Dragon Ball Z Filler List
10.3%
Enter an episode number to see whether to watch or skip it.
Show this episode in the listOf 291 episodes, 30 are filler (10.3%). Cut them and you get about 12 hours back. The rest is canon, apart from 4 mixed. Keep all of those.
Filler: 9-10, 12-16, 41, 102, 108-117, 124, 170-171, 195-199, 202-203, 288
Dragon Ball Z keeps its filler in a few clear blocks: Goku's detours on Snake Way, the Garlic Jr. arc after Frieza, and the Other World Tournament after Cell. Four more episodes are mostly anime-only but keep a manga scene, so we mark them mixed. Reporting opens at launch
Why other lists show a different number
You'll often see a higher filler count for Dragon Ball Z. The gap is mostly episodes 125, 174, 176 and 274: each is mostly anime-only but keeps a short manga scene, so we call them mixed and keep them in your watch order. Many episodes also pad manga fights with extra scenes. We count those as canon, because the story in them is from the manga.
- 291episodes
- 257manga canon
- 30filler
- 4mixed
- 12hsaved
Dragon Ball Z filler arcs, and what to skip
One row per arc. Each square is an episode, in order. A crossed red square is filler; a solid one is manga. The stamp is our call: watch, optional (anime-only, but we'd keep it) or skip.
- Manga canon
- Mixed
- Filler
- RaditzEp 1-6 · 6 episodesWatch
Goku's brother arrives, and Goku dies stopping him.
- Waiting for the SaiyansEp 7-8 · 2 episodesWatch
Piccolo trains Gohan while Goku starts down Snake Way.
- Gohan in the wildEp 9-10 · 2 episodesSkip
Anime-only side stories while Gohan survives on his own.
- The Saiyans on the wayEp 11 · 1 episodeWatch
Vegeta and Nappa head for Earth.
- Snake Way detoursEp 12-16 · 5 episodesSkip
Anime-only stops on Goku's run to King Kai, plus more of Gohan's training.
- VegetaEp 17-35 · 19 episodesWatch
King Kai's training, then the fight with Nappa and Vegeta.
- NamekEp 36-67 · 32 episodes · filler: 41Watch
The race for the Namekian Dragon Balls. Episode 41 is anime-only.
- Captain GinyuEp 68-74 · 7 episodesWatch
The Ginyu Force, and Goku's arrival.
- FriezaEp 75-107 · 33 episodes · filler: 102Watch
Goku against Frieza. Episode 102 is anime-only.
- Garlic Jr.Ep 108-117 · 10 episodesSkip
A whole anime-only arc with the villain from the first DBZ movie.
- TrunksEp 118-125 · 8 episodes · filler: 124Watch
Future Trunks arrives. Episode 124 is anime-only, and 125 is too apart from its last scene.
- AndroidsEp 126-139 · 14 episodesWatch
Dr. Gero and the androids attack.
- Imperfect CellEp 140-152 · 13 episodesWatch
Cell hunts for the androids.
- Perfect CellEp 153-165 · 13 episodesWatch
Cell reaches his perfect form and announces the Cell Games.
- Before the Cell GamesEp 166-169 · 4 episodesWatch
Training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
- LimeEp 170-171 · 2 episodesSkip
Two anime-only episodes about Goku, Gohan and a girl named Lime.
- Cell GamesEp 172-194 · 23 episodesWatch
Dende, the Cell Games and Gohan. Episodes 174 and 176 are mostly anime-only.
- Other World TournamentEp 195-199 · 5 episodesOptional
Anime-only tournament in the afterlife. Goku against Pikkon.
- Great SaiyamanEp 200-209 · 10 episodes · filler: 202-203Watch
Seven years later: Gohan at high school. Episodes 202 and 203 are anime-only.
- World TournamentEp 210-219 · 10 episodesWatch
The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament.
- BabidiEp 220-231 · 12 episodesWatch
Babidi takes control of Vegeta.
- Majin BuuEp 232-253 · 22 episodesWatch
Majin Buu wakes up.
- FusionEp 254-275 · 22 episodesWatch
Gotenks, Super Buu and Vegito. Episode 274 is mostly anime-only.
- Kid BuuEp 276-287 · 12 episodesWatch
The final fight with Kid Buu.
- Peaceful WorldEp 288-291 · 4 episodes · filler: 288Watch
Ten years later. Episode 288 is anime-only.
Dragon Ball Z filler that's actually good
Filler has a bad name, but some of it holds up. If you only keep a little, keep these.
