In what would end up being his final gift to the world, Toriyama sensei left us with some of his best ever work, Dragon Ball Daima, returning to the magical sense of adventure that the original Dragon Ball series had, while delivering some of the franchise’s best action and transformations. What it may lacked in story, it made up for in epic moments. This simply put felt like a love letter to the dragon ball community and fans who have supported this series over the decades. It’s fanservice in the purest and most wholesome form. Canonising previous transformations and concepts that would’ve seemed unbelievable justa couple months of ago. Many will sit and debate how this fits into the canon of the franchise and to those I simply say, “just enjoy it man”. As someone who grew up watching the original dragon ball with my dad back in the early 2000s, there was a strong sense of nostalgia watching Goku in kid form going on a classic shonen style adventure to gather the dragon balls and making friends along the way. For newer fans this may have felt like a departure from what they know in the Z and Super era, but for me this was Toriyama going back to his roots and frankly his prime when writing. Dragon Ball at its best was when Goku didn’t have all these transformations and had to actually rely on his friends to help him. While Daima does have those big action set pieces and newly canonized forms as I mentioned before, it strikes a healthy balance between the magic of the original series and the epic fights of the more recent DB franchise. It almost felt like Toriyama knew he was going to die and wrote this with that in mind, satisfying both types of fans while opening up possibilities for future instalments. The story wasn’t the strongest in Daima, I felt like there was much more emphasis on the journey itself. The companions, the banter, the sticky situations Goku, Glorio and Panzy got into, etc. I found the antagonist to be pretty disappointing as a big bad on his own. He felt more like a device for Toriyama to be able to bring out all these cool new abilities and transformations which I’m ok with. It’s dragon ball, it’s no stranger to mediocre antagonists who do just that. For me, the big highlight was just seeing Goku and the others go on this adventure together in a new realm we’ve never explored and expanding upon the existing Dragon Ball lore and mythos. Production values are where Daima really shines to me. It’s easily the best looking DB show ever. It has movie quality art and animation for most of the series and episodes 19 and 20 are probably the best we’ve seen outside of DB Super Broly and a handful of ToP episodes. This show looked great. Also really enjoyed the musical selections! Credit to the staff who brought this to life. My general feelings after 20 weeks of watching this are this is the second best Dragon Ball instalment ever. I know I know “GT BAD!” Is the general narrative online, but I personally loved the villains and story in that the most out of any Dragon Ball so that’s my top 1. BUT Daima canonized some concepts from that series and goes back to that Dragon Ball gathering sense of adventure so it’s a close second and a fitting final gift from Toriyama-sensei to us longtime fans. Dragon Ball Daima gets 9 out of 10.

