Eichiro Oda is one of the most influential authors in the entire world, and it’s all thanks to his absolute epic, One Piece. Since it began publishing in Shonen Jump back in 1997, One Piece has become the best-selling manga of all time. There’s a list of the best-selling fictional authors in history on Wikipedia, and he’s at number eight. One Piece has changed the world to the point where a generation of young people are waving the Straw Hat Pirates flag at protests, showing how they believe in the series themes of freedom and liberation from oppression. Needless to say, Oda is a big deal in the world of anime.
Which only makes it harder for fans to watch as their hero threatens to work himself into an early grave.
Oda started serializing One Piece when he was twenty-two and in the prime of his life. He could afford to work himself to the bone and run on a fraction of the sleep he needed. But over the last few years, it seems as though his commitment to his creation has begun taking its toll. He’s started taking scheduled breaks every few chapters or so, but at the same time, unscheduled breaks are becoming more and more frequent. And it’s making fans ask the same thing: Is Oda alright?
No one is going to question whether or not Oda is losing his work ethic. However, people are more aware of how grueling working in the anime and manga industries is now than they were when he started. The long hours or ceaseless work can be incredibly stressful, and that stress can start to add up as we get older. The worst-case scenario, they could end up working themselves to death. That’s something that Dragon Ball fans know all too well.
Last spring, the anime world was shocked by the sudden news of the death of Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball. His death at the relatively young age of 68 sent shockwaves throughout the industry. Many people started to question if the hard lifestyle of a mangaka led Toriyama to an early grave. Oda, for his part, seemed to take the hint, as he went on a vacation so he could process his hero’s passing. However, that hasn’t stopped people from worrying about him. He’s fifty years old, been working on One Piece most of his life, and it could be another 5-10 years before the story is finished. He needs to look after himself.
Oda has become beloved in the world of anime and manga for creating One Piece, and he’s managed to change the world for the better. Millions of people have been inspired by his characters and how to live their lives by their example. There are people out there waving the Straw Hat Pirates flag as a symbol of rebellion against oppression right now. His legacy has already been secured. But none of that will matter if One Piece leads him to an early grave. If that happened, I don’t think the fans would be able to live with themselves.
Fortunately, it seems the One Piece Fandom is among the most understanding in anime and manga. Every time Oda has to go on break, fans have been understanding and wishing him well. None of us wants to see him work himself to death, including myself. And when the day comes for him to end One Piece, he should be able to enjoy retirement for decades to come with his wife, kids, and hopefully grandkids. It’s the least that Oda deserves.
One year ago, the anime workd was devastated by the news of Akira Toriyama’s death. Toriyama, the man many consider the godfather of the modern Shonen manga, was gone. Millions of people around the world, from his friends and family all the way up to world leaders, all mourned his passing. However, his death would not be the end of his story. At least, not yet.
Less than a year earlier, Toei animation had announced that Dragon Ball would be returning with a new anime series to celebrate its 40th birthday. Even better, though, was the fact that Toriyama himself had written the story for this new anime, Dragon Ball Daima. Now, by fate or chance, Daima had become the last thing Toriyama worked on for the world that he created. If fans were already excited as it was for Dragon Ball to return in anime form, now they wanted to see how his final story would play out.
Now that Goku’s untold adventure had come to an end, though, how does Daima hold up? Did it meet fans expectations? Could it have done anything better? Is it even canon? While that last question will likely be debated for a while, the first two have an actual answer to them: yes and yes.
What is Daima About?
If you didn’t keep up with Daima during its run, here’s a quick synopsis.
Taking place shortly after the defeat of Majin Buu, Goku and his family are enjoying their lives now that peace has returned (and Goku’s alive again.) Unbeknownst to them, Gomah, the new Supreme King of the Demon Realm that Dabura ruled before his death, has been watching them for a while. Terrified at how Goku and the others defeated Majin Buu and seeing them as a threat to his rule, Gomah hatches a plan. Traveling under the radar to Earth, he uses the Dragon Balls to turn Goku and all his allies into kids, thinking they won’t be a threat in that state. And, for good measure, he kidnaps Dende to make even more Dragon Balls in the future.
Naturally, Goku and the others can’t let this stand, and when someone from the Demon Realm comes saying they were sent to bring the ones who beat Buu, they embark on a quest to rescue Dende and return to their normal ages. This quest will take them to the Demon Realm, a part of the cosmos that has never been fully explored in the history of Dragon Ball!
This is Like GT but with Better Writing
In case it’s not obvious, Dragon Ball Daima takes a lot of inspiration from another anime in the franchise, Dragon Ball GT. Released back in the 90s by Toei as a sequel to DBZ, GT told a completely original story that starts with Goku being reduced to a child by a set of Dragon Balls. The initial arc would see him, Trunks, and his granddaughter Pan travel the galaxy to retrieve these Dragon Balls in the hopes of saving Earth from being destroyed. Because…reasons!
