Akira Toriyama has returned with what will amount to a new insane chapter in the long Dragon Ball saga to celebrate its 40th anniversary. In a plot point lifted straight from Dragon Ball GT, this new series will see Goku turned into a kid. This new series, titled Dragon Ball DAIMA, will also see Vegeta, Piccolo, and even Master Roshi turned into kids. Yes. We will also see Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Android 18 turned into kids. It’s cultured all around. We’ll see how cultured it is when the series premieres in Fall 2024. Let’s enjoy the trailer until then.
Toei has maintained Japanese and English home pages to promote Dragon Ball in addition to English and Japanese Twitter pages. Series information and updates about the larger franchise can be found there.
The Dragon Ball Legend Continues
For anyone who needs a refresher on Dragon Ball, J-List has you covered. Akira Toriyama first released his seminal manga series from November 20, 1984, to May 23, 1995. Shueisha released all 42 volumes in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. The initial premise took inspiration from the Chinese novel Journey to the West. That premise was pretty much tossed aside when Son Goku and Piccolo were revealed to be aliens.
Toriyama’s series was adapted to anime, starting with the initial run titled Dragon Ball. That run of 153 episodes that aired between February 26, 1986, to April 19, 1989, spanned Goku’s early years. The adventure began when Bulma met Goku while she was searching for the legendary Dragon Balls, and he just so happened to have the four-star ball. Goku’s adult years would be adapted in Dragon Ball Z. All 291 episodes aired between April 26, 1989, and January 31, 1996. Goku’s battles took him beyond the stars. His enemies even visited him from the future. This arc also revealed his alien nature and his Super Saiyan transformations.
While Goku’s adventures properly continued in Dragon Ball Super, which aired between July 5, 2015, and March 15, 2018, in 131 episodes, there are also GT and Kai to consider. The first isn’t canon, and the second is just a recut. Super had its own manga adaptation, which is official enough, but Toriyama only oversaw it.
There were also 21 animated movies, such as Broly — The Legendary Super Saiyan and Fusion Reborn. As far as video games, there are well over 100 of them, with the first being Dragon Ball: Dragon Daihikyo (Dragon’s Great Exploration), which was released on September 27, 1986, for the Super Cassette Vision.
Strength in Youth
Plot details concerning Dragon Ball DAIMA are scarce right now. It was just announced, after all. Akira Toriyama released a letter at a New York Comic Con panel to explain the story and the meaning of “DAIMA.”
Goku, the other Z Fighters, Mr. Satan, Chi-Chi, and Bulma have become kids. Even Android 18, a cyborg, was reduced to a child’s form. Kid Roshi looks like Krillin with a pair of shades. It’s not clear when this series takes place in the timeline. The child of Android 18 and Krillin, Marron, is born. However, Goten and Trunks are babies now, so the timeline placement is tricky.
Mysterious and sinister-looking entities are seen reviewing Earth’s history. We do not know if they’re responsible for the GT-style wish that brought us Kid Goku again. We’re also not sure why the trailer highlighted Babadi so much. Regardless, Goku apparently needs his Power Pole to fight again. Whether that means his power is reduced to what it was when he was a kid is unknown. However, what is known is this transformation can affect even the gods, so the stakes are high. It’ll only get worse if Frieza catches wind of this change. Although, if he’s also a kid, I can’t wait until the series premiere.
While this series is a 40th-anniversary celebration, let us not overlook the gift of the 30th. The 30th Anniversary Dragon Ball DX ―SUPER HISTORY BOOK― celebrating Dragon Ball is now available on the J-List shop.
What do you think of Dragon Ball DAIMA so far? Are you looking forward to watching it? Who do you think is stronger between Kid Goku and Kid Vegeta? Let us know in the comments below.
