Dragon Ball Daima Makes a Surprising Classic Toriyama Reference

Akira Toriyama might have really made a name for himself with the Dragon Ball franchise but it is far from the only creation that spawned from the mind of the legendary creator. The artist has created new demons in the realm of Sand Land, a Dragon Ball spin-off in Jaco The Galactic Patrolman, and even a parody of the Z-Fighters in the often forgotten Neko Majin. With the latest installment of Dragon Ball Daima, the latest anime in the series that was directly created by Toriyama himself, the television show managed to slip in a reference to one of Akira’s biggest stories that just so happened to not involve Goku and company.

For those who didn’t witness the birth of Majin Duu, he was created quite similarly to his brother, Majin Kuu. The villainous Dr. Anisu needs a powerful underling to steal the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls for herself. Discovering that Kuu wasn’t exactly a powerhouse strong enough to take down the Tamagami, Anisu and Marba went back to the drawing board to create a more powerful subordinate. Using more of Majin Buu’s essence and burying the Saibamen seed that much deeper in the ground, Majin Duu is far stronger than Kuu but it has yet to be seen if he will ultimately defeat the Tamagami.

[RELATED: Dragon Ball Reveals Akira Toriyama’s Original Designs for New Majin Buus]

Dr. Slump Returns

When Majin Duu first hits the scene, birthed from a combination of various demonic elements, he bellows out a loud “Ncha!” If you’re familiar with Dr. Slump and its main character Arale-chan, you would recognize this as being one of her catchphrases. Considering the amount of influence Toriyama had on Dragon Ball Daima before he passed , it would make sense that Akira would be looking to inject some past references into the new anime.

The Dragon Ball x Dr. Slump Crossover

In Dragon Ball Super’s 69th episode, anime viewers were able to witness a hilarious meeting of two of Akira Toriyama’s worlds. The installment titled, “Goku Vs. Arale! An Off-The-Wall Battle Spells The End of The Earth?!” sees the Saiyan protagonist coming face-to-face with Arale the android in a fight that threatened to destroy the entire planet. While the Dr. Slump protagonist might look harmless, she is anything but as she came quite close to defeating both Goku and Vegeta in combat without eve trying. In fact, Arale even pulled out her “Ncha Cannon” to match the main Z-Fighter’s Kamehameha.

For Dragon Ball Daima, we have yet to hit the halfway mark for the new anime series, meaning that there could be far more easter eggs for Toriyama’s past works in the future. With the latest villains being a combination of Majin Buu and Saibamen, the new anime is one that has a story where anything can happen. While Kuu and Duu might not be as strong as their predecessor, Majin Buu, it looks like the Z-Fighters are still going to have some big battles against them in the future considering their current nerfs.

Want to see what the future holds for Daima? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Z-Fighters and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.