March 25, 2018, marked the conclusion of the “Dragon Ball Super” (DBS) anime, with the series ending on the “Tournament of Power” saga and concluding with 131 episodes in total. Since then, seven years have passed with no new anime in sight. While the series did continue through two theatrical films, multiple new games and the DBS manga continuing until late March 2024, fans were desperate for a continuation of Dragon Ball – or a new anime in general – following the death of series creator Akira Toriyama.
However, during the New York Comic Con in 2023, something magical happened. As part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Dragon Ball, a trailer premiered for a new series, not revealing much context other than the fact that Goku and the gang had been turned into kids and that it would release in fall 2024 with the name “Dragon Ball DAIMA.” Fans were divided upon hearing about this, with many complaining it would turn out like the infamously hated Dragon Ball GT, while others were petty over the fact that this wasn’t going to be a continuation of DBS. However, many were still excited for the new release despite the backlash.
Much like its predecessor, DAIMA takes place after the events of the “Buu Saga” from the original Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) run. This time, we are introduced to our new antagonists: King Gomah – the new demon king after Dabura – his second-in-command, Degesu and the royal scientist, Degesu’s sister, Arinsu. After hearing the news of the demise of Dabura and Majin Buu, Gomah is crowned as the new supreme demon king, but Arinsu convinces Gomah that Goku and the others will come for them next. Believing this, Gomah and Degesu go to Earth to use the Dragon Balls to turn everyone into children and kidnap an infant Dende to make him conjure up a new set for the Demon Realm. Now, it is up to Goku and the gang to rescue Dende and return to normal.
This story takes inspiration from the original Dragon Ball run, focusing heavily on the theme of adventure rather than Goku’s evolution in strength. It is a refreshing take on a Dragon Ball story focusing on the world rather than the fights. The Demon Realm is such an interesting, beautiful setting and it is essentially the focus of the entire series, with both the audience and the characters learning more about it as the story progresses.
In fact, the world-building of DAIMA is where the writing is at its strongest. The series takes a lot of the earlier lore and expands it to fully explore the Demon Realm. For example, there was not a lot of information about the origin of the Supreme Kais in DBZ, but DAIMA expanded upon that by revealing that they are a race called “Glinds,” and that a few of them were chosen as Supreme Kais to monitor over the universes, with the remaining Glinds migrating from the Demon Realm to other universes. Seeing the lore expand like this is very welcoming, as it shows that the writers want to develop the world beyond previous descriptions and leave no place unexplored.
The art direction is also superior for the series. Because Toriyama was heavily involved in the development of DAIMA, every character is designed with his simple design aesthetic and humorous naming conventions, which have been a series staple since the beginning. The Demon Realm itself is so reminiscent of Toriyama’s previous works, with the Third Demon Realm looking as if it was ripped right out of “Chrono Trigger,” and many of the background characters sharing similar design aesthetics to his most recent project, “Sand Land.” The entire series oozes with Toriyama’s simply gorgeous art style.
The animation is jaw-dropping. The movement is so vibrant and fluid, the characters are incredibly expressive, and the choreography is perfect. From the Goku vs. Tamagami Number Three to the final battle, no fight looks choppy or lazy. In addition, the music is beautifully composed, and the mix of action and adventure blends spectacularly with the narrative; it feels like a Japanese Role-Playing Game.
I think it is time to bring attention to what is possibly the greatest addition to DAIMA which drastically changed the trajectory of the series. This refers to the reintroduction of Super Saiyan 4 (SSJ4). For those unfamiliar, SSJ4 was an original transformation exclusive to Dragon Ball GT – a continuation of the DBZ story that came before DBS – and was received negatively. Toriyama was not entirely involved in GT, as he was busy overseeing production of the original series, while everything else was created independently by Toei Animation. DAIMA bringing SSJ4 back in Episode 18 was one of the most shocking, yet confounding, reveals in all of Dragon Ball.
Of course, the series has its fair share of negatives. If you have been watching the series up to this point, this transformation comes out of left field. Goku claims that, after defeating Buu, he trained endlessly and transformed by himself, with Neva awakening the power within him. It is a strange explanation that feels almost intentionally vague, and it was unexpected compared to Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3. It also makes it difficult to connect DAIMA to the main continuity, leaving questions about why Goku didn’t use SSJ4 against Beerus or Jiren. Despite that, SSJ4 is just way too cool to be upset about. The design of SSJ4 is similar to the original, with a few major changes in his hair and eye color, which now have a red-magenta hue to match the chest fur. His arms appear longer and larger, too. Also, Goku’s SSJ4 has arguably the best fight scenes in DAIMA.
“Dragon Ball: DAIMA” is an almost-perfect series that blew expectations out of the water. It feels like all four generations of Dragon Ball came together to develop one series: the adventure from Dragon Ball, the expansion of the story from DBZ, the exploration of the world from Dragon Ball GT and the fight scenes from DBS. It incorporates the source material brilliantly and expands upon the world in ways that were previously retconned or never explored beyond the surface level. While the future of the series has been unknown since the passing of its creator, DAIMA is everything fans have asked for and more. It is a love letter to longtime fans of the series from Toriyama himself.
