Akira Toriyama Had Significant Involvement in Dragon Ball Daima
With only three episodes remaining, Dragon Ball Daima is nearing its conclusion, marking the 40th anniversary of the franchise. Recently, an interview with Akio Iyoku, the executive producer of Dragon Ball, revealed Akira Toriyama’s level of involvement in the anime’s development.
Akira Toriyama Had Significant Involvement in Dragon Ball Daima
Dragon Ball DAIMA introduces Goku and his friends facing a new challenge: they are transformed into smaller versions of themselves and must explore the mysterious “Great Demon Realm” (DAIMA).
The idea for DAIMA began development about six years ago, during the production of the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. According to producers, the desire to expand the franchise with something completely innovative led Toriyama to take a more active creative role, resulting in an original story.
Initially, Toriyama was not expected to have such active participation in Dragon Ball Daima. However, as Akio Iyoku explained, “The initial idea was for him to be lightly involved, but Toriyama ended up handling almost everything. This was the first time we created a TV series from scratch, and he found it exciting. Unlike a movie, where there are time constraints, we had more flexibility here to develop the story.”
Toriyama became so invested in the creative process that production of the anime began even before the story was finalized, a dynamic similar to the pace of a weekly manga serialization, keeping the project lively and exciting.
Toriyama’s involvement has always sparked curiosity among fans, especially after his unexpected passing in March 2024. Akira had previously contributed to other projects, such as character designs and ideas for movies, and was involved in Dragon Ball GT. However, this was the first confirmation that he played a critical role in the development of Dragon Ball Daima.
Additionally, Toriyama was involved in other projects, such as the Dragon Ball Super manga, where he served as the author while Toyotarou was the lead illustrator. He also launched Sand Land, a multimedia project that included a movie, anime, and game.
After his passing, the official Dragon Ball website confirmed that Toriyama had been working enthusiastically on various works, though it was unclear if any of these were related to Daima, Dragon Ball, or other unreleased projects.
The Dragon Ball Super manga will return in February 2025 with a new story featuring Trunks and Goten, while new announcements are expected in the future. According to Akio Iyoku, “There is no doubt that Dragon Ball will continue for decades.”
via MantanWeb
