A brand-new Dragon Ball anime titled Dragon Ball Daima was announced during New York Comic-Con 2023. The surprising announcement came to fans eager for the continuation of Dragon Ball Super‘s anime, which concluded in 2018. Although the DBS manga has two substantial post-Tournment of Power story arcs ready for adaptation, the new anime looks to deliver something entirely new from Akira Toriyama himself that pays tribute to Dragon Ball‘s 40th anniversary.
Toriyama began publishing the original Dragon Ball manga in 1984, with the beloved anime starting in 1986. The sequel series, Dragon Ball Z, gained immense levels of popularity worldwide for its intense action scenes and mature sci-fi epic story elements.
However, Toriyama’s work on Dragon Ball started as a much more light-hearted affair with more rounded character designs. The first look at Dragon Ball Daima resembles Toriyama’s original series more closely than the very different pulse-pounding battles of DBS‘s Tournament of Power.
The Latest News on Dragon Ball Daima
Original series created by Akira Toriyama
The new Dragon Ball Daima anime was officially announced by Toei Animation on October 12, 2023, at the 2023 New York Comic-Con. Executive producer Akio Iyoku helped reveal a short teaser trailer with a panel of some of Dragon Ball Super‘s English voice actors, Monica Rial (Bulma) and Ian Sinclair (Whis). Iyoku announced that Toriyama, “…has been deeply involved beyond his usual capacity overseeing the original work, story, character design, and more.” While details are still limited, it sounds like Toriyama will be more involved in Daima‘s production than he was in Dragon Ball Super‘s.
While Akira Toriyama will be more heavily involved with the series’ production, Dragon Ball Daima’s recently revealed production staff also shows that the series is in talented hands. An issue of V-Jump revealed the series will be directed by Yoshitaka Yashima and Aya Komaki, who have helped create some of Dragon Ball Super and One Piece‘s best anime episodes. Character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru and scriptwriter Yuuko Kakihara are also working on the new Dragon Ball series. Toei Animation’s recruitment of these talents proves that Dragon Ball Daima will be a spectacle.
At DRAGON BALL Games Battle Hour 2024, a new character trailer focusing on Goku was revealed. It showed Goku battling against a gang of monstrous-looking villains while trying to eat a snack. Goku seems to have settled back into fighting like his kid self, with him dodging and moving around the larger enemies throughout the trailer. Also released was artwork of various characters in their new younger forms, such as Buu, Mr. Satan, Chi Chi, and Android 18.
On July 19, 2024, a new trailer for Dragon Ball Daima was released on X (formerly Twitter). This new trailer showcased the Daima-style designs, officially known as “Mini” versions of the characters (i.e., Goku (Mini)), revealing the new appearance of many characters. Also featured prominently in the trailer is a mysterious new character, who wields an energy gun and looks quite a lot like a Kai. This new character doesn’t appear to have been turned “Mini”, suggesting that he might be the one responsible for the situation that the Z Fighters now find themselves in.
A news post made to the Dragon Ball official website on July 19, 2024, also confirmed some new characters’ names. The Kai-looking figure with the energy gun is named Glorio. The strange, villainous looking figure with the cape and scepter is named Gomah, while the hooded figure wearing a mask is simply known as the Masked Majin. Glorio is shown fighting Goku at various points in the trailer, suggesting that these three new characters may be connected in some way.
A news post made to the Dragon Ball official website on September 4, 2024, confirmed the series’ release date in Japan for October 11, 2024. The news post also reveals that Daima is primarily set within the Demon Realm, a largely unexplored corner of the Dragon Ball universe which should be exciting for long time fans. Additionally, the opening theme was revealed, “Jaka Jaan” by Zedd, featuring C&K, as well as the Japanese voice actors for Glorio (now revealed to be an ally to Goku), a character named Panzy (who appears to be the Masked Majin’s secret identity), and the Supreme Kai (Mini).
Dragon Ball Daima Release Window
Dragon Ball Daima will be releasing in Japan on October 11, 2024. This information was confirmed by the official Dragon Ball website, in conjunction with the release of a new trailer and a new key visual. There is as yet no information about an international release date, although such an announcement is likely to come in the next few weeks as that release date approaches. Previous rumors, including information from a deleted interview with Toei Animation’s Latin American licensing director, have suggested a simultaneous release is planned, but fans should take this info with a grain of salt.
Dragon Ball Daima
has been in production for more than a year, which is already a lot more time than most anime series are given.
Hopefully, the rumors of a simulcast are true, because Dragon Ball Super‘s dub took nearly a year and a half to release in the United States after its first episode aired in Japan in 2015.
Dragon Ball Daima Story & Characters
A mysterious new threat has taken notice of Goku and Vegeta’s defeat of Babidi and Majin Buu. The identity and powers of the teaser’s two new antagonists are currently unknown. A wish is made to Shenron that transforms Goku and most of the characters, including Vegeta, Bulma, Master Roshi, Piccolo, and even Supreme Kai Shin and his attendant Kibito, into child-like chibi versions of their former selves, known as “Mini” versions.
