Overview
Dragon Ball Super is a 2015 television anime and the first new Dragon Ball TV storyline in roughly two decades. Rather than rebooting the saga, it slots into the ten-year gap after Majin Buu's defeat and expands the world with gods, aliens, and higher-stakes martial arts. Its 131-episode length and Toei Animation production make it a major modern pillar of the franchise, but this page covers that specific series on its own.
The show mixes high-energy fights, broad comedy, adventure, and science-fiction spectacle. Viewers get tournament arcs, divine opponents, transformations, and a cast that ranges from Goku and Vegeta to cosmic deities. The tone can swing from silly slice-of-life moments to large-scale battles, which gives it a different rhythm from earlier Dragon Ball television entries while still rewarding longtime fans.
Because it is dubbed and widely streamed, Dragon Ball Super is accessible to viewers who want a long-running action anime with familiar shonen structure. Complete newcomers may appreciate a guide to earlier Dragon Ball events, but returning fans can step into this series as a continuation. It suits people who enjoy martial arts, ensemble battles, comedy, and escalating power fantasies, and who are comfortable with a substantial episode count.
Synopsis
Dragon Ball Super unfolds during the peaceful decade that follows the defeat of Majin Buu, a stretch of quiet years in which Earth's defenders have largely settled into ordinary routines. Son Goku, restless even in peacetime, splits his time between training and the unlikely work of tending crops, while his friends and family adjust to a life without constant battles. That calm is broken when Beerus, a God of Destruction from distant space, wakes from a long sleep and turns his attention toward Earth in search of a legendary warrior known as the Saiyan God.
Beerus arrives with his attendant Whis, and the encounter quickly reshapes the series' scale. Goku and Vegeta find themselves far outmatched by divine power, and their response is to seek training and new transformations rather than rely on the strength they already have. Around them, the extended cast remains active, with Bulma, Piccolo, Krillin, and the younger generation of fighters pulled into events that move well beyond the threats of earlier stories. The opening arc establishes both the comedic tone of peacetime life and the more cosmic stakes that follow.
The primary conflict grows from that widening horizon. As Goku's appetite for stronger opponents draws attention from gods, angels, and warriors of other worlds, the series builds toward organized competitions that pit fighters from many universes against one another. The central tension lies in how Goku, Vegeta, and their allies measure themselves against beings whose power operates on a completely different level, and in what those confrontations demand of a group that had already reached the top of its own world.
Trailer
Should You Watch It?
Watch it if you enjoy
- Try this if you want a Dragon Ball Z/Kai continuation set in the ten-year gap after Majin Buu, with Goku, Vegeta, and the wider cast facing divine-scale threats.
- It suits viewers who enjoy long-running shonen action mixing tournament arcs, transformations, broad comedy, and science-fiction spectacle.
- The English dub and wide streaming availability make it convenient for fans who prefer dubbed, accessible action anime.
- Returning Dragon Ball viewers may appreciate seeing Toriyama's premise outlines expanded into a new TV storyline.
It may not suit you if
- Complete newcomers may want a primer on earlier Dragon Ball events, since the series builds on characters and continuity from Z/Kai.
- Viewers who prefer short, self-contained stories may find the 131-episode run and its midquel placement less inviting.
- Those who dislike film-arc retellings may be less engaged by the opening portion, which reworks Battle of Gods material.
- People seeking a direct panel-by-panel manga adaptation may prefer the source comics, as the show was built from outlines adapted by Toei.
This automatic starting point balances the series length, pacing, time commitment, and available AniList community signals. Editors can override it when firsthand knowledge suggests a better entry point.
Why It Connects With Audiences
Why people love it
- It offers a rare chance to see Akira Toriyama's plot outlines extended into a new Dragon Ball television storyline after an 18-year gap.
- The show widens the franchise's horizon with Gods of Destruction, angels, cosmic tournaments, and transformations beyond earlier power tiers.
- Its tonal blend of peacetime comedy and high-stakes martial arts gives longtime fans familiar characters in a different rhythm.
- The extended ensemble keeps Bulma, Piccolo, Krillin, and younger fighters involved alongside Goku and Vegeta.
Common criticisms
- Some viewers may find the opening arc redundant if they already saw Battle of Gods, since it retells that film's events.
- The 131-episode length and midquel continuity can make the series feel uneven or intimidating for newcomers.
- Its shifts between silly slice-of-life moments and cosmic battles may not appeal to those wanting a consistent tone.
- As an outline-driven anime rather than a direct manga adaptation, it may frustrate viewers seeking stricter source fidelity.
Volluble DNA
A quick profile of the title’s dominant storytelling ingredients.
