Dragon Ball Daima introduces bold new story elements, but with them come significant retcons that reshape established lore. As Akira Toriyama’s last addition to the Dragon Ball universe, Daima reinterprets character abilities, backstories, and even power scaling in ways that may contradict previous series.

From adjustments to Goku’s Super Saiyan forms to possible timeline inconsistencies, the show challenges long-held fan assumptions. But are these changes meant to replace older canon, or are they creative liberties designed to enhance storytelling? This article breaks down Daima’s biggest retcons, analyzing their impact on the franchise and how they compare to past continuity shifts.

There is a lot of debate among Dragon Ball fans about Daima being canon or not with Super, with some arguing that it is since it fits the timeline, and others dismissing that due to the inconsistencies between the shows. If you consider the series to be connected, then you should know that the Potara fusion has changed how it works. Again.

In Super, Goku and Vegeta fuse into Vegito thanks to the Potara earrings, but Super establishes that Potara-fused mortals have a time limit for how long they can stay in that form. The first episode of Daima mentions the Potara fusion and how it is back to being permanent again, something the series as a whole can’t seem to make up its mind about.

Another reveal from the first episode of Daima is that Kibito Kai is no more, with Shin and Kibito looking for ways to end their permanent fusion. In Dragon Ball Super, Kibito Kai wishes to be split via the Namekian Dragon Balls, but in Daima, he asks Majin Buu to eat him, defusing inside the Majin just like Vegito did in Dragon Ball Z.

Granted, Shin and Kibito have time to fuse again and then defuse in Dragon Ball Super, although that isn’t likely. The main reason for this is that Shin isn’t a fighter, and becoming Kibito Shin wouldn’t accomplish anything.

The first Namekian we ever met in Dragon Ball was the Demon King Piccolo, so when Daima shows that all Namekians are originally from the Demon Realm, it can sort of make sense. However, Piccolo senior was not a demon due to his birth, he was such due to his actions.

There is also the fact that Daima deals with the title of Demon King, the literal ruler of the Demon Realm. Having Namekians being from such a place muddles the waters on what their stories were about, since them being a race of peace-loving green people was more fitting for why the Demon King Piccolo was such an outcast.

Dragon Ball Daima gives a new origin to the Saibamen, having them be a creation of Marba, an ancient witch from the Demon Realm. She said that she sold the other Saibamen seeds long ago, which would explain how they ended up in the hands of the Saiyans all those years later.

The original explanation of the Saibamen was that the Saiyans found them on a plant-based planet during their conquests, which fits the themes of space exploration of the early Z sagas. This new origin makes the universe of Dragon Ball feel smaller instead of larger.

Majin Buu, the main antagonist of the Buu Saga in Dragon Ball Z, was created by the evil wizard Bibidi many years ago. After his death, his son, Babidi, makes plans to release Majin Buu and use him on his path to conquest, but this backfires, and Babidi ends up being slain by Majin Buu.

Aspects of this story have been retconned in the past by supplemental magazines and the like, but never by a mainline show. Daima brings the biggest retcon of them all by having the new character Marba, who also created the Saibamen, be the one who made Majin Buu as per Bibidi’s request.

During the Buu Saga, Babidi uses his manipulation sorcery to control the minds of people with darkness in their hearts, including Vegeta among them. This manipulation is characterized by an ‘M’ appearing in the target’s forehead, their power being pushed to the very limit, and them being more overtly evil than normal.

Dabura is another character being targeted by the spell, but after he dies, several characters meet him in the other world, and he is pretty nice. Daima changes this so he was always somewhat evil, particularly to how Panzy remembers his rule.

A curious aspect of Daima’s story is that it happens within the three ‘layers’ of the Demon Realm, the place Dabura used to rule over. However, Dabura used to be the ruler of hell, a place Goku visited briefly during his travels along the Snakeway.

This begs the question: Are hell and the other world still a thing in Daima? We see plenty of ‘demons’ and characters that used to be associated with hell, but no mention is made of the realm, leaving us to assume that it was either forgotten about or that it is now part of what the Demon King rules over.