After 8 long years, it looks like the Dragon Ball Super anime is finally coming back. What started as a simple sequel to Dragon Ball Z grew into one of the most exciting additions to shōnen in years, and we couldn’t be more excited about its return.

In between the last edition of Dragon Ball Super and its resurgence was Dragon Ball DAIMA, a completely unexpected series that brought everyone’s favorite Saiyans back to the franchise in style.

While Dragon Ball DAIMA is unquestionably a solid series, it isn’t exactly what fans wanted. Dragon Ball Super had a considerable amount of momentum before it went on hiatus, making Dragon Ball DAIMA feel like a stop-gap in the meantime.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Was Solid, But…

Dragon Ball DAIMA was much better than it needed to be. It combines an intriguing story with some of the best visuals the franchise has ever seen, cementing its relatively short story as a must-watch for any fan of Dragon Ball.

Dragon Ball DAIMA is primarily set in the Demon Realm, a brand-new location for Dragon Ball. The story centers around the new Demon King, Gomah, as he wishes for the Z Fighters to become children once again. It’s the third time in the franchise Goku has become a kid, and it still feels like an interesting and unique take overall.

Watching Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and more fight their way through the Demon Realm is awesome. There’s more than one fight in the series that could qualify as one of the best fights in anime, and that’s saying something for what is unabashedly the shortest Dragon Ball out there. At exactly 20 episodes, Dragon Ball DAIMA is a literal fraction of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.

There aren’t too many flaws within Dragon Ball DAIMA. It did what it intended to do, and it did it with style. If there is a problem with DAIMA, it doesn’t lie with the series itself. Dragon Ball DAIMA came out when most people just wanted more Dragon Ball Super, and luckily, that problem looks like it’s getting resolved sooner rather than later.

We All Wanted More Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super came out of nowhere when it was first announced. The franchise had been basically finished for over two decades when Super came back, and nobody thought that would change. After Dragon Ball GT, fans wanted to let the franchise rest once and for all, but creator Akira Toriyama still had a few stories he wanted to tell.

Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power arc isn’t just the best arc in Super, it’s one of the best arcs in the entire franchise. The Tournament of Power arc is an encapsulation of everything that makes Dragon Ball one of the greatest anime franchises of all time. The arc itself is also only the beginning of a series of high points for Dragon Ball Super.

The next few arcs, including the upcoming Galactic Patrol arc, are top-tier. They’re some of the best, most action-packed arcs Dragon Ball has put forward in decades, and they couldn’t have come back a moment too soon. After 8 annoyingly long years, we’re finally getting the Dragon Ball we’ve all wanted.

Cast

Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil

Created by

Akira Toriyama

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero