I still remember when Dragon Ball Daima was announced but hadn’t aired yet, and many fans were disappointed it wasn’t just a sequel to Dragon Ball Super, especially considering the manga content at the time.

I admit I was among those disappointed fans, only mildly interested in the show because it was Dragon Ball written by Akira Toriyama himself. Thankfully, once I started watching, I had a blast, especially at the beginning.

There have been constant comparisons between Daima and Dragon Ball GT. While I was initially unsure how things would turn out in that regard, beyond the premise of turning Goku and the cast into kids, I ended up liking the show as a whole—definitely more than GT.

In a way, Daima feels like a modern Toriyama-style remake of GT’s early arcs. The show recaptures the adventurous spirit GT tried to emulate, likely aiming to evoke the original Dragon Ball’s emphasis on exploration. However, I had many issues with GT, which I’ll compare to Daima now.

While GT focused on exploring various planets in Universe 7, it did so in a dull way, with forgettable and unlikable characters, including a grown-up Kid Trunks, who was boring, and Pan and Giru, who were somewhat annoying. Daima mercifully fixes these issues in the best way. It feels like a true sequel, specifically to the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Interviews have noted that the Buu Saga manga was largely driven by editors and higher-ups forcing its existence, despite Toriyama wanting to just end it. While many have understandable issues with the Buu saga, I personally enjoyed it, despite its missed potential.

One of those missed opportunities was exploring the Demon Realm with characters like Dabura. I’m glad Daima finally let us visit the Demon Realm, which had been hyped up. I was intrigued by details like the Supreme King of the Demon Realm. Some might have mixed feelings about the reveal that all pointy-eared characters in the Dragon Ball series, like Namekians, Shin’s race, and Dabura’s race, originate from the Demon Realm in some way. I found it a fun way to make these races relevant again. Sure, it could feel like a side quest, but to me, it’s like a cool RPG side quest that delivers fascinating lore. While not critical to the main story, it justifies some of Toriyama’s spontaneous world-building and ties things together.

I can tell Toriyama had a lot of fun writing this show. Many fans prefer the serious parts of the Dragon Ball series, especially Z and parts of Super, with their memorable villains, epic fight scenes, and power-ups. However, Toriyama’s favorite style has been noted to be comedy, gag manga, and adventure. I could sense he was having the time of his life creating this new world and returning to the comedic style of the original Dragon Ball, which was somewhat retained in Super.

Learning about the three parts of the Demon Realm and its world-building—like the bugs, interdimensional travel, and their version of Dragon Balls—was engaging. I also liked most of the new characters, like Glorio and Panzy, who had that classic Toriyama charm. Many of the demon characters’ designs felt straight out of Dragon Quest, which is fitting since Toriyama was the main artist for that series before his passing.

While Dragon Ball Daima has fewer fight scenes than Dragon Ball Z or Super, the ones present feature amazing animation—leagues above most of Super, even though I love that show.

As much as I’ve "glazed" Daima so far, I can only say I liked it, not loved it. While I enjoyed learning about the Demon Realm, the show’s 20-episode limit meant the plot had to accelerate, and the world-building became less relevant as the series progressed. This was unfortunate, as there was clearly more to explore, but it felt sidelined once Piccolo, Bulma, and Vegeta met up with Goku and Supreme Kai Shin.

This leads to what I call lazy fan service in the second half. Don’t get me wrong—the second half was still enjoyable, but its reliance on introducing new forms out of nowhere was my biggest complaint. While it was cool that Vegeta achieved Super Saiyan 3 and Goku reached Super Saiyan 4, online complaints about continuity—how Daima complicates what’s canon regarding Goku’s knowledge of Super Saiyan 4 or Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 in Super—have a point.

Continuity issues don’t bother me, as Toriyama has always done in-series retcons since the early days of the original Dragon Ball manga. My issue is how these forms were thrown in for fan service without interesting justification. For example, Toriyama gave Broly a compelling backstory and motivations in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. In contrast, Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 and Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 were vaguely explained as, “Majin Buu was tough, so we trained hard off-screen.” I know many fans love Super Saiyan 4 from GT, but I never connected with it. Its inclusion in Daima felt like a mix of pandering to fans and ensuring GT remains non-canon. It felt hollow, despite the well-animated fight scenes, and made the fight scenes around them not quite as exciting as I'd hoped. Even Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue had more thematic and narrative weight.

The laziness doesn’t stop at Super Saiyan 3 and 4. Toriyama’s subversive, unpredictable storytelling works sometimes, but the only interesting character arc was Glorio’s, with his unexpected development at the end. The main villain, Goma, and how he got the “evil eye” was very underwhelming, especially since it tied into a minor joke character who only briefly mattered for kinda lame jokes.

Smaller issues also stood out. While it was cool to see Piccolo, he was hyped up for part of a fight but barely used, so ended up just existing here for thematic ties to the Namekians’ origins. Supreme Kai's role started strong but didn’t develop much with his kin as I'd like. Bulma did little in the Demon Realm. In general, the second half felt rushed. There was a Ginyu Force ripoff who felt like a waste of time. There was an outline of other demons rebelling against Goma, but with just six more episodes, the world-building could have deepened, the climactic fights could have been more engaging, and the choice of the next demon ruler would have made more sense, as we barely know that character.

Overall, Dragon Ball Daima was a fun but not great show. It was a light, enjoyable adventure, and Toriyama clearly had a blast writing it. The standout moments and fight scenes were great, and the characters, for the most part, had that classic Toriyama charm. However, the rushed second half, with underdeveloped plot points, lame gags for plot progression, lazy fan service, and only one compelling character arc, dampened my enjoyment.

Still, I don’t regret watching it, and I’m glad Toriyama was able to write one final story he clearly enjoyed before his passing. Rest in peace.