In hindsight, GT felt like an attempt by Toei to fuse the original adventure genre of Dragon Ball with the more popular Shonen fighting genre that most people know the franchise for. Unfortunately, while it did have its good points, most notably Super Saiyan 4, GT wasn’t as good as DBZ. Toriyama himself had little to no involvement beyond some character designs, and it showed! The plot tried too hard to be funny, only to come off as cringe. Several of the characters became unlikable. And the less said about Dolltaki, the better! It’s for these and many other reasons that fans debate whether or not GT is even canon or part of another timeline!
Daima is Toei’s second attempt to tell a story that returns Dragon Ball to its adventurous roots. And unlike before, Toriyama was fully on board. In a recent interview with Akio Iyoku, Daima’s exec producer, it was confirmed that the series was a deliberate attempt to evoke the feeling of GT. Funnily enough, that same interview confirmed that Toriyama was only meant to have limited involvement. But Toriyama found it so exciting, he pretty much handled it all by himself.
In hindsight, that might partly why he died so young, but at least he died doing what he loved. And it also explains yet another thing he worked on being a big influence on Daima.
Good Old JRPG Action!
Outside of his work as a mangaka, Toriyama is famous for his work in another medium of entertainment: video games. He was the character designer for the Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger series, the latter being one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. Whether he intended to or not, it seems that his experiences with those games helped to influence how he wrote Daima, because it feels an awful lot like a JRPG.
It’s been stated several times throughout this blog’s reviews for this series, but Daima feels like the Dragon Ball equivalent to Dragon Quest. The quest to save an entire world from a tyrannical king. The ragtag party of heroes that add more members as the adventure goes on. The concept of the Medi Bugs even sounds a lot like items you find in an RPG!
It doesn’t stop with the story and gameplay mechanics. Up until the final battle against Gomah, the fights give off the feeling of a classic JRPG fight. And this blog isn’t the only one who’s noticed the similarities. Plenty of other fans have noticed the comparisons between Daima and Dragon Quest. One article from Screenrant even says that it only serves to make Daima an even bigger tribute to the legacy of Toriyama. It combines his magnum opus for both manga and video games into a fairly entertaining story that could easily work as a standalone video game! It’s funny enough to be one!
Toriyama Never Lost his Sense of Humor
When it comes to the action, Dragon Ball Daima can feel a tad lackluster when compared to Z and Super. However, there is a good reason for that: Dragon Ball didn’t start out as a franchise focused solely on fighting. Fighting and martial arts were always a part of the story, but in the beginning, Dragon Ball was more concerned about the adventure. The entire story starts because Goku and Bulma go on an adventure to find the rest of the Dragon Balls together. Daima was an attempt to return to the franchise roots as a story inspired by Journey to the West, best exemplified by Goku’s retrieval of his Power Pole. By focusing more on the adventure aspects, this meant that the series could also focus more on the comedic aspects.
Toriyama was a man with a pretty good sense of humor. His first big manga, Dr. Slump, was a gag comedy. And while it would come to be best known for the fights, Dragon Ball never really lost its sense of humor. Thanks to its premise, Daima was able to bring the comedy back in full. From the oaf and straight-man routine that Goku and Glorio established to even the villains proving to be fairly goofy, you can tell Toriyama wanted to make his fans laugh. And it largely worked. Special mention goes to Hybis and his absolute deadpan attitude towards everything!
Thankfully, Daima never forgot about the action, and when it wanted to focus on that, it went HARD! By the time the final episodes rolled around, it had already returned to the same levels of action from DBZ before starting to edge closer to what comes in Super. And judging by the Internet’s reaction, fans were more than satisfied with what we got.
SUCH EPIC FANSERVICE!
Speaking of which, can we just bring up the fact that Daima was amazing at delivering fanservice? Most people associate that concept with images of attractive anime characters, but in a broader sense, it’s about giving the fans what they want to see. In the case of Dragon Ball Daima, it was getting to see things that plenty of fans wanted to see. The return of Goku’s Power Pole was a good example of fanservice for those who like the earlier Dragon Ball adventures, but there’s more than that.
Exhibit A: Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta. Vegeta was only ever shown achieving this form in video games, which were, by their nature, non-canon. Getting to see that form appear in the anime, albeit as Kid Vegeta, was a big deal. However, that would end up paling in comparison to what we would get next.
Exhibit B: Super Saiyan 4 Goku. Say what you want about GT, but you cannot deny that SSJ 4 was cool! The red fur and wild hair may feel super-edgy these days, but that can be chalked up to it coming from the 90s. That decade was all about being edgy! What was more important is that this marked the first time in decades that fans got to see the fabled SSJ 4 in the anime, and we just ate it up! People are already saying that Goku’s transformation into SSJ 4 is the second coming of the legendary first time we saw SSJ 3. And they’re right!
