Ultimate Dragon Ball Fillers List Guide!

Goku started his journey as a young boy in the 1980s. He wanted to find the dragon balls, but he was more interested in becoming the best martial artist in the world.

Whether you like it or not, you can’t deny that Dragon Ball has pretty much set the standard for anime for many years.

It has become a mainstay of the anime industry, with a huge fan base around the world thanks to its memorable characters and exciting plots.

But starting the DB journey, which has more than 150 episodes, may seem scary. This guide is here to help!

From 1986 to 1989, there were 153 episodes of Dragon Ball. Out of these, 21 are fillers episode and 3 are only half fillers.

With only about 16% filler, it’s impressive that the Dragon Ball series has kept the non-canon content to a minimum.

Dragon Ball Filler List – What to Watch ? What to Skip ?

Let’s get to the guide of Dragon ball filler list shall we ?

• Manga Canon Episodes: 1-28, 34-41, 43, 46-78, 84-126, 133-148
• Mixed Canon/Filler Episodes: 29, 42, 44
• Filler Episodes: 30-33, 45, 79-83, 127-132, 149-153

Note: Mixed Canon/Filler Episodes contain some part of additional content that doesn’t exist in the manga. On the other hand, manga canon episodes define the story that follows the original events of the manga. But to enjoy and understand the anime completely, you need to watch these Mixed Canon Episodes too.

Filler List According to Arcs

Dragon Ball Filler Episodes To Skip

In the Dragon Ball Filler List that follows, I’ll tell you which episodes you have to watch and which ones you can skip.

The Movies and Ovas will also be put in order of when they happened, so you can watch Dragon Ball in order.

At the end of this list, I’ll tell you where in the manga, the anime ends or where to start reading the manga if you want to keep following the story.

How much of Dragon Ball can you skip?

Most filler shows in anime that doesn’t make sense are a bother.

Still, they sometimes give away important plot points about the main story, and we don’t understand until later that we should have watched the episode.

There are about 24 filler episodes in the original Dragon Ball series, and you can skip 11 of them without missing anything important or fun.

1. Pilaf and the Mystery Force (episode 30)
2. Wedding Plans? (episode 31)
3. The Flying Fortress – Vanished (episode 32)
4. The Legend of a Dragon (episode 33)
5. Danger in the Air (episode 45)
6. Which Way to Papaya Island? (episode 79)
7. Quicker than Lightning (episode 127)
8. The Secret of the Woods (episode 128)
9. Goku’s Doll (episode 130)
10. Hotter than Lava (episode 131)
11. Dress in Flames (episode 132)

Listed below in detail why you should watch these fillers.

Dragon Ball Filler Episodes That are Worth Your Time!

There are some of the best dragon ball filler episodes that you might consider watch afterwards from this dragon ball filler list.

So, Here are my top 10 picks from the filler episodes that you can enjoy after watching the series.

1. Pilaf and the Mystery Force (30)

Goku is enjoying traveling the world on the flying nimbus–that is, until his dragon radar is stolen while he is swimming.

He must track down the thief and get it back so that he can find his grandfather’s dragon ball. Meanwhile, Emperor Pilaf is trying once again to assemble the dragon balls.

There is also a mysterious military force that is searching for the dragon balls.

2. Goku vs Sky Dragon (80)

On the advice of an old woman whom he helps, Goku goes to a small town looking to battle Master Chen, the strongest fighter in town.

Chen, however, has his own fight with Sky Dragon, a rival martial artist from the same town. In order to win the title of Master of Martial Arts, and save his struggling dojo, Chen must defeat Sky Dragon the next day in the King’s Match.

Unfortunately, Chen is in poor health and cannot fight, so Goku fights in his stead.

3. The Rampage of InoShikaCho (82)

Goku meets a family who has fled its village, which is being rampaged by a monster called InoShikaCho.

