Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima episode #6.Dragon Ball Daimais the latest installment in theDragon Ballfranchise, and it isn’t without its references to the works that came before it. Some references are very blatant, like the whole plot references toDragon Ball GT, but others are more subtle, like how the first episode’s montage of scenes from the Majin Buu saga had a reference to a popular meme of Vegeta nodding his head.
Dragon Ball Daimahas had plenty of references to the widerDragon Ballfranchise, and now, that might include, of all things,Dragonball Evolution.Dragonball Evolutionwas hated byDragon Ballfansworldwide, and 15 years later, it’s still regarded as one of the worst live-action anime adaptations of all time and one of the worst films, in general. Despite all that,Dragon Ball Daimaepisode #6 might have had a subtle reference to aDragonball Evolutionjoke, and as weird as that might be, if that was the intention, then it works surprisingly well.
Dragon Ball Daima’s Dragonball Evolution Reference Explained
InDragon Ball Daimaepisode #6, after discovering that Goku had become wanted by Gomah’s Gendarmerie and was being identified by his hair, Shin asked Goku to try tying down his hair, but Goku said his hair’s too tough for that. That’s important becauseDragonball Evolutionhad a joke where Goku tried to slick his hair back, only for it to spontaneously spike up and shoot out all the gel he put in it, so with that in mind,Dragon Ball Daima’s joke about Goku’s unnaturally spiky hair might be referencingDragonball Evolutionmaking a similar joke 15 years prior.
Dragon Ball Daima Isn’t The First To Reference Evolution This Year (& Why That Matters)
Why Dragon Ball Keeps Referencing Its Worst Film
What makesDragon Ball Daima’sDragonball Evolutionreference even more surprising is that it wasn’t the first to make one in 2024. In the climactic fight between Goku and King Piccolo, King Piccolo said, “Human power has failed before, as it will again,” and that line is quoted inDragon Ball: Sparking! Zerowhen corrupted Fused Zamasu uses his ultimate attack. The reference is purely becauseZamasu’s voice actor, James Marsters, also played Piccolo, but regardless,Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero’sDragonball Evolutionreference shows thatDragon Ball Daimaisn’t the onlyDragon Ballproperty willing to referenceDragonball Evolution.
As for why those references are important, whileDragonball Evolutionis unlikely to ever be regarded as a good film, enough time has passed for people to say there were at least a few things that worked, even if they were small, sothe various referencesDragon Ballkeeps making toDragonball Evolutioncan be seen as acknowledging that there were a few things about the film that worked. None of that makesDragonball Evolutionany less terrible, of course, but with that line of reasoning,Dragon Ball Daimais all the more entertaining for making that kind of joke.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Cast
Dragon Ball Daima sees Goku and his allies inexplicably shrunk into miniature forms, prompting a journey to the Demon Realm. This animated adventure, part of the Dragon Ball franchise, explores their mission to solve the mystery and restore their original statures. Released in October 2024.