Just don’t expect any explanation as to why this form never comes up in Super.
They Shouldn’t Have Rushed Things so Much
When it comes to it, there are two main problems regarding Dragon Ball Daima. One seriously affects the overall story, while the other is something that mainly concerns hardcore fans.
The big problem is the length and pacing of the series. The first nine episodes are focused on the setup and then Goku and the others’ journey through the first of the three worlds making up the Demon Realm. The time spent in the Second World amounts to around five episodes, with the last five focusing on the final battle against Gomah and his army. No matter how you look at it, that’s some pretty uneven levels of focus! The show spends so much time in the Third World and expanding it, the lack of attention the Second World gets is a problem. Especially when you consider that it was hinting at parts of the Demon Realm we may never get to see!
The other problem is regarding whether or not Daima counts as canon. Since none of what happens gets mentioned in Super, some fans wonder if it counts as canon. The fact that Super Saiyan 4 never gets brought up doesn’t help matter. However, that same interview with Ikoyu confirms that, yes, Daima is canon, mainly because it was written by Toriyama. That answer, though, does imply that anything made for the franchise following his passing may be non-canon.
My thoughts? Who cares?
Let’s be Happy We got more Dragon Ball
Who cares if Dragon Ball Daima is canon or not? Who cares if might contradict the established lore for Dragon Ball in a few ways. And who cares that none of this ever comes up in Super (yet.) At the end of the day, I don’t think whether Daima is even canon should be what’s important. What’s important is that we got more Dragon Ball.
It’s not something that fans want to think about, but the passing of Toriyama marks the end of an era for Dragon Ball. From now on, the franchise will have to continue without its creator, and while plenty of franchises have managed to do so, there’s always the concern that things won’t be the same. What’s more, many of the people who voice the characters aren’t getting any younger. Sooner or later, they’re going to have to retire or will eventually pass away. Masako will let her voice live on through AI, but there’s no telling what will others will do. Even Bulma’s original seiyuu passed away years ago!
The bottom line is that Dragon Ball may not last forever, as much as we may want it. Sooner or later, it’s going to have to end or end up like The Simpsons: a pale shadow of its former self. So the way I see it, we should enjoy Dragon Ball as much as we can while we still have it.
A Worthy Send-off for a Legend
So, was Dragon Ball Daima a perfect series? No! It had its ups and downs, and I do think it could’ve benefitted from more episodes. However, the idea of a perfect story doesn’t exist, and if it did, that would just mean mankind couldn’t tell anything better. At the end of the day, though, Daima wasn’t trying to be a perfect story. It was just trying to entertain people, either by making them laugh or squealing in joy. And it largely succeeded, with most of the people I know and follow online loving it.
What’s most important, though, is that this series was the final gift that we got from Akira Toriyama. There’s no telling if he knew that his life was coming to an end, but if he did, then he chose to spend his final days pouring his heart and soul into making Daima the best that he could make it. And it paid off! Most fans seemed to love Daima, and consider it a worthy final work from a man who helped change the world. Dragon Ball will likely go on for years to come, and it might not be the same without Toriyama, but he’s already given us everything he had. He’s more than earned the right to go to that big studio in the sky where all the great storytellers in human history get to chill for the rest of eternity. The least we could do as fans was make sure he got the sendoff he deserved.
And we did. Arigato, Toriyama-Sama. You’ve earned the rest.
Over the years, Dragon Ball GT has been a great subject of debate in the Dragon Ball community. Does the anime-original sequel hold up against its predecessors and successors? Is it even canon anymore since Super showed up? One thing that many fans agree on, though, is that Super Saiyan 4 was freaking awesome. From the shadow trim around the eyes to the red fur, SSJ4 gives off this wild, untamed look that was built for aura farming. While the canonicity of GT remains up for debate, it seems like Toriyama decided to give us one last gift: he made Super Saiyan 4 canon for us!
If anyone doubted how tough Gomah would be when powered by the Evil Third Eye, that doubt has been thrown out the window. In the last episode, he managed to take every blow that the assembled party’s fighters could throw at him and shrugged it off like it was nothing!
Let me repeat that. The series broke the unwritten rule of fighting one-on-one by having eight fighters jump Gomah at once. And the best they could do was slow him down. Not even Goku is going to SSJ3, and Duu achieving a similar form is enough to pressure him for a long time. The Evil Eye is no joke!
To be fair, we cannot accurately assess how strong Gomah is in this form, as he’s not fighting Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Shin at their full strength. As strong as they are as kids, they’re still kids, and have to deal with the nerfing that comes with that. However, given everything that we’ve seen so far, and what he continues to accomplish in this episode, it might be fair to say Evil Eye Gomah is close to the level of Kid Buu. Considering the absolute menace Kid Buu was, and where this takes place in the timeline, that’s a pretty serious threat.
