Ranked · Difficulty · Updated June 2026

The Most Confusing Watch Orders, Ranked

Some franchises hand you a tidy "start here", these laugh at the very idea. From a 13-game saga that demands a flowchart to anime cut into release-vs-chronological civil wars, these are the orders fans argue about hardest. If any franchise justifies this whole site, it's these.

  1. 1
    Kingdom Hearts in OrderGame

    Spin-offs on every console, numbered sequels that aren't sequels, the eternal flowchart champion.

    See the order
  2. 2
    Monogatari Series Watch OrderAnime

    Release order contradicts chronology, and the franchise itself dares you to choose wrong.

    See the order
  3. 3
    Fate Series Watch OrderAnime

    Visual-novel routes, Ufotable's reorderings, and 'which Fate first?' has no clean answer.

    See the order
  4. 4
    Star Wars Movies in OrderFilm

    Episodes 4-6-1-2-3-7-8-9 or Machete? Three generations still can't agree.

    See the order
  5. 5
    The X-Men Movies in OrderFilm

    Timeline-shattering Days of Future Past retconned a saga that never tracked anyway.

    See the order
  6. 6
    NieR Games in OrderGame

    Replays unlock new endings, and Automata's lore needs Drakengard archaeology to parse.

    See the order
  7. 7
    Gintama Watch OrderAnime

    Filler, arcs, movies, and meta-gags weave a wiki-grade scheduling nightmare.

    See the order
  8. 8
    Dragon Ball Watch OrderAnime

    Z vs Kai vs GT vs Super, plus non-canon movies, pure chronology chaos.

    See the order
  9. 9
    The Witcher Games in OrderGame

    Books, three games, and a Netflix show all pull the timeline different directions.

    See the order
  10. 10
    Steins;Gate Watch OrderAnime

    Worldlines branch into 0, OVAs, and movie, which timeline are you even watching?

    See the order
  11. 11
    Evangelion Watch OrderAnime

    Original series, End of Eva, then four Rebuild films that quietly rewrite everything.

    See the order
  12. 12
    Assassin's Creed Games in OrderGame

    Past, present, and Animus framing across a dozen entries scrambles every newcomer.

    See the order

Frequently asked questions

Which of these is genuinely the hardest to get into?

Kingdom Hearts, hands down. Its story spans handheld spin-offs, mobile games, and numbered titles that skip around, so even fans rely on a chronological flowchart to make sense of it.

Should I watch in release order or chronological order?

It depends. For Star Wars and X-Men, release order preserves the reveals; for anime like Fate or Monogatari, creators often suggest broadcast order, while purists swap to chronological on a rewatch.

What's the best entry point for a total newcomer?

Pick the most self-contained piece: Star Wars Episode IV, Fate/Zero or Unlimited Blade Works for Fate, and Dragon Ball Z Kai for Dragon Ball. Master one thread before tackling the spin-offs.

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