Summary

• Dragon Ball Daima marks a significant project for Toriyama, with his deep involvement and personal touch.
• Fans hesitant about the series should consider Toriyama's strong dedication to the project, promising an intense, action-packed storyline.
• Daima sets itself apart by de-aging the entire cast, providing a fresh take on the Dragon Ball universe under Toriyama's close guidance.

Dragon Ball Daima will be the first Dragon Ball project released after series creator Akira Toriyama's ing, and the last that he worked on. Fans who may be hesitant about Daima due to its premise of reducing the cast to kids once again should at least give the new series a chance, and some of Toriyama's final words to the public explain exactly why.

Dragon Ball Daima was announced as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original Dragon Ball, so it makes some sense that kid Goku would appear again. The premise has proved controversial if only because of Dragon Ball GT doing something similar, and that series isn't held in particularly high regard among Dragon Ball fans. Daima has already set itself apart by applying the de-aging to the entire cast, but it also has something going for it which GT didn't: Akira Toriyama's close involvement in its production.

Fans who are uncertain about Daima should consider that fact carefully, as it really does change everything.

Dragon Ball Daima Was a Project Close to Toriyama's Heart

Daima Drew Toriyama In For the First Time In Years

Prior to his death, Toriyama was set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2024; he was told about the award before the ceremony, and wrote a statement in response to the award, which was printed in pamphlets handed out at the event. The pamphlets were translated and shared online by X (formerly Twitter) @SupaChronicles, and Toriyama's statement discusses his involvement in the new Dragon Ball anime project.

According to the translation, Toriyama said, "Dragon Ball DAIMA, which will be rolled out in 2024, was originally planned to be an original anime series without me, but as I gave advice here and there, I ended up getting deeply involved with the project without realizing it. I was not only involved in the overall storyline, but also in the worldview, character design, mechas, and other aspects. I hope you will enjoy watching the series, which I believe is not only intense and action-packed, but also full of plenty of substance."

It seems that Toriyama's involvement in the project was far deeper than many fans realized when it was first announced, which should help alleviate concerns that they might be in for a repeat of GT. No one understands Dragon Ball and what made it popular better than Toriyama himself did. While Toriyama its he's not the biggest fan of anime in general, he was clearly very invested in this particular work, and there's a big difference between watching something and making something. If Toriyama is promising an intense, action-packed series, fans can count on that being the case.

The fact that Toriyama became so involved "without realizing it" suggests that he was having a good time with the production of Daima, which is always a promising sign. While Toriyama has had some involvement in Dragon Ball Super and its movies, Daima seems to have been a work much closer to his heart, perhaps specifically because it goes back to the origin of it all with kid Goku. While Dragon Ball Daima is still a bit of a mystery for fans, with only a brief teaser seen so far, Toriyama's affection for the series should put concerned fans at ease, as the creator, at least, felt that the series kept Dragon Ball's core intact.