Dragon Ball Daima has debuted its new opening and ending theme sequence for the new anime series, and with it has snuck in an emotional tribute to Dragon Ball’s late creator Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball Daima is now in the midst of launching a whole new era of the Dragon Ball franchise as it celebrates the 40th anniversary of the manga’s original debut with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. But while it’s an occasion to celebrate, there’s still a cloud hanging over it as Dragon Ball’s creator Akira Toriyama passed away earlier this Spring ahead of the premiere for the new Dragon Ball Daima anime.
Dragon Ball Daima has released its second episode with the first steps into the new anime series, and it sets up how Goku and the others will be traveling through the Demon Realm in order to confront the Supreme Demon King, Gomah. This newest episode also is the first debut of the new anime’s official opening and ending theme, and there are some hidden Akira Toriyama tributes in both. While one is entirely visible, there’s a second one that’s hidden in the lyrics that fans might not have noticed at first when the opening and ending aired.
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How Dragon Ball Daima Honors Akira Toriyama’s Memory
The tribute to Akira Toriyama hidden in Dragon Ball Daima‘s opening is a bit tricky as it doesn’t entirely cross language barriers. The opening theme is titled “Jaka Jaan” as performed by Zedd and KEEN of C&K, and it features lyrics by Yukinojo Mori. The lyrics as translated to English don’t feature the direct tribute to Toriyama’s memory, but they are hidden within the Japanese version of the lyrics with the key words “AKIRA” and “TORI” appearing within the lines being sung. It’s a nice tribute to the creator who isn’t around, but it’s clear his spirit is all over the project.
The second tribute hidden within Dragon Ball Daima’s ending is a bit more noticeable, however. With Bird Studio, a production studio founded by Akira Toriyama, having its final project with the creator’s involvement, the ending theme sequence forms a bird out of feathers that Goku sees emerge in the sky. It’s a fairly bittersweet moment hidden within the sequence accompanying “NAKAMA” as performed by AI and Zedd, and once again proves that while the creator is no longer around to oversee it, Dragon Ball still has a bright future ahead of it.
What’s Next for Dragon Ball?
Dragon Ball Daima is now airing its new episodes as part of the ongoing Fall 2024 anime schedule, but it has yet to announce how many episodes it’s going to be sticking around for. It features the final story and new characters overseen by the late Akira Toriyama, so there has been a question of what could be next for the franchise once the new anime ends. As those behind the scenes look ahead to the potential future, there are still plans in place to keep the Dragon Ball franchise going.
Dragon Ball executive producer Akio Iyoku remains optimistic about the future of the Dragon Ball franchise noting that there are plans in place to continue, “We’re still coming up with various plans, brainstorming many things and will keep moving forward. I want to continue giving it my all alongside [Goku voice actor Masako] Nozawa-san.” But for now, it’s best to enjoy Dragon Ball Daima while it’s airing its new episodes while you can. You can check out the new anime series streaming with Crunchyroll and Netflix with an English dub now in the works for a release in the near future as well.