Other World Tournament
Ep 195-199
Goku's tournament against the best fighters in the afterlife. Pure fun, and Pikkon is a good rival.
Princess Snake
Ep 14
A silly Snake Way detour that's more fun than it should be.
Dragon Ball Z: watch without filler
For this watch plan, keep these episodes in order. That's 261 episodes, about 100 hours. Mixed and anime canon episodes stay in. We also keep unresolved episodes until we can verify them.
1-8, 11, 17-40, 42-101, 103-107, 118-123, 125-169, 172-194, 200-201, 204-287, 289-291
Crunchyroll and Netflix episode numbers
- Our numbers run straight through, 1 to 291, with no seasons. If your app splits the show into seasons, find the episode by its title or air date in the list below.
- Dragon Ball Z Kai is a shorter 2009 re-edit of the same story with most of the filler cut. Its episode numbers are different, so this list is for the original Dragon Ball Z only.
Dragon Ball Z filler questions
- How many filler episodes are in Dragon Ball Z?
- 30 of its 291 episodes are filler, which is 10.3%. Skip only the episodes labelled filler and you get about 12 hours back. Another 4 episodes are mixed, meaning part manga and part anime-only. Keep mixed episodes for their manga scenes.
- Which Dragon Ball Z episodes are filler?
- Episodes 9-10, 12-16, 41, 102, 108-117, 124, 170-171, 195-199, 202-203, 288. The arc sheet on this page shows where each block sits in the story.
- How long does it take to watch Dragon Ball Z without filler?
- Roughly 100 hours. Watching all 291 episodes takes about 112. We count 23 minutes per episode, so trimming openings and previews saves even more.
- Is the Garlic Jr. arc filler?
- Episodes 108 to 117 are labelled filler. For the adapted main story, go from 107 to 118. Anime-only events may still get callbacks.
- Should I watch Dragon Ball Z Kai instead?
- Kai is a shorter re-edit of the story. This page gives a watch plan for the original DBZ numbering; it does not reproduce every edit made in Kai.
Dragon Ball Z episode list: all 291
- Manga canonStraight from the manga. Watch it.
- MixedSome manga, some anime-only scenes. Keep it, or you lose part of the plot.
- FillerMade up for the anime. Skip it and the story still makes sense.
| # | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The New Threat | Canon |
| 2 | Reunions | Canon |
| 3 | Unlikely Alliance | Canon |
| 4 | Piccolo's Plan | Canon |
| 5 | Gohan's Rage | Canon |
| 6 | No Time Like the Present | Canon |
| 7 | Day 1 | Canon |
| 8 | Gohan Goes Bananas! | Canon |
| 9 | The Strangest Robot | Filler |
| 10 | A New Friend | Filler |
| 11 | Terror on Arlia | Canon |
| 12 | Global Training | Filler |
| 13 | Goz and Mez | Filler |
| 14 | Princess Snake | Filler |
| 15 | Dueling Piccolos | Filler |
| 16 | Plight of the Children | Filler |
| 17 | Pendulum Room Peril | Canon |
| 18 | The End of Snake Way | Canon |
| 19 | Defying Gravity | Canon |
| 20 | Goku's Ancestors | Canon |
| 21 | Counting Down | Canon |
| 22 | The Darkest Day | Canon |
| 23 | Saibamen Attack! | Canon |
| 24 | The Power of Nappa | Canon |
| 25 | Sacrifice | Canon |
| 26 | Nappa's Rampage | Canon |
| 27 | Nimbus Speed | Canon |
| 28 | Goku's Arrival | Canon |
| 29 | Lesson Number One | Canon |
| 30 | Goku vs. Vegeta | Canon |
| 31 | Saiyan Sized Secret | Canon |
| 32 | Spirit Bomb Away! | Canon |
| 33 | Hero in the Shadows | Canon |
| 34 | Krillin's Offensive | Canon |
| 35 | Mercy | Canon |
| 36 | Picking Up the Pieces | Canon |
| 37 | Plans for Departure | Canon |
| 38 | Nursing Wounds | Canon |
| 39 | Friends or Foes? | Canon |
| 40 | Held Captive | Canon |