Things get so bad, in fact, that Neva has to go and pull a deus ex machina and give Goku a power-up just to save their hides. And what happens next is going to be debated among the fans for years to come: Super Saiyan 4 returned to Dragon Ball!
SUPER SAIYAN 4 RETURNS!!
#DragonBallDAIMA Ep 18, WTF!!🤯 HOLY SHIT…Super Saiyan 4 Goku is now officially canon!!🔥🔥The whole episode was ABSOLUTE CINEMA!!🔥That Kamehameha moment was damn cool. SSJ Majin Duu.😂 What did Glorio wish to the Shenron!! I'm so HYPED. #DAIMA#DragonBall#ドラゴンボールDAIMApic.twitter.com/Ptu6AvKvUS
As previously mentioned, fans have debated for years over whether or not Dragon Ball GT is canon. Some say the story is not up to par with its predecessor, DBZ, or its successor, Super. Others want it to be canon simply because of how cool Super Saiyan 4 looks. And some would prefer it would be scrubbed entirely. Regardless of what fans think, one cannot deny how the addition of Super Saiyan 4 is a big deal. Given how Toriyama himself wrote the entire story for Daima before he died, this is basically him giving the form his stamp of approval. And just listen to how the fans have reacted.
Granted, many of those same fans will now be questioning why this form never appeared during Super. And through that, they may question if Daima is canon at all. But you know what? Who cares? It’s awesome, and so was the fight that followed.
In a series that has preferred to keep the action on a level to the early days of Dragon Ball, the fight between SSJ4 Goku and Gomah is a fantastic return to the days of Z and Super. The animation is fluid and fast-paced, Goku’s fighting style really leans into the more primal nature of his appearance. The whole thing is just awesome! The only reason that Gomah even survives is simply due to the plot armor he’s wearing!
Sadly, despite the huge power boost the heroes get, it turns out Gomah had been holding back the entire time. It’s unfair, but the story has to do it to justify the next plot twist as Glorio’s double-agent status finally comes into play.
I must admit, it’s a little disappointing to see that the Demon Realm’s Dragon is just a red version of Porunga. I know it’s supposed to keep with continuity, but come on, Toei. You could have had the dragon look like anything you wanted, and you chose to reuse Porunga? That feels like wasted potential! However, it was a good call to have the wish Glorio makes be spoken in Namekian. Since the audience doesn’t understand Namekian, we won’t know what he wished for until the next episode. Did he follow through with Dr. Arinsu’s wish to become the strongest in the Demon Realm? Or did he decide to turn on his employer and help the heroes? We won’t know until the next episode, and that’s the best kind of suspense the audience can be left on. Hopefully, the last two episodes of Daima will get the attention they deserve and end things on a high note.
Last time on Dragon Ball Daima, the Dragon Team launched a full-scale assault on King Gomah’s stronghold. Their ultimate goal is to get the last of the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls, rescue Dende, and return to their proper ages. However, little do they know that Dr. Arinsu already has the last Dragon Ball and that the foolish Hybis just gave Gomah the ultimate weapon that could let him crush the heroes. Will the motley group of Saiyans, Demons, Namekians, Kai’s, and Humans make it to Gomah in time?
Continuing from the events of the previous episode, Goku and the others continue their push towards King Gomah’s palace. However, they get interrupted by none other than the Gendarmerie Force, AKA the discount Ginyu Force that Gomah has to use as his last line of defense. Given how they felt super confident and bombastic about their chances earlier, one would think that the fight against them would take up most of the episode.
None of them reckoned on the likes of Vegeta, though.
It’s actually funny to see how the GF hyped themselves up so much and how Daima made us think they could be a serious obstacle. What’s even funnier, though, is how Vegeta no-sells all of their attacks. The look on his face says it all. He’s utterly indifferent to their schtick, having had to deal with the Ginyu Force for years. So, he makes them into his latest victims.
To his credit, though, Vegeta doesn’t kill them. Knowing him, he likely doesn’t see them as even worth killing.
Who saw Degesu Going Rogue?
Now, as for the character that gives the episode its name, Degesu shows his true colors. His attempt to flee with Dende as his hostage might seem sudden, but the anime has dropped hints that Degesu wasn’t as loyal to Gomah as the king thought. He’s always had this air of elitism about him due to being a Kai/Glind, even when serving Gomah. Given his attitude, it seems only fitting that it’s Panzy, someone who Degesu helped oppress, bring him down. Granted, she had help from Glorio and Hybis, but she’s the one who initiated it.
L'épisode 16 de Daima… Jsp trop quoi en penser honnêtement. Le truc qui me dérange c'est que tout était assez prévisible enft, on a un épisode qui s'appelle "Degesu" mais son "moment" est très brève pic.twitter.com/s7EnX3EKzg
So…why does this not feel like a much bigger deal?
