary for Goku and Vegeta, and while his character devolves into unfortunately familiar archetypes, the fights surrounding him are still great. Additionally, Vegeta’s character arc of wanting to atone for his past gives him the most depth he’s had for years, as does Goku’s friendship with Merus and how it fleshes out both characters, and it all provides a welcome change of pace for the franchise.

All in all, despite its flaws, the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga is easily one of the franchise’s best. Dragon Ball Super's manga artist, Toyotaro, really got a chance to prove his talent with the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga. With Akira Toriyama's passing, the rest of Dragon Ball Super's manga is his to craft, and if the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga is anything to go by, then the franchise is in good hands.

4 Broly Saga

Dragon Ball Super: Broly

The Broly Saga, better known as Dragon Ball Super: Broly, is easily one of Dragon Ball’s best stories, despite its lack of depth. The story offers very little and is essentially just one long fight with the bare minimum of setup, but the fight is so beautifully animated that it ends up not mattering in the slightest. Even with that, however, Broly does get plenty of character work that both sets him apart from the original version and finally makes him an endearing character in his own right.

As a movie made to bring into canon two fan-favorite characters, Broly and Gogeta, the Broly Saga exemplifies what the Dragon Ball franchise is all about: giving fans what they want. More than just fan service though, Dragon Ball Super: Broly is a truly epic story that delivers one of the franchise's most epic fights of all time. Though Broly isn't Dragon Ball's best movie, that hardly diminishes its impact.

3 Super Hero Saga

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Film & Chapters 91 - 103 of Dragon Ball Super's Manga

The Super Hero Saga, developed in the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and then in the Dragon Ball Super manga, is very antithetical to the Broly Saga before it. While the Broly Saga focused largely on fighting, the Super Hero Saga focused largely on story and characters, and the execution is surprisingly great for giving old and new characters alike plenty of depth, especially Piccolo, who’s essentially the main character.

Even with that, of course, the fighting in Super Hero is still plenty great, and the CGI animation allowed for some of the franchise’s most inventive choreography yet. It all makes for a very unique story for Dragon Ball and a perfect showing of how creative the series can still be. The arc is a little too reliant on fan service and there are a few plot contrivances, but neither of those are enough to keep Super Hero back from being a fantastic Dragon Ball story.