Let’s make this clear right from the start. Daima was a cashgrab that nobody wanted and few watched. It was made just to canonize Super Saiyan 4, the same way the Brolly movie was made to canonize the filler villain. Toriyama in general spent his last years in rehashing old ideas, making the line from the opening song “here comes a brand new story” to be deceptive. Daima is part of Toriyama’s attempt to incorporate a lot of non-canon ideas into canon, but since he is not a good writer he did a crappy job. Not only Daima contradicts pretty much everything that has been canonfor decades, it doesn’t even fit with the Super continuity. The way the Potara earrings work changed, the origin of the Dragonballs and Majin Buu changed, and Piccolo doesn’t even know how to speak Namekian anymore! It also has no explanation for why Goku never uses Super Saiyan 4 in Super, or why Kaioshin is not fused again. It will piss off anyone who still thinks Dragonball is consistent with its rules. Not that it ever was or it matters at this point. Although Daima expands the lore by delving into the demon realm and the origin of the Namekians, that doesn’t mean a thing because no one gives a shit about the setting. A dozen universes were introduced in Super, they were left completely unexplored, and nobody complained when the Tournament of Power began. Because Dragonball is all about the fighting, not exploration. It is not One Piece or Tower of God; it’s Goku changing hair colors and exchanging energy beams with a villain. Plus, there have been so many fanfic stories over the decades, to the point the canon lore doesn’t matter anymore. Heck, Xenoverse and Sparkling Zero are nothing but ‘what if’ scenarios, yet nobody complains about the breaching of canon. Heck, not even Daima cares. What matters the most is if people wanted Daima, and the answer is, they didn’t. When it was first announced everyone quickly yelled “We want Moro!” meaning they wanted the next arc of Super to be adapted. Daima, like GT, is a cashgrab, and if it had never been made, nobody would miss a thing. Not even calling it a sendoff or a passion project of Toriyama is enough to excuse its existence. No one cares about anything else the late mangaka made, from Dragon Quest to Blue Dragon, to even the very recent Sand Land. And they certainly don’t care about silly gag comedies that involve Muppet Baby-like versions of characters from the battle manga they love. Let’s be honest, people only care about Dragonball, even if Toriyama isn’t involved. Quick reminder that all he was doing with Super was giving Toyotaro, the succeeding mangaka, vague concepts and plot threads and was then letting him do as he pleased. The result was a complete mess of unbaked ideas and bad writing. The fans didn’t wait 10 minutes before calling Daima a GT 2.0, which in many ways it is. Once again, Goku is back to being a kid through a wish from the dragon and travels to distant lands in a spaceship to undo it. Despite many others becoming babies along with him, the premise did not change. On the side of lies, the shills of this cashgrab were insisting it’s not a rehash. It’s more like a return to the style of the original series, when Goku was still a kid and there was a lot of adventure instead of constant Super Saiyan transformations and energy beams. This was quickly proven to be a lie, since not only Daima is chockfull of transformations and energy beams, it also doesn’t feel like the original series in the slightest. Back then Goku and the gang were far more violent and sexually deprived compared to the sanitized versions they had post Z. Remember how kid Goku killed and ate his enemies? When he sexually molested every girl he was coming across with his pat-pat move? That’s not here. We got the adventure aspect and the design of Goku, but not the personality he had as a kid or the type of comedy the original show was using. The jokes were in general too sanitized. Even if you liked the vulgar Dr. Slump type of comedy Dragonball used to have at first, this is not a return to that kind of humor. It’s safe and inoffensive, making it dull and unmemorable. The shills obviously refused to admit that, and insisted you shouldn’t let your hatred of GT to get in the way (in case you didn’t know, nobody liked anything in that show aside from Super Saiyan 4, because it was boring). The shills eventually backpedaled when Super Saiyan 4 got rehashed and sang a different tune. Oh, it actually is a rehash and you should watch it because you love GT! The rehashed transformation was nothing but memberberries, but it became an instant hook regardless. Too bad it happened in the finale. The rest of the show was a chore to watch and the idea to rehash Goku becoming a kid didn’t sit well with the audience. Narrative-wise it was done to depower him, but aesthetic-wise the Muppet Babies / Tiny Toons type of designs didn’t look nice. It’s the adult forms everyone liked, not the chibi ones. How do you switch from buffed adults who only care about punching each other to baby food without eye rolling? It’s like seeing Rambo become a My Little Pony. Your average Dragonball fan only cares about action and transformations, not a bunch of brats doing goofy things. No wonder the show lost 80% of its audience just from that. It also didn’t matter in the long-run, since the only opponent that posed a challenge was the final villain. Everyone else was a cakewalk, even with Goku being a much weaker kid. Everyone else becoming kids didn’t matter either, since Toriyama didn’t do anything with it. It was there just as a joke for the first episodes and then didn’t play a role for the rest of the series. It could be argued that it was done to make the show more accessible to children viewers, but it didn’t work since not many were watching the show, and those who did were all 40 year old diehard fans waiting to see epic fights. They eventually got them. Even then, though, the fights are just a hollow spectacle. They don’t have the epicness of Z, since everyone looks dumb and the threats are barely felt. Nothing is at stake in this show, since the good guys don’t mind being kids. In fact, they love it! On top of that, there is no time limit that would lead to Earth blowing up like in GT. Basically, there is no tension, pressure of time, or stakes in general. Despite that, the vast majority of viewers/readers were pleased, even if they were aware that they were essentially being given garbage. Because none of them cares about the quality of the story, and they certainly don’t care about who wrote it. They just wanna see adult Goku changing hair colors and exchanging energy beams with a villain. They don’t want to see Rugrats versions of Goten and Trunks rolling on the floor and laughing. If I haven’t said a single word about other characters beyond Goku so far, it’s because they were largely left underused. Daima is still the Goku show, with Vegeta being the jealous boyfriend. Despite featuring around a hundred named characters, everyone beyond those two is just there to offer exposition or gasp at how strong Goku and Vegeta are. Most of the older cast is left on Earth where you never see them again after the first episodes. Gohan in specific doesn’t even exist, further proving how much Toriyama regretted making him the new protagonist for a while. Others like Piccolo, Bulma and Shin come along for the heck of it, without offering a thing to the plot. New characters like Glorio and Panzy were initially important for taking the main characters to other places with their airship, and explaining the situation of the demon world, but once Goku began flying again he didn’t need them anymore, and he sure didn’t care about the world he was in. On the villain side, we get Gomah, who is basically Pilaf with a clown head, a completely unthreatening gag character. His two lieutenants, Arinsu and Degesu, seemed to have a hidden agenda that would complicate things, but it never went anywhere and the plot remained fairly silly and straightforward. In fact, the plot was so silly and straightforward it became completely forgettable. There was nothing interesting going on while the gang was traveling in the demon world. The challenges were so easy to overcome, Toriyama had to artificially make some situations to seem more dangerous than they actually were. There were instances where the audience was supposed to believe Super Saiyans who can blow up planets with a finger couldn’t deal with a big child, or normal solders with laser guns. Such moments were not only insulting the audience, they were also clearly done to stretch a fairly simple mission to five times its natural duration. Just how many episodes were wasted on their airship breaking down and them having to walk? How many minutes of every episode were wasted on characters that don’t shut up and explain everything, even when something is obvious? 80% the show was a complete chore to watch. On top of that, there were plot points that were dropped entirely, such as the fusion bugs that were constantly mentioned, made everyone to expect fusion, and it never happened. The highlights ended up being the major battles with the guardian robots and the big bad, but even those had to be artificially made to seem harder than they actually were. One of the robots was given a power up out of nowhere, just so we can have a fan service moment with Vegeta turning Super Saiyan 3. And Gomah finds this completely broken eye that instantly turns him from a nobody to someone more powerful than a Super Saiyan 3. The tradition of people gaining power ups with no effort, and devaluing the earlier arcs when training and never giving up were pivotal, continues. Basically, there is no build up to the highlights, the power ups feel unearned, and the battles end up being superficial because of it. I kept thinking all they have to do is shoot the big bad with a laser gun and be done with it. In case it wasn’t obvious yet, I do not recommend Daima. It was a complete waste of time and an insult to old fans that care about anything other than transformations. I place it even lower than GT, which was also a cashgrab but came out when people were starving for more Dragonball. GT also came out during the 90s when options were limited to what was airing on TV. That is not the case today; you can watch anything you want, from any year, and at any time of the day you fancy. And who would turn his head towards Daima when Sparkling Zero came out at the same time, with every character of every arc and a hundred what-if stories? There is also Multiverse, the best fanfic, that has many times surpassed the official material. Do those two have the best writing? Hell, no! But that is not what fans of the series want. They are pleased with seeing Goku changing hair colors and exchanging energy beams with a villain. Therefore, who gives a dime about Daima when you have so many better alternatives? As the ratings have proved, not many.