The whole point of Goku and the others going to the Demon Realm was to rescue Dende. Saving him should be this big moment for the series. Something that should have more time and energy given to focus on it. Yet, once again, it feels like Daima is rushing toward the endgame without giving viewers enough time to enjoy it. Especially considering this is the last time we’ll have a story from Toriyama!
Gomah about to get a glow-up
Regardless of how the episode handles Degesu, though, it makes up for it when it comes to Gomah himself. While it would’ve been funny to have had that Demon that took Hybis’ belt (and Evil Eye) to have been Degesu in disguise, you can’t win them all. It’s made up by the fact that when Gomah puts the Eye in his forehead, he gets a massive power boost and becomes super jacked. It’s enough to make that nameless thief run away screaming!
GOMAH HAS THE THIRD EYE AND UTILITIES IT INTOTRANSFORMING MOMENTS AFTER IN DRAGON BALL DAIMA!! He finally has what he’s been longing for and now with his NEW form and power revealed, things are going to get VERY messy for our heroes, hands down. Very cool stuff here! (Not gonna… pic.twitter.com/oFR4Qe3V7m
We have yet to see the full effects of the Evil Eye, but given how the Dragon Team is not at full power, he likely has a massive advantage over them. Worse still, just as the heroes realize the last Dragon Ball is gone, Arinsu shows up with Duu and Kuu in tow. And that doesn’t even get into the fact that Glorio is secretly working for Arinsu and could betray the group.
The bottom line is that the last four episodes will be filled with action and fights. Which is good, because if Daima wants to stick the landing, it needs to make them count!
It’s been two months now since the start of Dragon Ball Daima, there’s yet to be any dub of it on Crunchyroll. So far, the only dub for the new Dragon Ball series has been in the form of a compilation film that came out for a few days in November, and that only covered the first three episodes. With simuldubbing becoming more and more common in recent years, these two months could feel like years for those who insist on only watching dubbed anime. Granted, many anime still like to get a few episodes out before they start airing the dub to prevent it from being overtaken, but that’s not the point. But the wait for the dub of Daima will only be a few more weeks. In a recent post on their website, Crunchyroll announced that the dub for Dragon Ball Daima will begin January 10th, 2025.
Besides the obvious interest that stems from the dubbing of the new addition of a legendary anime, there’s another reason why people should pay attention to the dub of Daima. Because they’ll be spending most, if not all, of the series stuck in their kid forms, most of the returning characters won’t be voiced by their regular actors. The one exception will be Goku, once again voiced by Stephanie Nadolny. She’s famously provided the dub voice for Kid Goku in most Dragon Ball media. Most of the rest of the kid-ified cast will be voiced by relative newcomers. What makes this exciting (to me, at least) is that it’s giving a new generation of VA’s to leave their marks on the popular franchise. More importantly, if they do well enough, that could lead to them getting more work. With how tough the entertainment business can be, especially for newcomers, landing a potentially high-profile role can go a long way for job prospects.
As for me, I’m just happy to be able to watch the series in dub form come the new year. Having spent my teen years watching the original Dragon Ball in dub form online, it will be nice to get to hear Stephanie Nadolny’s voice again after all this time. And I wholeheartedly support letting my generation of VA’s try their hand at Dragon Ball.
Now this…this is more like it! We’ve been waiting eight episodes now for Dragon Ball Daima to give us a fight that’s truly worthy of the franchise’s name. We’ve gotten plenty of good action scenes and sparring matches, but we have yet to get the kind of fight where Goku shows us why he’s one of the GOATs of anime. However, all of that has changed with his fight with the first of the Tamagami as the entire Demon Realm watches. More importantly, though, this episode offers us some surprising lore regarding the Demon Realm, Majin Buu, and what it is that Dr. Arinsu could be after.
Goku vs the Tamagami
The long-awaited fight between Goku and the first of the Tamagami begins in earnest, and it was worth the wait. While not to the level of power that fans have grown used to in Dragon Ball, Daima is quick to remind us that, kid or not, Goku remains a formidable foe. As his fight against the Tamagami attracts the nearby villagers, they’re stunned to see him not only match the guardian of the Dragon Ball blow for blow, but begin to dominate him. For longtime fans of the franchise, though, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Goku is like that, after all.
Since we know that Goku will inevitably win, the fans should be paying attention to how the fight plays out rather than the overall outcome. And Toei managed to do a good job of animating it. From Goku blocking a hammer with his Power Pole to going Super Saiyan and having a beam clash, the series makes this a fun watch. But what was even funnier was how Goku ultimately wins the Dragon Ball.
