Between Dragon Ball Daima and new fighting game Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, you're probably going Super Saiyan over all things Dragon Ball right now.
To help get you in the mood for everything on the anime side of things, we've put together a guide to Dragon Ball Daima, which includes everything from its new story and setting to the surprisingly confusing release plans for those hoping to watch it on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
So join us as our guide to Dragon Ball Daima as Goku and pals travel to an "unknown and mysterious world" in search of the cure for what ails them: in this case, they've been shrunk down to size and must battle new foes in the Demon Realm.
For more from the latest new anime, be sure to check out our in-depth looks at Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, Solo Leveling season 2, and the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie trilogy.
Dragon Ball Daima release date
Dragon Ball Daima is premiered on October 11 on Crunchyroll in some regions, including the US. The anime platform announced the news , with new episodes airing at 10:00 AM Pacific/1:00 PM Eastern.
Those elsewhere in the world (including, seemingly, the UK) will have to wait until October 18 for the Netflix premiere. For more, check out the Dragon Ball Daima release schedule.
The English dub of Dragon Ball Daima will first be available in a selection of US cinemas for a limited time only, running from November 10-12.
Dragon Ball Daima story: what's next for Goku?
"Due to a conspiracy, Goku and his friends are turned small," Akira Toriyama wrote of Dragon Ball Daima's story last October. The outline, posted on the official Dragon Ball website before his passing, also teased an unfamiliar (and unnamed) location: "In order to fix things, they'll head off to a new world."
Toriyama continued, "It's a grand adventure with intense action in an unknown and mysterious world. Since Goku has to make up for his petite size, he uses his Nyoibo (Power Pole) to fight, something not seen in a long time. Things will unfold that will close in on the mysteries of the Dragon Ball world."
In the post, Toriyama confirmed he "came up" with the story and settings but, even now, little is known about what to expect from Daima and how it fits into the series' timeline. Dragon Ball Daima will be the fifth mainline series after Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super.
Several familiar (pint-sized) faces, including Vegeta, Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Piccolo, are all present in early trailers, while Majin Buu's inclusion in marketing indicates that Dragon Ball Daima could be a sequel-of-sorts or feature extensive flashbacks to the Majin Buu saga in Dragon Ball Z. Gohan, however, is conspicuous by his absence and seemingly won't feature in Dragon Ball Daima.
Goku will be joined by newcomer Gomah, a nefarious-looking, imp-like creature who is studying the battle between Goku and Majin Buu intently. He appears to be the overarching antagonist of the entire series. There's also the Masked Majin (known as Panzy) and a hotshot pilot called Glorio.
Right now, outside of those fresh faces, we know as little as Goku when it comes to what awaits in this new land on his 'grand' adventure. But we do have a little tease on what exactly 'Daima' is. Roughly translated, it means 'evil.' Gomah actor Showtaro Morikubo has also teased that Goku is in for a "wild ride."
Want to catch up on the story so far? You'll need our guide on how to watch Dragon Ball in order.
Dragon Ball Daima trailer
There have been multiple trailers for Dragon Ball Daima released over the past year.
The first Dragon Ball Daima teaser, from last year, took a trip down memory lane with the previous Dragon Ball series before providing a quick glimpse at the 2024 release.
The second Dragon Ball Daima trailer was far more substantial, putting the focus on not only the new characters in the anime, but the new world, too.
Dragon Ball Daima's most recent trailer, which you can see above, sidesteps the previous montage style for a more in-depth look at some of the key interactions in the upcoming series. IGN also unveiled an English dub trailer to mark the announcement of its surprise cinema release.
There's also an early treat for fans in the shape of the trailer's music: that's Dragon Ball Daima's OP theme – Jaka Jaan by Zedd. The ending theme will be Nakama by Zedd.
Dragon Ball Daima cast and new characters
As of writing, only a handful members of the Dragon Ball Daima cast have been announced. They are Goku, Shin, Pansy, and newcomers Glorio, Gomah, Degesu, and Dr. Arinsu. Dragon Ball Daima's official website announced new voice actors on September 10. The actors portraying the roles are as follows:
- Goku – Masako Nozawa
- Pansy – Ai Fairouz
- Shin – Yumiko Kobayashi
- Glorio – Koki Uchiyama
- Dr. Arinsu – Yoko Hikasa
- Degesu – Junya Enoki
- Gomah – Showtaro Morikubo
Of course, that's not all. Other characters, including Vegeta and Majin Buu, have been spotted in trailers and marketing, while new characters such as the Masked Majin are also part of Daima's cast.
There's also a key visual spotlighting some of Dragon Ball Daima's newcomers, which you can see below.
Dragon Ball DAIMAUnveiling new characters & a main visualPlus a highly anticipated new trailer!#DAIMA #DragonBallhttps://t.co/ExyuvZ8HPN pic.twitter.com/AnsPvwPZKUJuly 19, 2024
Dragon Ball Daima episode count
According to recent speculation, Dragon Ball Daima will consist of only 20 episodes.
That's a far cry from previous series, including Dragon Ball (153 episodes), Dragon Ball Z (291 episodes), Dragon Ball GT (64 episodes), and Dragon Ball Super (131 episodes). It's not yet known, however, if Daima will (fittingly) be a one-and-done pint-sized adventure, or will sprawl out into more of an epic saga.
Where can I watch Dragon Ball Daima?
Dragon Ball Daima will be streaming on Crunchyroll from this October in the United States, Canada, Latin America including Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
Those in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East can watch it a week later on Netflix.
For more from the wide world of anime, check out our guide for the best anime you should be watching in 2024. Then dive into our watch orders with a look at how to watch Demon Slayer in order and how to watch Attack on Titan in order.
