Dragon Ball DAIMA is getting showered with praise and fans can’t get enough of the glorious animation and the nostalgic appeal. As the beloved mangaka’s last project, many fans feel that DAIMA is the quintessential Akira Toriyama. From the beginning itself, it was established that DAIMA would be as authentic as it could get, with how we see Bulma and Goku interacting at the beginning like the old days.
Similarly, the animation quality and the art style resemble Toriyama’s evolved modern style. It could be a case of cherry-picking by fans to justify the hype around DAIMA, but the recent comparisons with GT make a few things clear. The animation of DAIMA is undoubtedly superior to most series in the franchise and DAIMA makes great use of Toriyama’s true vision and style.
Fans Draw Comparisons with Dragon Ball GT’s Art Style
Among Dragon Ball fans, the recent discussions have been all about Dragon Ball DAIMA. The premiere of the series made fans bawl their eyes out. With every episode, fans find something new to gush over. However, one thing has remained constant from day one, the praises for Dragon Ball DAIMA’s stunning visuals.
Fans on X recently compared the art style of DAIMA to that of GT. Some noteworthy observations included Goku’s rounder facial structure or how he looks more like a child than he ever did in GT. Some even called it Akira Toriyama‘s “true vision”.
Super Saiyan Goku: Dragon Ball GT (1996) / Dragon Ball Daima (2024) pic.twitter.com/s1YfrRxreA
— Dragon Ball Perfect Shots (@DBPerfectShots) November 15, 2024
Daima was Toriyama’s true vision, GT was never his
— Quizey (@The_Real_Quizey) November 15, 2024
Daima is way better lmao, it actually makes him look like a kid with the smooth edges on his face instead of everything being sharp
— Joe Nuts (@Joenuts82959943) November 15, 2024
Dragon Ball Daima is the first time the anime has used Toriyama’s modern style. Somethings got rounder pic.twitter.com/1BnQIX0LvM
— Yerr (@TitanB154) November 15, 2024
These comments were probably a result of the anime making great use of Toriyama’s modern art style. Over the years, the mangaka’s art style changed a lot. However, what remained constant was the blend of spiky paired up with the blunt features. From drawing chubby physiques to buff and then lean, Toriyama did it all. But his facial structures circled back to how they were initially.
Objectively: Daima looks better and I’m an OG DBZ fan.
— ☀️ SUNUROO 🟩🟥🟨 (@VENUS4444444444) November 15, 2024
As a GT fan, Daima is just amazing in every way
I haven’t felt like this about Dragon Ball in a long time
R.I.P. Toriyama and thank you!!!
— Solid State Scouter (@lalskvrg) November 15, 2024
Daima the real deal, it looks Toriyama art style!
— Gabriele (@gabfrance97) November 15, 2024
Daima goku actually looks like a kid so it looks better also im a fan of the more rounder eyes
— Sometf2player 🇺🇦 (@Sometf2player1) November 15, 2024
Every series in the franchise has its own appeal and gets appreciated by fans for that. But, Dragon Ball DAIMA stood out for reigniting the initial experiences fans had with the series. Seeing Goku return to a cute and chubby kid, who could wreak havoc led to a resurgence of precious memories.
DAIMA is Incredible, and There’s No Denying It
With six episodes so far, DAIMA has earned praise and trust from fans. Fans are loving the subsequent episodes, and hopefully, the series will continue down the same path. As the series progresses, fans hope that the future additions to the franchise or the return of Super learns from DAIMA.
DAIMA is incredible for trying out new things while paying homage to everything that existed before it. Instead of just releasing mediocre results to make the most out of the massive popularity of the series, it might be time for those in charge to circle back to what Dragon Ball always represented.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
