Dragon Ballis notorious for having a complicated timeline, and it’s only getting more and more complicated. The series was straightforward at first. It started with the originalDragon Ballseries, followed directly byDragon Ball Z.They were two halves of the originalDragon Ballmanga, and the timeline was as straightforward as it would ever be. The movies associated with the series were never considered canon, and neither were the video games, but the two main entries were about as canon as it gets.
ThenDragon Ball Zended, and it couldn’t have gotten more confusing. There is a ten-year gap betweenDragon Ball Z’sBuu Arc and its final episode, creating a huge mess.Dragon Ball DAIMAis supposed to be a direct continuation of the Buu Saga, butDragon Ball Superis also supposed to be a sequel toDragon Ball Z.DAIMAcreated a bunch of plot holes forDragon Ball Super,anda key-animator forDAIMAhas recently done an interview where he only made things worse.
Dragon Ball Has A Notoriously Messy Timeline
Nothing Is Too Straightforward For The Z Fighters
Dragon Ball’stimeline is one of the most confusing in anime. For one of thebest anime series of all time,Dragon Ballis less than straightforward with its chronology.None of theDragon Ball Zmovies are canon, but both of theDragon Ball Supermovies are supposed to be. None of theDragon Ballvideo games are canon, but some of the most popular forms are brought to the main series.
There are even multiple timelineswithinDragon Ball,like Future Trunks' timeline. Future Trunks himself underwent a character design change that makes him look like a different, much worse character to boot. It’s hard to tell what is actually canon inDragon Balland what isn’t, and a large part of that comes from the Peaceful World Saga inDragon Ball Z.
After Kid Buu is finally defeated, 10 years pass inDragon Ball Z.Goku and the rest of the Z Fighters return to the World’s Martial Arts Tournament, where Goku meets Uub, the reincarnation of Majin Buu. He’s brimming with potential, so Goku leaves with him to train.
What happens during this 10-year gap is beyond confusing.Dragon Ball DAIMAis supposed to happen, so isDragon Ball Super,and that’s not even mentioningDragon Ball GT.
Dragon Ball DAIMA Made Things Even More Complicated
If DAIMA Is Canon, Why Didn’t Goku Use Super Saiyan 4 In Battle Of The Gods?
Dragon Ball DAIMAwas one ofthe most refreshing additionsto theDragon Ballfranchise ever. It was an amazing series that only lasted 20 episodes, showing that evenDragon Ballknows how to tell a great story in a single season’s worth of anime.
WhileDragon Ball DAIMAwas undeniably great on its own,it made the timeline incredibly confusing.People who worked on the show calledDAIMAa direct sequel to the Majin Buu Saga, and it makes sense. The series opens with Gomah and Degesu, the two main antagonists of the series, watching the Buu Saga unfold in front of them.
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Bardock was originally introduced in a Dragon Ball TV special, but his popularity made him a mainstay, and one producer would like him to return.
Nothing fromDragon Ball Superis mentioned inDAIMA,which is a great sign ifDragon Ball DAIMAis supposed to be beforeDragon Ball Super.There are a few moments inDAIMAthatquestion the series' canon status, with the biggest being the inclusion of Super Saiyan 4 Goku.
When Beerus came to Earth inDragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods,he asked for Goku to use his strongest form. Goku turned into a Super Saiyan 3, which doesn’t make sense if he had achieved Super Saiyan 4 inDragon Ball DAIMA.
Dragon Ball Super May Be An Alternate Timeline
Key Animator Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru Has An Interesting Idea
Key-animator Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru recently gave an interview where he talked about a lot of things related toDragon Ball, Dragon Ball DAIMA,andDragon Ball Super.He’s a pretty prominent figure in the world ofDragon Ballas he’s worked on a lot of projects in the series. Unfortunately,his thoughts about the series canon may have created more questions than answers.
The interviewer,@SofianLeGEEK on Twitter, did a great job of asking Nakatsuru interesting questions related to theDragon Balltimeline. He asked Nakatsuru directly ifDragon Ball Superis supposed to be an alternate sequel to the original manga, considering all the plot holes thatDAIMAcreated forSuper.
Nakatsuru worked onDragon Ball DAIMAmuch more than he did onSuper,and stated thatDragon Ball Supercould be an alternate timeline in theDragon Balluniverse.He then said he wasn’t entirely sure what the full story was, but that would be his best guess.
It’s nice that Nakatsuru gave an interview, and Sofian Le GEEK did a great job of asking quality questions that would shine light on the series, but it doesn’t help much. TheDragon Balltimeline was made even more confusing byDragon Ball DAIMA,and one of the only ways thatDragon Ball Supermakes sense now is ifDAIMAandSuperexist in seperate timelines.
Canon Or Not, Almost Everything In The Dragon Ball Universe Is Fun
From Films To One-Offs To Video Games, Everything Dragon Ball Is Exciting
There is so muchDragon Ballthat exists outside the main canon that there might be more out of the canon than there is inside of it. There are dozens ofDragon Ballvideo games, a myriad of non-canonDragon Ballfilms, and evenDragon Ballmobile games that include brand-new forms, fusions, and more.
GT vs Daima: Dragon Ball Staff Unpacks One of the Anime Series' Key Differences
Dragon Ball Daima is heavily influenced by 1996’s Dragon Ball GT, but one animator has shared a key difference between the two series.
It doesn’t really matter what is canon and what isn’t —everything related toDragon Ballis exciting.It would be helpful to understand what fits into the main timeline, or if there are alternate timelines (besides Future Trunks'), but maybe the answer will never be revealed.
The creator ofDragon Ball,Akira Toriyama, unfortunately passed away in March 2024. His death rocked the world of anime, and because he passed, he will never be able to straighten out theDragon Ballcanon.
Without the creator’s ideas on the direction in which he wants the canon to go, there may never be a clear answer. Toriyama wasable to name a successorbefore he passed, so maybe Toyotarou has the answers that everyone is looking for. Even if there isn’t one,Dragon Ballstill looks to continue on throughDragon Ball Super,and the series hasn’t looked this good in years.