Dragon Ball Daima – Akira Toriyama’s Final Work! I'm not here to defend it from critics & haters or to explore Dragon Ball's philosophy. That's a separate topic that can be discussed on Discord with others. I'm just writing a simple and short review. How do you even begin to review something like this? To do it justice, we need to analyze the series properly (but here I will leave a short review due to lack of time). Many people loved it, while others didn’t. But one thing is clear—Dragon Ball Daima is amazing in its own way. Pros / Positives of Dragon Ball Daima:+ The Demon Realm was finally introduced for the first time. + Rich lore expansion, including the reveal of Super Majin Rymus, the creator of all universes in the Dragon Ball Multiverse. + Confirmation that Namekians and Supreme Kais actually originate from the Demon Realm. + exploration and world-building of the Demon Realm. + Incredible fan service : Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta and Super Saiyan God Goku are now canon!!!!! + My theory about Gomah being the final antagonist and that funny-looking character turning out to be the main villain actually came true. + One of the best anime openings—amazing music and stunning animation. + Great fight sequences with solid choreography. As a Dragon Ball fan, what more could you ask for? Cons / Negatives of Dragon Ball Daima: - No fusion, despite the Fusion Bugs being introduced early on (Toriyama-sensei really trolled us with this one). - Shallow exploration of the Demon Realm and minimal use of magic. - Some retcons from Dragon Ball Super, such as the Kibitoshin fusion and Goku using Super Saiyan 4. Final Thoughts: Overall, Dragon Ball Daima was an incredible journey. It may not be the best Dragon Ball series, but it’s certainly a fantastic anime on its own. Despite its flaws, it shines in the anime world (and yes guys, it broke the internet again!!!). As a Dragon Ball fan, I truly appreciate this series. Ratings: Ratings: Story & Plot Progression: 3.5/5 Animation & Music: 4.5/5 Characters: 4/5 Bonus (Fan Service + fights+ coreography+ other factors): 4.5/5 Enjoyment, Impact & Personal Satisfaction: 4.75/5 Total Score: 21.25/25 (85%) Overall Rating: 9/10 (A+)

