Watch Order Guide

When order actually matters

Order is worth thinking about if any of these apply:

• There are two adaptations of the same story with different endings, like Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) and Brotherhood (2009).
• The anime pauses for filler when it catches up to the manga. Long shonen series like Naruto and Bleach did this a lot.
• A film sits inside the timeline and continues the main plot, like Demon Slayer's Mugen Train.
• Prequels were released after the original and rely on you knowing what happens later, like Star Wars or Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

If none of those apply, start at the beginning and keep going.

Dragon Ball watch order

Dragon Ball is simpler than it looks. The main thing to know is that GT and Super are two different follow-ups to Z, and Super is the one the franchise now builds on. Our Dragon Ball character guide covers the cast.

1. Dragon Ball (1986) — 153 episodes. Goku's childhood adventures, martial arts tournaments and the first hunts for the Dragon Balls. Lighter and funnier than what follows, and it sets up most of the core cast.
2. Dragon Ball Z (1989) — 291 episodes. Goku as an adult, the Saiyans, Frieza, Cell and Buu. Alternative: Dragon Ball Z Kai, a re-edited version that cuts most filler and is much shorter.
3. Dragon Ball Daima (2024) — Optional. Set shortly after the Buu saga, it can go here, between Z and Super.
4. Dragon Ball Super (2015) — 131 episodes. Its first two arcs retell the films Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', so you can watch either the films or those arcs.
5. Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018) — Follows the end of the Super TV series.
6. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022) — Follows Broly, with Gohan and Piccolo in the lead.

Dragon Ball GT (1996), 64 episodes, was the original sequel to Z but isn't consistent with Super. Treat it as an optional alternative ending. Most of the older Z films are side stories that don't fit neatly into the timeline and can be skipped.

Naruto watch order

Naruto's order is straightforward; the real question is filler. See our Naruto characters page for the cast.

1. Naruto (2002) — 220 episodes. Most of the last stretch, roughly from episode 136 onward, is anime-only filler. Many viewers skip it and go straight to Shippuden after the Sasuke Retrieval arc.
2. Naruto Shippuden (2007) — 500 episodes, set after a time skip. Also has a lot of filler; a filler guide is worth using on a first watch.
3. The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) — Set after the war and before Naruto's wedding, which appears in Shippuden's final episodes. Purists watch it just before those episodes; watching it after Shippuden also works.
4. Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015) — Optional; much of it is retold in the Boruto TV series.
5. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2017) — 293 episodes following Naruto's son. The story continues in the manga Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.

The other Naruto and Shippuden films are side stories. They're fine for fans but don't affect the main plot.

Star Wars watch order

Star Wars is the classic release-versus-chronological debate. For a first viewing, release order is the clear recommendation: it protects the most famous twist in film and lets you meet the galaxy as audiences did in 1977. See the Star Wars characters guide.

Chronological order (for a rewatch, including the main series): The Acolyte → Episodes I and II → The Clone Wars → Episode III → The Bad Batch → Solo → Obi-Wan Kenobi → Andor and Rebels (they overlap) → Rogue One → Episodes IV, V and VI → The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Skeleton Crew → Episodes VII, VIII and IX.

Machete order is a fan favourite for the six Skywalker films: IV, V, II, III, VI. It keeps the Vader reveal intact, then flashes back to Anakin's story before the finale. The original version skips Episode I entirely.

Marvel (MCU) watch order

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was designed to be watched in release order, with each film setting up the next. The first 23 films, often called the Infinity Saga, run from Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Our Avengers and Marvel characters guides cover the heroes.

After Endgame, the films and Disney+ series lean on each other more. Keep release order, but note these pairings: WandaVision before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness; Far From Home before Spider-Man: No Way Home; Loki before Deadpool & Wolverine; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier before Captain America: Brave New World; Black Widow and Hawkeye before Thunderbolts*.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra

Avatar is a clean release-order watch with no filler or film detours. See our Avatar characters guide.

1. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) — Three books, Water, Earth and Fire; 61 episodes.
2. The comics (optional) — Graphic novels such as The Promise bridge the end of the show and Korra. Most people read them after finishing both series.
3. The Legend of Korra (2012) — Four books, 52 episodes, set about 70 years later with a new Avatar.

The 2010 live-action film and the 2024 Netflix live-action series are separate retellings, not part of this order.

Attack on Titan watch order

Attack on Titan has no filler, so it's simply a matter of knowing how the seasons were split. More in our Attack on Titan character guide.

1. Season 1 — 25 episodes.
2. Season 2 — 12 episodes.
3. Season 3 Part 1 and Part 2 — 12 and 10 episodes.
4. The Final Season Part 1 and Part 2 — 16 and 12 episodes.
5. The Final Chapters, Special 1 and Special 2 — Two long specials that end the series.

Optional: the OVA No Regrets tells Levi's backstory and fits well after season one or two. The recap films can be skipped.

Demon Slayer watch order

Demon Slayer is release order, with one choice to make: film or TV version of Mugen Train. See the Demon Slayer characters page.

1. Season 1: Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc — 26 episodes.
2. Mugen Train — The 2020 film, or the seven-episode Mugen Train Arc TV version, which adds an original opening episode about Rengoku.
3. Entertainment District Arc — 11 episodes.
4. Swordsmith Village Arc — 11 episodes.
5. Hashira Training Arc — 8 episodes.
6. Infinity Castle — The final arc, adapted as a film trilogy beginning in 2025.

Jujutsu Kaisen watch order

JJK's only wrinkle is the prequel film. See our Jujutsu Kaisen characters guide.

1. Season 1 — 24 episodes.
2. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021 film) — A prequel about Yuta Okkotsu. Watching it after season one, as it was released, keeps a few reveals intact and sets up Yuta's later role.
3. Season 2 — 23 episodes: the Hidden Inventory / Premature Death arc (a flashback to Gojo's student days) followed by the Shibuya Incident.
4. The Culling Game — The next arc, adapted as the third season.

Fullmetal Alchemist: 2003 or Brotherhood?

There are two complete anime, and they're different stories after the early episodes.

Most people start with Brotherhood. If you love it, the 2003 series is worth watching afterwards for its different take. Don't try to mix them. See our Fullmetal Alchemist characters page.

Bleach watch order

1. Bleach (2004) — 366 episodes, ending with the Lost Agent (Fullbring) arc. Several arcs are anime-only filler and can be skipped on a first watch.
2. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (2022) — The final arc, adapted years later in several parts. Go straight here from the end of the original series.

One Piece and other long runners

One Piece is watched in release order; the question is pace, not order. The films, such as Strong World, Film Z, Stampede and Film Red, are side stories and optional. Netflix's live-action series is a separate retelling, as is a new anime remake that has been announced. If the anime's pace is a problem, many fans switch to the manga at the end of an arc. See our One Piece guide.

For the Harry Potter films, watch the eight main films in release order, then the three Fantastic Beasts films, which are prequels set decades earlier.

When to switch from anime to manga

For long series, the practical question is often when to jump to the manga, which is usually ahead. Two rules help:

• Switch at the end of an arc, not the middle. Anime and manga pace things differently, and switching mid-arc can feel jarring or make you think you've seen something you only previewed.
• Find the right chapter. Look up which chapter the anime's last episode adapted, then start from the next one.

Our manga vs. anime guide covers the differences in more depth.

Common mistakes

• Starting with a prequel. Prequels are usually built on dramatic irony: you know what the characters don't. Watching them first throws that away.
• Treating filler lists as law. Some filler is fun, and some canon episodes are slow. Use skip lists as a guide.
• Assuming chronological means better. When a story is built around a reveal, release order is what the writers intended.
• Mixing two adaptations. Pick one version of Fullmetal Alchemist as your main path and finish it.