A trailer released on September 4, 2024, confirmed additional information, with the accompanying news post on the official Dragon Ball website confirming that the setting of the series will be the Demon Realm, a region of Dragon Ball‘s universe which has been referenced but rarely seen. This suggests that the story will offer plenty of new lore regarding the Demon Realm and how it relates to Dragon Ball‘s overarching cosmology. The trailer also confirmed that Goku will still be able to go Super Saiyan in his Mini form, meaning that Goku’s powers won’t be scaled back too much.
While Dragon Ball GT began with Goku transforming into a kid, Daima promises to be “A Story Never Before Told In Dragon Ball.” With that in mind, it stands to reason the new series will set itself apart and offer something different from Dragon Ball GT.
Where Dragon Ball Daima Fits Into Canon
All signs point to Dragon Ball Daima taking place before the events of Dragon Ball Super but after Goku and Vegeta’s defeat of Kid Buu at the end of Dragon Ball Z. However, the teaser does show Supreme Kai Shin and Kibito as individuals instead of in their Potara Fusion form, Kibito Kai. The two are reverted into their original bodies during Dragon Ball Super. Still, Goku and Vegeta are seen wearing clothing not marked with the angel Whis’ training symbol from DBS, which is the most substantial evidence that Dragon Ball Daima takes place before the events of Dragon Ball Super.
It’s currently unknown if the story of Dragon Ball Daima will canonically affect the events of DBS‘s next arcs. However, the new series will likely be a spin-off that’s not tied down to the series’ bigger narrative. This is similar to the promotional web anime Super Dragon Ball Heroes, whose events do not affect the franchise’s main storyline.
Dragon Ball Daima Latest Trailer
The debut teaser trailer for Dragon Ball Daima begins with the history of the Dragon Ball‘s franchises most pivotal series and the years in which they released. The nostalgic look back concludes with short clips from the critically acclaimed Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, with its release year of 2022 hovering above till the teaser stops at 2023 for a few seconds until 2024 explodes onto the screen with dramatic sound effects. What follows is the first new scenes of Dragon Ball anime that viewers have seen in a long time.
Two menacing figures are shown watching Goku and Vegeta’s past on large floating screens from an otherworldly fiery castle. Then, the trailer cuts to Shenron being summoned and a wish being made. Audiences then see Goku and Vegeta stunned as they are transformed into child-like forms more reminiscent of Dragon Ball‘s original round character designs than the sharp, intimidating designs that populate DBZ and DBS. The first teaser then shows many of the series’ characters reacting to their new looks with shock, while those not affected by the wish can be seen in the background of some shots.
There is no sign of Beerus, Whis, or any Super Saiyan God forms present in the first teaser for Dragon Ball Daima. Still, the trailer featuring the child-like transformations of many of Dragon Ball Z‘s main characters isn’t without some epic action. Adult versions of Goku and Vegeta can be seen sparing in the sky and even throwing their signature beam attacks toward each other with Daima‘s new art style. The small Goku can also be seen with his classic power pole and preparing to battle new foes.
Another trailer focusing on Son Goku was released at DRAGON BALL Games Battle Hour 2024. It showcased spaceships and alien worlds, but the main focus was on a fight scene of Goku battling against several monsters. Goku’s fluid movements suggest that the animation will be quite good in the series, so that’s one thing fans won’t have to worry about. Goku is back to fighting like his child self, using the Power Pole and dodging and weaving through enemies in a way that only someone small could.
The July 19, 2024, trailer showcases the new characters introduced in Dragon Ball Daima, with a focus on the Kai-like Glorio, who is shown flying a strange craft and wielding an energy gun. He appears to be fighting Goku at some points in the trailer, suggesting that this figure may be aligned with the villains, or at least won’t be an ally to start with. The Masked Majin is also shown fighting, although without any context as to who or what it may be up against. The last new character, Gomah, is shown only in close-ups and watching everything that happens on a large screen, as was the case in the previous trailer.
Yet another new trailer was released on September 4, 2024. This trailer revealed that the setting of the bulk of the series will be the Demon Realm, and showed Goku on a journey with the Supreme Kai traveling throughout the wastelands. Goku and Supreme Kai are accompanied by the new characters Glorio and Panzy, the latter of whom seems to be the identity of the character previously known as the Masked Majin. The trailer also introduced the new theme for the series, “Jaka Jaan” by Zedd featuring C&K. The trailer also featured Goku going Super Saiyan in his Mini form.
Where To Watch Dragon Ball Daima
With Toei Animation announcing Dragon Ball Daima, the new anime will likely air on television as Dragon Ball Super did, then become available on streaming apps like Crunchyroll shortly after. Details of Dragon Ball Daima‘s English release have yet to be confirmed, but the franchise’s cast of voice actors is expected to return. It would be shocking if the series weren’t dubbed into English since the demographic makes up a vast number of Dragon Ball‘s fans. More Dragon Ball Daima information will be announced before its October 11, 2024, release date.
Source: Toei Animation/YouTube