Before watching this series, ask yourself what do you think about "Dragon Ball". Does it really deserve to be an inspiration to so many creators? Does the original story have anything beyond surface level, which wouldn't just make it some comic/cartoon for kids? Or is it just mindless fun, and you want to see the last "game" of your favorite "football team"? Depending on your answer, you'll either have a lot of fun or will be constantly disappointed. CHARACTERS: Firstly, let's start with the characters. There are quite a lot of cameos and the main cast includes a lot of heroes, which you might remember fromthe previous series, but there are also some notable omissions, which (in certain cases) are quite odd. This in and of itself isn't a big deal - the main problem lies in the (lack of) use of the already established characters, who became a part of the main roster. Besides Goku and Vegeta, they just didn't do all that much. At best, they might have had one or a few gags, but usually they were a background character #47, whose presence simply coincided with Goku and Vegeta's screen time. The story would really benefit from having a smaller roster and giving it more shine. This inadequacy is however somewhat balanced with a colorful cast of new heroes, which I really have to praise. I don't think I particularly disliked any of them, so kudos for that. They provided a lot of laughs, some insight, and I'd gladly see them back in the future productions. One of them, even though they have left a bad first impression, has even managed to become my favorite character. But if I really have to critique the new heroes, I'd say that they also felt more like an aid to the big guns, rather than being the ones who drive the conflict in the place which is supposed to be their home. When it comes to villains, you have neutral forces such as the Tamagami, who can be quite enjoyable, but it's better to think about them as challenges, rather than normal people. And at last you have our antagonists in the form of Gomah and Degesu. The only thing they contribute to the story is that they try to make it harder for our heroes at every turn possible, but besides that, they are too comedic to be taken seriously, which is a problem, because the story wants you to treat them like real, evil villains, similar to the ones we've seen in Z. THE MAIN PROBLEM: Using this example, you can guess, what's the biggest problem with "Daima". It's the sudden shifts in tone. It almost feels like 2/3 writers were taking turns writing episodes, and all of them had a different vision of the series, as one episode is packed with action, the other is toilet humor incarnate, and the rest adds lore which contributes nothing to the story. All three of these aspects could be integrated much better, and flow into each other more naturally, but the plot doesn't commit to any one of these fully, and instead of, for example, making the first portion more humorous, the second one more information-heavy and the last one full of action, it's all mixed without any thought, whether it sticks well or not. LORE AND "CANON": Now that I mentioned lore, it's worth pointing out that, unfortunately, rarely does it make any sense. At this point it's unclear whether certain events were supposed to be taking place hundreds, thousands or millions of years ago. Some characters possess knowledge, which they have never shown before, while forgetting things, which we've seen they knew earlier. If anything's certain it's the fact that nothing makes sense anymore and in the rare instances, when you could theoretically try to make sense of new info, it's as unimportant to the story, as it could possibly be, and it most likely won't be resolved, as "Dragon Ball" in recent years doesn't like to do that. While I'm at it, it's also worth noting, that it's best to forget "Dragon Ball Super" when watching "Daima", as both of these contradict each other a lot. Trying to make sense of it is either impossible or requires big, unnecessary logic hoops. This is not to the detriment of "Daima", as these can just very well be two separate continuities, but it's good to keep that in mind and set your expectations well. HUMOR: But if you don't particularly care about all of that and simply enjoy Toriyama's gags, then you'll certainly find yourself having a lot of fun, as there are quite a lot of them and, if it weren't for the problems with the tone I mentioned before, I really wouldn't write anything bad about them. Obviously, humor is subjective, but besides making us laugh, they can also make you feel like you're experiencing early "Dragon Ball" without recreating it 1:1 like the franchise likes to do nowadays with Z or GT (in this case). STORY, ANIMATION AND POTENTIAL: And lastly, the story. This should be, by far, the longest portion of this review, but as you might guess, there's not a lot to talk about the plot itself, because the story is as simple and as surface level as it gets. There is no nuance to be found, no deeper themes, no substance, unless we add to it a lot of "headcanons". Some plot points, which could very easily drive the plot, are quite literally dropped and forgotten mid-series, and the conclusion to one plot thread, which was established early on, doesn't get a satisfactory conclusion - it kind of resolves itself, without showing the reasons behind the actions of certain characters. Other plot points lead to nothing, even though the show unsubtly leads you to believe they really want to explore them. And what's worse, most likely this was all because of forced fan-service and nostalgia-baiting, which were the main driving forces behind the creation of this series. For anyone who's looking for something fresh in "Dragon Ball" - you won't find it here. There was a lot of potential, you might enjoy some early portions, but later on it was just wasted. Unless you're here just to see some nice fights and transformations. If the story really decided to go one way or another, it could've been saved. Instead, it chose the constant balancing between the lighter tone and the more serious tone, which created a big mess, the only saving grace being the animation, most likely the best the franchise has ever offered. That's all I can say about it, as I'm not a professional in this field. I like seeing nice colors, and cool poses, but this can't substitute a good plot, narrative coherence, and themes which were heavily lacking. What hurt the most, however, is that at some point, you start to accept that it's not even worth theorizing about what will come next, as usually it's the most boring and predictable choice. And I say that, while comparing it to other series in its class, and especially when comparing it to the original manga, where Akira Toriyama proved to the world his capabilities.

Dragon Ball has had a long history, including the non-canonical Dragon Ball GT. GT was about Son Goku getting turned into a kid by Pilaf, and had to run around the universe to collect the black star Dragon Balls (which were different from the normal ones.) While it had some good points and interesting story arcs in the second half, you could certainly feel the lack of budget and conciseness. Thankfully Oda went ahead and returned to the idea with Dragon Ball Daima. King Gomah, the king of the Demon Realm, decided to turn Goku and friends into kids for fear they were too strong. Thisleads the gang to seek out a way to get to the demon realm and reverse the wish. It has a lot of the charm of the OG Dragon Ball, which may not be some people's speed if that happen to be fans who only watched Z and Super, but it makes for a whimsical journey that is a joy to watch while not slouching on fights. The new characters and additional lore on existing characters is surprisingly well done without being planned ahead of time, and it gives more reason for some side characters to be more important to the story rather than being cheerleaders on the sideline. For Toriyama's final work involving Dragon Ball, it truly is an encapsulation of everything good about the series in a brief, low-stakes 20 episode romp through the Demon Realm. 9/10; RIP Toriyama Akira 3/1/24

The anime is set just after Martin buu saga and before Beerus arc it’s your typical Dragonball show with the classic comedy and fighting but it is short with 20 episodes I did enjoy it but it wasn’t as good as super or Z That being said a couple of things have been proven to be Canon like SS4 and vegeta ss3 and they’re not linked to GT etc the Demon realm stuff is fun and all but it did just feel like an arc in a bigger series The only good fight scene was at the end and that was about it It wasfine. Nothing special, but I feel like it was hyped up. Too much. If you are a fan of Dragon Ball to check it out 6/10!

