Movies like Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (1993)
The best movies like Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (1993) are Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (2011), Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992) and Gintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya (2013). If Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks hooked you with its animation and action, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAvatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)9.0/10 from 1,441 votes
- NewestAvatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseDragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (2011)Also in Japanese
Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (2011)
A spin-off scenario taking place after the events of the TV special Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku, in which Bardock survives the destruction of Planet Vegeta and is sent into the past, combating Frieza's ancestor Chilled and turning into a Super Saiyan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992)
Dr. Gero's Androids #13, #14, and #15 are awakened by the laboratory computers and immediately head to the mall where Goku is shopping. After Goku, Trunks, and Vegeta defeat #14 and #15, #13 absorbs their inner computers and becomes a super being greater than the original three separately were. Now it is up to Goku to stop him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya (2013)
What would have happened if the Shiroyasha never existed? Edo is thrown to chaos by a mysterious cause. Sakata Gintoki, now lives in a world where the future has changed, without him. What has happened to the Yorozuya? Gintoki, who is now a ghost of the past, must once again carry the burden in order to save his friends. He must finish the biggest job ever, which may be the final job of Yorozuya.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDragon Ball Z Side Story: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans (1993)
Dr. Raichi is one of the only survivors of the Tuffles, a race that once lived on Planet Plant before the coming of the Saiyans. The Saiyans not only massacred the entire Tuffle race, but also stole their technology and conquered the planet, renaming it Planet Vegeta in honor of their king. Raichi managed to escape with a capsule and found refuge on the Dark Planet, a world at the end of the universe. His only wish is to eradicate the last remaining Saiyans.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExpelled from Paradise (2014)
A.D. 2400, DEVA's central council detects an incident of unauthorized access into their mainframe. Someone on Earth was trying to hack into the system. The only information DEVA was able to retrieve was that hacker referred to themselves as "Frontier Setter." To investigate the mysterious hacker's motives, the high officials of DEVA dispatch system Security Third Officer Angela Balzac to the Earth's surface. Equipped with a prosthetic "material body," Angela attempts to make contact with a local agent Dingo, but what awaited her instead was a swarm of Sandworms now infesting the Earth's surface. Angela intercepts the gruesome pests with her exoskeleton powered suit Arhan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy (1997)
Son Goku Jr. is the great-great-grandson of the legendary martial artist Son Goku. However, unlike his predecessor he's not a brave fighter. He's constantly picked on by school bullies, his grandmother Pan sees this and she's worried, but even though Goku Jr. is not a strong and powerful Saiyan, he has a kind heart, and Pan loves him. When Pan gets sick Goku Jr. realizes he must do something if he doesn't want to lose Pan. Then he will remember about the legends of the Dragon Balls. It was told they granted a wish to the bearer, Goku Jr. needs a magical wish more than ever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAppleseed Alpha (2014)
The Third World War (2099–2126) devastated part of the Earth. Former nations are reforming while new powers emerge, and groups of humans struggle to survive in ruined cities. The story follows Deunan Knute and her partner Briareos as they search for the legendary city of Olympus.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan (1993)
While the Saiyan Paragus persuades Vegeta to rule a new planet, King Kai alerts Goku of the South Galaxy's destruction by an unknown Super Saiyan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku (1990)
Bardock, Son Goku's father, is a low-ranking Saiyan soldier who was given the power to see into the future by the last remaining alien on a planet he just destroyed. He witnesses the destruction of his race and must now do his best to stop Frieza's impending massacre.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStand by Me Doraemon (2014)
Sewashi and Doraemon find themselves way back in time and meet Nobita. It is up to Doraemon to take care of Nobita or else he will not return to the present.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSteins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu (2013)
One year after the events of the anime, Rintarou begins to feel the repercussions of extensive time travel, and eventually completely fades from reality. Kurisu, being the only companion to remember him, now must find a way to bring him back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both science fiction & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVoices of a Distant Star (2002)
It is 2046 when a mysterious alien force begins their annihilation of the human race. Leaving behind the one person she loves, Mikako joins the interstellar battle as a pilot. And so - while Mikako risks her life to save mankind - Noboru waits. The two lovers, worlds apart, desperately strive to remain connected as the gap between them widens at a frightening pace.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAngel's Egg (1985)
In the ruins of a strange city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. She bonds with a boy who is searching for a bird he saw in a dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)
A week before Christmas, Kyon wakes up in a world where the SOS Brigade doesn't exist. Mikuru and Yuki don't recognize him, and Haruhi and Itsuki seem to have vanished.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisGalaxy Express 999: The Movie (1979)
