If there's one word to describe Reiji Ozora, it would be quitter. He can never find the motivation to finish anything, and loses interest at the drop of a hat. This all changes when his best friend Maiko introduces him to the new game Dragon Drive. In this virtual reality game, each player is assigned a dragon tailored to match their personality and strength. Reiji hopes for a big, strong, scary beast, but instead, he is stuck with Chibi, a cute, friendly-looking dragon smaller than he is. How disappointing—except it turns out that Chibi is the rarest dragon of them all! Reiji finally discovers something he can remain interested in, and works hard to train both himself and his newfound friend. Soon this training will be put to use to save the world, for there are people who have dark aspirations for Dragon Drive!

Piccolo is training at a barren cliff when a handful of mysterious enemies attacks and defeats him. These same enemies then go to Mount Paozu to steal Gohan Son's Dragon Ball. Upon arrival, not only do they defeat Gokuu Son's spouse and father-in-law—Chi-Chi and Gyumao, respectively—but they also kidnap Gohan in the process. Feeling something isn't right, Gokuu rushes home, only to find Chi-Chi lying on the ground as she explains the situation. He then goes to Kame House and borrows the Dragon Radar in order to locate the Dragon Balls and, with them, the enemies and Gohan.

Five years after winning the World Martial Arts tournament, Gokuu is now living a peaceful life with his wife and son. This changes, however, with the arrival of a mysterious enemy named Raditz who presents himself as Gokuu's long-lost brother. He reveals that Gokuu is a descendant of the once powerful but now virtually extinct Saiyan race, whose homeworld was annihilated. When he was sent to Earth as a baby, Gokuu's sole purpose was to conquer and destroy the planet; but after suffering amnesia from a head injury, his violent and savage nature changed, and instead was raised as a kind and well-mannered boy, now fighting to protect others. With his failed attempt at forcibly recruiting Gokuu as an ally, Raditz warns Gokuu's friends of a new threat that's rapidly approaching Earth—one that could plunge Earth into an intergalactic conflict and cause the heavens themselves to shake. A war will soon be fought over the seven mystical Dragon Balls, magic objects that can grant any wish. Only the strongest will survive.

Following the defeat of a great adversary, Gokuu Son and his friends live peaceful lives on Earth. Meanwhile, in space, Beerus the God of Destruction awakens from his long slumber, having dreamed of an entity known as a Super Saiyan God. With the help of his assistant, Whis, Beerus looks for this powerful being, as he wishes to fight a worthy opponent. After discovering that the Saiyan home planet was destroyed, he tracks down the remaining Saiyans on Earth, looking for Gokuu specifically. Having only heard of the Super Saiyan God in legends, Gokuu and his comrades summon Shen Long the Eternal Dragon, who they find out is afraid of Beerus. After learning the secret of the Super Saiyan God, an intense battle between Gokuu and Beerus commences, the immense power of which puts the Earth in terrible danger.