Is Dragon Ball Daima the Best Gateway into Dragon Ball?

A new Dragon Ball series premiered this month. As one of Akira Toriyama’s final works, Dragon Ball Daima could be the best — and last — time for new fans to jump into the mega-popular franchise. Let’s investigate!

The Dragon Ball Challenge

It’s T-shirt time again in the Southern Hemisphere. And, with the onset of tree-sex-induced hay fever comes my annual wardrobe refresh. I’ll buy any color tee as long as it’s black. Of the many, many, many stores I visited (it was two), I found one Spy X Family T-shirt and a bajilion Dragon Ball shirts. Talk about popular!

But I don’t get Dragon Ball’s popularity. Not emotionally. And I have tried. Many times. Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) was a soap opera with drawn-out fight scenes and weird characters. Still, if there’s one anime everyone and anyone can name, it must be Dragon Ball.

So that’s the Dragon Ball Challenge, to get deep enough into Toriyama’s creation that I don’t seem like a melon among veteran anime fans.

Is Dragon Ball Daima the Perfect Time to Start Watching Dragon Ball?

Dragon Ball Daima seems the perfect gateway to this fan-favorite world of Saiyans and pointy yellow-haired heroes. Episode 1 of Dragon Ball Daima, “Conspiracy,” gave us two recaps right off the weighted fist. One from the narrator and one from Gomah, the new king of the Demon Realm. We then got some plot set up that revolved around ball sizes. Then, more recaps?

Hands down, this was the most helpful Dragon Ball episode to watch. I now know stuff about dragon balls, thanks to all those recaps. However, hardcore DBZ fans might get frustrated.

A Hard Reset, Not A Slate Wipe

After all those recaps, “Conspiracy” hit the Dragon Ball world with a hard reset. I won’t go into the details, but the reset is a fun plot development, not a slate wipe. Further, it backs me up on my point that Dragon Ball Daima is the perfect place to start — or restart — your Dragon Ball journey.

Naughty Thoughts and Degasu’s Sister

If you’ve wandered through the J-List Store, you’ll know we appreciate the rounder things in life. Degasu’s sister, Dr. Arinsu, has a pair of perfect purple… pointy ears. Yeah, that’s what I meant to say.

Episode 1 sets up Dr. Arinsu as a top force in the series. If I keep up with Dragon Ball Daima, it’ll be to see what she gets up to because “sexy” is the best flavor of an evil villain. Always.

Watch Dragon Ball Daima If…

If you’ve got lingering regrets about not watching Dragon Ball Z, it’s catch-up time. Right now. Or, if you’ve always been a fan, Dragon Ball Daima is a sure pick. I appreciated the recaps and reset. The reset didn’t invalidate past shows, so old and new fans will be happy.

Toei Animation produced Dragon Ball Daima under the direction of Yoshitaka Yashima and Aya Komaki. The series features music by Kosuke Yamashita and series composition by Yūko Kakihara. Most notably, the beloved and missed mangaka, Akira Toriyama, wrote the story. If nothing else convinces you to give the anime a chance, then seeing one of Toriyama-sensei’s works on screen should do it.

You can watch Dragon Ball Daima on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu (in the US). No dubs are available now, but enjoy the original Japanese voice acting with English, Spanish, or Portuguese subtitles. Dragon Ball Daima scores a Chibi Megumi rating of four. The series did an excellent job of welcoming old and new fans alike.

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Are you a Dragon Ball fan? What do you love about the franchise? Or did you also have a hard time getting into the fandom? Tell us in the comments or on social media.

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