A disgrace to the Dragon Ball series. Everything about this show is a hard watch up until the last 3 episodes. The main characters are shells of themselves, and the new characters aren’t even worth being in the show, they add nothing to the plot aside from an eye mcguffin maybe. Everything outside of the animation here is not good, the story, the plot, the writing. I do not recommend this unless you want to watch the last 3 episodes, an actual waste of time and almost unbearable from start to episode 18. MAL won’t let me finish the review there so I’ll keep going,the setting is fine I guess, they’re in the demon world but the characters act like everything is a joke after awhile and there is no sense of panic or fear even when the odds are stacked against them. It’s almost like Gomah is their friend holding back punches until Kuu or whoever slaps him with a book three times, and that’s the end. Just absolute garbage.

I really liked the show and here are some reasons: -The soundtrack is awesome, the work they have producing this songs must be apreciated. -The opening and ending are basically a love letter to Akira, his name is mentioned in one of the lines. - The new characters are very well fit, they are basic but are very funny. - THE ANIMATION, BEAUTIFUL compared to some episodes of Dragon Ball Super, and most of all the quality of animation doenst decrease in any episode. The story: some parts of the story are a little boring and the screenplay is not elaborated, it's just a funny show with fanservice scenesand cool fight scenes, the meanig reason for to me the show be a 8 score is because THE SHOW IS COMMITED TO BE FUNNY, TO HAVE GOOD ANIMATION AND BE SILLY. If you are expecting a mature show with elaborated canon story IS NOT FOR YOU, go see a dragon ball z movie or whatever.

As the final piece written by the great Akira Toriyama, I feltl emotional saying goodbye to the Dragon Ball world. Daima attempts to recapture the fun and energy of the original Dragon Ball but it doesn’t quite reach its level. That said, the anime was enjoyable, and I never felt bored watching it—solid 6/10. Characters The new characters were simple and fun—not too complex, but fitting for a kid’s show. However, as expected, Vegeta got done dirty once again. Animation Dragon Ball animation rarely disappoints, and Daima is no exception. The fight scenes were visually stunning and well-animated throughout. Recommendation If you’re looking for a lighthearted anime with no complicated plotor character development but with amazing visuals and fights, Daima is a solid choice. For OG Dragon Ball fans, it’s worth watching for the nostalgia and callbacks to DB and DB GT. However, if you’re only a fan of Dragon Ball Z, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Dragon Ball Daima the 3rd sequel series to Dragon Ball Z that takes place prior to Dragon Ball Super? and is canon! In terms of continuaty its probably the most confusing adition to the franchice, there have been retcons and plotholes before but this series is just it cant take place in the same timeline as either super or gt the retcons and implications it would create are too big to ignore. In terms of quality, the story starts out great and follows more the og dragon ball although sadly it spended far too much time on already established characters (bulma, piccolo, vegeta) than on the newones (panzy, glorio) and dragged out fights The villains are the worst out of every other DB series, they are all shallow with no menacing factor or even make a false danger to the characters in case someone hasnt seen super or gt and doesnt make it there i doubt they will ever feel a sense of danger. For some praise, the fights are easily the best in the series, the animation is on par if not better than dbs broly and the demon realm is probably the most unique in all of anime (i will not say its mind blowing but in comparison to every other hell/demon realm i have seen its leagues better) Overall: (7/10) It didnt live up to the hype but if you are a dragon ball fan you should definetely watch it especially if you are a gt fan and in case you havent seen dragon ball it looks like a great entry point, there is a small recup at the start so inthat case that should be enough for you to understand whats going on.

