Episode #0517! Mike, Ken, and Ajay review the complete “Dragon Ball Daima” television series! Over these 20 episodes, what new concepts are introduced/reintroduced, what lore conflicts are we still reeling from, how did the art and animation hold up with such a prolonged production timeframe… and did we like it?
Roughly every month, Toyotarō provides a drawing of a Dragon Ball (or related…!) character — as well as an accompanying comment — on the official Japanese Dragon Ball website. Following up on the wealth of characters already drawn, for his (belated) February 2025 entry, Toyotarō has drawn Piroshki and Karoni, anime-only characters from the Cell Games:
PIROSHKI AND KARONI
Disciples of Satan that took part in the Cell Games
Both characters debuted in Dragon Ball Z episode 176 as disciples of Mr. Satan who take on Cell, only to be immediately defeated. Karoni (カロニ) likely takes his name from part of the word “macaroni” (マカロニ), while Piroshki likely takes his name directly from “pirozhki” (ピロシキ).
Karoni — alongside Mr. Satan’s manager (and likewise-filler-character from the Cell Games) Piza — made a small appearance in the first Dragon Ball Super episode, as well:
Four Blu-ray discs (all 20 episodes + bonus material)
Illustrated box and three-sided illustrated case
Bonus material includes three 4K UHD Blu-ray discs (all 20 episodes in a 4K SDR upscale), a deluxe edition booklet, Demon Ream Sugoroku (board game), sticker, and a set of 7 die-cut pin badges
Bonus deluxe edition booklet
Video extra include creditless opening/ending and a preview/trailer collection
Standard Edition Blu-ray Box
¥30,800 yen (tax included)
Four Blu-ray discs (all 20 episodes + bonus material)
Three-sided illustrated case
Bonus booklet
Video extra include creditless opening/ending and a preview/trailer collection
Standard Edition DVD Box
¥28,800 yen (tax included)
Five DVDs (all 20 episodes + bonus material), with a three-sided illustrated case
Three-sided illustrated case
Bonus booklet
Video extra include creditless opening/ending and a preview/trailer collection
Sets will be available for purchase via several retail partners, including Amazon Japan (whose own exclusive version will come packed with additional bonuses, including a shirt and new illustration with acrylic stand).
Dragon Ball Daima — whose broadcast concluded today with its final of 20 total episodes — was first revealed at New York Comic Con in October 2023 by way of a trailer and comment from original franchise creator Akira Toriyama. The “Daima” in the series’ title is a made-up term, though the individual kanji that make up its spelling would be 大魔; in Toriyama’s own words, …”in English would be something like ‘Evil.'” The series debuted 11 October 2024on Fuji TV in Japan (with multiple worldwide streaming options), and features an original story by series creator Akira Toriyama, character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, script/composition by Yūko Kakihara, and series co-direction by Yoshitaka Yashima and Aya Komaki.
Initially leaked and teased through Steam back-end updates this week, the previously-announced, two-part Dragon Ball Daima DLC expansion for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is set to begin Summer 2025:
Unlike past DLC expansions, the title for this pack remains largely the same between its original Japanese (魔界の大冒険! or “Great Adventure in the Demon Realm!”) and its official English title (“Adventure Through The Demon Realm”). The new trailer also noted that a “Daima Edition” of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will be released, which itself includes access to the two-part expansion. Access to just the Daima pack (covering both parts) is priced at $34.99.
Per the aforementioned Steam listings, “Part 1” is pegged for sometime between July and September this year (falling in line with the “Summer” announcement), while “Part 2” is listed as sometime between January and March 2026:
Developed by CyberConnect2 for Bandai Namco, the action role-playing game released16 January 2020 in Japan and 17 January 2020 internationally on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam). A Nintendo Switch edition came later in September 2021.
Two season passes worth of content — with six individual packs in total — have come out since the game’s release. In the first season pass, the Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’ DLC entries were much shorter with a focus on boss fights and level increases, while the third entry — that of Trunks’ future timeline — told a comprehensive, multi-part story. The second season pass includes entries for the original 1990 Bardock television special, the 23rd Tenka’ichi Budōkai, and the 28th Tenka’ichi Budōkai.
Reviews of the base game, Trunks DLC, Bardock DLC, 23rd Tenka’ichi Budōkai DLC, and 28th Tenka’ichi Budōkai DLC can be found on episodes #0481, #0490, #0497, #0505, and #0509, respectively, of our podcast.
