Akira Toriyama Returns For 'Dragon Ball DAIMA' And Creates Buzz Amongst Fans On Social Media

Popular franchises deserve a reboot.

When they're so famous that they make a lot of money, but a change in plot is needed, or to garner new audience and please old ones in nostalgic ways, a lot of creative minds may try to reboot, or remake the franchise to make it fit the trend.

By remaking, franchises can introduce new characters, fill in some previous plot holes, make up new interesting stories, go deeper into the characters than before, and more.

Examples this 2023, include Mortal Kombat 1, and Resident Evil 4.

This time, it's Dragon Ball's turn.

Dragon Ball has introduced what it calls 'Dragon Ball DAIMA', a canon meant to be a totally new animated series from Toei Animation.

First revealed by the legendary mangaka at New York Comic Con, the series is to introduce a number of classic Dragon Ball characters like the Saiyans Son Goku and Vegeta, and other favorites, like Krillin and Android 18, Bulma and Chi-Chi, Yamcha, and more.

But unlike continuing the canon the way it normally would, the story introduces them as children, similar to the way Son Goku became a child in Dragon Ball GT.

But unlike previous iteration, literally all main and supporting characters here are children, in that it's suggested their power levels are back to when they were still children.

Among other reasons, this is why Son Goku wield his trusted magic staff as weapon once again.

"Legend has it that if all seven of the precious orbs called 'Dragon Balls' are gathered together, an incredibly powerful dragon god will appear to grant one wish. Unfortunately, the orbs are scattered across the world, making them extremely difficult to collect. Enter 16-year-old Bulma, a scientific genius who has constructed a radar to detect the exact locations of the Dragon Balls. She's on a mission to find all seven orbs, but first she must convince young Son Goku to join her on her quest."

At first glance, while Dragon Ball DAIMA may not be what fans expected from the next Dragon Ball anime.

But since Son Goku has unlocked his (undoubtedly) his most powerful form, the Super Saiyan Perfected Ultra Instinct, and that he and his friends have beaten other fighters from other universes, and even met the supreme ruler of the multiverses, it's may be the perfect time to revert back to square one, but with a whole new story to tell.

Read: Dragon Ball Website Officially Explains Why Son Goku Is Always Stronger Than Vegeta: First In 34 Years

But what makes Dragon Ball DAIMA create a lot of buzz, especially amongst fans on the internet, is because Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama is heavily involved in it.

Previously, Toriyama has shifted his role to providing general narrative guidance and character designs for many of the franchise’s projects, and this has been commencing for years. But for Dragon Ball DAIMA executive producer Akio Iyoku described Toriyama as being "deeply involved beyond his usual capacity."

It's said that from production process, Toriyama "has planned entirely new episodes for the storyline."

Toriyama’s involvement is a sign that Dragon Ball DAIMA is more than some regular canon.

The series has also generated a lot of buzz among fans and media outlets, as it is the first mainline anime installment since Dragon Ball Super, which ended in 2018, with the conclusion of the "Universe Survival Saga".