In the future, one can achieve immortality by obtaining a mechanized body. Orphaned, young Tetsuro hitches a ride on the space train Galaxy Express 999 in the hope of obtaining a cyborg body to avenge his mother's death. Along the way, he meets Maetel, who is the spitting image of his dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCosmic Princess Kaguya! (2026)
Iroha's life gets knocked off its orbit when Kaguya, a carefree runaway from the Moon, moves in and convinces her to perform in a virtual world together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAvatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026)
Avatar Aang, the world's last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & action
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisA Wind Named Amnesia (1990)
A wind has swept the Earth taking all the memories from everyone. No one knows who they are, how to speak, or how to use the tools of modern civilization. Two years later, a young man who has been re-educated travels across America on a mysterious journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHello World (2019)
A shy high schooler in Kyoto meets a man claiming to be his future self, who tells him he’s hacked into the past to save their first love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRegular Show: The Movie (2015)
After a high school lab experiment goes horribly wrong, Mordecai and Rigby must go back in time to battle an evil volleyball coach in order to save the universe — and their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & science fiction
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMoldiver (1993)
A naïve young girl accidentally modifies her brother's secret superhero uniform and becomes the unwilling superheroine Moldiver.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (1990)
The evil Dr. Kochin uses the dragon balls to resurrect his mentor, Dr. Wheelo, in an effort to take over the world. Dr. Wheelo, his body having been destroyed by the avalanche that killed him fifty years before, desires the body of the strongest fighter in the world as his new vessel. Believing Roshi to be the world's strongest warrior, Dr. Kochin abducts Bulma and forces Roshi to surrender himself to save her. When Goku hears of their abduction, he goes to their rescue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990)
Goku and friends must stop a band of space pirates from consuming fruit from the Tree of Might before it's destructive powers drain Earth's energy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: Lord Slug (1991)
A Super Namekian named Slug comes to invade Earth. But the Z Warriors do their best to stop Slug and his gang.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (1992)
Cooler has resurrected himself as a robot and is enslaving the people of New Namek. Goku and the gang must help.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel Rising: Secret Warriors (2018)
When a threat no one could have expected bears down on the Marvel Universe, this ragtag, untrained band of teens have no choice but to rise together and prove to the world that sometimes the difference between a 'hero' and 'misfit' is just in the name.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space (1982)
Amuro Ray and the rest of the White Base crew, now denominated the 13th Autonomous Corps, return to outer space to support the rest of the Earth Federation forces for the decisive battle against the Principality of Zeon's forces.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & science fiction
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTomorrow's Joe The Movie (1980)
An abridged remake of the first Ashita no Joe TV series, released in 1980 to provide back-story for the second TV series to new fans who were not familiar with the first TV series or the manga.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
City Hunter Special: The Secret Service (1996)
City Hunter, the globally adored hero, becomes embroiled in an adventure that takes him deep into the political intrigue of a Third World country and into the pain and anguish of one man's tortured past. James McGuire's life is so dangerous he has to hire bodyguards for his Secret Service agents. It doesn't help that his chief agent is actually his long-lost daughter. Luckily for him, City Hunter and Kaori are behind on the rent and need the work. But a dark secret from McGuire's past threatens to destroy him and his lonely daughter Anna. Will he live to rescue his country? Will his resentful daughter learn to love him again? Will City Hunter finally get some action?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & animation
City Hunter: .357 Magnum (1989)
A beautiful pianist comes to Tokyo for a charity concert - and City Hunter is there. But music isn't his forte. He wants lessons in the language of love. Desperation is the word as bodies start dropping. A foreign dignitary is assassinated in cold blood. Secret agents scour the streets for a missing microchip. And diplomatic infighting swirls around the upcoming concert until Nina the pianist and her grandfather Klaus are kidnapped. A maelstrom of exploding grenades, the rumble of Falcon's jeep, and the tinkling of the ivories all set the stage for City Hunter: . 357 Magnum. The show must go on!
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks?
The closest matches to Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks are Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (2011), Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992) and Gintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya (2013). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks?
Start with Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (2011), the closest match to Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks?
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026), rated 9.0/10 by 1,441 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks?
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks?
Yes: Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock (2011), Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992) and Gintama: The Final Chapter - Be Forever Yorozuya (2013).
How are movies similar to Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.