Close-up of Goku smiling in Dragon Ball Daima.
By
Hannah Diffey
Published 19 minutes ago
Hannah is a senior writer and self-publisher for the anime section at ScreenRant. There, she focuses on writing news, features, and list-style articles about all things anime and manga. She works as a freelance writer in the entertainment industry, focusing on video games, anime, and literature.
Her published works can be found on ScreenRant, FinanceBuzz, She Reads, and She Writes.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
Dragon Ball Daima arrived with the promise of nostalgic adventure, but it immediately sparked confusion among longtime fans. Despite being the newest addition to the franchise, and the last project creator Akira Toriyama supervised, Daima doesn’t sit at the end of the canon. Instead, its placement wedges it awkwardly between some of Dragon Ball’s most timeline-defining events.
That choice has left viewers scratching their heads. With Goku reverting to a child and exploring the Demon Realm alongside new allies, many expected this show to take place after Super. Instead, it’s a surprisingly early entry that forces fans to reevaluate the already complicated canon shaped by movies, manga variations, and multiple adaptations.
Daima’s Precise Timeline Placement in the Dragon Ball Universe
Super Saiyan Goku as seen in Dragon Ball Daima
Daima is set in Age 775, one year after the Buu Saga and three years before Dragon Ball Super. Episode 1 makes this clear during Trunks’s ninth birthday celebration, confirming that only a short time has passed since Kid Buu’s defeat. This tight window explains why modern forms like Super Saiyan God and Ultra Instinct don’t appear.
This placement also makes Daima a direct sequel to Dragon Ball Z while functioning as a prequel to Super. That means the show can still reference the expanded worldbuilding introduced in Super, from Gods of Destruction to the multiverse, while avoiding timeline-breaking transformations that would overcomplicate its storyline.
But because it sits between two massive continuity pillars, Daima has to navigate a delicate gap. It must acknowledge Toriyama’s modern lore without contradicting the power leaps and cosmic stakes that Super later establishes. This balancing act is part of why the timeline feels messy, even though the show technically fits.
Dragon Ball Daima's Canon Complications and What “Counts”
Canon in Dragon Ball has always been slippery, thanks to multiple adaptations and Toriyama’s sporadic involvement. Daima follows the version of continuity shaped by Toriyama’s contributions to Battle of Gods, Resurrection F, Broly, Super Hero, and the manga arcs he supervised. In other words, Daima reflects whatever Toriyama remembered, and chose to incorporate, while writing it.
That creates room for minor contradictions, but it also keeps Daima rooted in the creator’s vision. Fans should expect references to divine ki, the multiverse, and Goku’s updated backstory from Minus, even though these elements didn’t exist when Z originally aired. Daima blends old and new lore rather than picking one era to follow.
The show’s existence also complicates the ongoing debate around Dragon Ball GT. GT is currently listed as canon in Shueisha’s official timeline, but Daima and Super introduce so many inconsistencies that its placement remains unstable. GT still technically occurs later in Age 789, but future Super manga arcs could push it into an alternate universe again, right back where fans once assumed it belonged.
Daima’s timeline might feel chaotic, but its placement ultimately makes sense within the broader franchise. It acts as a bridge between Z’s grounded adventure storytelling and Super’s cosmic escalation, giving fans a fresh story that still respects the modern canon. As long as viewers avoid overanalyzing every contradiction, Dragon Ball Daima delivers exactly what it promises: classic Dragon Ball energy with a contemporary twist.
114
9.4/10
Dragon Ball DAIMA
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Animation Comedy Sci-Fi & Fantasy Action Release Date 2024 - 2025 Network Fuji TV, Kansai TV, Tokai Television Broadcasting, Fukui TV, Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting, Iwate Menkoi Television, Sendai Television, SAGA TV, TNC, OHK, Ishikawa TV, Kochi Sun Sun Broadcasting, TV Shizuoka, UMK TV Miyazaki, Television Shin Hiroshima System, NST, NBS, Sakuranbo TV, TSK, Ehime Broadcasting, KTS, NIB, KKT, Fukushima TV, TOS, AKT, Toyama Television, Okinawa Television Broadcasting Directors Kazuya Karasawa, Ryuta Kawahara Writers Akira Toriyama Franchise(s) Dragon BallCast
See All-
Masako Nozawa
Son Goku (mini) (voice)
-
Koki Uchiyama
Glorio (voice)
Expand
Collapse
-
Anime
-
Dragon Ball DAIMA
-
Dragon Ball DAIMA - Season 1
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
2 days ago
Alan Tudyk Only Got To Improv On Firefly Once: “We Didn’t Get To Mess With The Lines”
2 days ago
FBI Spinoff Officially Recasts Major Character With NCIS Star After Cast Exit Shake-Up
2 days ago
One Of The Best Sci-Fi Anime Of All Time Is Also An Action Masterpiece
2 days ago
Rian Johnson Expresses Disappointment In Limitations For Wake Up Dead Man's Theatrical Release
More from our brands
Dragon Ball DAIMA’s Timeline, Explained
What Happened to Dragon Ball DAIMA in Future Trunks' Timeline in Dragon Ball Super?
Everything We Know About Dragon Ball Super’s 2025 Comeback
The 25 Best Anime From The 90s, Ranked
Dragon Ball Daima is Akira Toriyama's final gift to Dragon Ball fans
Dragon Ball Daima: 8 Best Episodes
Dragon Ball GT Is Canon — Which Makes It Dragon Ball Super's Sequel
Trending Now
Cynthia Erivo Opens Up About Wicked's "Special" Legacy And Fan Response To The Movies: "It Really Warms My Heart"
Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 10 Review: A Satisfying Yet Unsurprising End To An Underwhelming Season
Why Knives Out 3 Is Titled Wake Up Dead Man
