Dragon Ball Daima Confirms It's a Love Letter To Akira Toriyama and GT With a Subtle Homage

The brand-new entry to the most iconic anime worldwide,Dragon Ball Daima, is currently airing during the 40th anniversary of the franchise. Fortunately, despite the similarities withDragon Ball GTscaring some fans at first who feared it would lack originality,Daimahas proved it refines the elements that make both the original series andGTgreat, becoming a celebration of the franchise, but especially,a love letter to Toriyama’s legacy through an endearing tribute.

Dragon Ball Daimarecaptured what the franchise lackedafter the first part ofGT, bringing back the sense of adventure of Goku exploring a different world that later takes the sidelines to give protagonism to more high-paced action and battles. This way, Toei Animation Studio set up to produce an anime that will embed nostalgia in fans, while also rejoicing in its influence onGTand expressing gratitude to the master Akira Toriyama in his final project witha touching homage in the opening and ending sequences ofDragon Ball Daima.

Goku looking up to the sky in front of a scene from Dragon Ball Daima.

Dragon Ball Daima’s Opening and Ending Pay Homage to Its Creator With An Emotional Goodbye

Akira Toriyama’s Spirit Is Still Alive as Part ofDragon Ball’s World

The opening and ending sequences ofDragon Ball Daimapay homage to the series author, as this project wasAkira Toriyama’s last contribution to the franchisebefore passing away earlier this year. InDaima’s opening, Jaka Jaan, there’s a tribute that is only appreciated in the original language, where the lyrics of the song highlight the words Tori, Yama, and Akira (Yume wa TORI dori naYAMAnai AKIRAmenai), a clever yet subtle tribute to the master creator.

Dragon Ball Daima’s Demon Realm Isn’t Just Great, It Confirms What Makes Akira Toriyama A Once-In-A-Lifetime Master

Dragon Ball Daima is set to take place in the Demon Realm, a previously unexplored world that could’ve only been created by the great Akira Toriyama.

Also,in the last sequence ofDaima’s ending, Goku sees numerous feathers that combine to form the figure of a bird.This figure represents the author due to wordplay on his surname, Toriyama, since tori means “bird” in Japanese, and it’s the same name he picked when he founded his own production company, Bird Studio. Additionally, the manga artist created a fictional character that was a blue bird to represent himself in his earlier work,Dr. Slump.

Furthermore,this sequence is reminiscent of theDragon Ball Zending We Were Angels, where Gohan sees a feather, and later Goku is shown with wings waving goodbye as he is in the afterlife. InDaima’s ending, Goku is also waving goodbye to the bird, which can be interpreted as the franchise’s farewell to Akira Toriyama. Just like in the series, where death wasn’t the last goodbye, the author is still alive inDragon Ball’s universe.

Dragon Ball DaimaEmbraceGT’s Influence in its Ending Sequence

Daima’s Ending Visuals Reminds ofDragon Ball GTClosing Sequence

In addition to Toriyama’s homage, Toei Animation’s production team included several cuts inDragon Ball Daima’s ending that are very similar to the first ending ofDragon Ball GT. Although the visuals aren’t exactly the same, both endings share the same feeling of exploration of a new land, showing Goku and his companions in their spaceship, sleeping, watching over the edge of a cliff, and flying. Also, there’s a cut of Goku taking a bath in the river, similar to a visual inGT’s opening.

Moreover, one sequence ofDaima’s opening could be inspired byGT’s second ending, Don’t You See, where all the cast of the series appear walking one behind the other. Another callback is the final words ofDaima’s ending song, “Hitori Janai,” which is translated as “you are not alone,” but is also the title of the first ending theme ofGT.

It is often debated among fans ifDragon Ball GTbelongs to the canon of the series since it was created by Toei Animation, butDaimais inspired byGT, proved by its similar introduction and storyline, and the studio pinpoints these shared elements and their love for their original project with these similar visuals. Nevertheless, it is thanks to this passion put forth by the production team thatDragon Ball Daimahas been well received by fans and is living up so far to the legacy of the franchiseand its author, Akira Toriyama.