Summary
- Dragon Ball DAIMA anime trailer reveals a unique story where Goku and friends are turned small due to a conspiracy, adding a new twist.
- Set for Fall 2024 release, DAIMA promises to explore the Demon Realm, hinting at a mysterious figure and the involvement of Supreme Kai.
- Bringing back 2D animation, DAIMA boasts a talented team of staff including popular voice actor Masako Nozawa as Goku.
A brand-new trailer and key visual teasing the upcoming Dragon Ball DAIMA anime have been been revealed. The trailer showcased more of the upcoming addition to the franchise, which has divided opinion since the initial announcement for the anime was made back in October 2023. The new trailer reiterated the previously revealed broadcast window for Dragon Ball DAIMA, which has always been slated for release sometime in Fall 2024 and forms part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of Akira Toriyama's magnum opus.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is set for release in October, which will also coincide with the release of the highly anticipated Sparking! Zero game, the continuation to the Budokai Tenkaichi series which ended in 2007, known affectionately by fans as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4.
How Dragon Ball Daima Can Fix Z and Super's Biggest Mistakes
Despite being met with criticism upon its announcement, Dragon Ball Daima has the opportunity to fix the biggest mistakes of the series.
"DAIMA is a made-up term, which in Japanese characters would be 大魔, or in English would be something like "Evil". Due to a conspiracy, Goku and his friends are turned small."
– Akira Toriyama, October 2023
What We Know About DAIMA
Basic Plot Information
Dragon Ball DAIMA was announced last year in October during New York Comic Con and slated for release in Fall 2024. The overall plot line has not been explained much; however, Toriyama explained in a statement last year that the series will follow the main cast of the Dragon Ball franchise after a certain conspiracy turns them all into children. This core premise led to fans jokingly referring to DAIMA as "Dragon Ball GT 2", for its similarity to the catalyzing incident of the anime-exclusive series. Each of the trailers gave us a sneak peek into how Dragon Ball DAIMA will look; however, all of them were showcases of the animation set against triumphant music.
As far as we know, the upcoming anime will explore the mysteries of the Demon Realm, with a mysterious figure depicted watching the climactic battle against Majin Buu. The title, "DAIMA" is a major clue, as the "-ma" is written with the kanji for "evil" and is often the operative character in words like "Ma-oh" – as in, "Demon Lord". Altogether, the kanji in the word "DAIMA" can be understood to mean "Great Evil", which further supports the idea that it'll get into the previously unexplored Demon Realm, not to mention the main role that the Supreme Kai and his closest attendant, Kibito, appear to have in the upcoming project. Toriyama is credited with the creation of the concept and was "deeply involved" in the production prior to his passing in March this year.
Staff and Cast Information
Who's Working on Dragon Ball DAIMA?
The January issue of V Jump magazine reported that staff involved in project DAIMA include Aya Komaki (animation director, One Piece) Yoshitaka Yashima (animation director, Dragon Ball Super) will serve as series directors; while Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru (key animation, several Dragon Ball movie projects), character designer of various projects in the Digimon franchise will be the series character designer adapting Toriyama's original designs. Yūko Kakihara (series composition, Cells At Work!) is responsible for series composition and the script. Unlike the most recent Dragon Ball anime project, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, DAIMA goes back to the 2D animation that the franchise has had for its entire animated run, with a look and feel reminiscent of the immensely successful Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie released in 2018. So far, Goku's voice actor, Masako Nozawa, is the only cast member announced.
Dragon Ball DAIMA premieres in October.
Source: Toei Animation Official YouTube, Dragon Ball Official Website
- Release Date
- 1986 - 1989
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Osamu Kasai, Daisuke Nishio, Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Ueda, Yutaka Satoh, Yûji Endô
- Writers
- Akira Toriyama, Keiji Terui, Toshiki Inoue, Takao Koyama, Michiru Shimada, Yasushi Hirano, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Yuichiro Oguro, Miho Maruo, Shunichi Yukimuro
- Franchise(s)
- Dragon Ball
Cast
-
Masako NozawaSon Goku (voice) -
Mayumi TanakaKrillin (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
Goku, a young, powerful boy with a tail, spends his days hunting and living off the land. His life changes when he meets Bulma, a teen genius on a quest to collect seven magical Dragon Balls that summon a dragon capable of granting any wish. Together, they set off on an adventure filled with powerful martial arts battles, formidable foes, and unlikely alliances.
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
- MyAnimeList Score
- 7.97
