Why does the majority of English-speaking DB fans hate Daima?

[fadeddreams5]

The hate isn't really towards Daima itself. It's the fact that Super ended back in 2018, but has an ongoing manga people have been dying to see animated, especially after the quality increased so much during the ToP arc and Broly movie.

So after many years of waiting, instead of the continuation they waited for and instead of seeing Ultra Ego Vegeta in action, they are treated to an unrelated adventure series with cute chibi characters. A series that also has amazing animation that could have been used for a new arc of Super instead.

That's why people are mad. I personally am liking Daima a lot, but you could easily replace the DB characters, and it would be an unrelated adventure shonen. It's very formulaic.

[Hellspawn28]

Daima is not the DBZ style show that the causal audience wants. Super is popular with many casual fans because Super feels like DBZ 2.0 to them.

[super michael]

Daima is not the DBZ style show that the causal audience wants. Super is popular with many casual fans because Super feels like DBZ 2.0 to them.

The writing in DBS didn't feel like Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z at all.
The characters in DBS didn't feel like a natural progress from DB/DBZ at all.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Super was definitely written different, there was always tension and plot progression in Dragon Ball Z but Super seemed content with retaining the status quo. Characters never aged, everything was happening in a very short span of time, the repetition of returning to Capsule Corp to celebrate victories, overly focusing on Goku and Vegeta, etc. That said Trunks defeating Zamasu was a nice surprise.

When it comes to the fights Super was certainly made to pander to Dragon Ball Z fans. Cheap throwbacks (like Piccolo giving up his life to save Gohan), new colourful transformations, big beam struggles and the general sense of spectacle. There were some creative ways it was done here and there though, like Vegeta fulfilling his promise of taking Trunks to an amusement park.

[Hellspawn28]

With Super, it has transformations and fast past action scenes that feel similar to DBZ. That's why the casual fans want Super to return so back because it was popular.

[super michael]

With Super, it has transformations and fast past action scenes that feel similar to DBZ. That's why the casual fans want Super to return so back because it was popular.

Good writing is important, not just transformation and action scenes. That was DBS weakness.

If someone never watched or read Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z, then they wouldn't know how flawed they made DBS.

[ABED]

I don't hate it, I just find it really boring. So much worldbuilding and not enough interesting characters. It doesn't feel like DB at all.

[goku the krump dancer]

I don't hate it, I just find it really boring. So much worldbuilding and not enough interesting characters. It doesn't feel like DB at all.

And a decent chunk of the lore bits have just been Guide Book info in animated form.

But as of episode 8 moving forward it looks like things will be hopefully picking up and I’m not just talking about the fighting.

[TechExpert2021]

Daima is not the DBZ style show that the causal audience wants. Super is popular with many casual fans because Super feels like DBZ 2.0 to them.

Dragon Ball Super does feel like DBZ 2.0 except that it has little to no blood.

[super michael]

Daima is not the DBZ style show that the causal audience wants. Super is popular with many casual fans because Super feels like DBZ 2.0 to them.

Dragon Ball Super does feel like DBZ 2.0 except that it has little to no blood.

Episode like Beerus in a costume, that doesn't feel anything like DB/DBZ at all.
Goku in DBS Super Hero doesn't feel like Goku at all, more like a clown drawn with Goku skin.

It takes more than action and transformation, for it to feel like DB/DBZ.

And a decent chunk of the lore bits have just been Guide Book info in animated form.

But as of episode 8 moving forward it looks like things will be hopefully picking up and I’m not just talking about the fighting.

I like it that some things from the guide book are added to Dragon Ball Daima.

[goku the krump dancer]

And a decent chunk of the lore bits have just been Guide Book info in animated form.

But as of episode 8 moving forward it looks like things will be hopefully picking up and I’m not just talking about the fighting.

I like it that some things from the guide book are added to Dragon Ball Daima.

It’s not a bad thing.. it just hasn’t been very exciting. Personally I think deep diving into where the Kaioshin or “Glinds” come from sorta take away from their mystique and makes them seem even less divine at this point.

[capsulecorp]

This reminds me of when people would post threads like "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is universally condemned by fans". Frankly, the majority of English-speaking DS fans DON'T hate Daima! Most of them haven't even seen it yet!

Anecdotally though, people do seem to enjoy it so far. Is it more than 50%? I don't know, and you don't either.

[TheGreatness25]

I don't know if I've seen any real negativity toward the series, but speaking for myself, I find it reminiscent of the first GT arc. I go into every episode less and less enthused because so far, I'm bored out of my mind.

