What Makes Each Dragon Ball Movie Non-Canon?

Summary

• Many Dragon Ball movies are non-canon due to inconsistencies with the main timeline and lack of involvement from Akira Toriyama.
• Canon movies like Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’ are retellings of anime events and are acknowledged in the manga.
• Most Dragon Ball movies like The World’s Strongest and Cooler’s Revenge present timeline contradictions that place them outside of the main story.

Most long-time fans already know this, but most Dragon Ball movies are non-canon, meaning that they do not exist in the same reality or timeline as the main anime and manga. But why is that? What’s in these movies that makes it wrong for them to just fit in with the rest of the series? Well, in terms of production, the Dragon Ball movies generally aren’t written by the series creator, Akira Toriyama, and since he has minimal input, the movies aren’t part of his vision for what he wants to happen in the series. But apart from Akira Toriyama not being involved in them, the plots of the movies themselves also have inconsistencies that make them not fit into the main timeline. Things like characters that shouldn’t be present because they were somewhere else during the period the movie is set in, or characters using moves that they shouldn’t have learned yet.

Dragon Ball isn’t the only anime that does this, as a lot of the other classic shōnen giants like Naruto and One Piece have their movies as mostly non-canon as well. There are a number of possible reasons as to why animation studios do this, such as to make more money, stall for time to make the manga have more content, or to introduce the series to audiences that only watch movies without spoiling much from the main anime.

Note: This article will only include the anime movies and not the TV Specials, like the Bardock Special, OVAs, like Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans, and the live-action film.

Are There Any Canon Dragon Ball Movies?

Dragon Ball’s Approach to Movies Has Changed Since Super

Yes, some movies are canon, as the last two Dragon Ball Z movies, Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’, show events that also happen in the anime and manga, and are therefore canon. The Dragon Ball Super movies haven’t made their way into the anime series yet, like Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, but they are considered canon as the manga acknowledges the events that happened in them.

Why the Movies Can’t Be Canon

Curse of the Blood Rubies (OG Series)

If you’ve only watched the Dragon Ball Z and Super movies, the ones from the original series can be pretty disorienting. Unlike their successors, the original Dragon Ball movies didn’t tell new original stories, and instead were more like retellings of events in the show, except with some weird differences. Curse of the Blood Rubies is a retelling of events that would have occured in the Pilaf Saga, but this time, Goku and Bulma’s motivation for searching for the Dragon Balls is to stop an evil king named Gurumes from getting them first. The particulars of Goku meeting his friends for the first time were also changed to suit the new narrative. Pilaf also doesn’t even appear in the movie, whereas he should have been the main antagonist during this period.

Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle (OG Series)

The Sleeping Princess movie is a different version of Goku and Krillin’s training arc under Master Roshi. The movie is about Goku and Krillin trying to procure the Sleeping Princess for Master Roshi, which replaces the original story where they find Launch instead. Also, even though it took place after the Pilaf Saga, none of Goku’s friends seemed to know about his Oozaru transformation (though this was changed in the English dub).

Mystical Adventure (OG Series)

Mystical Adventure seems to take place right after Goku and Krillin’s training under Master Roshi and replaces the events of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. Tien and Chiaotzu are major characters in the movie, but they didn’t show up until the 22nd tournament in the anime. Their roles in the film are also largely different, as Chiaotzu is an emperor of a nation, and Tien isn’t as close to him as he is in the main series.

The Path to Power (OG Series)

This movie was actually released after Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon but is a retelling of the original anime up to the Red Ribbon Army Saga. While it keeps the general gist of the series, several alterations make it non-canon. Goku’s outfit in the movie isn’t the classic orange gi and is more similar to his outfit in Dragon Ball GT. Several characters were also absent here, like Krillin, Chi-Chi, and Pilaf, which means that the entirety of the Pilaf Saga is gone from the movie. Additionally, certain locations, like the Muscle Tower and Red Ribbon Army base, had their appearances altered.

Dead Zone (Z)

The events in Dead Zone actually occur between the original Dragon Ball and Z. However, Krillin already knows of Gohan’s existence when, in the anime, Goku only introduces Gohan at the beginning of Z.

The World’s Strongest (Z)

The movie featuring Dr. Wheelo cannot be canon because there’s no place in the timeline where it could fit in. During the movie, Goku used the spirit bomb, which must mean it takes place after he learned it from King Kai and was revived from the dead. But in the series, after his resurrection, he immediately went on to fight Nappa and Vegeta. So maybe it happened after he beat Vegeta? Well, it still wouldn’t make sense because Piccolo appears in this movie when he should be dead during the fight against Nappa. The World’s Strongest also couldn’t have taken place after the Namek Saga, because Goku should already have his Super Saiyan form, which he didn’t use at all in the movie.

The Tree of Might (Z)

Turles’ movie is in the same boat as The World’s Strongest since there’s no space in the timeline for the movie to have canonically occurred. In the movie, Goku uses both the Spirit Bomb and Kaio-ken x10 against his evil lookalike, which means that it had to have taken place after the Namek Saga. But then, Goku would already have access to Super Saiyan, which he should’ve used against Turles but didn’t. Another contradiction is Gohan meeting Icarus for the first time in the movie. By the time Goku had returned to Earth after beating Frieza, Gohan should have already met Icarus, as shown in the Garlic Jr. Saga.

