Dragon Ball Daima is a clear love letter to Akira Toriyama and his great work on Dragon Quest

Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima.As famous as Akira Toriyama is Dragon ballHe is also famous as one of the co-creators of Dragon Quest games, at least in Japan. The series, unfortunately, has little to no presence in America, and has gotten to the point that Dragon Quest: Dai’s Adventure was largely ignored by audiences, despite its strong writing and boasting some of the best animation of any recent anime.

In all its forms, Dragon Quest is criminally underrated in America, and that’s why Dragon Ball Daima It’s been so fun. One thing is for Daima incorporate so many fantasy elements into its plot and setting, but between the way the story is structured and even the people behind the production, Dragon Ball Daima is undeniably a perfect fusion of Dragon ball and Dragon Questthe aesthetics. As a fan of Dragon Questseeing it shine so much in Daima it just made both franchises feel bigger, and overall it’s an even better homage to Akira Toriyama’s legacy.

Dragon Ball Daima team fits perfectly into the typical Dragon Quest party

Dragon Ball Daima’s opinion on the Dragon Quest formula

The archetypal Dragon Quest the group consists of a fighter, a healer, a wizard, and of course the hero, and with Glorio’s aggressive nature, Shin’s healing abilities, Panzy’s bizarre gadgets and fledgling magic, and Goku being the protagonist, Dragon Ball DaimaThe core team can be seen as Dragon ballabout the type of party you defined Dragon Quest and other JRPGs for decades. Goku even had some hero moments, especially in episode 4, and added a new level of fun to the game. Dragon ballworld.

Dragon Ball Daima episode #5 also revealed that Panzy fits into another popular Dragon Quest trope beyond the wizard. In Dragon Quest stories, a princess usually plays an important role in the story, even if she is not one of the main characters, and certainly, Dragon Ball Daima once again take it later Dragon Quest and other JRPGs revealing that Panzy is a princess in episode 5. It’s another fun element of Dragon Ball Daimastory, and even though it doesn’t play a major role at all, it’s still great to see as a Dragon Quest fan.

The story of Dragon Ball Daima is a classic Dragon Quest plot

How Dragon Ball Daima revitalizes Dragon Quest’s story

In addition to Dragon Ball Daimathe cast overlaps with a typical Dragon Quest party, the story itself also has many overlaps with this aesthetic. Not only is it Dragon Ball DaimaThe Demon Realm is described as the exact kind of fantasy world a Dragon Quest story would happen with its bizarre creatures and architecture, but Dragon Ball Daima pitting Goku and his friends against Gomah, the king of the Demon Realm, is the typical JRPG plot of heroes fighting a demon king who Dragon Quest became famous.

The basic plot is one thing, but Dragon Ball Daima also does a great job of capturing the little things that make a Dragon Quest game. The first five episodes had Goku and his friends doing things like stockpiling items, getting help from a kind king and eccentric citizens, and getting into fights with monsters and the main villain’s minions, the last of which was to protect innocent people. . Each episode of Dragon Ball Daima becomes iconic Dragon Quest tropes, no matter how smalland do Dragon QuestIt is impossible to deny the influence.

A big part of the reason I consider Dragon Quest: Dai’s Adventure be one of the best Shōnen Jump anime is that it was so sincere with its clichés that its writing felt fresh, and similarly, Dragon Ball Daima taking so much from Dragon Quest is working specifically because of how much it is acting on what works rather than trying to break the mold. The strongest point of Akira Toriyama’s writing has always been his impeccable execution of the fundamentals, and seeing that again is a big part of why Daima it’s a perfect tribute to his legacy.

The influence of Dragon Ball Daima’s Dragon Quest still enters into its production

Dragon Ball Daima wouldn’t exist without Dai’s adventure

It’s impossible to deny Dragon Questinfluence of Dragon Ball Daimaand this is especially true when looking at the team involved. Akira Toriyama’s heavy involvement is one thing, but many of the animators behind Dragon Quest: Dai’s Adventure are involved in Dragon Ball Daimaproductionincluding Sanda, a prominent French animator responsible for some of its most beautiful episodes. Because of this, Daima can be seen as a successor to Dai’s Adventure both on a technical level and in terms of its history, and with how big this last one was, this is great to see.

Although it was largely ignored during its two-year run, Dai’s Adventure was always a visual masterpiece with some of the best animation of any anime of the 2020s that perfectly complemented a remarkable story, so while it may be happening indirectly, Dragon Ball Daima have the team behind Dragon Quest: Dai’s Adventure It’s the closest the series will come to mainstream recognition. Much of this can already be seen in the beautiful fight choreography in the last few episodes and, as a big fan of the series, this couldn’t be more exciting.

Dragon Ball Daima’s Dragon Quest influence makes it an even better tribute to Toriyama’s legacy

Dragon Ball Daima is the perfect tribute to Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball Daima would always be a great tribute to Akira Toriyama, and the Dragon Quest influence makes it even better. It would have been easy for Daima just keep playing in typical Dragon ball tropes, but using Dragon Quest as a structure for his story allows him to better reflect on Toriyama’s entire career, not just what he is best known for. Dragon Ball Daima highlights the strengths of both Dragon ball and Dragon Quest, making it a perfect summary of Akira Toriyama’s careersomething that was greatly appreciated after Toriyama’s death.

One thing is for Daima to give Dragon Quest some deserved recognition indirectly, but most importantly, Akira Toriyama incorporating Dragon Quest in Dragon Ball DaimaThe story highlights how he always prioritized doing what he thought was best for his story, rather than doing what would make it popularand this is especially admirable with the knowledge of Daima being his final work. As a fan of Dragon ball and Dragon Quest, Dragon Ball Daima It’s a dream come true and I’m excited to see where it goes with its basic idea.

Dragon Ball Daima releases new episodes every Friday on Crunchyroll.