Dragon Ball Daima — whose broadcast concluded today with its final of 20 total episodes — was first revealed at New York Comic Con in October 2023 by way of a trailer and comment from original franchise creator Akira Toriyama. The “Daima” in the series’ title is a made-up term, though the individual kanji that make up its spelling would be 大魔; in Toriyama’s own words, …”in English would be something like ‘Evil.'” The series debuted 11 October 2024on Fuji TV in Japan (with multiple worldwide streaming options), and features an original story by series creator Akira Toriyama, character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, script/composition by Yūko Kakihara, and series co-direction by Yoshitaka Yashima and Aya Komaki.
Shueisha and Viz have added the official English translation of the Dragon Ball Super manga’s 104th chapter to their respective Manga Plus and Shonen Jump services. This special one-shot chapter serves as further-introductory/prequel content to the “Super Hero” arc, which itself already received a three-chapter prologue and three-chapter epilogue beyond the scope of the original 2022 theatrical film.
Alongside other initiatives including free chapters and a larger archive for paid subscribers, this release continues the companies’ schedule of not simply simultaneously publishing the series’ chapter alongside its Japanese debut to the release date, but to its local time in Japan alongside its serialization in today’s April 2025 issue of Shueisha’s V-Jump magazine.
Since the Dragon Ball Super manga went on hiatus last year (following chapter 103 and coinciding with the passing of Akira Toriyama), the manga’s collected volume release has been at a standstill, with only three chapters worth of material to fill out a volume that otherwise covers four chapters. This release of “chapter 104” fills out that space, and will likely be content that fills out Volume 24, set for release in Japan this April.
Illustrated by “Toyotarō” (in all likelihood, a second pen-name used by Dragon Ball AF fan manga author and illustrator “Toyble”), the Dragon Ball Super manga covered the Battle of Gods re-telling, skipped the Resurrection ‘F’ re-telling, and “charged ahead” to the Champa arc, “speeding up the excitement of the TV anime even more”. Though the television series completed its run, the manga continued onward, moving into its own original “Galactic Patrol Prisoner”, “Granolla the Survivor”, and “Super Hero” arcs.
Viz releases free digital chapters of the series upon release as a simultaneous publication, and began their own collected print edition back in 2017. The company’s 23rd collected volume — which lags behind the Japanese release — is due out this April.
The previously-announced “Dragon Ball Daima Original Soundtrack” — a two-disc set (COCX-42467-8) with “about 70” tunes by composer Kosuke Yamashita — is set for a 19 March 2025release in Japan via Columbia, priced at ¥4,000:
A full track list has not yet been provided. The set will also see digital distribution.
Dragon Ball Daima — currently up to its 18th of 20 total episodes — was first revealed at New York Comic Con in October 2023 by way of a trailer and comment from original franchise creator Akira Toriyama. The “Daima” in the series’ title is a made-up term, though the individual kanji that make up its spelling would be 大魔; in Toriyama’s own words, …”in English would be something like ‘Evil.'” The series debuted 11 October 2024on Fuji TV in Japan (with multiple worldwide streaming options), and features an original story by series creator Akira Toriyama, character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, script/composition by Yūko Kakihara, and series co-direction by Yoshitaka Yashima and Aya Komaki.
The most recent music release for the Dragon Ball franchise was the official soundtrack for the 2022 theatrical filmDragon Ball Super: Super Hero as composed by Naoki Satō. A 10th anniversary soundtrack collection for the mobile video game Dragon Ball Dokkan Battle is due out this May.
The twenty fourth collected volume of the Dragon Ball Super manga series by Toyotarō will release 04 April 2025 in Japan for ¥572 + tax, and should pick up with chapter 101.
Since the Dragon Ball Super manga went on hiatus last year (following chapter 103 and coinciding with the passing of Akira Toriyama), the manga’s collected volume release has been at a standstill, with only three chapters worth of material to fill out a volume that otherwise covers four chapters. This month’s forthcoming release of “chapter 104” — a one-shot prequel chapter to the “Super Hero arc” (which itself already had original prequel material) — fills out that space, and will likely be content that fills out Volume 24.
Illustrated by “Toyotarō” (in all likelihood, a second pen-name used by Dragon Ball AF fan manga author and illustrator “Toyble”), the Dragon Ball Super manga covered the Battle of Gods re-telling, skipped the Resurrection ‘F’ re-telling, and “charged ahead” to the Champa arc, “speeding up the excitement of the TV anime even more”. Though the television series completed its run, the manga continued onward, moving into its own original “Galactic Patrol Prisoner”, “Granolla the Survivor”, and “Super Hero” arcs.
Viz releases free digital chapters of the series upon release as a simultaneous publication, and began their own collected print edition back in 2017. The company’s 23rd collected volume — which lags behind the Japanese release — is due out this April.