I still remember when Dragon Ball Daima was announced but hadn’t aired yet, and many fans were disappointed it wasn’t just a sequel to Dragon Ball Super, especially considering the manga content at the time. I admit I was among those disappointed fans, only mildly interested in the show because it was Dragon Ball written by Akira Toriyama himself. Thankfully, once I started watching, I had a blast, especially at the beginning. There have been constant comparisons between Daima and Dragon Ball GT. While I was initially unsure how things would turn out in that regard, beyond the premise of turning Goku and the cast into kids,I ended up liking the show as a whole—definitely more than GT. In a way, Daima feels like a modern Toriyama-style remake of GT’s early arcs. The show recaptures the adventurous spirit GT tried to emulate, likely aiming to evoke the original Dragon Ball’s emphasis on exploration. However, I had many issues with GT, which I’ll compare to Daima now. While GT focused on exploring various planets in Universe 7, it did so in a dull way, with forgettable and unlikable characters, including a grown-up Kid Trunks, who was boring, and Pan and Giru, who were somewhat annoying. Daima mercifully fixes these issues in the best way. It feels like a true sequel, specifically to the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Interviews have noted that the Buu Saga manga was largely driven by editors and higher-ups forcing its existence, despite Toriyama wanting to just end it. While many have understandable issues with the Buu saga, I personally enjoyed it, despite its missed potential. One of those missed opportunities was exploring the Demon Realm with characters like Dabura. I’m glad Daima finally let us visit the Demon Realm, which had been hyped up. I was intrigued by details like the Supreme King of the Demon Realm. Some might have mixed feelings about the reveal that all pointy-eared characters in the Dragon Ball series, like Namekians, Shin’s race, and Dabura’s race, originate from the Demon Realm in some way. I found it a fun way to make these races relevant again. Sure, it could feel like a side quest, but to me, it’s like a cool RPG side quest that delivers fascinating lore. While not critical to the main story, it justifies some of Toriyama’s spontaneous world-building and ties things together. I can tell Toriyama had a lot of fun writing this show. Many fans prefer the serious parts of the Dragon Ball series, especially Z and parts of Super, with their memorable villains, epic fight scenes, and power-ups. However, Toriyama’s favorite style has been noted to be comedy, gag manga, and adventure. I could sense he was having the time of his life creating this new world and returning to the comedic style of the original Dragon Ball, which was somewhat retained in Super. Learning about the three parts of the Demon Realm and its world-building—like the bugs, interdimensional travel, and their version of Dragon Balls—was engaging. I also liked most of the new characters, like Glorio and Panzy, who had that classic Toriyama charm. Many of the demon characters’ designs felt straight out of Dragon Quest, which is fitting since Toriyama was the main artist for that series before his passing. While Dragon Ball Daima has fewer fight scenes than Dragon Ball Z or Super, the ones present feature amazing animation—leagues above most of Super, even though I love that show. As much as I’ve "glazed" Daima so far, I can only say I liked it, not loved it. While I enjoyed learning about the Demon Realm, the show’s 20-episode limit meant the plot had to accelerate, and the world-building became less relevant as the series progressed. This was unfortunate, as there was clearly more to explore, but it felt sidelined once Piccolo, Bulma, and Vegeta met up with Goku and Supreme Kai Shin. This leads to what I call lazy fan service in the second half. Don’t get me wrong—the second half was still enjoyable, but its reliance on introducing new forms out of nowhere was my biggest complaint. While it was cool that Vegeta achieved Super Saiyan 3 and Goku reached Super Saiyan 4, online complaints about continuity—how Daima complicates what’s canon regarding Goku’s knowledge of Super Saiyan 4 or Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 in Super—have a point. Continuity issues don’t bother me, as Toriyama has always done in-series retcons since the early days of the original Dragon Ball manga. My issue is how these forms were thrown in for fan service without interesting justification. For example, Toriyama gave Broly a compelling backstory and motivations in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. In contrast, Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 and Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 were vaguely explained as, “Majin Buu was tough, so we trained hard off-screen.” I know many fans love Super Saiyan 4 from GT, but I never connected with it. Its inclusion in Daima felt like a mix of pandering to fans and ensuring GT remains non-canon. It felt hollow, despite the well-animated fight scenes, and made the fight scenes around them not quite as exciting as I'd hoped. Even Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue had more thematic and narrative weight. The laziness doesn’t stop at Super Saiyan 3 and 4. Toriyama’s subversive, unpredictable storytelling works sometimes, but the only interesting character arc was Glorio’s, with his unexpected development at the end. The main villain, Goma, and how he got the “evil eye” was very underwhelming, especially since it tied into a minor joke character who only briefly mattered for kinda lame jokes. Smaller issues also stood out. While it was cool to see Piccolo, he was hyped up for part of a fight but barely used, so ended up just existing here for thematic ties to the Namekians’ origins. Supreme Kai's role started strong but didn’t develop much with his kin as I'd like. Bulma did little in the Demon Realm. In general, the second half felt rushed. There was a Ginyu Force ripoff who felt like a waste of time. There was an outline of other demons rebelling against Goma, but with just six more episodes, the world-building could have deepened, the climactic fights could have been more engaging, and the choice of the next demon ruler would have made more sense, as we barely know that character. Overall, Dragon Ball Daima was a fun but not great show. It was a light, enjoyable adventure, and Toriyama clearly had a blast writing it. The standout moments and fight scenes were great, and the characters, for the most part, had that classic Toriyama charm. However, the rushed second half, with underdeveloped plot points, lame gags for plot progression, lazy fan service, and only one compelling character arc, dampened my enjoyment. Still, I don’t regret watching it, and I’m glad Toriyama was able to write one final story he clearly enjoyed before his passing. Rest in peace.