Goku goes to the village to fight the beast, but two other mysterious fighters get there first and defeat it, for a fee.

Later, Goku learns that they are working together with InoShikaCho to scam villagers out of money, and he confronts them.

Meanwhile, Roshi continues to train Krillin and Yamcha, and he tells the story of InoShikaCho.

4. Secret of the Woods (128)

After recovering from being struck by lightning, Goku is sent to the woods to train. While there, he meets a family and stays with them.

He learns from the grandfather of a fighter named Yao Chun, and he heads to the mountains to fight him.

Meanwhile, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin continue to train.

5. The Time Room (129)

Goku travels back in time to train with Master Mutaito, and he learns about spirit energy.

While there, he meets a young Roshi, and he runs afoul of Shen.

Meanwhile, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu decide to climb Korin Tower.

6. The Fire Eater (150)

Goku and Chi-Chi visit the Kame House to find Roshi’s instructions for making the Bansho fan.

They see that they need a feather from a mystical bird called a fire-eater, so they go to Mt. Kiwi to retrieve one.

Once there, they are followed by Mai and Shuu, who are also looking for the bird.

7. Outrageous Octagon (151)

Goku and Chi-Chi reach the mountain that reportedly holds the Bansho fan, but a heavy snowstorm causes them to crash at the mountain’s base.

They meet an old woman who explains to them that no woman can climb the mountain without causing a storm. She also tells them that there is no fan on the mountain.

Goku scales it hoping to gather enough snow to put out the fire at the Ox King’s castle. While Goku is climbing the mountain, the old woman teaches Chi-Chi about being a good wife. Meanwhile, Goku is followed by Pilaf, who thinks the fan might be worth something.

8. Mystery of the Dark World (152)

The Bansho fan has no effect on the flames because the fire was forged in the Magical Furnace.

Goku and Chi-Chi must travel to the other side of the world to Mt. Five Elements, where they must venture through the Gate of the Five Elements into the Dark World.

There, they must find Tajoro, the keeper of the furnace, and convince her to help put out the flames.

9. The End, The Begining (153)

Goku tries to convince Tajoro to extinguish the flame long enough to fix the leak that causes the Ox King’s castle to ignite, but she refuses.

This is because the flame is what creates the fog that shrouds Mt. Five Elements, and the fog is what allows spirits to pass between the spirit world and the world of the living–without it.

No spirit could ever visit the world of the living again, and all spirits already in the world of the living would be trapped forever. Therefore, they must find another way to put out the flame at the Ox King’s castle.

10. The Flying Fortress- Vanished! (32)

Pilaf leaves the village with the dragon ball. Colonel Silver follows him, but Pilaf shoots down Silver’s plane.

Goku returns to the ruined village with Chi Chi, and they learn what happened from the Ox King.

Goku leaves to find the dragon ball. He and Silver both track Pilaf to his underground desert fortress, where a battle ensues.

Should I skip Dragon Ball and go to Dragon Ball Z?

People who are new to the Dragon Ball world often ask this. As with many things, the answer relies on what you want from your anime journey.

You shouldn’t skip Dragon Ball and start with Dragon Ball Z because the first anime is important to the general story of Dragon Ball and is fun to watch.

But you can skip the anime if you’re more interested in stories for adults and fights that are bigger than life.

If you start with Z, there’s nothing to worry about. As the series goes on, it does a pretty good job of going over the most important parts of the background. You won’t need to know a lot about Goku’s childhood to understand his journey as an adult.

In the first Dragon Ball, we meet a younger, more innocent Goku and a lot of important characters who will play important parts in Dragon Ball Z.

Also, the original anime shows more about the universe’s core systems, like Ki, Dragon Balls, and the ideas behind martial arts.

So, you might not be completely lost in Dragon Ball Z if you don’t watch Dragon Ball, but you’ll get a much better sense of Goku’s journey from a young boy to an adult who protects the world if you watch the whole story from the beginning.