For those out of the loop, Dragon Ball DAIMA is the next entry to the long-running anime franchise. In between the guttural screams coming from fans still hoping for a Dragon Ball Super continuation is the concerned optimism of fans curious if this new series will fit into the canon Dragon Ball timeline.
In the announcement trailer for Dragon Ball DAIMA, we are shown a montage of Dragon Ball’s history from the earliest volumes in 1984 to the most recent Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film in 2022. It’d seem as if the production staff intends on this series being a celebration of all things Dragon Ball. But, will it be considered canonical?
Is Dragon Ball DAIMA canon?
Yes! Dragon Ball DAIMA should be considered canonical if for no other reason than it’s an original story written by series creator Akira Toriyama, who will also be providing the series’ character designs. In a letter written by Toriyama, he confirms that he “came up with the story and settings, as well as a lot of the designs. I’m actually putting a lot more into this than usual!”
As of writing, it is unclear how DAIMA will impact the canonical story of Dragon Ball Super — that is, if it will impact that story at all. It could be that this is just a one-off series set in a different dimension, but there’ll be no telling until Dragon Ball DAIMA begins airing in the Fall 2024 anime season.
