Everyone just collectively forgot about Daima's first 18 episodes.

[Yuji]

All discussion I see of the show is about the last two episodes: SS4, the adult forms, adult SS3 Vegeta, the animation and art. Almost nobody discusses the first 18.

Had there been no SS4 or adult transformations, would the show be remembered by the fan base at large?

[VegettoEX]

I don't exactly go around talking with random folks about Daima in miscellaneous places, but:

It's the exact opposite for me. I don't really care about that last bit at all (for as little as I retroactively "care" about the series as a collective whole). I care more for the journey part of the series than the final battle, which I found extremely tiresome in spite of the technical prowess on display.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

Can't you say this about any arc in the series ? Would the Cell arc be remembered without Gohan's transformation during the Cell Games ? Would the Buu arc be remembered without the final battle against Kid Buu ? Would Namek be remembered without Goku's classic transformation against Freeza ? The answer to these questions, as well as your questions is the same: it depends. In this hypothetical situation you brought up, would this non-Ssj4 climax be just as good ? What Daima's last 2 episodes and these moments from Z all have in common is that they were what their respective arcs were building towards. Considering all of them stuck the landing as any good climax to a story should, it's only natural that fans talk about them the most. With that said, these moments would be nowhere near as powerful as they were if what led up to them also weren't written well, so in Daima's case, fans clearly liked what they were seeing up to that point.

[JulieYBM]

I don't talk or think much about Dragon Ball Daima in general. Not much in the way of character happens in the series, so I don't have anything to really grasp onto. Meanwhile, I recently watched the first ten episodes of the Tournament of Power and felt like actual character arcs being set up in the most elementary manner possible was more exciting than all twenty episodes of Dragon Ball Super.

It's fascinating how you can fuck over your animators in two different ways like that: either not giving them enough time—as was the case with Dragon Ball Super—or not giving them good scripts—as was the case with Dragon Ball Daima.

[Yuji]

Can't you say this about any arc in the series ? Would the Cell arc be remembered without Gohan's transformation during the Cell Games ? Would the Buu arc be remembered without the final battle against Kid Buu ? Would Namek be remembered without Goku's classic transformation against Freeza ? The answer to these questions, as well as your questions is the same: it depends. In this hypothetical situation you brought up, would this non-Ssj4 climax be just as good ? What Daima's last 2 episodes and these moments from Z all have in common is that they were what their respective arcs were building towards. Considering all of them stuck the landing as any good climax to a story should, it's only natural that fans talk about them the most. With that said, these moments would be nowhere near as powerful as they were if what led up to them also weren't written well, so in Daima's case, fans clearly liked what they were seeing up to that point.

It's not an attack on Daima but I think your point misses the mark regardless. I don't think any of the other arcs had such a huge aesthetic and tonal shift in the last 2 episodes, which is why this climax in specific seems to stand out from the others.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

I don't think any of the other arcs had such a huge aesthetic and tonal shift in the last 2 episodes, which is why this climax in specific seems to stand out from the others.

There really wasn't any shift at all. The tone was the same as the rest of the show, and the aesthetic is that of the first episode of everyone being adults. They really went above and beyond by giving us two full episodes of both adult Goku and Vegeta fighting in their new forms. It would've been much easier and safer to just keep them as kids until the very last minute, which is what I was worried would happen. Daima is definitely a flawed show; you'll never see me argue otherwise, but when it mattered most (the actual climax), they stuck the landing perfectly.

[YamiGoku]

As someone that plays the DB gachas I'm surprised how even the Japanese people don't care about Daima, they Didnt want Daima to be part of Dragon Ball Legends fest last year, and a lot of them dont want/care for Daima characters to be in Dokkan, and they certainly don't want Gomma to show his face in anny major celebration of thesse games.


I know this is just the gacha part of the fanbase and might be that the heaters are louder than the rest, but we didn't experience this with anything from Super, always the new shiny new froms/characters are the new hot stuff every one wants in the game, but Daima is not wanted by manny it seems.

[The Monkey King]

Daima almost got memory holed by the fanbase 2 weeks after it ended. Probably the least culturally relevant/impactful Dragon Ball series ever tbh.

Even the "SSJ4 Hype" falls flat for me, all the great animation had all the substance of a fireworks show, it was just Goku smacking around one of the shittiest antagonists in DB history who didn't take any damage anyway.

Daima never stood a real chance honestly, it wasn't what most fans wanted (DBS Season 2) and instead we got chibi kid shit with garbage new character designs. Daima Kid Goku is the least appealing Goku has ever looked, Piccolo looks like someone wearing a mascot costume, the main cast look like ugly bobble-heads for most of the show.