I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting Goku to have to win the Dragon Ball by playing a version of the Shell Game, but…it feels like something Toriyama would want to do. Remember, Akira Toriyama was known just as much for his sense of goofy humor as he was for all the action. Having the Tamagami test Goku using the Shell Game, only for him to effortlessly point out the being’s attempted con, just screams Toriyama. It’s nice to see his imprint on Dragon Ball, but it’s a little sad, too, since he’s no longer with us.
At any rate, Goku ultimately manages to do what no one in the Demon Realm ever has and wins the first Dragon Ball. With that in hand, they head toward Warp-Sama to meet with their arriving comrades and head to the Second Demon World. As it turns out, the fight isn’t the episode’s highlight. It’s what comes after.
Dr. Arinsu Has a Bigger Plan in Store
As Gomah and Degesu are looking over old footage of the Z Warriors fights, they notice something when watching the moment when Vegeta blew himself up trying to kill Majin Buu. As the pieces of Buu began to reform, a lone figure managed to grab one of them before it could merge with the others. That person was none other than Dr. Arinsu. She was there during the Buu Saga!
It only gets crazier from there. While everything else is happening, Arinsu goes to a mysterious witch named Marba, currently brewing some kind of creation in a cauldron using that fragment of Buu. It’s not made clear right away, but the audience meant to guess that Arinsu is trying to create some kind of clone of Buu. That’s not even the craziest part, though. The crazy part is that Arinsu reveals that Marba is the one who created Majin Buu! As in, the original, psychotic, virtually feral, black air force wearing menace that pushed Goku and the others to the brink!
This is a major retcon to the world of Dragon Ball. From his inception, fans have believed that Majin Buu had one of two origins: either Bibidi created Kid Buu, or Kid Buu was this entity that existed for eons that Bibidi found. Now we know that both of those aren’t true, with Marba being Buu’s creator. And even though everything worked out and Buu (the good part of him)is now Goku’s friend, that still makes Marba indirectly responsible for countless deaths over millions of years. And now she’s helping Arinsu make a clone of Buu, the main difference being that this one will actually obey its master.
I’ve had my suspicions before, but now it’s becoming clear that Arinsu might be the real big bad of Daima. She’s set everything in motion by manipulating Gomah and bringing Goku to the Demon Realm; if she has her own Buu, she will be trouble. Keep in mind that at this point in time, Goku could only beat Buu because of a Spirit Bomb. Imagine how tough it would be for him to fight another Buu in his kid form!
Dragon Ball Daima is starting to heat up, and I’m glad I’ve stuck around for it this long. It’s a little sad knowing that we’re almost done with the First Demon World, but with most of the quests done, it’s time to move on. I can’t wait to see what the next world looks like.
When Dragon Ball Daima was announced last year at NYCC, fans were thrilled. For the first time in years, Dragon Ball would be getting a new series, and Akira Toriyama was the one who wrote it. It felt like a dream come true!
Then, in the spring of this year, the world would end up losing Toriyama. Dragon Ball Daima would be the final work that he would contribute to the world that he had created. Suddenly, it became more important than ever that Daima was a huge success. And so, the world waited with bated breath for the day when it would premiere, ready to honor the memory of a man who inspired millions of its people. Th
I’m glad to say that Toriyama didnt disappoint with his final work. He cooked us a feast of thrills and laughs.
Since this is the first time Dragon Ball has had an anime in a while, a good portion of the premiere is devoted to getting everyone up to speed with events up to the defeat of Majin Buu. While some might see it as an issue, it’s essential for two reasons. Firstly, it establishes that this will take place before the events of Super, so no Super Saiyan God or Blue. Secondly, it introduces us to the leading antagonistic group.
Meet Gomah, Degesu, and Dr. Arinsu, the new King of the Demon Realm, the Supreme Kai of the Demon Realm, and a Core Person of the Demon Realm. While much of the rest of Universe 7 and parts of the other Universes have already gotten fleshed out, the Demon Realm has remained notably unknown until now. I think Toriyama wanted to correct that by making the primary setting of Daima, and if that’s the case, I’m glad he chose to do so before he died. He even gave them their own Dragon Balls and guardians to protect them, and retconned the Namekians point of origin to be from the Demon Realm. So, congrats Piccolo. You’re now a slug alien demon!
The main plot of the episode is that Gomah has watched how powerful Goku and the others are and fears them to be a threat to his rule. So, he and Degesu (and another Namekian) travel to Earth to use the Dragon Balls to make Goku and everyone else kids so they won’t be a threat. In essence, it’s the plot of GT but on a larger scale. By the time the credits start to roll, we can already hear everyone beginning to shrink down to the size of kids. And the kids shrinking down to the size of babies!
I know that this is supposed to be serious, but I still can’t help but find it funny. Toriyama took the plot of GT, the series that was made without his direct involvement, and made it ten times better. That’s essentially him saying “You’re doing it all wrong, you guys. Let the master show you how it’s done!” Given how Daima is meant to celebrate the franchise 40th anniversary, though, it makes sense why Toriyama would want to tell a story like this. He tried to get the series back to its roots, and it glad he got to do so before he died.
