Adjusting to new changes often poses a challenge, especially when trying to align nostalgic feelings with current realities. Honestly, I was on the same page as many skeptics when the news broke in October 2023 about the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Daima. After waiting a long five and a half years since the riveting conclusion of the Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power arc, the idea that our much-anticipated return to weekly Dragon Ball episodes would feature Goku and the crew back in their childhood forms was a tough one to accept. Yet, after reluctantly watching the initial episodes, it dawned on me how wrong I was—just as many others were.
In 2025, it seems fashionable to criticize the Dragon Ball series—and it’s not without reason. The fight animations don’t quite match the intricately choreographed sequences seen in Attack on Titan or Jujutsu Kaisen. Often, the animators mask this by portraying the battles as happening too swiftly for comprehension. Much of Dragon Ball Super seemed like a constant parade of new power-ups, each diminishing the suspense with a new, unforeseen transformation (Super Saiyan Blue Evolved, seriously?). Goku might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, Gohan’s frustratingly underpowered, and Vegeta seems to lose more than he wins. Enter Daima, the series that’s changing all that noise.
With just 15 episodes, beautifully animated, the newest series has truly brought Dragon Ball back to its essence. Do you remember when Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation gave us chills? That moment used to signify something legendary. In Daima, it’s not until the fifth episode that we see Goku briefly transform to tackle King Kadan’s troops. This transformation happens sparingly over the subsequent ten episodes. The series smartly shifts the focus to hand-to-hand combat, occasionally mixing in some Power Pole action, grounding the extraordinary battles in a semblance of reality. When Vegeta revealed his Super Saiyan 3 form in the twelfth episode to snatch the Dragon Ball from Tamagami Number Two, it was a game-changer. Not only did this moment address a glaring hole in Dragon Ball lore (why had Vegeta missed out while Goku and Gotenks went SSJ3?), but it signaled the series’ willingness to revise its own canon in exciting ways.
The fight sequences capture the intensity and expertise not seen since the epic showdown with Broly in the 2018 Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie. A memorable scene where Goku evades Tamagami Number Three’s ki attacks only to execute precise kicks and backflips, and then breaks a massive hammer with his Power Pole, literally moved me to tears. These battles in Daima carry weight; they’re more than just space-fillers spiced up with flashy ki displays.
The storyline artfully expands on beloved Dragon Ball Z arcs without straying into the more contentious Dragon Ball Super narratives. For the record, Dragon Ball Super is unfairly underrated, and the Tournament of Power may well stand as the series’ pinnacle. Nevertheless, Super occasionally lost its way with its overemphasis on celestial puppetry. The Fused Zamasu vs. Vegito Blue clash was spectacular, yet resolving it with the new addition, Zeno, erasing everything felt cheap. Dragon Ball Daima, picking up right after the fan-favorite Buu saga, has managed to develop its narrative without invalidating previous events, and it’s done so masterfully.
Yes, Goku is still a bit of a goof and not quite the composed warrior he was against Cell or Frieza in Dragon Ball Z. Many episodes lean more towards exploration than fighting. But thanks to intriguing characters like Glorio, Dr. Arinsu, and Panzy, these journeys through the newly unearthed Demon Worlds feel more like fascinating explorations of Dragon Ball’s roots. With only a month remaining until the season finale, I urge all of you—whether you’re fans or critics—to give this incredible series a genuine watch. Then take a good look in the mirror, because it’s time to acknowledge that Daima is exactly the revival the Dragon Ball series needed and truly deserved.
