In Japan, GT premiered with a one-hour TV special. This special consisted of the first two episodes aired back-to-back. When Toei Animation archived the series for home video release, they counted this premiere as two separate episodes (Ep. 1 and Ep. 2).

In addition to the main 64 episodes, there is one essential television special:

However, the number 64 is deceptively simple. Unlike Dragon Ball Z , which was adapted directly from Akira Toriyama’s manga, GT was an original anime story with no source material. This lack of a roadmap resulted in a production history that can be categorized into three distinct "phases," which heavily influence how fans perceive the length and quality of the series.

One of the most fascinating aspects of GT’s episode count is what is missing. Before the series officially premiered, Toei Animation created a 3-minute "Promotional Video" or "Special." This is often confused for a lost episode, but it is actually a proof-of-concept pilot.

But a deeper answer acknowledges that GT is a series defined by its lack of cohesion. It is a show where the first 26 episodes feel like a different genre than the final 20. It is a series that was trimmed down to 12 episodes for re-broadcast, suggesting that the raw number "64" was padded with content that did not resonate with the fanbase.