The Dragon Ball franchise has decided to expand its universe by adding explanations and details to elements that were previously left to mystery. However, this effort to enrich the lore has resulted in a mixed reception, as errors and contradictions have generated frustration among fans. The community, known for their passion and attention to detail, has expressed dissatisfaction with these new additions that seem out of step with the original story.
Dragon Ball: expanding its lore generates criticism and confusion among fans
The Dragon Ball franchise has decided to take a risky step by delving into aspects of its lore that were previously left unexplained, particularly with its new Dragon Ball Daima series. Although the intention of Akira Toriyama and his team seems to be to enrich the universe of the saga, this effort has generated a strong division among fans, who have found errors, contradictions and changes that destabilize the narrative they loved.
In Dragon Ball Daima, whose exact location in the timeline is not entirely clear but is set before the events of Dragon Ball Super, the world of demons is explored in depth. One of the most controversial revelations is that all of the pointy-eared characters that have appeared in the series over the years turn out to be demons from their own dimension. This has generated a great deal of confusion among fans, as characters that were previously assumed to belong to other races or entities are now recontextualized as demons, leaving questions as to how they fit into the overall story.
In addition, the series introduces a character who is revealed to be the “demon king” who was defeated in the past without the protagonists being aware of his true identity. This revelation, rather than adding depth, has caused annoyance among fans for the lack of consistency with previously established events.
In addition to this, another iconic villain of the franchise, previously described as an eternal entity that existed since the creation of the universe, now has a completely different origin: he was created by a “demon witch” in a magic cauldron, after someone requested its manufacture. This change has provoked criticism from the community, which perceives these modifications as a “betrayal” of the original lore.
This is not all. Other characters dating back more than 40 years, relatively unimportant in the general plot, have also been reimagined as demons sold by the same witch to those who requested them. These reinterpretations not only rewrite aspects of the past, but also generate inconsistencies that fans have been quick to point out.
The confusion increases with the implications Daima has for the broader Dragon Ball universe. In Dragon Ball Super, a supreme god was introduced who, just by thinking, could destroy universes. Now, in Daima, an even more powerful being is introduced, responsible for the creation of all existing universes. This kind of escalation in power and character hierarchy is a trend that, while common in the franchise, has reached a point where many fans feel it is losing meaning.
The complexity of the Dragon Ball universe has also been a source of discussion. With a mix of races such as aliens, humans, furros, androids, demons, and the existence of angels, gods, hell, heaven, parallel universes and even time travel, the series already had a considerably dense lore. For many fans, adding more elements and twisting the existing lore only contributes to unnecessarily complicating the narrative.
A key point of contention is the lack of clarity about where Dragon Ball Daima fits within the official timeline. This ambiguity has caused fans to speculate, but has also led to criticism of those responsible for not providing a clear guide to help understand how the events of this new series relate to the rest of the franchise.
While the intention to expand the lore might be an attempt to keep a franchise with decades of history fresh, the lack of consistency and contradictions are alienating a significant portion of its fan base. Dragon Ball, a saga that has been a mainstay in the anime world, is now at a crossroads: keep expanding its universe without looking back, or stop to build a more consistent narrative? Time will tell how this decision affects the franchise’s legacy.