Lord Slug (Z)

For a third time, judging by Goku’s knowledge of Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb, the Lord Slug movie can only take place after the Namek Saga, but Goku still inexplicably doesn’t have access to Super Saiyan. And if any of the first three movies really did happen after the Namek Saga, it also doesn’t make sense why Vegeta doesn’t make a single appearance in any of them.

Cooler’s Revenge (Z)

This movie definitely happens after the Namek Saga since the whole plot is about Cooler avenging Frieza’s death. Goku even has his Super Saiyan transformation for the first time in the movies. The contradiction here lies with Gohan, who, for some reason, has his Saiyan tail back. Gohan’s tail hasn’t regrown since it was cut in the Saiyan Saga, so his having it for this movie doesn’t make any sense. Gohan also has his hairstyle from the Namek Saga and not the one he had when Goku returned to Earth.

The Return of Cooler (Z)

Well, if the first movie isn’t canon, it should be obvious why this one isn’t either. The Return of Cooler is a direct sequel to Cooler’s Revenge once again featuring Frieza’s brother. Apart from Cooler himself not being canon, another contradiction is Dende’s role as Earth’s guardian. He only takes that role during the Cell Saga, but none of the Z Fighters seem to mention the android threat and what they’re doing right now. Additionally, Gohan at this point should already have access to Super Saiyan, but doesn’t. This movie couldn’t have taken place after the Cell Saga either, because then Goku should already be dead.

Super Android 13 (Z)

The movie seems to occur sometime between the release of Androids 17 and 18 and the appearance of Cell. This means either Goku should still be recovering from the heart virus, or he’s already recovered, but Dr. Gero’s master computer should already be destroyed. Neither of which checks out in the movie.

Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan (Z)

Although Broly eventually gets introduced into the canon in Dragon Ball Super, his earlier movies are anything but. The first Broly movie doesn’t have any stand-out contradictions though, just some weird behavior from the characters. The movie should take place slightly before the Cell Games since Future Trunks is still present, and Gohan can already turn Super Saiyan. Yet, for some reason, the people shown in the city were all perfectly calm while the entire world was in panic after Cell announced his tournament in the anime. In fact, even the Z Fighters didn’t seem worried about any upcoming tournament that puts the fate of the world at risk. Goku and Gohan should also constantly be in Super Saiyan, as that was part of their training after leaving the hyperbolic time chamber.

Bojack Unbound (Z)

Bojack Unbound is surprisingly close to the main series canon. This movie happens after Cell’s defeat as Goku and King Kai are dead, which is also directly connected to Bojack’s escape. The only contradictions seem to be with Trunks, who has long hair even though he cut it short after the Cell Games. Trunks’ sword also cracked in his fight with Android 18 but is seen to be fine in the movie.

Broly: Second Coming (Z)

Similar to the Cooler sequel, the Broly sequel can’t be canon since the movie it’s continuing off of is also non-canon. Other than that, the Legendary Super Saiyan’s second movie also can’t take place anywhere on the timeline. The movie shows Videl with short hair and the ability to fly, so you’d think it happens shortly before the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. That can’t be though, because the Dragon Balls were used in the movie, but they were also used right after the tournament to undo Majin Vegeta’s actions. The Dragon Balls need one year before they can be reused, so the movie couldn’t have happened during that time. There’s no place for the movie to happen after the tournament either since the Buu Saga’s events are well-recorded and don’t leave any room for a detour like this.

Bio-Broly (Z)

As with the past two movies, Broly doesn’t have a canon appearance in Dragon Ball Z, which immediately takes Bio-Broly off the main timeline. If you need any more evidence though, Android 18 plays a large role in the movie as she follows Mr. Satan and demands the prize money for letting him win the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. But in the main anime, 18 stays with Bulma after the tournament and joins them in Kami’s Lookout until they are eventually killed by Buu. The movie couldn’t have happened after the Buu Saga either because then Goten and Trunks should already know the Fusion Dance, which they don’t do in the film.

Fusion Reborn (Z)

Fusion Reborn features both Goku and Vegeta dead at the same time. The only time this is the case is after Vegeta blows himself up to damage Buu. However, Goku and Vegeta never had the time to go on this little adventure because of Majin Buu. After Goku’s time on Earth was over and had to return to Other World, he immediately went to the Supreme Kai’s planet until he was revived. Goku and Vegeta never met while the both of them were dead.

Wrath of the Dragon (Z)

The last non-canon Dragon Ball Z movie takes place after the Buu Saga. Weirdly enough, the only contradiction the movie seems to have is that it implies the sword Tapion gives kid Trunks is the same sword Future Trunks owns. Future Trunks was shown in the end credits with his sword that looks exactly like Tapion’s. But this wouldn’t make sense because the events that led to Tapion’s release couldn’t have happened in Trunks timeline as Hoi only arrives after the Buu Saga, which is long past the time Future Trunks should’ve obtained his sword. And even if Tapion was somehow released early, no one in Trunks’ timeline could have beaten Hirudegarn, so they would’ve been annihilated by the monster soon after.

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