Dragon Ball Super may be the most popular sequel to Dragon Ball Z, but it's hardly the best. While a fun series at its best, Dragon Ball Super is in many ways an extension of DBZ's worst habits: out-of-control power-scaling, constantly introducing transformations, and story arcs that often focus more on non-stop action over adventure or meaningful character development. Dragon Ball Super is not Akira Toriyama at his best; but Dragon Ball DAIMA certainly is.
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The last anime Akira Toriyama worked on before his death in 2024, Dragon Ball DAIMA is the best the Dragon Ball franchise has been in years. Dragon Ball DAIMA does more in 20 episodes than Dragon Ball Super accomplished in 131 and two movies. Even at its worst, Dragon Ball DAIMA's superb direction, animation, and storytelling calls back to a period in Dragon Ball history where the series was fresh, exciting, and full of wonder in the best way possible.
Akira Toriyama Personally Wrote Dragon Ball DAIMA Himself
Although he's credited for the manga's story in English, Akira Toriyama didn't actually write Dragon Ball Super himself. Toriyama did write Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, but for the Universe 6 Tournament, Goku Black Saga, and Universe Survival Saga, Toriyama only provided Toyotarou and Toei with outlines for what the Sagas should look like. Not just that, Toyotarou wrote the Moro and Granolah Sagas himself, albeit with oversight from Toriyama. Dragon Ball DAIMA is another matter entirely.
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According to Dragon Ball DAIMA's production staff, Akira Toriyama not only wrote the story for every episode himself, he also wrote all of the series' dialogue. While this claim is dubious, especially considering Toriyama death on March 1, 2024, Dragon Ball DAIMA was in production for a long time and the anime does feature his signature sense of humor, quirky lore-drops, and creative battles that defined the original Dragon Ball manga and the first half of Dragon Ball Z. You can tell Dragon Ball Super was only outlined by Toriyama, while Dragon Ball DAIMA really has that Toriyama touch to it that hasn't been seen outside his DBS movies.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is a Perfect Balance of Early Dragon Ball & DBZ
Dragon Ball Super's DNA is very much coded in the second half of Dragon Ball Z, for better or worse. Dragon Ball DAIMA instead mixes the best elements of original Dragon Ball with the high-quality story, character writing, and action from Dragon Ball Z's Saiyan and Frieza Sagas. Even Dragon Ball DAIMA's fan service feels earned and hits harder than Dragon Ball Super's, from Vegeta unlocking Super Saiyan 3 off-screen to Akira Toriyama making Super Saiyan 4 Goku canon in the final battle. DAIMA is also genuinely funny, using character-based humor much like Dr. Slump and OG Dragon Ball to endear the audience to the series' jokes and characters.
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Dragon Ball DAIMA also uses its pacing to slowly become more action-focused, mirroring the manga's progression from early Dragon Ball to DBZ. The series' first half is adventure-heavy, like the Hunt for the Dragon Ball and Red Ribbon Army arcs, slowly developing the Demon Realm's world and the main cast, while the second half is full of incredibly choreographed fights which feel earned after all the build-up in the first 10 to 14 episodes. It's that perfect balance of adventure, action, and comedy only Akira Toriyama is capable of.
Dragon Ball DAIMA Animation & Art Direction Are 10/10
Dragon Ball Super had serious animation and direction issues in its early story arcs, in large part because animators were not given the time they needed in order to do each episode justice. The anime's remake beginning with Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is not only to build-up to the series' adaptation of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, but likely a means to do right by DBS so that new fans don't have to suffer through poor animation until the Tournament of Power. Dragon Ball DAIMA does not have this problem at all.
Dragon Ball DAIMA was beautifully animated and directed from Episode 1, featuring genuinely movie-quality animation that only improves in the anime's last few episodes. Battles are extremely fluid, characters are wonderfully expressive, and the Demon Realm's world design is vibrant, as if jumping out from the pages of Akira Toriyama's concept art. Even the worst episodes of Dragon Ball DAIMA are gorgeous to watch and stand up with the best of the best in Dragon Ball Super.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is a visual feast for the eyes, and does justice to Akira Toriyama's characters and story in a way Dragon Ball Super never could outside the movies.
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025
- Network
- Fuji TV, Kansai TV, Tokai Television Broadcasting, Fukui TV, Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting, Iwate Menkoi Television, Sendai Television, SAGA TV, TNC, OHK, Ishikawa TV, Kochi Sun Sun Broadcasting, TV Shizuoka, UMK TV Miyazaki, Television Shin Hiroshima System, NST, NBS, Sakuranbo TV, TSK, Ehime Broadcasting, KTS, NIB, KKT, Fukushima TV, TOS, AKT, Toyama Television, Okinawa Television Broadcasting
- Directors
- Kazuya Karasawa, Ryuta Kawahara
Cast
-
Masako NozawaSon Goku (mini) (voice) -
Koki UchiyamaGlorio (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Akira Toriyama
- Franchise(s)
- Dragon Ball
