Dragon Ball Daima proved itself a worthy entry into the iconic, decades-old franchise, diving deep into its own bag of tricks to present fans with a sense of adventure and wonder not seen since its earliest days. Akira Toriyama's final contribution to his incredibly successful series, before tragically ing away in March 2024, Daima took its iconic cast of characters to another realm on a journey that was both nostalgic and offered a fresh take on their many past adventures.

As the final credits rolled on Goku's latest anime adventure, however, a large portion of the fan base began heaping criticism onto the series for various supposed wrongdoings. Some felt the series wasn't exciting enough throughout its 20-episode run, and lacked the action everyone expects from Dragon Ball. Others claimed its ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. The loudest criticism had to do with the anime's unwillingness to cooperate with other canon works. While some criticism is valid, the majority of it only proves one thing: some fans never really understood Dragon Ball.

Daima's Finale Caused Controversy About Its Canon Status

Dragon Ball's Newest Anime Contradicts Previously Established Plot Points

Dragon Ball has one established canon timeline in which the events of Akira Toriyama's original manga take place. In between the beginning of the series and its finale, both Dragon Ball Daima and Dragon Ball Super are supposed to take place. It isn't quite as complicated as other series that boast multiple realities and timelines, yet a large portion of the fan base became irate when Daima, which takes place well before Beerus' arrival, began introducing plot points that were not present later in the timeline.

The main recipient of heavy criticism was the introduction of Super Saiyan 4, which was never mentioned or hinted at in later events, and contradicted the path Dragon Ball Super took towards divine power. This led to several fans claiming the latest anime no longer belonged to the canon timeline of events, but there was a problem with that sentiment: Dragon Ball's producer confirmed on numerous occasions that the series was canon. For weeks following the anime's conclusion, fans were at each other's throats over the topic, and arguments are still ongoing now.

However, many have chosen to overlook the biggest aspect of the canon vs. non-canon debate, and one which producer Akio Iyoku made clear when asked about the subject during an interview. In the grand scheme of Dragon Ball's ever-expanding narrative, it doesn't really matter.

Canon Disputes Miss the Point of Dragon Ball

Daima Is a Fun Adventure With Everyone's Favorite Characters

Dragon Ball is a story which spans over four decades of entries, each building upon a world created by the legendary Akira Toriyama. Within that story, an instantly recognizable cast of all-powerful warriors are sent across different universes, realms, and worlds, and come into with an incredible variety of characters. Across all its different iterations, on which a number of talented creators left their marks, the core of Dragon Ball has persisted. At its heart, the series is about far-off adventures and a growing sense of awe and wonder.

Sometimes an evil space tyrant responsible for destroying half the universe needs to be put down. Other times, Goku needs to send an anthropomorphic rabbit to the moon. In one instance, and only one, Goku arrived late to a battle on Namek, and casually accessed his friends' memories because Akira Toriyama needed a quick way of catching him up to speed. When asked by Krillin how he managed to do that, Goku responded with a bubbly, "I dunno."

Consistencies in its narrative, canon and non-canon material, none of it has ever really mattered. Dragon Ball is a story of adventure, wonder, and unbreakable fighting spirit, even in the most dire circumstances, all written by an artist who always made sure to keep his surreal gag manga habits in reach. The original Dragon Ball manga was brimming with plot holes, to which Toriyama likely waived his hand and explained away with an "I dunno" just like his main character. It never mattered, because that wasn't the point, and that doesn't change with Daima.

Was Dragon Ball Daima a Good Anime Series?

Canon Disputes Have Distracted From the Most Important Question Surrounding Daima

While fans have argued back and forth about whether Daima belongs within the canon timeline of events, the main question surrounding the series has largely been ignored. Was Dragon Ball Daima a good anime? The subjective taste of fans may differ from one to the next, but as a continuation of the beloved series, it's difficult to view the gang's latest anime adventure as anything but a success. Returning to the exploration commonly found in the series' earliest arcs, Daima was able to combine Dragon Ball's adventurous spirit with the flashy combat that took over in its latter stages.

The vast, awe-inspiring setting of the Demon Realm allowed the anime to focus on magic and demons, subjects touched upon in the past but never fully explored. In the process, the series built upon the lore of Kais and Namekians, and offered fascinating insight into characters like Piccolo and Shin. The cherry on top of it all was a Super Saiyan 4 smack down with masterful animation and visual quality to boot. As a continuation of Dragon Ball's Majin Buu Saga, Daima succeeded in exploring unknown territory and making the journey fun to watch.

When Dragon Ball continues further into the future, new entries can take a page from Daima's book, and dive into one of the many far-off lands previously established in the series but never fully fleshed out. Over the course of four decades, the franchise has expanded its world to allow for spin-offs and sequels for another four decades to come. It's unfortunate that among all the discourse, some fans have lost sight of what Dragon Ball was always intended to be; an exciting story with adventures across an ever-expanding universe. Hopefully fans won't lose sight of that in future entries.