| 41 | Look Out Below | Filler |
| 42 | The Search Continues | Canon |
| 43 | A Friendly Surprise | Canon |
| 44 | Brood of Evil | Canon |
| 45 | Frieza Strikes! | Canon |
| 46 | Defying Orders | Canon |
| 47 | Namek's Defense | Canon |
| 48 | The Hunted | Canon |
| 49 | The Prince Fights Back | Canon |
| 50 | Unexpected Problem | Canon |
| 51 | Vegeta has a Ball | Canon |
| 52 | The Past and the Future | Canon |
| 53 | Zarbon's Special Surprise | Canon |
| 54 | Guru's Gift | Canon |
| 55 | Piccolo vs. Everyone | Canon |
| 56 | Zarbon's Mission | Canon |
| 57 | Gohan, the Hunted | Canon |
| 58 | Unknown Enemies | Canon |
| 59 | Destination: Guru | Canon |
| 60 | Bulma's Big Day | Canon |
| 61 | Hidden Power | Canon |
| 62 | New Ally, New Problem | Canon |
| 63 | Guldo's Mind Binds | Canon |
| 64 | Recoome Unleashed | Canon |
| 65 | Let the Battle Begin | Canon |
| 66 | Goku's New Power | Canon |
| 67 | A Legend Revealed | Canon |
| 68 | Ginyu Assault | Canon |
| 69 | Incredible Force! | Canon |
| 70 | Frieza Approaches | Canon |
| 71 | Goku is Ginyu and Ginyu is Goku | Canon |
| 72 | Calling the Eternal Dragon | Canon |
| 73 | Gohan, Defeat Your Dad!! | Canon |
| 74 | Captain Ginyu...The Frog | Canon |
| 75 | Password is Porunga | Canon |
| 76 | Piccolo's Return | Canon |
| 77 | The Fusion | Canon |
| 78 | Fighting Power: One Million?? | Canon |
| 79 | Gohan Attacks | Canon |
| 80 | Piccolo the Super-Namek | Canon |
| 81 | Déjà vu | Canon |
| 82 | Freeza's Second Transformation? | Canon |
| 83 | Another Transformation? | Canon |
| 84 | Dende's Demise | Canon |
| 85 | The Renewed Goku | Canon |
| 86 | The End of Vegeta | Canon |
| 87 | The Ultimate Battle | Canon |
| 88 | Clash of the Super Powers | Canon |
| 89 | Freeza's Boast | Canon |
| 90 | Bold and Fearless | Canon |
| 91 | Embodiment of Fire | Canon |
| 92 | Trump Card | Canon |
| 93 | Keep the Chance Alive | Canon |
| 94 | Power of the Spirit | Canon |
| 95 | Transformed At Last | Canon |
| 96 | Explosion of Anger | Canon |
| 97 | Namek's Destruction | Canon |
| 98 | A Final Attack | Canon |
| 99 | Approaching Destruction | Canon |
| 100 | Gohan Returns | Canon |
| 101 | The Last Wish | Canon |
| 102 | Duel On A Vanishing Planet | Filler |
| 103 | Pathos Of Frieza | Canon |
| 104 | Frieza Defeated! | Canon |
| 105 | Mighty Blast of Rage | Canon |
| 106 | Namek's Explosion... Goku's End? | Canon |
| 107 | Goku's Alive!! | Canon |
| 108 | The Heavens Tremble | Filler |
| 109 | Black Fog of Terror | Filler |
| 110 | Battle in Kami's Lookout | Filler |
| 111 | Fight With Piccolo | Filler |
| 112 | Call For Restoration | Filler |
| 113 | Suicidal Course | Filler |
| 114 | Extreme Measures | Filler |
| 115 | The World Awakens | Filler |
| 116 | Brief Chance for Victory | Filler |
| 117 | Krillin's Proposal | Filler |
| 118 | Frieza's Counterattack | Canon |
| 119 | The Mysterious Youth | Canon |
| 120 | Another Super Saiyan? | Canon |
| 121 | Welcome Back Goku | Canon |
| 122 | Mystery Revealed | Canon |
| 123 | Goku's Special Technique | Canon |
| 124 | Z Warriors Prepare | Filler |
| 125 | Goku's Ordeal | Mixed |
| 126 | The Androids Appear | Canon |
| 127 | A Handy Trick | Canon |
| 128 | Double Trouble for Goku | Canon |
| 129 | Upgrade to Super Saiyan | Canon |
| 130 | The Secret of Doctor Gero | Canon |
| 131 | More Androids?! | Canon |
| 132 | Follow Dr. Gero | Canon |
| 133 | Nightmare Comes True | Canon |
| 134 | Goku's Assassin | Canon |
| 135 | Deadly Beauty | Canon |
| 136 | No Match for the Androids | Canon |
| 137 | Last Ditch Effort | Canon |
| 138 | Closing In | Canon |
| 139 | Unwelcome Discovery | Canon |
