For this whole time, critics and fans alike have been referring toDragon Ball DAIMAas the anniversary series that serves as a celebration for theDragon Ballfranchise’s 40th anniversary. In a new interview with franchise producerAkio Iyoku, though, it was revealed that it’s not quite the case. With the new series justabout to hit its final episodeand with new surprises beingunveiled every week, this is yet another piece of news that left fans with their jaws dropped.
The revelation was made by Iyoku during an interview with the Japanese websiteSakigake, which was translated bySupaChronicles. In the interview, the producer revealed that the celebratory status ofDragon Ball DAIMAwas nothing more than a happy coincidence. And even though the show wasn’t a celebration by design, they were happy to embrace it when the time came to release the series into the world. He stated:
“It wasn’t made specifically for the anniversary, but I’m really glad that it ended up coinciding with it. It’s incredible how long the series has lasted, but for us,it’s always been about moving forward– thinking about the next project, and then the one after that. That’s how we got here. When you try too hard to make something fit a specific milestone, it doesn’t always go as planned. But this time,things just naturally fell into place.”
And by “falling” into place, Iyoku is referring to several aspects ofDragon Ball DAIMA. First, it’s the fact that the new series alludes to the originalDragon Ball– when Goku was a kid – and, most importantly, has several connections with the popularspin-offDragon Ball GT. In both versions,Gokuis turned into a mini version of himself, but only inDAIMAdo other characters go through the same transformation. The same producer revealed that the new show was planned as a way for long-timeDragon Ballfans to have theGTexperience once again while settling down to watch with their kids.
‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ Is Also a Farewell
Additionally,Dragon Ball DAIMAwas the last entry in theDragon Ballworld to happen with the direct involvement of franchise creatorAkira Toriyama. With hisuntimely death last year, it made perfect sense that the new show – which is canon and takes place immediately after theevents from the Majin Buu arc– would be a celebration of the franchise and Toriyama’s farewell to his masterpiece.
The question in fans' minds now is: ifDragon Ball DAIMAwasn’t planned as ananniversary event, then what does the team have in store that was planned for the celebration? The producer teased new announcements down the line for the franchise, but so far this is all we know. Stay tuned to Collider to find out more news about Dragon Ball as soon as it is announced.
