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Dragon Ball is one of the biggest and most beloved media franchises ever created. Since the manga debuted on November 20th, 1984, Goku and his friends' adventures have mesmerized audiences and left them desperate for more. Naturally, this popularity has led to many spin-offs and side stories, with Dragon Ball expanding into every medium imaginable, from theatrical feature films to video games.

Alas, fans often overlook the franchise's various OVAs and TV specials. This is a shame as they're dramatically varied, featuring everything from expanded takes on some of the franchise's most important plot points to one-off comedy adventures that throw Goku and friends into unusual situations.

Right Before the Dragon Ball Super Movie Debuts! Looking Back on the TV Show's Climax Recapped the Anime Before Broly Released on December 2nd, 2018

Right Before the Dragon Ball Super Movie Debuts! Looking Back on the TV Show's Climax was released to promote the...

Dragon Ball is among the most successful media franchises of all time, with numerous movies, TV shows, and video games under its belt. That said, the canon status of its films has often been questioned. The most recent films, 2018's Dragon Ball Super: Broly and 2022's Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, are considered canon to the overarching story, but most of the franchise's movies are not.

Frequently contradicting details from the main plot, many of the Dragon Ball films are entertaining what-if scenarios rather than direct continuations. However, several films are canon or, at least, don't actively contradict the main story, leaving their canonicity up for debate. As such, this leaves viewers in the confusing position of ascertaining the canonical value of each Dragon Ball film and figuring out which Dragon Ball films are canon.

Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on October 11,2024: Many Dragon Ball movies are in a continuity all their own,...

The successors of Goku and Vegeta have been proving themselves lately and have already shown more potential than their pure-bred Saiyan parents. Future Trunks has whole sagas dedicated to himself, and his power is truly frightening.

In fact, there is one transformation that gives Trunks an edge over every other character in Dragon Ball. It uses the power of Goku’s most overused technique when in peril.

Trunks’ Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan Might Be His Key to Greatness

Super Saiyan Spirit Bomb | Dragon Ball Fandom

In the Dragon Ball Super anime, Future Trunks’ battle against Fused Zamasu revealed a new power-up. As you might know, gathering energy from humans and other living beings on Earth creates a Spirit Bomb, which Saiyans hurl towards their enemies. This Spirit Bomb is often a final move and destroys the enemy with a great explosion.

However, rather than throwing it toward his enemy, Future Trunks absorbs it.

There are many elements in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball that have kept audiences coming back for nearly four decades, but it’s hard to overlook the profound effect that Super Saiyans have had on the series. Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of Dragon Ball’s courageous heroes have accomplished incredible feats over hundreds of episodes, but their accomplishments are often reduced to their Super Saiyan spectacles.

Admittedly, Super Saiyans have increasingly dominated Dragon Ball’s narrative, but there’s a lot of variety to these transformations that means that they can be used in unique ways. A Super Saiyan transformation administers a tremendous boost in strength and speed, but it can also introduce new and exclusive powers and techniques that Dragon Ball’s characters have failed to capitalize on.

Related: 10 Biggest Differences Between Dbz's Super Saiyan Transformations & Dragon Ball Super's

Healing

Dragon Ball's Super Saiyan transformation is primarily...

Professional wrestler Ronda Rousey continues to firmly establish her credentials as a Dragon Ball Z mega-fan.

According to Comicbook.com, at this year's Money in the Bank pro-wrestling event, the mixed-martial artist appeared in an outfit that references Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, with a stylized M painted on her forehead. Taken together, the attire is a clear homage to Dragon Ball Z's "Majin Buu" saga. During the story arc, the proud Z-Fighter allows his jealousy and rivalry with protagonist Son Goku to get the better of him, sending Vegeta down a deadly path that ends with him embracing his darker, more violent side.

Related: Goku & Vegeta's Rivalry, Explained

Dragon Ball Fans Show Their Love for Vegeta

Of course, Rousey isn't the only Dragon Ball Z fan to recently showcase their love and appreciation for the Prince of All Saiyans. For example, one talented fan gave Vegeta a feminine...

The daughter of the Ox-King and princess of Fire Mountain comes to life in a hilarious Dragon Ball cosplay.

Uploaded on Reddit by Usatame, the Chi-Chi costume recreates the martial artist's blue-and-red dress and sees her wielding a spoon in an intimidating manner; likely, she is trying to threaten her husband, Dragon Ball protagonist Son Goku, into being a better and more present father to their children. Usatame has crafted impressive cosplays for other notable anime/manga fan favorites like Haru from Beastars, Ai Ohto from Wonder Egg Priority and Power from Chainsaw Man.

Related: Every Single Dragon Ball Series (In Chronological Order)

My Chichi cosplay from Dbz! by u/Usatame in cosplay Dragon Ball Fans' Epic Cosplays

Chi-Chi isn't the only character from Akira Toriyama's best-selling classic manga who continues to ignite fans' imaginations. Other recent cosplays include a thrift-shop version of Master Roshi that accurately reflects the...

Streaming recent and classic Dragon Ball movies has just gotten significantly easier.

According to Crunchyroll, they have added a slew of tie-in films from the long-running franchise to its streaming service. This includes Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge, which sees Goku and crew face off against Frieza's older brother, and Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13, which depicts the epic showdown between Earth's strongest defenders and a new group of Androids that are faster and more dangerous than those created by the evil Doctor Gero.

Related: When Did Dragon Ball Z Become All About Power Creep?

The Dragon Ball Movies Coming to Crunchyroll

Other Dragon Ball movies that have already hit the platform include Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, Dragon Ball Z: World's Strongest, Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might, Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug and Dragon Ball Z: Return of Cooler. Multiple other films are scheduled to appear on...

Anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, has revealed that almost every Dragon Ball film ever made will now be available to stream. A press release from the company states that fifteen films from the hit franchise are going to be added to Crunchyroll's already impressive catalog. There are already seven available with the remaining eight coming soon in a total of three release waves.

The Dragon Ball franchise began with the manga's serialization in 1984. The anime adaptation came shortly after, beginning in 1986. It has since become one of the most popular manga and anime franchises in the world. There have been six animated series and twenty-one animated feature-length films following its debut. At present, Crunchyroll's streaming options will include films centered in the Dragon Ball Z franchise, with one Dragon Ball Super film also coming soon.

Crunchyroll Adds Dragon Ball Z Films to its Streaming Library

As of now, the following films...