How Dragon Ball Daima Changes A Big Villain From The Original Franchise

Few franchises have stood the test of time quite like "Dragon Ball." It's a property that surprised everyone (even its creator), becoming a cultural phenomenon that's now synonymous with the entire anime medium and has all but created its own genre. Now, 40 years after the original "Dragon Ball" manga began circulation, comes "Dragon Ball Daima." This show is a pure treat for fans, a phenomenal series of television that takes the "Dragon Ball" franchise back to its roots with a whimsical, silly adventure. Sure, there are still epic fights, but this time it's not about the next world-ending threat; it's about being as much fun as possible and finding enemies for Goku to have a blast fighting — like when he decides on a whim to fight a giant robot or obliterate patrons at a bar for disrespecting his friends.

As silly as "Daima" is, it's also huge in terms of what it brings to the mythology. The "Dragon Ball" franchise has never exactly been consistent, but nevertheless has vast lore and intricate world-building. Not only does "Daima" add to the overall property, but it's also been busy retconning and changing what viewers thought they knew about "Dragon Ball." Consider how the series has given the Namekians a new origin story by having them originate from the Demon Realm rather than outer space (or revealed that Glinds are born from a tree).

The latest "Daima" retcon has now provided a brand-new origin story for one of the biggest villains from "Dragon Ball Z" — Majin Buu. In the show's eighth episode, we learn that the Majin (or demon person) was actually created by a witch named Marba at the request of the evil wizard Bibidi. Not only that, but the episode also ends with the twist that Dr. Arinsu (sister of Supreme Kai) was apparently present during the fight against Buu in "Dragon Ball Z," got away with a little piece of him, and is now asking Marba to create a new being that can defeat Goku.

When we were first introduced to Majin Buu, we were told that the mage Bibidi created him to be the ultimate weapon. Eventually, though, "Dragon Ball" creator Akira Toriyama retconned that origin story, revealing that Bibidi simply woke Majin Buu from his long slumber and the demon had actually existed "since time immemorial." According to this new twist on his origin, however, Buu had gone through many cycles of hibernation and absolute carnage, becoming increasingly violent and more evil with each cycle.

This tracks with another piece of retconning from "Dragon Ball Daima." Earlier in the season, we learned that citizens of the Demon Plane each can master only one type of magic and only one spell. Given that Bibidi and Babidi were able to brainwash people, it makes sense that would be their one and only ability and that Bibidi would therefore not be able to create a monster like Buu himself.

Sure, it seems as if "Daima" keeps retconning and recontextualizing things from "Dragon Ball Z," particularly the Majin Buu Saga ... but as long as those retcons serve the story and are fun, who cares? In the words of George Lucas himself, "Continuity is for wimps."

"Dragon Ball Daima" is streaming on Crunchyroll.