Summary:
- Dragon Ball DAIMA co-directors recently shared their thoughts on the new series.
- They revealed a bunch of interesting facts while also answering whether the series is canon.
- Here’s how Dragon Ball DAIMA is different from Dragon Ball Z and Super.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is the 20-episode continuation of Dragon Ball Z. DAIMA marks the final project personally overseen by series creator Akira Toriyama before his passing. However, the entirety of DAIMA wasn’t conceived by Toriyama. In a new statement, the Dragon Ball DAIMA director revealed how the new series is different from its predecessor while finally answering the ultimate question: Is Dragon Ball DAIMA canon?
Is Dragon Ball DAIMA Canon
Yes, Dragon Ball DAIMA is canon to the Dragon Ball timeline. It takes place after Dragon Ball Z and before the events of Dragon Ball Super. In a Blu-Ray Box set commentary of episode one, directors Aya Komaki, Yoshitaka Yashima and producer Akio Iyoku spoke about how DAIMA came to be, with Iyoku clarifying DAIMA’s canon status.
The beginning of DAIMA serves two purposes. The first was to convey that it connects directly after the Buu Saga. The other is to make the entry point easy. If it started all of a sudden, people wouldn’t understand what was going on. So, by explaining the “state of things,” we wanted even those who had never seen anything before to be able to watch it.
Dragon Ball DAIMA episode one begins three years after the events of the Buu Saga. We see Demon King Gomah watching the events of Buu Saga on his screen with a new animation style. This animation style is different from the one we saw in Dragon Ball Z.
The Creators Wanted Dragon Ball DAIMA to Feel Fresh
Series director Komaki opened up about what they wanted to do with DAIMA: “While evoking the past, we wanted to show a new Daima, to show a new Dragon Ball, without making it feel dated, but with that slight faded quality that brings back memories of the past… those parts were handled with painstaking care.”
Dragon Ball DAIMA was made on an unfinished draft by Akira Toriyama. Co-director Yashima stated how the script was incomplete and the crew only received an outline. “Reading the sensei’s original outline, I understood that it was set after the “Majin Buu” saga, but honestly, I was still wondering how it would really unfold afterward – since the sensei’s outline only went halfway – what kind of story would take shape.”
As of writing, Dragon Ball DAIMA has ended with 20 episodes, and there is no confirmation whether or not the series will continue.
