It’s been 40 years since Akira Toriyama’s original “Dragon Ball” manga entered circulation, and neither manga nor anime have been the same since. Not only has virtually every big action manga that’s come since been influenced in some capacity by Toriyama’s work, but “Dragon Ball Z” has all but become synonymous with the medium of anime, and Son Goku become THE anime protagonist. Now, the last project Toriyama worked on before his passing, “Dragon Ball Daima,” has come to an end. With the future of the franchise up in the air, we at least have a fitting conclusion to Toriyama’s work, one that encapsulates everything its creator tried to accomplish.
Taking place shortly after the end of “Dragon Ball Z,” this new chapter in the “Dragon Ball” franchise sees Son Goku and his friends turned into child versions of themselves by a new Supreme King of the Demon Realm afraid of the threat the Saiyan poses. In order to turn back into adults, Goku embarks on a great adventure to the Demon Realm to find its native Dragon Balls. Like the opening theme song for “Dragon Ball Daima” very clearly states, this is a new story full of “thousands of jabs and silly jokes,” as well as “no-holds-barred battles.” More importantly, however, “Daima” feels like Toriyama unleashed, as if the creator was taking one last chance to set the record straight on what his ideal version of the franchise is, delivering the purest form of a Goku story.
Granted, this is not the first time a “Dragon Ball” series turns Goku back into kid-form — that was the whole impetus for “Dragon Ball GT,” a show which didn’t really involve Toriyama. What makes “Daima” unique, however, is how low its stakes are and how different its focus is compared to both “GT” and “Super,” the two sequel shows to “Dragon Ball Z.” There is no saving the world, no genocidal maniac trying to conquer new realms. Instead, this is quite literally a fun little adventure in a strange new world, a throwback road trip/buddy comedy with elements of a fantasy adventure. Given it’s been three years since “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero,” it is easy to see why some fans could be disappointed by the lack of constant superhero fights in “Daima,” which mostly keeps its Super Saiyan transformations to the last section of its 20-episode run. However, to compare this show to “Super” or “Z” would be to miss the point, because “Daima” is a throwback to the original intention for the franchise.
You see, Toriyama never planned for “Dragon Ball” to become what it was. While he never really had long-term goals for the manga, it is clear that what ended up becoming “Dragon Ball” wasn’t exactly what its creator set out to do. In an interview for the show’s 30th anniversary “Super History Book,” Toriyama admitted he liked doing adventure stories more and that even though he was fully aware how readers of shonen action manga responded more positively to battle-focused stories, he tried to fight turning his story into pure action. Even after introducing a martial arts tournament he immediately followed that arc with an adventure where Goku meets Arale from Toriyama’s previous manga “Dr. Slump,” and goes around the world in a rather comical adventure where he beats up an Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike, ninjas, and even a Frankenstein’s Monster-inspired android. Eventually though, it became too much for the author, and as he puts it, “I decided to bite the bullet and make it all about the fighting.”
This all changed with “Daima,” which saw Toriyama involved more deeply in the production compared to every other “Dragon Ball” project since the manga ended in 1995. He not only came up with designs for characters, monsters and vehicles, but also the entire story. Looking at the entire 20-episode season, it feels like this is the version of “Dragon Ball” Toriyama would make if he could start all over again with his iconic franchise. In a way, it is similar to the “Rebuild of Evangelion” movies, which saw Hideaki Anno rebooting his own TV series and changing things to reflect his personal views 20 years later.
“Daima” is as goofy as the original “Dragon Ball,” with kid Goku being silly, annoying his companions, and constantly talking about food or having to poop. The Demon Realm is a stunning location full of imaginative vistas, towns, and creatures, giving the story a road trip format as we explore more of this new world. Then there’s the action. As great as it is to see Goku fight gods in “Super,” there is something brilliant about the simplicity of this little guy beating the hell out of hordes of perplexed soldiers and demons using nothing but a staff. Indeed, the anime is a throwback to the days where Goku used to channel Jackie Chan, using plates and chairs to fight opponents larger than himself with delightful yet stunning action animation. And even when the show does bring superpowers in the last few episodes of the season, finally letting Vegeta achieve Super Saiyan 3 and making Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 canon, it finds ways to make the fights look creative and fun, while making the transformations feel triumphant and earned rather than just mandatory and expected.
The original “Dragon Ball” never got the attention it deserved outside of Japan, at least not compared to “Z,” which has made the franchise’s international reputation rely mostly on escalating fights and increasingly bigger enemies and stakes. “Daima” argues that to dare skip straight to “Z,” Super Saiyan power-ups, and world-ending threats is to miss what makes this a special franchise in the first place. After 40 years, not only did “Dragon Ball” produce another fun adventure, but one that feels like the final statement from its creator — long, elaborate fights are cool, but so are silly little road trip adventures with weird creatures.
