As Akira Toriyama’s final project, Dragon Ball Daima received countless praises from fans who enjoyed a brand-new adventure of Goku and his friends. The 20-episode anime series was released last year to commemorate Dragon Ball’s 40th anniversary. The story, written by Toriyama, serves as a sequel to DBZ, set a few years after the Buu Saga. Gomah, the new king of the Demon Realm, is horrified after witnessing the powers of Goku and the rest of the Z Warriors. Fearing that they would invade the Demon Realm, Gomah and his advisor, Degesu, conspired to use the Dragon Balls to turn the potential threats into children.
The anime premiered on October 11th, 2024, exactly two years ago. Following its exciting run, the series reached its conclusion in February next year, around the same time as Toriyama’s first death anniversary. The anime isn’t based on any manga, but the entire script and character designs were provided by the original creator, which made it all the more special to fans. This is the final project he ever worked on, and fans couldn’t help but feel bittersweet as they bid farewell to their favorite story. While Dragon Ball already has exciting anime projects planned for fans, it can’t be compared to an entirely new story by the beloved creator.
The anime first revived the Super Saiyan 3 transformation with Vegeta rather than Goku. The only time Goku used SSJ3 was in Dragon Ball Z when he had to stall Majin Buu in the Buu Saga. Unfortunately, Toriyama didn’t have the opportunity to further develop this transformation since the manga ended not long after that. Not to mention that Vegeta, who is usually one step behind Goku, didn’t achieve this transformation since the story ended shortly after that. By the time Dragon Ball Super was released, SSJ3 was more or less forgotten or just rarely discussed among fans.
A majority of fans were more focused on Super Saiyan God and Ultra Instinct, which introduced new and exciting forms that took over the internet. It became one of the least discussed transformations in the show, especially since it featured among some of the worst-animated moments, on top of other forms rendering it obsolete. Compared to that, Daima was able to adapt this old form with clean new animation to give it the proper amount of gravitas, unlike in Z, which mostly focused on a lot of the form’s drawbacks. However, it wasn’t even the most exciting part of the series since even SSJ4 got a new look for the first time in years.
While Super Saiyan 4 was originally revealed in the non-canon series Dragon Ball GT, Akira Toriyama reintroduced this form in his final project. Thanks to Neva using his magic to awaken Goku’s dormant powers, the Saiyan hero underwent a new transformation shortly before the anime finale. The transformation happened right before Gomah, the main villain of the anime, could deal a finishing blow, but luckily, Goku was easily able to overpower the villain.
As of now, there’s no official confirmation regarding upcoming projects related to the franchise. Dragon Ball Daima’s post-credit scene left room for the story to develop later on. Unexpectedly, the third eye, which granted immense power to the previous Demon Kings, wasn’t a unique item, as there are two more available at a mysterious store selling strange, status-altering consumables called medi-bugs, sky seeds, and so on. There was no explanation about where the eyes come from and why they grant someone that much power to those who consume them. The unanswered question confirms that much of the Demon Realm is still unexplored, and fans might never get the chance to know more about it.
However, that doesn’t change the fact that the ending was wholesome, and there’s no guarantee that there will be a sequel. The anime was released for a single season, and even if the animation studio decides to continue it, the story might fall short of expectations since it won’t be Toriyama’s original work. It might be best to bid farewell to this exceptional story since it already had the best possible ending for not only Goku and his friends, but even for some villains as well.
How did you feel about Akira Toriyama’s final project, and his legacy for the future of the Dragon Ball franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
