Dragon Ballis a beloved franchise, but let’s be honest–the continuity has gotten wildly out of wack at this point. There are many discrepancies between various series that can be hard to reconcile, leading some fans to believe the simplest explanation is that there are many differentDragon Ballcontinuities, or timelines.
This has been a sticking point ever since the creation ofDragon Ball GTas an anime-only continuation ofDragon BallZ, as fans debated over whether the events ofGTcould truly be considered canon due to the lack of involvement from Akira Toriyama, the series' creator.
With new series adding more complications to the situation, likeDragon Ball Daima, the circumstances are murkier than ever. Here are all theDragon Balltimelines which have currently been depicted, including both those that canonically exist, like Future Trunks' timeline, and those which fans believe must exist.
The Dragon Ball Z Timeline
The Original Timeline Which Forms the Core
The first timeline to account for is the primary one from which all others branch out, and that’s theDragon Ball/Dragon Ball Ztimeline. This covers the events of the original anime andZfrom start to finish, exactly as depicted on screen.It ends with a 10-year timeskip, but unlike some of the other timelines, nothing of note happened in that 10-year period.
This would be the original timeline, as created by Toriyama in the 80s and 90s, long beforeDragon Ball SuperorDaimawere even a glimmer in his eye. It ends with Goku taking Uub to train, and from there can branch out intoGT.
The “Future Trunks” Timeline
Dragon Ball’s Canonical Alternate Timeline
The Future Trunks timeline is, of course, the timeline from which the Future Trunks seen inDragon Ball Zcomes from. In this timeline, Goku died of a heart virus before the Androids appeared. Without Goku, many of the Z Fighters perished in battle, leaving Trunks, underFuture Gohan’s mentorship, alone to battle against the Androids.
Future Trunks would eventually go back in time and offer Goku a cure to the heart virus, which leads to the timeline seen inDragon Ball Z. This is also the timeline from whichDragon Ball Super’s Future Zeno comes from.
Cell’s Original Timeline
The Lesser-Known Alternate Timeline
Future Trunks isn’t the only one to come back to the past. In an alternate future in which Trunks destroyed the Androids, Cell awoke, but wasunable to obtain his Perfect formbecause of the loss of Androids 17 and 18. As a result, Cell travels back in time to when they still existed, and becomes the main antagonist ofDragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga.
This is a dark timeline, wherein Trunks and the rest of the Z Fighters have all been killed off, and even Cell abandoned it by stealing Trunks' time machine.
Dragon Ball GT Timeline
The First Continuation of Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball GTwas the follow-up series toDragon Ball Z, created because the franchise was just such a force that it couldn’t be allowed to end. It picks up afterDragon Ball Z’s timeskip at the end, and is thus set 10 years after the events of Buu saga.Dragon Ball GTintroduced many new concepts, like theBlack Star Dragon Balls, Super Saiyan 4, and more.
Dragon Ball GTis incompatible, continuity-wise, withDragon Ball SuperandDragon Ball Daima, and thus must exist as its own distinct timeline.Dragon Ball GTis also the latest point, chronologically, of any events that have yet been animated.
Dragon Ball Daima Timeline
The Latest Continuation of Dragon Ball Z
Daimais the newestDragon Ballseries, and is likewise a direct follow-up toDragon Ball Z. However,Daimatakes place during the 10-year timeskip at the end ofZ, just a few months after the defeat of Buu.Daima introduces the Demon Realm, as well as a reimagined version of Super Saiyan 4, meaning it’s totally incompatible withGT.
However,Daimaalso has continuity issues withDragon Ball Super. For that reason, some fans consider it a third, separate timeline from eitherGTorSuper. There hasn’t really been any official word on this front, so for now at least, the “separate timeline” theory is as valid as any other attempt to explain these issues.
Dragon Ball Super Timeline
The Most Popular Continuation of Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Superis another sequel toZ, and likeDaima, is set during the 10-year timeskip beforeZ’s final chapters. SinceDragon Ball Superwas written and created by Toriyama, and in manga form no less, it has the most valid claim of being the direct sequel toDragon Ball Z.Dragon Ball Superis technically ongoing, although on hiatus.
Dragon Ball Supercovers the bulk of the 10-year timeskip, fromBattle of Gods, which takes place shortly after Buu’s defeat, toSuper Hero, which is almost at the end of the 10-year period.Dragon Ball Superintroduced many new forms, likeSuper Saiyan God, Blue, and Ultra Instinct, none of which appear inGT, making them canonically incompatible.
Future Trunks' Replacement Timeline
A Near-Identical Future to the One Trunks Came From
InSuper, Future Trunks' Timeline is destroyed when Zamasu merges and becomes one with the universe, forcing Zeno to obliterate all of creation within that timeline. While this succeeds at eliminating Zamasu, it leaves Future Trunks and Mai without a home. Instead, they’re allowed to live in another alternate future timeline.
This timeline is talked about and traveled to, but never shown, and is largely implied to be the same as Future Trunks' before Zamasu showed up. Notably, this means that this timeline now has two Trunks and two Mai.
The Dragon Ball Movie Timeline
The Setting of Dragon Ball’s Many Films
Prior toBattle of Gods, everyDragon Ballmovie was considered non-canonical to the main series (setting aside the weirdness around the Garlic Jr. filler arc). Thus, theseDragon Ballmovies must take place in yet another timeline, where Goku and friends faced far more threats throughout the run ofDragon Ball Zthan are seen on TV or in the manga.
Dragon Ballmovies do occasionally reference one another, or are direct sequels (such as the Broly films), so it makes sense to put them all into one timeline. The movies introduced some elements of their own, such asGoku and Vegeta’s Fusion Dance fusion, Gogeta, which wasn’t canonized until theDragon Ball Supermovies.
The Super Dragon Ball Heroes Timeline
The “Xeno” Timeline
Super Dragon Ball Heroesis a promotional anime and manga that was based on a video game. It stars alternate versions of familiar characters, known as “Xeno” versions, who come from their own timeline. There’s even a Xeno Future Trunks, suggesting yet another timeline. These Xeno versions of characters may have different powers, like Trunks being capable of Super Saiyan God.
SinceSuper Dragon Ball Heroesinvolves a lot of time travel, there are countless multiversal shards that could be their own timelines implied here. It, too, has invented its own forms, likeVegeta’s Super Saiyan Blue (Berserk Controlled), and loves to engage in fan service by indulging in fusions and offering characters never-before-seen form combinations.
The Unknown Timelines
Dragon Ball Super’s Biggest Mystery
InDragon Ball Super, it’s stated that any time the timeline is tampered with, a Time Ring is created, which are kept safe by the Kais. InSuper, it’s revealed that there are more Time Rings than expected. The case contains five rings, one of which correlates to Future Trunks' timeline. When Beerus kills Zamasu, a sixth ring is created.
It’s unknown what the other rings correspond to, but it suggests that there are alternateDragon Balltimelines out there which we still haven’t seen.
That covers every significant alternate timeline that’s known to exist inDragon Ball’s world.