The official Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle social media account and Bandai Namco have announced a forthcomingDragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle 10th Anniversary Original Sound Track set for release 28 May 2025 in Japan:
This “Limited Edition” release will have a specific pre-order period of 08 February 2025 to 04 March 2025. The 8-CD set containing over 350 individual tracks will retail for ¥9,980 (tax included) and will come packaged with a 12-page special booklet.
The set is available for pre-order via a variety of online stores in Japan — Amazon Japan is available as an option for international orders.
Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle has received a small batch of specialized soundtrack releases in Japan which have been given away via lottery to registered participants. This forthcoming 10th Anniversary Original Sound Track marks the first instance of the full collected batch of music being available for standard sale.
Announced back in September 2014, Dokkan Battle — an action/puzzle game — was the first of a modern-era smartphone app initiative for the Dragon Ball franchise. The game eventually made its way worldwide, including a full English localization. The game is available on the iTunes and Google Play stores.
The game regularly participates in April Fools’ Day, with its “Saibai Battle” reskin from 2017 being a particularly notable one. In 2021, Bandai Namco celebrated 350 million downloads of Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle.
In a press release and social media posts shared this week, Bandai Namco announced that Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO has sold five million copies worldwide:
DRAGON BALL: SPARKING! ZERO SELLS MORE THAN 5 MILLION UNITS WORLDWIDE Long Awaited Sequel in the BUDOKAI TENKAICHI Series Becomes the Fastest Selling DRAGON BALL Console Game Ever
Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe S.A.S. today announced DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, the first sequel in more than 15 years in the legendary DRAGON BALL Z: BUDOKAI TENKAICHI series, has surpassed a total of 5 million units sold worldwide since its launch. After releasing to critical acclaim this past October, the title is now the fastest-selling DRAGON BALL console game to-date. DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO is available now on PlayStation 5,Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
Developed by Spike Chunsoft, DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO pushes the envelope for gameplay and features in an arena brawler. Harnessing the power of Unreal® Engine 5, the game delivers stunning true-to-the-anime visuals and genre-defining features with lightning-paced combat and large destructible environments. Players embraced the game for its action-packed gameplay modes including online and co-op multiplayer, Episode Battle mode where players can re-live storied battles from the globally beloved DRAGON BALL anime series, and Custom Battle to create, play, and share UGC battles using a robust selection of available characters, stages, and unique items.
More recently, the game released the “Hero of Justice” DLC pack, adding 11 new fighters to the expansive roster of 182 characters, such as Gohan Beast, Cell Max, Gamma 1 and Gamma 2.
These features and modes along with frequent downloadable content updates and official sanctioned tournaments have helped make DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO one of the most critically acclaimed game titles in the globally beloved anime franchise.
Sparking! ZERO‘s five million sales (in its first four months here) can be placed in context with the sales of other recent games:
Back in 2018, Dragon Ball FighterZshippedtwo million copies in its first week, which Bandai Namco claimed at the time made it the franchise’s “fastest shipping” release for the franchise.
In May 2023, Bandai Namco announced that both Dragon Ball FighterZ and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 had independently shipped and sold (written differently in the same announcement) ten million copies each.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZEROreleased on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Steam) 10 October 2024 in Japan, and 11 October 2024 internationally. As opposed to the completely separateDragon Ball Z (“Budokai”) series developed by Dimps which came before it, the Sparking! series — developed instead by Spike — featured 3D arenas with an over-the-shoulder camera angle. The new game’s title of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO falls more in line with the original trilogy’s naming scheme in Japanese. The three Sparking! games — the original, NEO!, and METEOR — hit the PlayStation 2 over the course of 2005 to 2007, with the Nintendo Wii also receiving ports of the second and third games. The game series was released numerically under the “Budokai Tenkaichi” moniker internationally. A fourth games — Tag Vs. in Japan; Tenkaichi Tag Team internationally — was released on the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Spike (as Spike Chunsoft) later went on to also develop the crossover fighting games J-Stars Victory VS in 2014 and Jump Force in 2019.
In a brief post on social media this morning, the official Dragon Ball television series account announced that Dragon Ball Daima will receive a home video release on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan:
No specific details — such as a release date, pricing, etc. — were noted in the announcement; readers are instead urged to stay tuned for future announcements.
Dragon Ball Daima — currently up to its 17th of 20 total episodes — was first revealed at New York Comic Con in October 2023 by way of a trailer and comment from original franchise creator Akira Toriyama. The “Daima” in the series’ title is a made-up term, though the individual kanji that make up its spelling would be 大魔; in Toriyama’s own words, …”in English would be something like ‘Evil.'” The series debuted 11 October 2024on Fuji TV in Japan (with multiple worldwide streaming options), and features an original story by series creator Akira Toriyama, character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, script/composition by Yūko Kakihara, and series co-direction by Yoshitaka Yashima and Aya Komaki.