At first, I really liked Dragon Ball Daima, because it had that classic Dragon Ball feel with its journey-driven structure. But as it progressed, my interest started fading, mainly due to the uninspired and bland character designs. Since Dragon Ball Super, the franchise has struggled with creativity in this area. The designs feel lazy; just minor tweaks to colors and hairstyles or the usual "bigger, more muscular villain" trope. Even fan-made content feels more fresh and inspired. As for the story, I didn’t expect much—just an adventure with fun fights, as usual. And in that regard, Daima delivered. The fights were well-animated, and the final battlewas genuinely worth watching. That said, Dragon Ball has never been known for its deep lore, but Daima introduced major continuity issues that the series didn’t even attempt to address. Maybe they’re saving explanations for a second season? Overall, the series started strong, dragged in the middle, and picked up again in the final two episodes. But sitting through 18 episodes just for a decent ending doesn’t feel worth it. At least Toriyama left a gift before his final rest. R.I.P. king!

Dragon Ball Daima is a special gift for longtime fans of the franchise and, at the same time, a light and engaging adventure that captivates new audiences. From the very first episodes, the series succeeds in recapturing the essence of classic Dragon Ball, with a modern touch that enhances the animation quality and narrative pacing. Seeing Goku and his friends turned back into child versions is more than just an aesthetic change, it's an opportunity to relive the spirit of adventure, exploration, and humor that defined the franchise’s early arcs. The fights remain dynamic, with well-crafted choreography, but it’s the lighthearted and charismatic tone that trulysteals the spotlight. The setting, soundtrack, and even the smallest scenic details harken back to the roots of Dragon Ball, that mix of martial arts, fantastical worlds, and irresistible charm. It’s impossible not to feel a wave of nostalgia with each new episode. In short, Dragon Ball Daima is a love letter to the franchise’s past, but with enough energy and freshness to keep the flame alive today. It’s fun, vibrant, and nostalgic in just the right way — a journey that, even with familiar faces, still manages to surprise and delight.

I hate how good the animation is because the story was really bad. First time I’ve ever been bored watching Dragon Ball. At only 20 episodes this somehow managed to feel drawn out. Somewhere in here is a good 90-minute movie that's being forced to pad itself out. But still this is probably the best animated Dragon Ball series. They don’t do anyone justice though. Gohan doesn’t make one appearance. Piccolo didn’t really add anything and even forgot the Namekian language. Totally out of character. I find it very hard to believe Toriyama wrote this like Toei claimed because it constantly went out of itsway to contradict canon (as opposed to other moments where Toriyama just forgets stuff) and played out like poor fan fiction.

Dragon Ball Daima is truly a love letter not only for all Dragon Ball fans, but also for all fans of the works created by the late Akira Toriyama. You can feel the original author's touch throughout the anime. He had a huge influence on it, after all. It is full of references and fanservice from various manga created by Toriyama-sensei's, but all of those elements blend so well with Daima's setting that it should not be an issue for viewers less familiar with either non-Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball works. As for the story, Dragon Ball Daima offers a fine mix of adventure and gaghumor (known from the original Dragon Ball anime), and epic action with flashy transformations (that are characteristic to Dragon Ball Z). By that, Daima balances well-known tropes and themes, mixes them, and offers an experience previously present only in the decades-old Dragon Ball GT. What's more, it allows viewers to discover more details about the Demon Realm - a part of the Dragon Ball universe that many fans wanted to see more of in an original storyline. With its cast of interesting brand-new characters (whether they are friends, foes, or neutral) and new, unseen-before lore details being revealed in many episodes, we get a fine example of nostalgia meeting innovation. The awesome visuals and fluid animation, especially (though not exclusively) during action sequences, make Dragon Ball Daima a pleasure to watch. The good soundtrack, especially the "banger" songs from the opening and ending themes, further elevates the viewing experience. I won't mention voice acting, because it is superb, as it has always been in Dragon Ball (or, more specifically, in the anime industry). Masako Nozawa's performance as Goku in Daima might be one of the best out of all Dragon Ball anime. I had a lot of fun watching this show. It had its cons here and there. Yeah, it was not perfect, and surely there will be fans who would not be happy with the new stuff or rich, sometimes over the top fanservice, which this series is abundant in. But you know what? I loved this show despite its flaws or shortcomings. Dragon Ball Daima works extremely well both as a Dragon Ball anime and as a fun animated series telling a cool story. Rest in peace, Toriyama-sensei. Thank you for Daima, Dragon Ball, and all the other works you have ever worked on.

It's a fine last hurrah from Toriyama and I think you can tell, especially in the earlier parts of the series he had a big hand in its vibe. I feel if he didn't unfortunately pass away it would have lead to a much more cohesive series but I feel the vision was carried on well enough even if the story falls apart towards the last half of the series. The action, animation, choreography were all immense to make up for it though but if I'm honest its a bit of a "what could have been" in the end. If you like Dragonball you'll love this, wartsand all. If you're not a huge DB fan, I don't think it'll be for you. I wouldn't mind more of Daima, but I would personally prefer more Super with the team that worked on this adapting the manga of Super but more Daima next? Won't say no.