This was an excellent start to what will likely be one of the most giant anime of the year. I have no clue how long Daima will run, but I know that I’m going to enjoy it every step of the way.
We would like to interrupt whatever it is you’re doing today to let you something important. And it’s about Dragon Ball.
Paying attention now? Good.
Earlier this month, Dragon Ball Daima, the newest chapter in the long-running franchise and the final contribution of its late creator, Akira Toriyama, premiered in Japan and on Crunchyroll worldwide. Taking place after the defeat of Majin Buu and before Super, the series sees Goku and most of his friends being reduced to kids thanks to a wish by the new King of the Demon Realm. This prompts Goku to go on a quest alongside Supreme Kai Shin to the Demon Realm in the hopes of setting things right.
Even if it wasn’t Toriyama’s last gift to the world, this series would still be hotly anticipated. It’s been years since the original Super anime ended, and it has yet to cover the events in the ongoing manga. So, it’s a pretty big deal. But many might be wondering when we can expect to hear the dub.
Guess what? Not only is the dub coming sooner than you think, but it’s also coming to the big screen.
In a recent press release, Toei Animation announced that it had teamed up with Fathom Events for something special. From November 10-12th, the first three episodes of Daima will be shown in theaters in all their dubbed glory. For three days at participating theaters, fans will get to hear the voice actors they grew up with playing their iconic roles once more. After that, it will likely be available on Crunchyroll.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m probably going to go see it in theaters if it’s in my area. I’m not passing up to see the dubbed anime on the big screen! If you want to see it, then I recommend checking Fathom events in the next few weeks.
Hey, everyone. RJ Writing Ink here, writing on behalf of the D&A Anime Blog. Aaron and I aren’t in the best state of mind right now. You likely know this by now, but late March 7th, it was announced online that Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball and dozens of other works, had passed away more than a week ago. Aaron was the one who wound up telling me on Discord. And my reaction was one of shock and great sadness.
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) March 8, 2024
Over the next few hours, I watched the Internet cry out sorrowfully, including Aaron and me. So many people, fans, content creators, and those whom Toriyama inspired to do what they love for a living, all mourning the loss of the legendary mangaka. As for me, at Aaron’s behest, I wrote a post for this blog breaking the news for ourselves. It didn’t feel right not to say anything about Toriyama, especially since Aaron told me it was why he and Donte started this blog. Afterward, I went to bed and tried to sleep as best I could. But as I drifted off to sleep, still trying to process the death of the great mangaka, a realization came to me. While I had seen plenty of people, both idols and loved ones, die before, there was a reason why Toriyama’s passing hit me and everyone so hard. And it was more than the fact that he died at only sixty-eight years old. Truthfully, even if he died twenty years old, it still would have felt too soon.
My reason was that the culture we know today might not have existed without Akira Toriyama and what he created.
Imagine what Akira Toriyama did when he created Dragon Ball forty years ago, like planting a tree in the middle of a field. He would then spend the next eleven years returning to it once a week to tend to it as it grew big and strong. Its trunk would start to reach for the heavens, its roots would burrow deep into the soil underneath, and its branches would become solid and sturdy. Eventually, it grew big enough to create seeds, and others would come and take them to grow their trees. Flash forward to the present day, and the original tree he planted will get big enough to tower in the skies, while the younger trees will grow just as big and potentially just as strong. If all goes well, then that field could become a forest generations down the line. But the man who planted the first tree would never live to see that. He would have to trust those who followed him to continue his work and make something unique out of it.
If you need clarification on this metaphor, then here’s the meaning. The tree itself is what Toriyama did throughout his entire career, with Dragon Ball primarily serving as the trunk. The branches represent everything that sprang forth from the popularity of the original manga: the anime, movies, video games, products, fan-made content, and all the people who found happiness, success, and more thanks to Dragon Ball. The roots are how the franchise has made its way into global culture. The younger trees represent the people who were inspired by reading Toriyama’s work to become mangaka themselves, giving us even more hit Shonen series like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and likely many more. When you put all of that together, the result should be clear. What Akira Toriyama managed to do was create something that managed to incorporate itself into human culture worldwide. Something that has come to unite people from all walks of life over their shared love of this man’s work. No matter how you look at it, that’s impressive.
Now imagine what life would be like if he had never made Dragon Ball or if it had never become as popular as it is. Suddenly, you might get a world where anime has never become more than a niche interest outside Japan. Where many of the series that you love reading never existed. The people whose lives Dragon Ball changed for the better never got that chance. Bonds that started thanks to that shared love never came about, people who never turned that love into their careers, and more. It would be like the alternate timeline from It’s a Wonderful Life, in which George Bailey was never born, and Toriyama is Bailey.