The DB fanbase at large will never look back fondly at the time Goku and co spent an entire episode fighting giant hamsters.

Now that the dust has settled I'm glad I'm seeing more honest, critical opinions about Daima without the "it was Toriyama's last project!" crowd trying to silence any criticism.

Daima was simply medicore, at best it was charming sometimes.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

Daima almost got memory holed by the fanbase 2 weeks after it ended. Probably the least culturally relevant/impactful Dragon Ball series ever tbh.

Popularity does not equal quality, as proven by Super time and again.

Even the "SSJ4 Hype" falls flat for me, all the great animation had all the substance of a fireworks show, it was just Goku smacking around one of the shittiest antagonists in DB history who didn't take any damage anyway.

He was an improvement over Jiren, Gas, and Cell Max, that's for sure. He may not have been perfect, but at least he wasn't them.

Daima never stood a real chance honestly, it wasn't what most fans wanted (DBS Season 2)

Giving "fans" what they want is exactly why the franchise has been creatively bankrupt for the past decade; it's how we get shit like Resurrection F and Minus.

Instead we got chibi kid shit with garbage new character designs.

Have you seen the U6 Saiyans ? Or anyone else from the other universes ?

Daima Kid Goku is the least appealing Goku has ever looked.

That honor goes to SsjB Goku with his regular Gi. That and Vegeta's Blue form are by far some of the worst this franchise has produced.

Now that the dust has settled I'm glad I'm seeing more honest, critical opinions about Daima.

It's a shame we can't get any of that "honesty" when it comes to Super.

[Hugo Boss]

I personally enjoyed all of Daima. The lore reveals about the Glinds and Namekians, the Tamagami encounters and post-fight challenges. Goku vs. Tamagami #3 was one of the best choreographed fights in the whole franchise.

Of course, SS4 Goku and SS3 Vegeta from Toriyama’s POV were massive highlights, but that doesn’t make the rest of the series forgettable at all.

[Vegard Aune]

The DB fanbase at large will never look back fondly at the time Goku and co spent an entire episode fighting giant hamsters.

Okay but that might unironically have been Daima's best episode though? It was one of the few times where it felt like the show actually took time to explore a setting and really try to build a strong atmosphere. For as pointless as it was, it was really well executed.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

Okay but that might unironically have been Daima's best episode though? It was one of the few times where it felt like the show actually took time to explore a setting and really try to build a strong atmosphere. For as pointless as it was, it was really well executed.

I don't think fans would've minded slower episodes like that if the show was longer and more important aspects of the story were properly explored.

[sangofe]

I don't exactly go around talking with random folks about Daima in miscellaneous places, but:

It's the exact opposite for me. I don't really care about that last bit at all (for as little as I retroactively "care" about the series as a collective whole). I care more for the journey part of the series than the final battle, which I found extremely tiresome in spite of the technical prowess on display.

I'm totally of the same opinion. The show was fantastic for the first 13 episodes then whatever although I enjoyed the animation and the fighting.

[goku the krump dancer]

What’s there to remember besides the fact that Daima did everything Super did but somehow way worse.

[JulieYBM]

Daima feels like a thing that happened to the characters, so it winds up just feeling like a thing that happened to the audience, too. The weak pay-off of any character arcs is a huge burden to the series and made it a chore to watch weekly and even just to rewatch in general.

[Koitsukai]

Well, actually, while I enjoyed SS4 and seeing the gang as adults again, I enjoyed the ride more than the destination. There were so many problematic things with the last few episodes that I prefer the first fights, the silly little journeys, the exploration of the Daimakai, the lore expansions and quirky characters.
The final fight became repetitive unlike the previous fights. I was much more entertained from episode 1-15 than from episode 15-20, even Goku vs Glorio was amazing. Hadn't it been for SS4 and I would not care at all for the final episodes.

[Dr. Casey]

I liked early Daima pretty well - everything until the A Team and B Team met up. It was interesting when it was just Goku, Kaioshin, Panzy, and Glorio. Everything past that was... nothing really.

[Grimlock]

What's a Dragon Ball Daima?

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

Why do you care how much/little the fan base discuss a piece of media? Does that impact your investment in the show?

[JulieYBM]

Why do you care how much/little the fan base discuss a piece? Does that impact your investment in the show?

There's something critical to be said of the production committee members for creating a project that was broadcast weekly for five months and yet it completely disappeared from the zeitgeist afterward.