Dragon Ball Daima has had a lot riding on it's shoulders in the eyes of fans, given that this is Toriyama's truly last project he worked on before he passed away. And in my opinion it's the best thing we could've gotten, as someone who's been with this series from manga, to anime, to games throughout my life. It was a gateway back to youthful excitement I thought I'd never get to experience again. The spirit of Toriyama's Dragon Ball is felt through everything in this series. The jokes are sometimes raunchy and silly, or just straight-up weird toilet humor, a long-missed trait of the earlyDragon Ball manga that always made the story so hilariously juvenile despite the stakes it often dealt with realistically. The battles throughout these 20 episodes encompass every form that it has taken throughout the history of the series, from tiny Goku's martial arts and power pole, to super forms and energy beams galore, the series loves and respects every part of itself and wants to celebrate all of it with the fans. The progression within Daima also feels like a genuine continuation after the Buu saga, furthering the training and evolution of characters, as well as filling in cracks in the original Dragon Ball lore that we never really got answered. Why did the original Piccolo call himself a Demon King? Where did Kaioushin come from? Dabura showed up in the Buu saga and that door is opened fully in Daima, to fully complete the lore of Dragon Ball's original run. The production of the anime is also top-notch, it all looks amazing. If you look at the staff you'd find countless names from the anime's entire history, like Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, the character designer of the Z anime series, as well as incredibly reputable key animators like Naotoshi Shida, who's probably Dragon Ball's greatest contributor for action animation. In the end, this series is the ultimate celebration of Dragon Ball, and the most heartfelt a love letter could be from a creator to his fans. Toriyama has passed on, but his spirit is fully felt throughout all of Daima, to a point it nearly brings a tear to my eye. Don't listen to the people saying Daima's worse than Super or that it messed up the lore or whatnot, this is all Dragon Ball in it's truest form. It's Dragon Ball, it's Dragon Ball Z, it's Dragon Ball Super, hell it's even a bit of Dragon Ball GT. As Dragon Ball fans we should love and appreciate this final installment for all of it's beauty, despite some pacing hiccups in the early episodes, since it encompasses everything that made Dragon Ball what it is today.

So this was my first full Dragon Ball series and it is the most amount of Dragon Ball episodes I’ve ever seen. And it was pretty exciting. Despite disappointing CGI for Shenron (they hand drew him in the 80’s, speak to those animators Toei) and the fact that the veteran cast were discarded (mostly) in favor of younger actors due to the premise, this series definitely delivered on the excitement factor, Kamehameha’s and Super Seiyan forms to make this a worthwhile watch, even if you’ve never seen Dragon Ball before, there is enough exposition to help new viewers like me. Although, for a man who’sgoing to be a grandfather, Goku is unnaturally immature and that makes him a very hard character to understand. Rest in Peace, Toriyama sensei.

Finished Dragon Ball Daima and I'm feeling emotional because it's the final story Toriyama told us and Dragon Ball has been a part of my life for over 30 years at this point. Daima, much like Super, is another series that maybe we didn't really need, but I enjoyed nonetheless. It was so fun to revisit all our faves and get to expand the lore of the franchise at the same time. I approached the series as kind of a dessert piece and I think that was the key to enjoying it. If I expected it to be compelling or overly emotional outside of realworld circumstances, then I think it would have disappointed me. This is why I chose to mark this review as mixed feelings, because I think some people in fandom expect everything in the franchise to have the impact of the original stories when the latest installments just don't have the same punch to them. That said, this wasn't a bad story, though at times it could have moved a little faster. It also wasn't a bad note to end on now that we're out of the Toriyama era either. If you like Super and are curious about realms outside of the one that the franchise mainly takes place in, then you'll probably like this series. If you're looking for something that is meant to remind the audience of what it's like to watch Dragon Ball or DBZ, then you might be disappointed.

Dragon Ball Daima is a very decent anime. I am in the middle of Dragon Ball as I review Dragon Ball Daima, so I have to admit that as much as I'm a new fan, I can't really admit that I am a HUGE fan, so I can't tell exactly what I'm supposed to like about this anime. It's cute and entertaining, but it also just plays out as simply and expectedly as an anime can. I mean that in most aspects: the animation, the plot, the humor... it's all just... tolerable. There is a fair bit of charm that makes this anime lean towardsthe good side as opposed to the bad. Really, it's just the familiarity with some of these characters that makes it even worth any of my time. If you're new to Dragon Ball in general, this would not be a good place to start. It might be good for children as a cute little TV show, but as a deep anime fan who seeks hard-hitting plots, this is not it. I'll just wrap it up by saying it's worth a watch if you're naturally a fan. It's got some sentimental value to it, and you do see some new stuff that I'm certain most fans will at least raise their eyebrows at. Give it a chance! It's not terrible.