Series Review – Dragon Ball Daima

When the first footage of Dragon Ball Daima was released last year, it was met with anger by one audience member, who infamously exclaimed, “Please don’t be [Daima]! No! We just wanted Moro!” The loud comments, preserved in video footage from the convention hall, set the tone for the miniseries’ controversial reputation and reception — something audiences never asked for but series creator Akira Toriyama was heavily invested in.

Dragon Ball fans have been clamoring since 2018 for Dragon Ball Super‘s anime to end its lengthy hiatus. The manga version has since finished three story arcs, alongside the release of two animated films. With the tragic passing of series creator Toriyama in February 2024, the franchise’s overall direction now sits in limbo as fans wait to see how Toei Animation will proceed with new movies and shows and whether Toyotarou will become the new visionary for the franchise in his capacity as its current mangaka.

Content Guide

Violence/Scary Images: TV-14 action and martial arts violence, with characters dying on-screen.
Language/Crude Humor: Some mild coarse language and occasional sexual innuendo.
Drug/Alcohol References: Minimal to none.
Sexual Content: Some crude references to Vegeta and Bulma’s relationship.
Spiritual Content: The series takes place in a universe where gods, demigods, and angels exist. Demons are depicted as aliens with pointy ears living in a fantasy realm, and magic is used for both good and evil. A major plot point involves a witch creating sentient beings through spells.
Other Negative Content: Some crude humor and violence unsuitable for young viewers.
Positive Content: Themes of freedom, loyalty, and the fight against evil.

Review

With Dragon Ball Daima having completed its 20-episode run over five months, the series can now be viewed in hindsight. It is certainly not the franchise-altering miniseries many fans had hoped for, nor is it the preferred direction for those eager to see the manga’s Moro and Granolah arcs adapted. If anything, its chibi art style seems more in tune with Japanese sensibilities than with Western Dragon Ball Z fans. Much will be said about its story and retcons, but Daima‘s complete package is more than just a mixed bag — it is well-positioned to leave a significant impact on the franchise.

The show’s premise is quite promising, exploring the previously only alluded-to Demon Realm, the origin of King Piccolo, King Dabura, Babidi, and Majin Buu. Set between the events of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, the story follows the newly arisen King Gomah, who seeks to eliminate the only threats to his power — the warriors who defeated Buu. Using Earth’s Dragon Balls, he wishes for all of the Z-Warriors to be turned into children, rendering them incapable of challenging him. With the assistance of a demon named Glorio, Goku and his friends are transported to this mysterious realm beyond the twelve known universes, where they must track down three Dragon Balls protected by ancient warriors to reverse the wish and rescue a kidnapped ally.

Functionally, the series borrows heavily from Dragon Ball GT, Toriyama’s Sand Land miniseries, and the Dragon Quest video games to craft a new, original story. In some respects, it exists to replace broken aspects of Dragon Ball lore with a narrative more deeply tied to the franchise’s ongoing story. Much of it could be readily dismissed as fanservice. However, the show’s premise remains largely centered on its adventure-quest through a new magical fantasy realm, reserving most of its lore dumps for only a handful of key moments.

Sadly, as a whole, Dragon Ball Daima is a mess. It is easily the most beautifully animated entry in Dragon Ball history, even surpassing Dragon Ball Super: Broly‘s visual feats. The series is packed with fun side characters, exciting action scenes, intriguing lore reveals, the return of fan-favorite Super Saiyan forms, and Toriyama’s signature quirky humor (the internet may never recover from the bath reveal). On the other hand, it suffers from a poorly structured narrative with minimal setup and payoff. It introduces concepts early on that serve no real purpose, drags the plot through multiple pointless side quests, and resolves major conflicts with solutions that seemingly come out of nowhere.

As the Team Four Star guys have pointed out, it’s hard to discern what Daima‘s underlying story is supposed to be. Despite years of development and hands-on assistance from the series creator, the show began animation before the scripts were finalized, meaning much of the story wasn’t fully thought through. While the animation isn’t rushed, the narrative feels like a first draft. Story ideas that could build sustained tension, intrigue, or unique solutions to conflicts are brushed aside, while long-term characters like Piccolo are once again ignored in favor of Goku getting another win. The series even introduces a new method of fusion that ultimately never gets used.

Similarly, Daima introduces a whole slate of new characters — Glorio, Panzy, Dr. Arinsu, Degesu, Hybis, Neva, and Majin Kuu — who mostly fade into the background. The new protagonists are largely sidelined in favor of Goku and Vegeta. Neva, Degesu, and Dr. Arinsu are hinted to have darker, hidden motivations that never pay off, while the new Majins are mostly ineffectual outside of a few key moments. Gomah works well as a sniveling, miniature tyrant, but his primary threat — the ability to control others — disappears by the finale, leaving him effectively invincible without much depth.

For a series deliberately conceived as a 20-episode miniseries, one would expect a more concentrated and focused story. However, that is not the case. Several episodes feel like filler, introducing one-off characters that slow the plot or waste time. The worst offender is episode 16’s pointless battle with the Gendarmerie Force, a shameless Ginyu Force knockoff that serves no real purpose. Thankfully, the final four episodes, dedicated to the climactic battle with Gomah, are engaging and fun — though still filled with wasted story potential.

These are serious storytelling issues, but they are routine by Dragon Ball standards. Dragon Ball Super suffered from significant animation problems as well as poor story structure and excessive fanservice. The decision to shed some of that dead weight for a miniseries set just after Dragon Ball Z is both understandable and commendable. The passion and effort behind Dragon Ball Daima are evident, and that energy would have been better spent creating something fresh rather than producing another 131 episodes of Super just for the sake of it. I’m glad Toriyama’s final Dragon Ball project is both goofy and heartfelt.

Dragon Ball Daima will forever be remembered as a eulogy for Akira Toriyama — a passionate but messy project created in his honor. Even the show’s opening theme, Jaka Jaan, was composed as a tribute to the late mangaka, with his name subtly embedded in the lyrics and Dragon Ball Z’s original lyricist returning. It’s a loving and heartfelt gesture that deserves recognition. I just wish the story itself had been more narratively coherent.