| 140 | Seized with Fear | Canon |
| 141 | The Reunion | Canon |
| 142 | Borrowed Powers | Canon |
| 143 | His Name Is Cell | Canon |
| 144 | Piccolo's Folly | Canon |
| 145 | Laboratory Basement | Canon |
| 146 | Our Hero Awakes | Canon |
| 147 | Time Chamber | Canon |
| 148 | The Monster is Coming | Canon |
| 149 | He's Here | Canon |
| 150 | Up to Piccolo | Canon |
| 151 | Silent Warrior | Canon |
| 152 | Say Goodbye, 17 | Canon |
| 153 | Sacrifice | Canon |
| 154 | Saiyans Emerge | Canon |
| 155 | Super Vegeta | Canon |
| 156 | Bow to the Prince | Canon |
| 157 | Hour of Temptation | Canon |
| 158 | Krillin's Decision | Canon |
| 159 | The Last Defense | Canon |
| 160 | Cell is Complete | Canon |
| 161 | Vegeta Must Pay | Canon |
| 162 | Trunks Ascends | Canon |
| 163 | Saving Throw | Canon |
| 164 | Ghosts from Tomorrow | Canon |
| 165 | The Cell Games | Canon |
| 166 | What is the Tournament? | Canon |
| 167 | The Doomsday Broadcast | Canon |
| 168 | Meet Me in the Ring | Canon |
| 169 | No Worries Here | Canon |
| 170 | A Girl Named Lime | Filler |
| 171 | Memories of Gohan | Filler |
| 172 | A New Guardian | Canon |
| 173 | Dende's Dragon | Canon |
| 174 | The Puzzle of General Tao | Mixed |
| 175 | The Games Begin | Canon |
| 176 | Losers Fight First | Mixed |
| 177 | Goku vs. Cell | Canon |
| 178 | Cell's Bag of Tricks | Canon |
| 179 | No More Rules | Canon |
| 180 | The Fight is Over | Canon |
| 181 | Faith in a Boy | Canon |
| 182 | Gohan's Plea | Canon |
| 183 | Android Explosion | Canon |
| 184 | Cell Juniors Attack! | Canon |
| 185 | Awakening | Canon |
| 186 | The Unstoppable Gohan | Canon |
| 187 | Cell's Break Down | Canon |
| 188 | A Hero's Farewell | Canon |
| 189 | Cell Returns! | Canon |
| 190 | The Horror Won't End | Canon |
| 191 | Save the World | Canon |
| 192 | Goku's Decision | Canon |
| 193 | One More Wish | Canon |
| 194 | Free the Future | Canon |
| 195 | Warriors of the Dead | Filler |
| 196 | Tournament Begins | Filler |
| 197 | Water Fight | Filler |
| 198 | Final Round | Filler |
| 199 | Goku vs.Pikkon | Filler |
| 200 | Gohan Goes to High School | Canon |
| 201 | I am Saiyaman! | Canon |
| 202 | Gohan's First Date | Filler |
| 203 | Rescue Videl | Filler |
| 204 | Blackmail | Canon |
| 205 | I'll Fight Too | Canon |
| 206 | The Newest Super Saiyan | Canon |
| 207 | Take Flight, Videl | Canon |
| 208 | Gather for the Tournament | Canon |
| 209 | Camera Shy | Canon |
| 210 | The World Tournament | Canon |
| 211 | Trunks vs. Goten | Canon |
| 212 | Best of the Boys | Canon |
| 213 | Big Trouble, Little Trunks | Canon |
| 214 | Who Will Fight Who? | Canon |
| 215 | Forfeit of Piccolo | Canon |
| 216 | A Dark and Secret Power | Canon |
| 217 | Videl is Crushed | Canon |
| 218 | Identities Revealed | Canon |
| 219 | Energy Drain | Canon |
| 220 | The Wizard's Curse | Canon |
| 221 | King of the Demons | Canon |
| 222 | Vegeta Attacks | Canon |
| 223 | Next Up, Goku | Canon |
| 224 | Battle Supreme | Canon |
| 225 | Eighteen Unmasks | Canon |
| 226 | Pay to Win | Canon |
| 227 | Heart of a Villain | Canon |
| 228 | The Dark Prince Returns | Canon |
| 229 | Vegeta's Pride | Canon |
| 230 | The Long Awaited Fight | Canon |
| 231 | Magic Ball of Buu | Canon |
| 232 | Buu is Hatched | Canon |
| 233 | The Losses Begin | Canon |
| 234 | The Terror of Majin Buu | Canon |
| 235 | Meal Time | Canon |
| 236 | The Warrior's Decision | Canon |
| 237 | Final Atonement | Canon |
| 238 | Evil Lives On | Canon |
| 239 | Find the Dragonballs | Canon |
| 240 | Revival | Canon |
| 241 | Global Announcement | Canon |
