The Original Dragon Ball Anime Begins Streaming in India

The original Dragon Ball anime is now officially available to stream in India on Crunchyroll. The platform launched the title in late June 2026, with both Japanese and dub audio options, expanding its growing library of classic anime in the region.

Crunchyroll’s acquisition fills a long-standing gap in the franchise’s legal streaming availability in the region. The streamer currently streams all episodes of Toei Animation’s 1986 Dragon Ball TV anime in India.

Dragon Ball franchise’s later entries, such as Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA, and select films, have reached Indian audiences through streaming platforms over the years. However, the original 1986 television series has not previously been consistently available through a dedicated subscription streaming service in the country.

Where to Stream Original Dragon Ball Anime in India?

Dragon Ball is now streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll India. The service offers all 153 episodes of the original television series with Japanese and English audio, accompanied by English subtitles, for the viewers.

The anime series originally aired in Japan from 1986 to 1989, adapting Akira Toriyama’s early manga chapters till chapter 194. The original Dragon Ball anime is available on Sony LIV; however, the platform is not one of the general destinations for anime viewing in India.

How to Stream the Dragon Ball Franchise in India?

The Dragon Ball anime series is available through Crunchyroll’s membership plans in India. Subscribers can access the title through the platform’s Fan and Mega Fan tiers, both providing ad-free streaming across supported devices.

Beyond the original series, Crunchyroll’s Indian library already includes several entries from the franchise, including Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball DAIMA, allowing subscribers to watch the narrative in chronological order.

What is Dragon Ball Anime About?

Longtime anime watchers and non-watchers are almost equally acquainted with the characters and plot of Dragon Ball. Created by the late Toriyama, the Dragon Ball manga follows young Goku’s journey to collect the seven mystical Dragon Balls. The balls are portrayed as magical artifacts capable of granting any wish when assembled in the franchise’s universe.

However, what starts as a fantasy narrative soon becomes one of the defining narratives in the shonen category with battles across multiple universes. With more than 260M manga copies in circulation worldwide by 2022, the Dragon Ball franchise remains one of the best-selling manga properties in history.

Despite the original manga and anime ending long ago, the Dragon Ball IP continues to contribute strongly to Toei’s annual revenue through licensing deals. The franchise was also the third-highest revenue generator in Bandai Namco’s financial report for Fiscal Year 2026.

Crunchyroll's release of the original Dragon Ball gives Indian audiences a complete starting point for one of anime’s most influential franchises. The launch also arrives ahead of the planned rollout of the franchise’s latest offering, the Dragon Ball Super: Beerus. The Beerus anime is scheduled to release in Fall 2026.