Review: 'Dragon Ball DAIMA' revives 'Dragon Ball''s adventure roots

Created by: Akira Toriyama/ ©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION

 Before mangaka Akira Toriyama died last March, he finished writing “Dragon Ball DAIMA,” a continuation series of his 40-year, legacy-defining shonen, “Dragon Ball.”

To say that what Toriyama envisioned and produced with “DAIMA” exceeded my expectations would be an understatement.

“Dragon Ball DAIMA’s” first episode debuted in Japan on Oct. 11, 2024. Hulu and the anime studio and streaming service Crunchyroll aired the series’ first episode with English subtitling of the Japanese audio internationally just hours later. Netflix USA would follow suit, airing the series’ first episode with English subtitles on Oct. 18, and shortly thereafter, a limited release of the series’ first three episodes with an English dubbing produced by Crunchyroll aired in U.S. theaters between Nov. 10 and Nov. 12.

“Daima” is a term Toriyama made up. From Japanese, “Daima” roughly translates in English to the word, “evil,” but when kanji text is used for the term, it translates to “great” and “demon/magic.”

In “Dragon Ball DAIMA,” Toriyama masterfully combines the retro adventure themes of “Dragon Ball’s” story in the mid to late ‘80s with the franchise’s current action themes that have cemented its place in pop culture since the early ‘90s.

Within its first eight episodes, the series expands the world of “Dragon Ball” flavorfully by reintroducing old concepts with new places and characters, namely the Demon Realm.

In episode one, a freshly animated recap of  “Dragon Ball Z” —  the famed series prequeling “DAIMA” in the franchise’s current canon — briefly informs viewers of the origins of “Dragon Ball’s” protagonists fighting evil ahead of  “DAIMA’s” plot.

After the recap, antagonist Demon King Gomah, from his lair in one of the three worlds of the Demon Realm, heads to Earth in search of the Dragon Balls, a set of seven sequentially-starred orbs that summon a magical dragon who can grant two powerful, but limitation-bound wishes. 

Gomah intends to neutralize our protagonists: Son Goku, the Z Warriors and their allies.

With the help of his mystical accomplices, Degesu and Neva, Gomah gathers all seven Dragon Balls and makes a wish to turn all the series’ protagonists into children. Despite not being aware of what’s happening, the memories and powers of our protagonists aren’t erased due to the wish being short-sighted. 

In episode two, after making this wish, Gomah and crew kidnap the Earth Dragon Balls’ overseer, Dende and flee the planet to return to the Demon Realm to prevent our protagonists from using the Dragon Balls to reverse the wish.

At the same time, Glorio, another new character from the Demon Realm, arrives on Earth with a plane that can travel through realms. He informs our protagonists of their predicament and offers to help. Goku and his ally, the Supreme Kai, agree to travel with Glorio into the Demon Realm to find and defeat Gomah’s forces and to reverse his wish on their bodies.

Between episode three and the current episode, episode eight, the adventures Goku and Shin have with Glorio within the Demon Realm, albeit slow-paced, are entertaining.

From humorous dialogue and interactions that sent my friends and me hollering with laughter into text chats, to crisp fights and animation reminiscent of  “Dragon Ball” video games and practical introductions and connections for new characters and the Demon Realm, “DAIMA” fares better in adventure than other “Dragon Ball” media, such as “Dragon Ball GT,” a series that had Goku, his granddaughter and another protagonist venture in space to reverse a gag villain gang’s wish that turned him into a child.

Even though “Dragon Ball DAIMA” will never compare to “Dragon Ball Z,” the continuation series “Dragon Ball Super,” or even some of  “Dragon Ball GT” due to their acclaimed action elements and long-term impacts on the franchise, “DAIMA” brings its own unique contribution to
the world of “Dragon Ball.”

Despite all the concerns surrounding its early production, as the show’s theme song, “Jaka Jaan,” suggests, it really is a “DAIMA wonderland” worth watching.

The series will last at least 20 episodes with weekly releases going through early 2025 in Japan and on streaming services. The English dub does not have a finalized release schedule yet, but it will likely be added onto Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix during 2025.