Dragon Ball Hypes ‘Daima’ Premiere With Special Time Slot

It is hard to believe, but we are about a month out from Dragon Ball Daima‘s big launch. Not long ago, the world learned the anime will go live on October 11 in Japan, and the hype for Son Goku’s return is starting its climb. After all, Dragon Ball Daima marks the franchise’s return to television since Dragon Ball Super closed with the Tournament of Power. And now, the anime is hyping its comeback with a very special time slot.

The update comes from Nakajima Yuji, the programming director behind Dragon Ball Daima. The executive addressed the anime’s release date this week after reports confirmed the show’s premiere on October 11. It was there Nakajima said the team was determined to give Dragon Ball Daima a nationwide release, and to do so, it had to give up its morning slot on Sundays at Fuji TV.

“Since this is a brand new series, we want it to be aired nationwide. Previously, we aired shows on Sunday mornings, but Sunday mornings are not a national network. We aimed for a time slot that would be more accessible for Dragon Ball fans and our target audience,” he shared.

For those who did not know, Dragon Ball most recently aired on Fuji TV in the morning on Sundays with other family-friendly series. Now, it getting a later time slot. Dragon Ball Daima will air on Friday nights at 11:40 PM JST, and this new slot is a big departure for Goku. Dragon Ball is moving from a morning slot dedicated to family shows to a late-night block that series like Attack on Titan once coveted. This change was done to give Dragon Ball Daima a nationwide release in Japan, but of course, the late-night has other impacts. For one, the anime will not face as strict censorship guidelines given its nighttime debut, so hopefully Dragon Ball Daima will exercise that freedom.

The Future of Dragon Ball’s Anime

This update on Dragon Ball Daima‘s network release proves Fuji TV is backing the anime all the way. Now, all eyes are on the TV series and its streaming home. No official word has been given on where Dragon Ball Daima will stream overseas. In the past, Crunchyroll (and Funimation) have housed the IP as episodes of Dragon Ball Super were streamed weekly. However, a lot more competition has entered the anime space since that show wrapped in March 2018. A lot can change in six years so far as streaming goes, so for now, fans will have to wait and see where Dragon Ball Daima ends up.

If you are not familiar with the upcoming series, it will be the latest canon entry to the Dragon Ball franchise. Akira Toriyama, the series’ late creator, worked hard on its story and character designs before his untimely death in early 2024. Dragon Ball Daima promises to bring a new side of Son Goku to life as he must travel the universe to fix a devilish issue on Earth. So for more info on the series, you can read Toriyama’s description of the show below:

“Due to a conspiracy, Goku and his friends are turned small. In order to fix things, they’ll head off to a new world! It’s a grand adventure with intense action in an unknown and mysterious world.”

What do you think about this Dragon Ball swap? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.