Dragon Ball Daima: The Perfect Addition the Franchise Deserved

Accepting change is never easy, especially when it clashes with deeply rooted emotions tied to beloved experiences. I was right there with the critics in October 2023 when rumors surfaced about the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Daima, feeling uneasy about the prospect. After five and a half years of waiting since the epic conclusion of the Tournament of Power arc in Dragon Ball Super, the idea that our reintroduction to weekly Dragon Ball adventures would feature Goku and his crew as kids again was tough to digest. But after reluctantly diving into the early episodes, I quickly realized how unfounded my skepticism was—and perhaps yours, too.

Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s become quite trendy to dismiss the Dragon Ball series, with some good reasons behind the critique. The animation in fight scenes doesn’t always measure up to the intricately choreographed battles seen in shows like Attack on Titan or Jujutsu Kaisen. Often, it seemed like the rapid action was just a tactic to obscure the lack of detail. Dragon Ball Super often shifted focus with new transformations that diluted the suspense—for instance, introducing transformations like Super Saiyan Blue Evolved left fans scratching their heads. Goku’s naivety, Gohan’s frustrating power reductions, and Vegeta’s repetitive losses added to the dissatisfaction. However, Daima is silencing these criticisms.

Within just 15 stunningly animated episodes, the newest series brings Dragon Ball back to its epic origins. Remember when Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation was a spine-tingling rarity, signifying immense power? In Daima, such transformations are cautiously paced. Goku only embraces the gold-haired form fleetingly by the fifth episode to vanquish King Kadan’s minions and revisits it sparingly in the subsequent episodes. It’s that restraint which enhances traditional martial arts combat, with the occasional Power Pole action to inject some realism into the fantasy. The creative team blew fans away when Vegeta finally achieved his Super Saiyan 3 transformation in episode 12, securing a Dragon Ball from Tamagami Number Two. This moment rectified a long-standing grievance—how Vegeta stood back while Kakarot and Gotenks reached SSJ3, but not him. It made clear that the canon in Daima is open to some exciting revisions.

The choreography here rivals the franchise’s best, not seen since the epic Broly, Goku, and Vegeta showdown in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly film in 2018. Witnessing Goku dodge attacks from Tamagami Number Three, landing critical hits to its legs while flipping to avoid a hammer strike only to counter with his Power Pole, was awe-inspiring—even tear-jerking. The battles in Daima have real stakes rather than just