Dragon Ball Daima Finally Settles A Years-Long Fan Debate About Namekians

Toei Animation

Spoilers to follow for the first two episodes of "Dragon Ball Daima."

It's funny to think that Akira Toriyama never planned on making something like "Dragon Ball Z," yet it became one of the most influential comics of all time. It's a manga that revolutionized action shonen titles and forever changed the medium. Meanwhile, the anime adaptation became synonymous with the entire medium in many countries, with Goku being the archetypical anime protagonist for a very long time. Indeed, many staples of action shonen today, from the power-up transformations, to the (initially controversial) time-skip either got started or got popularized in "Dragon Ball."

Part of what made "Dragon Ball" so special, and what keeps both the original manga and the anime timeless decades after their initial run, is that the late Toriyama always prioritized entertainment over logic. Toriyama was unafraid to retcon even apparently essential parts of the story's lore if it resulted in something fresh and cool — whether it's Goku's origin story changing from him being, basically, a magical boy with a tail to becoming a Superman-like alien sent to Earth as a baby (which, coincidentally, transformed him from an overpowered character into an underdog) to how "Dragon Ball" often forgets or abandons details like Saiyan's tails being able to grow back. There are conflicting canons all throughout "Dragon Ball," and retcons upon retcons, but that is part of the fun. Now, "Dragon Ball Daima" seems to be doing the biggest retcon in decades — and it's all about the Namekians like Piccolo.

Toei Animation

Namekians, of course, are the race that Piccolo belongs to. Initially introduced as the Demon King Piccolo, Piccolo was the greatest villain "Dragon Ball" had in its earliest years. He was a creature of pure evil, only for his spawn to become Goku's ally and the best father Gohan never had. Given the moniker "Demon King," the frightening appearance of King Piccolo, and the fact that many characters referred to him as a demon, it was easy to assume, then, that Namekians were demons.

But that was before "Dragon Ball Z" took the "Dragon Ball" franchise in a cosmic direction. In addition to establishing the concept of Saiyans, the Frieza Saga introduced planet Namek, where Namekians seemed to originate — Piccolo being the spawn of the evil half of a nameless Namekian who came from this world. Finally, Piccolo was not alone. Except, now, "Dragon Ball Daima" is changing that origin yet again, because it turns out Namekians actually did come from the Demon Realm after all.

In the first episode of "Daima," we meet another Namekian, the Kami of the Demon Realm who protects the Dragon Balls of that domain. His existence doesn't seem to confound Piccolo, though; in the second episode, he simply acknowledges that he's heard of the Demon Realm, a place where Nameks lived and was "nice." According to Piccolo, Namekians escaped because they "don't like to be ruled." This is not that surprising, given the Namekians we've met across the "Dragon Ball" series (excluding Demon King Piccolo) have been more interested in living peacefully than conquering or being conquered. However, this retcon also may hint at an interesting development for Piccolo, who may yet confront his "Demon King" ancestry at some point in the show, all while reaffirming his good nature.

"Dragon Ball Daima" is looking like an essential, and also very special chapter in the "Dragon Ball" franchise. If you are too young to have experienced the original, or simply want to know how this new anime ties into the hugely influential property, check out our handy "Dragon Ball" beginner's guide. Meanwhile, "Dragon Ball Daima" itself can be streamed on Crunchyroll.