Dragon Ball Daima aired its final episode this past Friday. With that we saw Akira Toriyama and the crew behind the show deliver an epic conclusion to Goku and his friend’s journey through the Demon World. There were a lot of cool things that were done in Dragon Ball Daima. That went from the fanservice to hype choices made with major developments. Like with other shows, manga, and video games in the franchise these developments brought a lot of questions about the continuity of the franchise. Which, like we see in other franchises, brings up the idea of the multiverse.
DRAGON BALL DAIMA IS LOVE LETTER TO FANS
When it comes to answering where Dragon Ball Daima fits in the greater franchise timeline it is pretty easy. The first episode mentions it taking place not to long after Goku and Vegeta defeated Buu. There is even a reference to Gohan catching up on his studies that further solidifies Daima taking place not that long after the final battle with Buu. This solidifies Daima’s timeline taking place at least a few years before Dragon Ball Super and decade plus before Dragon Ball GT.
While there is certainly that simple answer to the timeline the greater and more fun answer is that Dragon Ball Daima exists in its own continuity. Throughout the series it was clear Akira Toriyama wanted to make Daima something that meshed the various aspects of the franchise. From the adventure-comedy that the original Dragon Ball was known for to the over-the-top battle of superpowers we saw in Dragon Ball Z, Super, and GT. This is something Toriyama even did in Dragon Ball Super but never did too much as the series was very much about the next big fight like Z was.
Combining everything that made Dragon Ball such a special franchise is what made Daima special. There was something in the series that reminded fans why they fell in love with the franchise to begin with. It didn’t matter whether it was Dragon Ball, DBZ, or DBGT that was your first in the franchise. Toriyama inject so much of what had been done with the franchise into making Daima unique in its own right.
“BUU SAGA” IS WHERE DRAGON BALL MULTIVERSE BRANCHES FROM
If we are to take the Dragon Ball timeline even more seriously it is tough to align it with Super and GT. While there is the explanation of Daima taking place not too long after the final battle with Buu, making it clear it takes place before Super, the timeline is still tough. What made it particularly difficult was the introduction of Super Saiyan 4, something Goku confirms in the final episode he had achieved after the Buu fight but never put into practice until Daima.
The inclusion of Super Saiyan 4, and its new design, certainly puts a lot into question. But it also highlights how the Buu Saga ends up being the true endgame for Toriyama’s Dragon Ball narrative. Originally Toriyama wanted to end the series with the Cell Saga but was convinced to continue the series. With that we can see how Toriyama did everything he could to make the Buu Saga the definitive end to his work on Dragon Ball.
Which highlights how so many things that have come since the end of the original Dragon Ball manga take place after the Buu Saga. Whether its in the blank period or after the time jump at featured at the end of Toriyama’s run. This includes not just the Dragon Ball Super and GT animes. Video games like Xenoverse and FighterZ have also featured stories that branch off where things ended during the Buu Saga.
Because we’ve had so many different stories using the Dragon Ball character it can be simply said that Daima, Super, and GT all exist in their own universes. The fact that Toriyama and Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, designer for Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball GT, designed Daima’s Super Saiyan 4 to combine the GT look with Super Saiyan God and event more Giant Ape qualities show this.
Even before Daima, Toriyama, along with his protégé Toyotarou, created two different takes on the Dragon Ball Super narrative. While there are many similarities, both the anime and manga hit similar story beats very differently. They arguably exist in their own universes because of how different things are with various character arcs.
Most recently we’ve seen the Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero shows more multiverse elements with how they did branching paths to their story mode. While they were fun “What if…?” scenarios it once again provided another example of how we are seeing the multiverse explored with the franchise. So thinking about everything that takes place in the same universe overcomplicates things and removes the fun to be had with the franchise, which Daima emphasized.
AKIRA TORIYAMA’S EMPHASIZED DRAGON BALL IS ALL ABOUT FUN POWER FANTASY
At the end of the day, Dragon Ball Daima was an incredibly fun anime that truly felt like Toriyama presented as a gift to fans of his iconic franchise. Yes, we can spend endless amounts of time arguing about the Dragon Ball timeline. Ultimately, Dragon Ball is a series that is fun first and foremost.
Even the opening song for Dragon Ball Daima by Yukinojo Mori, Zedd, and KEEN (C&K) sums up what the franchise is about. Toriyama’s vision is a fun adventure fantasy with incredible fun action. The opening song speaks about that and why so much Daima was about exploration with epic fights thrown in to test Goku and company.
We are also lucky to know Toyotarou continuing to work on the Dragon Ball mangas, picking up where his mentor Toriyama left off. There will also no doubt also be more animes and video games using the Dragon Ball franchise’s characters. So no matter what Toriyama’s legacy will continue with the franchise he created that has connected so many of us around the world. And we can be thankful Toriyama gave us such a great gift with Dragon Ball Daima.
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