Let's Use The Real World Calendar.

[Grimlock]

Thanks to KBABZ for the idea, I imagined it would be fun to place the Dragon Ball events in the real world calendar.

~ Dragon Ball ~
• 1984 (AGE 749) - Goku meets Bulma / Pilaf saga.
• 1985 (AGE 750) - Red Ribbon saga / 21st tournament.
• 1988 (AGE 753) - 22nd tournament / Piccolo Daimaoh saga.
• 1991 (AGE 756) - 23rd tournament.

~ Dragon Ball Z ~
• 1996 (AGE 761) - Saiyan saga (first half).
• 1997 (AGE 762) - Saiyan saga (second half) / Freeza saga.
• 1999 (AGE 764) - Cell saga (early part).
• 2002 (AGE 767) - Cell saga.
• 2009 (AGE 774) - Majin Buu saga.
• 2011 (AGE 776) - Dragon Ball: Yo!! Son Goku and His Friends Return!
• 2013 (AGE 778) - Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods.
• 2014 (AGE 779) - Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection "F".

~ Dragon Ball Super ~
• 2014 (AGE 779) - Universe 6 saga / Future Trunks saga.
• 2015 (AGE 780) - Universe Survival saga / Dragon Ball Super Broly / Moro saga¹.
• 2016 (AGE 781) - Granolah saga.
• 2017 (AGE 782) - Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
• 2019 (AGE 784) - 28th tournament.

~ Dragon Ball GT ~
• 2024 (AGE 789) - Search for the Dragon Balls / Baby saga.
• 2025 (AGE 790) - Super 17 saga / Shadow Dragons saga.

~ Trunks Timeline ~
• 2015 (AGE 780) - Gohan's death (Trunks TV Special).
• 2018 (AGE 783) - Trunks tries to defeat the androids (Trunks TV Special).
• 2019 (AGE 784) - Trunks travels twenty years into the past (Trunks TV Special).
• 2020 (AGE 785) - Trunks defeats Android 17 and Android 18.
• 2023 (AGE 788) - Trunks defeats Cell.
• 20XX (AGE 7XX) - Trunks defeats Babidi and Dabura.
• 2030 (AGE 795) - Goku Black appears on Earth.
• 2031 (AGE 796) - Trunks travels seventeen years into the past.

~ Miscellaneous ~
• 1969 (AGE 734) - Freeza's alliance with the Saiyans.
• 1972 (AGE 737) - Bardock TV Special.
• 1974 (AGE 739) - Dragon Ball Minus.
• 2124 (AGE 889) - Dragon Ball GT TV Special.
• 2235 (AGE 1000) - Dragon Ball Online.


¹ I placed Moro saga in that year because I kind of liked the idea that Goku was coming back from Broly's planet, though this wouldn't leave room for anything. Moro saga would start as soon as the movie ends. If you don't subscribe to this idea at all and wants some timeskip between the movie and said saga, it's possible to push it forward, even to 2016/AGE 781.

I didn't include Bardock OVA because we don't know if he traveled one thousand years into the past. But if that's the case, the year would be 972 (AGE -263), going by the TV Special or 974 (AGE -261), going by Dragon Ball Minus.

Let me know if you want me to include other dates as well while I still can edit this post.

[MasenkoHA]

I was born the same year as Gohan, apparently.

[Koitsukai]

Interesting thread. Funny BoG was released the same year it actually took place.

What year was Yamcha playing professional baseball? early 90s?... too bad it wasn't a more popular sport like football or basketball, we could've toyed around with the idea of him winning a golden medal in the Olympic games or a World Cup.

Maybe there's nothing beyond EoZ because the pandemic also hit the Dragon World

So, Goku was born in 1972 (if he was 12 at the beginning of DB), and Vegeta in 1967, right?

Trunks (2001) would be 20 years old, Goten (2002) and Pan (2014)

[jjgp1112]

Yeah, I've done this before myself too. Gohan and I are the same age.

Hell, I'm pretty sure I remember reading that Toei follows this timeline too, and the reason BoG was 4 years after the Buu saga was so it could be set in the release year, 2013.

[Grimlock]

Maybe there's nothing beyond EoZ because the pandemic also hit the Dragon World

The fact that we can actually use it to reboot/retcon everything post manga is kind of hilarious. No, not really. I would absolutely hate that my descendants would not be alive to live Dragon Ball Online. We will survive the pandemic, give us the cure!

So, Goku was born in 1972 (if he was 12 at the beginning of DB), and Vegeta in 1967, right?

Depends. Do you believe Goku spent two years and X months in an incubator or a full three years? If the former, yes. That would mean Goku was born in 1972. If the latter, then he was born in 1971.

Depending on which year you go for Goku, subtract one for Kuririn (as he is one year older than Goku).

Bulma was born in 1968 or 1969. Her age/birth year will also depend on a few details.

Tights was born in 1957 (as she's seventeen by the time Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman takes place). Same year as my mother, curiously.

If I forgot anyone else who had their age mentioned in the series (or from any sources, would be fun to know their real birthday), let me know.

I was born the same year as Gohan, apparently.

Yeah, I've done this before myself too. Gohan and I are the same age.

A lot of 1992 folks here!

Hell, I'm pretty sure I remember reading that Toei follows this timeline too, and the reason BoG was 4 years after the Buu saga was so it could be set in the release year, 2013.

Well, that is interesting. If you happen to find any source, please don't forget to post here.

[Super Sonic]

I was born one year before the Saiyans saga, that would make me three years younger than Gohan. We're close to the Dragon Ball GT events, by the way. Just a few more years! Anyway, do you have any cool/fun info to share after knowing this? Let us know!
Also, let me know if you want me to figure out the calendar in Trunks' timeline!

While I'm older, do think it's interesting everything starts the same year your namesake first appeared.

[WittyUsername]

Minor point, but since the 21st Budokai should logically take place around a year after the Pilaf saga, shouldn’t that make Goku 13 at that point, and not 12?

[Koitsukai]

I don't remember the dates of the Tenkaichi Budokai, but do they line up with our calendar? The TB from the Buu arc taking place in 2009 is correct? same goes for EoZ TB?
So, Mr. Satan ruled the world althroughout the 90s. He definitely has that '90s attitude...

[jjgp1112]

I don't remember the dates of the Tenkaichi Budokai, but do they line up with our calendar? The TB from the Buu arc taking place in 2009 is correct? same goes for EoZ TB?
So, Mr. Satan ruled the world althroughout the 90s. He definitely has that '90s attitude...

We just plugged in the actual years that have already been confirmed and just translated them to our years.

[MasenkoHA]

Minor point, but since the 21st Budokai should logically take place around a year after the Pilaf saga, shouldn’t that make Goku 13 at that point, and not 12?

I’m pretty sure the Kame Sennin training was said to have only taken over the course of 8 months so a full year didn’t even pass when the Dragon Balls became inert

Regardless Goku is 12 at the tournament.

[Grimlock]

While I'm older, do think it's interesting everything starts the same year your namesake first appeared.

1984 was a great year for pop culture! Me Grimlock no bozo, me king!

[KBABZ]

I was born in the time Goku was training for the 23rd TB, 1990. Not too much happening there.

I think the biggest thing this does is put into better perspective the technological advancements that (quote-unquote) "should" have transpired. With the Cell Saga in 2002, most folks should have cell phones, and by the Buu saga in 2009, they should be smart phones with the rise of tablets well under way. Also notable is that nobody is shown with a personal computer, which started being a thing right when Dragon Ball was ending, but when you line up the timeskips with our calendar it really should have occured in the Saiyan Saga.

Overall it's a lot like Star Wars: because it was made in the 70s and 80s things like personal computers, cellphones and the internet just aren't present. In the Prequels you have tablet-like devices, but they're all around one function and there's nothing like the dedicated multi-function devices that we're familiar with, and all the vectors, displays and holograms are monochrome, flickery, have scanlines, and otherwise look shitty in some way because that's all they were capable of back in the day.

This is why it's weird to have the characters use cell phones, because for the decade-long period of time of Dragon Ball's golden era, the world of Dragon Ball didn't really progress at all, outside of the one time Goku aged and the way Bulma dresses herself. It's a bit more Tolkein-esque in that way where things are more temporally locked, change happening slowly if it happens at all, that sort of thing.

[Grimlock]

Alright, I edited the opening post to include the new movie, Trunks timeline as well as adding the original years for a better reference. Any question? Don't hesitate to ask.

[JulieYBM]

Wow, I was born the year before the 23rd Tenka'ichi! Too bad there are no stories set in that time.

[PurestEvil]

So Battle of Gods and the beginning of Super were actually released in their respective years? That's pretty interesting...

[jjgp1112]

I know it's a year later but the reason whybthis is actually somewhat legitimate is due to Dr Slump. Dr. Slump was set in 1980, and then according to the Daizenshuu it takes place in 745 on the DB calendar. So you can extrapolate from there.

[SupremeKai25]

Imagine we lived in the Future Trunks world. After Covid in 2020 we would get Zamasu killing everyone who's left in 2030

[JulieYBM]

I know it's a year later but the reason whybthis is actually somewhat legitimate is due to Dr Slump. Dr. Slump was set in 1980, and then according to the Daizenshuu it takes place in 745 on the DB calendar. So you can extrapolate from there.

Honestly makes me wish that we had gotten a high school/taller Arale and gang to team up with Gokuu instead. I think it would have been a neat contrast. Alas...

[Jord]

I know it's a year later but the reason whybthis is actually somewhat legitimate is due to Dr Slump. Dr. Slump was set in 1980, and then according to the Daizenshuu it takes place in 745 on the DB calendar. So you can extrapolate from there.

Honestly makes me wish that we had gotten a high school/taller Arale and gang to team up with Gokuu instead. I think it would have been a neat contrast. Alas...

We could all use more Dr Slump. Whether it's a new series or more appearances in DB.

[Grimlock]

So Battle of Gods and the beginning of Super were actually released in their respective years? That's pretty interesting...

Only Movie 14. Dragon Ball Super was released in 2015, the year its last animated saga takes place.