Dragon Ball Daima was a project nearing Toriyama's heart.
Toriyama was scheduled to get a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2024; he was informed about the award before the event and responded in a statement printed on pamphlets distributed at the event. Toriyama was dead. X (previously Twitter) user @ SupaChronicles translated and distributed the pamphlets online; Toriyama's remark addresses his participation in the next Dragon Ball Anime project.
Translation says Toriyama remarked, "Dragon Ball Daima, which will be rolled out in 2024, was originally supposed to be an original Anime series without me, but as I gave guidance here and there, I ended up being quite involved with the project without expecting it. Along with the general plot, I participated in the viewpoint, character design, mechas, and other elements. Watching the series should be enjoyable for you, which I think is not only highly dramatic and action-packed but also full of plenty of depth."
"Intense & Action Packed": proof why Daima Will Be the True Dragon Ball Sequel Anime Fans Have Waited For
The first Dragon Ball project published following the death of series creator Akira Toriyama will be Dragon Ball Daima, the last project he worked on. Fans who might be reluctant about Daima because of its idea of cutting the cast to kids once again should at least give the new series a try; some of Toriyama's last statements to the public precisely illustrate exactly why.
Given Dragon Ball Daima's announcement as a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the original Dragon Ball, it makes some sense that child Goku would resurface. The idea has been divisive if only because of Dragon Ball GT's actions, and among Dragon Ball enthusiasts, that series isn't held in especially great respect. Daima has already distinguished herself by applying the de-aging to the whole cast, but it also has something going for it which GT lacked: Akira Toriyama's close participation in its production.
The Continuum of Dragon Ball
The fifth overall series in the action-adventure anime run is Dragon Ball DAIMA. Including Goku, Vegeta, and Bulma, it mostly consists of de-aged versions of most the classic cast members. Announced at NYCC 2023, creator Akira Toriyama returned to oversee DAIMA's tenure.
Though the show is rather popular among viewers, the most recent one is already generating controversy. One of the biggest worries is the change in the cast to younger people. As the show runs on, fans may find a fresh rendition of their beloved characters, though.
Toriyama's participation
Toriyama's participation in the project appears to be significantly more extensive than most fans knew when it was first revealed, which would help allay worries about perhaps a GT repetition. Nobody knows Dragon Ball and what made it appealing more than Toriyama personally did. Toriyama acknowledges he's not the largest anime enthusiast overall, but he was obviously quite engaged in this specific piece and there's a significant difference between watching something and creating something. Fans can rely on Toriyama guaranteeing a dramatic, action-packed series to be true.
Toriyama grew quite immersed "without realizing it," which points to him being having a great time working on Daima—always a positive indication. Toriyama has had some participation with Dragon Ball Super and its films, but Daima seems to have been a work much more near to his heart, maybe especially since it returns to the beginning of it all with child Goku. Although Dragon Ball Daima is still a bit of a mystery for fans, with only a short teaser seen thus far, Toriyama's love of the series should calm worried viewers since, at least, the creator thought that the series had Dragon Ball's core intact.
