Dragon Ball Daimaproved itself a worthy entry into the iconic, decades-old franchise, diving deep into its own bag of tricks to present fans with a sense of adventure and wonder not seen since its earliest days. Akira Toriyama’s final contribution to his incredibly successful series, before tragically passing away in March 2024,Daimatook its iconic cast of characters to another realm on a journey that wasboth nostalgic and offered a fresh take on their many past adventures.
As the final credits rolled on Goku’s latest anime adventure, however, a large portion of the fan basebegan heaping criticism onto the series for various supposed wrongdoings. Some felt the series wasn’t exciting enough throughout its 20-episode run, and lacked the action everyone expects fromDragon Ball. Others claimed its ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. The loudest criticism had to do with the anime’sunwillingness to cooperate with other canon works. While some criticism is valid, the majority of it only proves one thing: some fans never really understoodDragon Ball.
Daima’s Finale Caused Controversy About Its Canon Status
Dragon Ball’s Newest Anime Contradicts Previously Established Plot Points
Dragon Ballhas one established canon timelinein which the events of Akira Toriyama’s original manga take place. In between the beginning of the series and its finale, bothDragon Ball DaimaandDragon Ball Superare supposed to take place. It isn’t quite as complicated as other series that boast multiple realities and timelines, yet a large portion of the fan base became irate whenDaima, which takes place well before Beerus' arrival, began introducing plot points that were not present later in the timeline.
The main recipient of heavy criticism wasthe introduction of Super Saiyan 4, which was never mentioned or hinted at in later events, and contradicted the pathDragon Ball Supertook towards divine power. This led to several fans claiming the latest anime no longer belonged to the canon timeline of events, but there was a problem with that sentiment:Dragon Ball’s producer confirmed on numerous occasions that the series was canon. For weeks following the anime’s conclusion, fans were at each other’s throats over the topic, and arguments are still ongoing now.
GT vs Daima: Dragon Ball Staff Unpacks One of the Anime Series' Key Differences
Dragon Ball Daima is heavily influenced by 1996’s Dragon Ball GT, but one animator has shared a key difference between the two series.
However, many have chosen to overlook the biggest aspect of the canon vs. non-canon debate, and one which producer Akio Iyoku made clearwhen asked about the subject during an interview. In the grand scheme ofDragon Ball’s ever-expanding narrative,it doesn’t really matter.
Canon Disputes Miss the Point of Dragon Ball
Daima Is a Fun Adventure With Everyone’s Favorite Characters
Dragon Ballis a story which spans over four decades of entries, each building upon a world created by the legendary Akira Toriyama. Within that story, an instantly recognizable cast of all-powerful warriors are sent across different universes, realms, and worlds, and come into contact with an incredible variety of characters. Across all its different iterations, on which a number of talented creators left their marks, the core ofDragon Ballhas persisted. At its heart,the series is about far-off adventures and a growing sense of awe and wonder.
Sometimes an evil space tyrant responsible for destroying half the universe needs to be put down. Other times, Goku needs to send an anthropomorphic rabbit to the moon. In one instance, and only one, Goku arrived late to a battle on Namek, and casually accessed his friends' memoriesbecause Akira Toriyama needed a quick way of catching him up to speed. When asked by Krillin how he managed to do that, Goku responded with a bubbly, “I dunno.”
Consistencies in its narrative, canon and non-canon material,none of it has ever really mattered.Dragon Ballis a story of adventure, wonder, and unbreakable fighting spirit, even in the most dire circumstances, all written by an artist who always made sure to keep his surreal gag manga habits in reach. The originalDragon Ballmanga was brimming with plot holes, to which Toriyama likely waived his hand and explained away with an “I dunno” just like his main character. It never mattered, because that wasn’t the point,and that doesn’t change withDaima.
Was Dragon Ball Daima a Good Anime Series?
Canon Disputes Have Distracted From the Most Important Question Surrounding Daima
While fans have argued back and forth about whetherDaimabelongs within the canon timeline of events, the main question surrounding the series has largely been ignored.WasDragon Ball Daimaa good anime?The subjective taste of fans may differ from one to the next, but as a continuation of the beloved series,it’s difficult to view the gang’s latest anime adventure as anything but a success. Returning to the exploration commonly found in the series' earliest arcs,Daimawas able to combineDragon Ball’s adventurous spirit with the flashy combat that took over in its latter stages.
The vast, awe-inspiring setting of the Demon Realm allowed the anime to focus on magic and demons,subjects touched upon in the past but never fully explored. In the process, the series built upon the lore of Kais and Namekians, and offered fascinating insight into characters like Piccolo and Shin. The cherry on top of it all was a Super Saiyan 4 smack down withmasterful animation and visual quality to boot. As a continuation ofDragon Ball’s Majin Buu Saga,Daimasucceeded in exploring unknown territory and making the journey fun to watch.
WhenDragon Ballcontinues further into the future, new entries can take a page fromDaima’s book, and dive into one of the many far-off landspreviously established in the series but never fully fleshed out. Over the course of four decades, the franchise has expanded its world to allow for spin-offs and sequels for another four decades to come. It’s unfortunate that among all the discourse, some fans have lost sight of whatDragon Ballwas always intended to be; an exciting story with adventures across an ever-expanding universe. Hopefully fans won’t lose sight of that in future entries.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Cast
Dragon Ball Daima sees Goku and his allies inexplicably shrunk into miniature forms, prompting a journey to the Demon Realm. This animated adventure, part of the Dragon Ball franchise, explores their mission to solve the mystery and restore their original statures. Released in October 2024.