| 242 | Learn to Fuse! | Canon |
| 243 | The Z Sword | Canon |
| 244 | Race to Capsule Corp. | Canon |
| 245 | Super Saiyan 3 | Canon |
| 246 | Buu's Mutiny | Canon |
| 247 | The Fusion Dance | Canon |
| 248 | Goku's Time Is Up | Canon |
| 249 | Return to Other World | Canon |
| 250 | Out from the Broken Sword | Canon |
| 251 | Gotenks is Born | Canon |
| 252 | Unlikely Friendship | Canon |
| 253 | I Kill No More | Canon |
| 254 | The Evil of Men | Canon |
| 255 | Buu Against Buu | Canon |
| 256 | Empty Planet | Canon |
| 257 | Time Struggle | Canon |
| 258 | Super Moves of Gotenks | Canon |
| 259 | Trapped In Forever | Canon |
| 260 | Feeding Frenzy | Canon |
| 261 | Gotenks Is Awesome | Canon |
| 262 | Unlucky Break | Canon |
| 263 | A Whole New Gohan | Canon |
| 264 | Search for Survivors | Canon |
| 265 | Majin Buu Transforms | Canon |
| 266 | The Old Kai's Weapon | Canon |
| 267 | Ready to Fuse | Canon |
| 268 | Union of Rivals | Canon |
| 269 | Meet Vegito | Canon |
| 270 | Rip in the Universe | Canon |
| 271 | Vegito Downsized | Canon |
| 272 | The Incredible Fighting Candy | Canon |
| 273 | The Innards of Buu | Canon |
| 274 | Mind Trap | Mixed |
| 275 | Deadly Vision | Canon |
| 276 | Evil Kid Buu | Canon |
| 277 | End of Earth | Canon |
| 278 | True Saiyans Fight Alone | Canon |
| 279 | Battle for the Universe Begins | Canon |
| 280 | Vegeta's Respect | Canon |
| 281 | Minute of Desperation | Canon |
| 282 | Old Buu Emerges | Canon |
| 283 | Earth Reborn | Canon |
| 284 | Call to Action | Canon |
| 285 | People of Earth Unite | Canon |
| 286 | Spirit Bomb Triumphant | Canon |
| 287 | Celebrations with Majin Buu | Canon |
| 288 | He's Always Late | Filler |
| 289 | Granddaughter Pan | Canon |
| 290 | Buu's Reincarnation | Canon |
| 291 | Goku's Next Journey | Canon |
Where the labels come from
We use two source checks where available, plus cited manual reviews. The first checks the show's fan wiki, which lists the manga chapters each episode adapts. The second checks Wikipedia, mostly the Japanese episode lists, which mark episodes written for the anime. Matching anime-original signals give a provisional label of filler. If an episode has real manga scenes as well as invented ones, it's mixed. Episodes taken from official novels or one-shots are anime canon. When a check is missing or the sources disagree and a cited review does not settle it, we mark it needs review and leave it in your watch order. The verdicts on each arc (watch, optional, skip) are just our opinion.
- TVmaze episode data (CC BY-SA)
- Dragon Ball Wiki episode pages (CC BY-SA)
- Japanese Wikipedia episode list (CC BY-SA)
We combine these episode facts, renumber them into one continuous list and add our own labels. The episode data and tables on this page are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; see credits and changes.
Episodes we checked by hand (4)
- Ep 125: Anime-only driving lesson and training story; only the closing scene, where Goku, Gohan and Piccolo leave to train, is from the manga. source 1 source 2
- Ep 174: Anime-only hunt for the stolen Dragon Balls; only the final scene, where Goku finds the last ball, is from the manga. source 1 source 2
- Ep 176: Hercule's opening Cell Games matches against fighters who never appear in the manga, plus manga scenes from the same chapter. source 1 source 2
- Ep 274: An anime-only dream sequence inside Buu; only the closing moments, where Goku and Vegeta find the pods, are from the manga. source 1 source 2
Reporting opens at launch. Sources updated Oct 31, 2026.
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