Warning: Spoilers for ‘Dragon Ball Daima’ Episode 1, “Conspiracy,” ahead.
Five years after Dragon Ball Super ended, the late Akira Toriyama‘s final project, Dragon Ball Daima, has arrived. Toriyama’s legacy continues to live on as one of the major influences for manga and anime content. His fingerprints are left all over Dragon Ball Daima, as he was the writer and creator of the series.
With a new Dragon Ball game, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, and a new anime just recently released, it’s a good time to be a fan of this franchise. After the critical success and positive reception of Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, fans have been waiting to see what’s next for these beloved characters. Toriyama steps away from the Super timeline and takes fans back to the end of Dragon Ball Z with a new, original story set before Dragon Ball Super.
Following the use of CGI animation in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Dragon Ball Daima is a return to a mix of crisp 2D and 3D animation. But how does this new tale compare to other series in the franchise? Dive into our Dragon Ball Daima Episode 1 “Conspiracy” recap below!
‘Dragon Ball Daima’ Episode 1 Is a Blast to the Past
After a quick explanation of what the Dragon Ball franchise is, Dragon Ball Daima Episode 1 cuts to the Demon Realm with two new characters, Degesu (Junya Enoki) and Gomah (Showtaro Morikubo). They’re watching (high-quality) footage of the Majin Buu arc from Dragon Ball Z, and are stunned to see how powerful Goku (Masako Nozawa), Vegeta (Ryō Horikawa), and Gohan (Nozawa) are as they initially thought they were human. They also recognize Piccolo (Toshio Furukawa) to be a Namekian.
When they see Majin Buu (Kōzō Shioya) turn Demon King Dabura (Ryūzaburō Ōtomo) into chocolate and eat him, Degesu says that Gomah is now the ruler of the Demon Realm. Before he can celebrate, Gomah worries that Babidi (Jōji Yanami) will turn Majin Buu’s attention to him now. But that’s alleviated when Buu kills Babidi.
Gomah and Degesu are surprised to see that Earth has a version of Dragon Balls that summon an eternal dragon named Shenron (Ōtomo). They’re shocked that Shenron can grant three wishes. As they’re taking notes, they see the Z Fighters succeed in defeating Buu and realize there’s no one left to stand in their way.
Gomah Reveals His Diabolical Plan
Degesu’s sister, Dr. Arinsu (Yoko Hikasa), arrives to congratulate Gomah on being the new Demon King. Dabura funded her research on a secret project, so she’s come to see if Gomah will do the same. He doesn’t give a direct answer, but before she leaves, she warns that even though their enemies are dead, someone else may be a threat to them.
Worried by Dr. Arinsu’s warning, Gomah suggests they use Earth’s Dragon Balls to turn the Z Fighters into young kids so they’re much weaker. For his second wish, he plans to get the Evil Third Eye/Tertian Oculus, an item that grants the user unbelievable power. Before he can say his final wish, Degesu asks if he can have it, which Gomah considers.
Gomah enlists a Namekian elder named Neva because he created the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls. Since Neva created beings called Tamagamis to guard the Balls from being misused, no one in the Demon Realm has had a wish granted for the longest time. In the distance, a mysterious person has been listening in on their conversation. As Gomah, Degesu, and Neva go through the Demon Realm’s version of airport security, they’re told that Dr. Arinsu visited Earth after Dabura and Babidi.
‘Dragon Ball Daima’ Episode 1 Barely Features Goku and Vegeta
Dragon Ball Daima Episode 1 finally cuts to the Z-Warriors’ perspective as they have a big party celebrating Trunks’ (Takeshi Kusao) birthday and their victory over Buu. After having a full meal, Goku and Vegeta waste no time in sparring one another. Dende (Aya Hirano) and Mr. Popo (Yasuhiko Kawazu) watch over them from The Lookout as Gomah, Degesu, and Neva arrive.
Neva is happy to see Dende as he hasn’t seen a fellow Namekian in thousands of years. When Degesu tells Dende they’re from the Demon Realm, he reveals that Dende’s ancestors were as well considering his pointy ears. Gomah demands that Dende summon Earth’s Dragon Balls to enact his plan. When Dende declines, Gomah has Neva do so in exchange for extending his life for 1,000 years.
Even though the Dragon Balls are still in stone after being used recently, Neva restores them and they summon Shenron. The Z Fighters are confused when they see the sky turn dark since they just had their wishes granted by Shenron. The episode abruptly ends with Gomah successfully wishing those who fought Majin Buu to be as young as first graders, while kids like Goten and Trunks are turned into babies.
‘Dragon Ball Daima’ Episode 1 Doesn’t Reach Super Saiyan Levels
After a clever way of showing scenes that Dragon Ball Z fans have already seen before, Dragon Ball Daima spends more time introducing new backstories for the Demon Realm. People tuning into this series hoping for a worthy successor to Dragon Ball Super will be disappointed by this outing. Toriyama’s character designs and humor are on par with his previous work, but the story feels too much like a retread of Dragon Ball GT, with the characters being turned young.
There’s potential for the next episodes to sway those who didn’t enjoy the Dragon Ball Daima series premiere. If the marketing hasn’t enticed you yet, the first episode won’t be enough to convince you. The first episode is more of a set-up for the series, while Episode 2 will hopefully give viewers a better idea of what to expect.
Dragon Ball Daima is available to stream on Crunchyroll with Japanese audio and subtitles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The series will be available on Netflix globally starting October 18. New episodes are released weekly on Fridays.
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'Dragon Ball Daima' Episode 1 "Conspiracy" Review
'Dragon Ball Daima' Episode 1 "Conspiracy" ReviewThe Good
- Old 'Dragon Ball Z' moments recreated with updated animation is beautiful to see.
- Lots of interesting lore is introduced to the franchise.
The Bad
- There's not enough screen time of the Z-Warriors.
- The animation during Goku and Vegeta's sparring session doesn't look as good as the rest of the episode.
- If I had a nickel for every post-'Dragon Ball Z' anime featuring Goku turning into a young child, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice.
