Do you believe each DBZ movie takes place in its own universe?

[DBZfan2015]

Even if we ignore the anime and put all the movies and specials in a separate universe, they still would have problems. For example, how can the Cooler movies happen if Piccolo, Chiaotzu, Tien, and Yamcha are alive and well in movies 2-4? How did Goku end up fighting Frieza on Namek?

[Anime Kitten]

There was another thread from earlier this week discussing a similar topic.

But yeah, they're in their own alternate timeline of sorts. Obviously 5 & 6 are in the same one, but not in the same one as other movies.

[dbgtFO]

Even if we ignore the anime and put all the movies and specials in a separate universe, they still would have problems. For example, how can the Cooler movies happen if Piccolo, Chiaotzu, Tien, and Yamcha are alive and well in movies 2-4? How did Goku end up fighting Frieza on Namek?

One of my big ideas for a fan-project would be to make a coherent story that uses those 13 Z movies as its basis and writes the story around that.

In the case of Piccolo and co. being fine and well in movies 2-4, but still needing them to go to Namek to defeat Freeza, prompting Coola to seek vengeance, my timeline actually coincidentally lined up with the Garlic Junior Filler arc taking place right after movie 4!
This could then be rewritten to have Piccolo die, thus prompting the trip to Namek and an alternate Freeza Arc, where Goku does not achieve Super Saiyan, but defeats him with the Genkidama or something and then his first SS transformation is against Coola.
You just need some creativity, but of course a good story should not require too much suspension of disbelief.

[Akira]

The best thing to do is just never take the movies too seriously. They are all loosely tied to the main Z (not Kai version though) series in one way or another. If they actually "fit" or not isn't really the question in my mind. They are side stories, fun little chunks of DBZ action to enjoy alongside the main series. You really have to have seen the first three movies before you get to the end of the Freeza arc if you're to make sense of the Garlic Junior Saga filler. Movie 1 details the first battle with Garlic Junior and Movie 3 shows how Gohan met Haiya Dragon.

They don't "fit" or "belong" anywhere specific in the Z series, yet they are essential viewing to fully enjoy the series (at least the first time around). Movie 5 requires that you've watched the Bardock special to fully appreciate it, and even the Video Guide/OVA whatever you want to call it Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans assumes that you've watched up through the Android/Cell Saga and watched Movies 3,4,5, and 8 beforehand. A lot of the older content is connected in one way or another, just not in some set in stone continuity sense. Movie 11, despite being touted as a Broly sequel, has very little to do with him. Yet it details a fun side story about Android #18 coming to collect her money from Mr. Satan after she agreed to throw the fight for a payoff.

You'll enjoy it much more in the long run if you just watch them for what they are, interesting side stories, and don't worry about trying to make them fit with the series or each other. Some link together, some don't. It is like a puzzle piece that fits together on one side, but not on the others. There's just some overlap and it will always be round pegs in square holes, sure they fit, but not really. Hope you get the gist of what I mean.

[Esfír Dedragón]

I was under the impression that they are all what-ifs, regardless of the official events that took place in the manga and anime.

[Cipher]

They all simply treat whatever the characters' statuses were at the time of the movie's release (strength, transformations, who's dead and alive (sometimes), etc.) as a permanent status quo and go from there into a new conflict. There's no more or less to it than that.

Even the movies that share villains with previous ones (6, 10 and 11) don't seem to be bothered about how they line up -- again, wherever the characters currently stood was carried over, but oh, hey, they also know Brolli/Coola, even if their previous movies can't quite line up with events in the series that have taken place since.

They all take a very loose approach to any sense of continuity. Which is totally fine -- they were meant to be exciting, short spectacles for kids on breaks, who got to see their favorite characters in a new story and, in days before home releases of the series were common, maybe own some brief bit of animated material to rewatch.

This doesn't apply to the first three Dragon Ball movies, which manage to tell their own little alternate story, though I'm not sure if that was by design or by accident.

[Hellspawn28]

Alternate timelines is a better term. I would say yes since I think Movie 7 is set in a timeline where Dr. Gero never created Cell, Goku didn't die from the heart virus and Trunks created a device to blow up #17 and #18. It could explain why everyone in that movie is weaker, #17 & #18 are not seen or mention again, Goku is not in bed sick, Trunks hair is shorter and Gohan is the same height as Krillin.

[Desassina]

I like to think of them as branching events in the same world, like Schrodinger's Cat theory, which means that they happen until we are revealed what the outcome is, like False Super Saiya-jin and SSJ, and they converge into one existence like Garlic Junior's saga.