Toriyama’s Legacy Lives On
Rest in Power Akira Toriyama! Thank you for Goku!Thank you for everything! 🙏 Here's a rare Akira clip for those who would like to watch. pic.twitter.com/BMA3dBnmbu
Toriyama may be gone now, but his legacy lives on, and it’s more than just Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Dragon Quest, or whatever else he helped create. It’s the millions of people worldwide whose lives he changed, often for the better. The mangaka like Masashi Kishimoto and Eichiro Oda. The people who got to work on his series, both in Japan and abroad. The people who can make a living doing fanworks of Dragon Ball like TeamFourStar, DevilArtemis, Daitomodachi, and more. Even fans like me and Aaron. We’re all part of the legacy that Akira Toriyama left behind, and it’s mind-boggling when you put that into perspective. How many people throughout history can say they’ve affected so many people in such a positive manner? Not many.
Am I sad? Yes. I hate that Toriyama died so soon. But Dragon Ball can live on. If we want to do right by Toriyama, we need to ensure that people can continue to enjoy Dragon Ball for generations to come. I know that we’re all mourning for his passing, but no one is genuinely gone, so the world continues to remember him. And with the impact that Toriyama had on the world? I don’t think he’s going to be forgotten for a long, long time.
Legendary Mangaka Akira Toriyama, Creator of Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, and modern Shonen, dead at 68
To anyone who grew up watching Dragon Ball Z, you’re going to want to get your tissues ready; you’ll need them. Akira Toriyama, the legendary mangaka that gave the world Dr Slump, the art for Dragon Quest, and most important of all, Dragon Ball, has died at the age of 68. And the entire world of anime is in mourning.
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) March 8, 2024
Akira Toriyama Made Shonen What it is Today
For those of you who don’t know who he was, Akira Toriyama is, for all intents and purposes, the godfather of the modern Shonen anime. Entering the world of manga at the age of twenty-three, Toriyama first made a name for himself as the creator of the popular gag manga, Dr. Slump. Running from 1980 to 1984, it proved to be a major hit. However, it wasn’t until 1984 when the man truly began the work that would cement his status as one of the greatest mangaka of all time: Dragon Ball. Inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West, Dragon Ball would wind up becoming one of the most important works in manga history.
Spawning a media juggernaut that has continued to thrive to this day, Dragon Ball has multiple anime series, dozens of movies, and so many video game adaptations that I can’t even keep track of it. It’s no exaggeration to say that without Dragon Ball, the shonen genre of anime and manga as we know it today wouldn’t exist. By the time it had ended its initial run, Dragon Ball had already sewn the seeds for the shonen genre to thrive. It inspired the next generation of mangaka to create the likes of Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece, the last of which is the best-selling manga of all time. And none of that would be possible without Dragon Ball or Toriyama.
Creators of 'ONE PIECE', Eiichiro Oda, and 'NARUTO', Masashi Kishimoto both release responses upon learning of Akira Toriyama's passing:
Oda, "It is too early. The hole is too big. Sadness washes over me when I think that I will never see him again. I have admired him so much… pic.twitter.com/nCpCa8ndJG
And then there’s the impact that Toriyama’s creation has had on pop culture. When anime started to make its way to the West in the 90s and early 2000s, Dragon Ball was one of the series that paved the way. It was the gateway anime for countless kids the world over, and the love that it engendered can be found in the all the fan-based content it’s inspired. TeamFourStar, KishinPain, DevilArtemis, Daitomodachi, Slick Goku (RIP), Prince Vegeta. These are only a handful of the people I know of who have made amazing works based on the characters that Toriyama created. And there will likely be even more content coming out in the years to come. Sadly, fans will now have to live with the fact that the man who gave it all to us has departed for the Otherworld.
Toriyama’s Legacy Will Live On
While Toriyama may no longer be with us, he still left us with a few stories left to be told. Less than a month from now, Sand Land, a game adapting another one of Toriyama’s many works, will be released. In addition, Dragon Ball Daima, a spin-off/sequel to Dragon Ball that Toriyama was heavily involved in, will be releasing sometime in Fall 2024. Not much is known about it, but it seems like Daima will be returning Dragon Ball to its roots. However, the fact that it is likely the final project that Toriyama worked on before his death means its premiere will be a bittersweet one for fans.
I’ll be upfront about this: I didn’t grow up watching Dragon Ball on Toonami like a lot of anime fans did. I knew about it, but I didn’t get into it until I was in high school. Once I had, though, I regretted not trying it out sooner. These days, I’m a full-on fan of Dragon Ball. And while I may lack the nostalgia of watching it air on TV, I know how much it means to fans. And more importantly, I understand how much Toriyama’s death is hitting fan. I follow a ton of people who make Dragon Ball-related content, and right now, they’re pouring their hearts out online. Rest in Peace, Toriyama. May you join all the other great storytellers in human history as you deserve.
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