[Saiyan007]

I'm going to be honest i don't hate Daima but i do hate the idea of turning them into kids it's just not something i want to see.I cant think of any story that benefits having your cast turned into kids sure it would be ok if it's just for an episode or two but seeing them turned into kids again for an long period of time isn't something most people want to see

One of the reason GT wasn't well liked is because they turned Goku into a kid it just makes the general audience take him less serious. Could you imagine if back on Namek it was kid Goku vs Freeza the atmosphere would be completely different or imagine if Marvel/DC turned their big stars into Kids.I'm an avid comic reader and i cant remember them ever being turned back into kids(other than that 1 Justice league episode back in the 2000s).It just screams that Toei doesn't know their audience well

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I'm going to be honest i don't hate Daima but i do hate the idea of turning them into kids it's just not something i want to see.I cant think of any story that benefits having your cast turned into kids sure it would be ok if it's just for an episode or two but seeing them turned into kids again for an long period of time isn't something most people want to see

One of the reason GT wasn't well liked is because they turned Goku into a kid it just makes the general audience take him less serious. Could you imagine if back on Namek it was kid Goku vs Freeza the atmosphere would be completely different or imagine if Marvel/DC turned their big stars into Kids.I'm an avid comic reader and i cant remember them ever being turned back into kids(other than that 1 Justice league episode back in the 2000s).It just screams that Toei doesn't know their audience well

^ This 100%

Daima is fine, but little, if anything has been done to narratively justify Goku and his friends being turned into kids, just as turning Goku into a kid didn't do GT any favours. It's fine for an episode or two as a gag but when it's for a whole series the concept overstays its welcome.

If anyone wants kid Goku they have original Dragon Ball, and while we haven't seen all of his friends as kids there's nothing special or appealing about them being turned into kids.

For example, why would anyone want to see Yamcha as a kid now? Surely a prequel story about him learning to play baseball or first discovering what marriage is would be more interesting. Seeing kid Yamcha now doesn't help retroactively imagine what his life was like when he was a kid as we have no point of reference.

And yes we've barely seen Yamcha so far, but even for characters that we've seen in Daima since the beginning like Shin what is exciting about seeing him as a kid? Nothing, and for the same reason as Yamcha.

[ABED]

Problems with the show will be aimed at turning characters back into kids. It's not the problem. It's the over emphasizing of lore. It's made the show boring and feel like something other than DB. Where are the characters and fun?

One of the reason GT wasn't well liked is because they turned Goku into a kid it just makes the general audience take him less serious.

They're both kids shows.

[JulieYBM]

There are plenty of benefits to turning your characters into kids, but those benefits require actively engaging with what aging means. Toriyama consistently refused to really get into any sort of real feeling, and I think that attitude—and how it even effects the animated projects, which he is barely involved with outside of story ideas and character drafts—is honestly a real shame.

I also think it's a dumb idea for Gokuu to have no suffered any sort of loss before getting used to the changes to his body. The prolonged, "Gokuu is still getting used to the spacial differences in his small body" element does not work if it ultimately is resolved with no drama.

[kemuri07]

Problems with the show will be aimed at turning characters back into kids. It's not the problem. It's the over emphasizing of lore. It's made the show boring and feel like something other than DB. Where are the characters and fun?

One of the reason GT wasn't well liked is because they turned Goku into a kid it just makes the general audience take him less serious.

They're both kids shows.

I mean I enjoy the characters thus far and I am having fun with it. DB can be a lot of things and considering where Dragon Ball has been for the longest time, I'm more than ok with what Daima is doing.


Goku being a child is more an aesthetical choice than a narrative one. This entire project is meant to be a "return the form" to Dragon Ball's more "RPG" inspirations, and kid Goku has always represented that time period. I don't think you have to really think about it that hard..because I don't.

[Chuquita]

I've been enjoying the character writing for the most part. A couple jokes didn't land for me (I can't shake the thought that Goku can't digest the food here well so he keeps getting the runs), but very few complaints.

I do however feel like I'm waiting at a metaphorical train station for my train to arrive / Goku and friends to get their adult bodies back. I can't fully enjoy this series with everyone still in their child bodies.

They're selling Daima merch of adult Goku and adult Vegeta though so maybe that means my pessimism about how long it'll take to get their adult selves back is misplaced.

I agree that there's a lot you could do with the topic of aging and how various db characters engage with it (and I was wondering before Daima started airing about if there were any musings on end of life--looking back on one's life--the nature of different stages of one's life in there anywhere as Toriyama must've been aware of his own health and age) but unfortunately and not all that surprising there's nothing in here about it.

[JulieYBM]

I'm not really sure what the point of waiting for them to be returned to their adult forms is. It isn't like it would change anything at this point if the series continues to just say, "These characters aren't really going to face any real loss or insecurities."

I definitely wish the series was more ambitious in that regard, but I've felt that way in general for a lot of stuff.