Characters and Voice Actors25 characters
Gokuu Son
Main character- English: Lex Lang
- Japanese: Masako Nozawa
- English: Sean Schemmel
Vegeta
Main character- English: Christopher Sabat
- Japanese: Ryou Horikawa
- English: Kaiji Tang
Pu’ar
Supporting character- English: Brina Palencia
- Japanese: Naoko Watanabe
Bulma
Supporting character- English: Wendee Lee
- English: Monica Rial
- Japanese: Hiromi Tsuru
Piccolo
Supporting character- English: Christopher Sabat
- Japanese: Toshio Furukawa
Majin Boo
Supporting character- English: Spike Spencer
- Japanese: Kouzou Shioya
- English: Josh Martin
Gohan Son
Supporting character- English: Kyle Hebert
- Japanese: Masako Nozawa
Gyuumaou
Supporting characterYajirobe
Supporting character- Japanese: Mayumi Tanaka
Bee
Supporting character- Japanese: Masami Suzuki
Chi-Chi
Supporting character- English: Michelle Ruff
- Japanese: Naoko Watanabe
- English: Cynthia Cranz
Briefs Hakase
Supporting character- Japanese: Ryouichi Tanaka
Marron
Supporting character- English: Tia Ballard
- Japanese: Hiroko Ushida
Bulma no Mama
Supporting character- Japanese: Hiroko Emori
Oolong
Supporting character- Japanese: Naoki Tatsuta
Baba Uranai
Supporting character- Japanese: Mayumi Tanaka
Videl
Supporting character- Japanese: Yuuko Minaguchi
- English: Kara Edwards
- English: Erika Harlacher
Umigame
Supporting character- Japanese: Takahiro Fujimoto
Shu
Supporting character- Japanese: Tesshou Genda
Pilaf
Supporting character- English: Chuck Huber
- Japanese: Shigeru Chiba
Mai
Supporting character- Japanese: Eiko Yamada
Jinzouningen 17-gou
Supporting character- English: Chuck Huber
- Japanese: Shigeru Nakahara
Chaozu
Supporting character- Japanese: Hiroko Emori
Kuririn
Supporting character- Japanese: Mayumi Tanaka
- English: Sonny Strait
Goten Son
Supporting character- Japanese: Masako Nozawa
Production and Staff25 credits
View all 13 additional credits
Production Background
Dragon Ball Super is a television anime produced by Toei Animation. It is based on the Dragon Ball manga by Akira Toriyama, and its main story arcs grew from original plot outlines Toriyama wrote before Toei Animation's writers and staff adapted them for the screen. The series aired in Japan on Fuji Television and its FNS affiliates.
The show premiered in July 2015 and ran until March 2018, totaling 131 episodes. It was positioned as a midquel to Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Z Kai, unfolding within a ten-year gap in Toriyama's original manga timeline after the defeat of Majin Buu. Its debut marked the franchise's first new television storyline in about 18 years.
The anime was adapted from manga source material. An English dubbed version was produced, and the series was distributed through outlets including Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, iQ, Hulu, and Prime Video.
Franchise Context
Dragon Ball Super is a television anime series inside the larger Dragon Ball franchise, placed as a midquel to Dragon Ball Z and its remastered counterpart Dragon Ball Z Kai rather than a remake or a stand-alone work. It aired from 2015 to 2018 with 131 episodes and was the first Dragon Ball television series to tell a new continuing story in 18 years. Its events unfold during the ten year timeskip in Akira Toriyama's original manga, after the defeat of Majin Buu, so it extends the animated continuity audiences know from Z while filling a previously open stretch of that timeline.
The series draws from the Dragon Ball manga by Akira Toriyama, yet its main arcs were built from original plot outlines he wrote and then adapted for animation by Toei Animation's writers and staff. That makes it a distinct animated continuation rather than a direct panel by panel adaptation of an existing manga arc. Its opening portion retells the events of the Dragon Ball Z film Battle of Gods, connecting the television series to the franchise's theatrical side before it moves into its own storylines.
Within the franchise, Dragon Ball Super is a main anime installment rather than a spin-off or an alternate version of an earlier series. It follows the original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime in the broader continuity and stays inside the timeskip established by Toriyama's manga, which means its place in the catalog is continuity based: it carries the story past Z's Majin Buu conflict while remaining one individual entry in a much wider franchise hub.
Franchise Path
- Dragon Ball — earlier events and Goku's origins give essential context.
- Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Z Kai — the prior animated continuity Super follows as a midquel.
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods — Super's opening retells this film's Beerus/Saiyan God arc.
- Dragon Ball Super — set after Majin Buu within the ten-year timeskip; a midquel, not a reboot.
After You Finish
Continue with
- The 131-episode TV series is complete; to stay in continuity, return to Dragon Ball Z's post-Buu timeline after this midquel.
Community Verdict
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