Dragon Ball Daima Fixes Toriyama’s Namekian Lore Problem

Fans love how Dragon Ball Daima is expanding the franchise’s lore. The latest entry in the Dragon Ball series has added more backstory to the Demon Realm, incorporating much-needed lore for the Kais and Namekians. The new lore has fully confirmed Kais are known as Glind and originated from the Demon Realm alongside Namekians. Beings like the Supreme Kai and King Kai are often viewed as deities within the Dragon Ball multiverse, whereas Namekians like Piccolo were just seen as another alien race. This revelation puts the Namekians more in line with the Kais, placing them closer to Toriyama’s initial idea of the Namekians.

Before the reveal that Piccolo and Kami were aliens called Namekians, it was previously believed they were gods or all-powerful beings. Most fans forget that because Namek and Namekians have been ingrained in the Dragon Ball mythos since the Saiyan saga and beyond. Kami was the first proto-god the series introduced, predating King Yamma and the Kais. While Dragon Ball Daima doesn’t fully reveal that Namekians are gods, the series does make Namekians and Kais more linked, showing that the Namekians predate most other species. This new info puts the species closer to what King Piccolo and Kami were originally introduced as.

King Piccolo and Kami Were the first Gods of Dragon Ball

While Dragon Ball was home to many strange beings, King Piccolo was the first true inhuman enemy Goku faced at that point. Goku had already fought against animal people, deadly assassins, and whatever Pilaf was, but Piccolo was unique among the rogues. He was abnormally tall with green skin and weird pink bulges under his limbs. He had odd slug antennas and a menacing look. Even though he didn’t appear like a traditional demon, fans believed him when he called himself the King of the Demon. He was so otherworldly, being a demon is the only description that made sense to describe King Piccolo. He was the closest thing to being called Satan in the series until Mr. Satan appeared in the Cell Games, although that, too, is a different case.

Kami was quickly introduced following King Piccolo’s defeat, setting himself as the protector of the Earth. He was pretty much the God of the planet, as his name is literally the Shinto term for God. King Piccolo was the evil side of Kami before he split himself. This original backstory for Kami and Piccolo made them an allegory to God and the Devil from Christianity. Kami’s origin was intentionally vague and it was assumed he was a primordial being created to look over Earth. Kami invented the Dragon Balls, yet the way he invented them has always been left mysterious. His power to make Dragon Balls could only be explained as divinity, further proving his godly status.

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Kami’s Role Became Less Significant as the Series Continued

Unfortunately, Kami and Piccolo would lose their mystique and deity status as more of their backstory was revealed. The reveal that they were alien species from a distant planet de-mythicized them, making them less awe-aspiring than when King Piccolo first appeared. The fact that other Namekians can create Dragon Balls makes the ability less unique, making the audience wonder why other characters can’t replicate multiple sets of Dragon Balls. Planet Namek and Namekians are valid additions to the Dragon Ball lore, and would be hard to imagine the franchise without them. Nevertheless, it lessens the impact of Piccolo and Kami in the original series.

As the series introduced other deity-like figures like King Kai, Supreme Kai, the Gods of Destruction, Angels, and Zeno, Kami’s presence felt less substantial than initially believed. The role as protector of Earth became less significant as the franchise continued, with Kami’s successor, Dende, never amounting to much other than fixing the Dragon Balls. Piccolo’s role was greatly diminished when villains like Cell and Buu easily trumped him. The series no longer made Namekians seem special, especially compared to Saiyans.

Dragon Ball Daima makes Piccolo a God Again … Sort of

The Kais, or Glind, were believed to be the closest beings to gods before they were established as a species originating from the Demon Realm. The Glind became less significant once the other deities were established, just like Kami, but they remained the closest things to godly figures in the Dragon Ball universe. The reveal that Namekians came from the Demon Realm gives back the Namekians their more divinity and demonic status. It returns Piccolo to his roots as a Demon and a God, revealing that Namekians come from the same otherworldly dimension as the demonic and godly beings of the universe.

It also brings back the concept of how unnatural Dragon Balls are, suggesting the Namekians have this unknown power that stems from the Demon Realm. It recontextualizes Namekians as this ancient race that predates everything else in the known universe, including Saiyans and Humans, giving the species an importance that hasn’t been seen in the franchise in years. While Dragon Ball Daima may make Glind less special by making them an actual species that can be born in trees, it also confirms that Namekians are not a regular species either.