Dragon Ball fans received the most anticipated anime news of the year during New York Comic Con, when a new series, Dragon Ball DAIMA, was announced as the next installment in the iconic franchise. Despite an exciting first teaser trailer, details are still scarce regarding the new anime, with fans wondering at what point in the timeline of the series it will take place, and if it will considered canon.

Thanks to a careful analysis of the trailer and the accompanying comments released by author Akira Toriyama, however, it's possible to tentatively establish at what point in the Dragon Ball timeline Dragon Ball DAIMA will take place. The new mysterious villain, responsible for turning the main cast of the series into children, is seen in the trailer watching Goku's battle with Majin Buu, meaning that the new anime will take place after Dragon Ball Z's final battle (but not after its actual ending, which takes place ten years later).

Dragon Ball DAIMA Will Take Place After The Battle With Majin Buu

While it's possible to establish where Dragon Ball DAIMA fits in relation to Dragon Ball Z's timeline, things get a little more tricky with Dragon Ball Super. The trailer doesn't show any of the new characters introduced in Super, but that is not necessarily a sign that DAIMA takes place before. It's noteworthy, however, that Goku and Vegeta are not wearing the symbol of Whis - their current teacher in Super - on their gear in the trailer. Another interesting detail is that Shin and Kibito appear as separated into two different persons, even if they fused with the Potara during the Majin Buu saga, and only de-fused in Dragon Ball Super. This, however, could also be an effect of the de-aging whish that sets up Dragon Ball DAIMA's story.

Of course, none of these details would matter if the story of Dragon Ball DAIMA will not be considered canon for the franchise's main timeline (as is the case for Super Dragon Ball Heroes), but this is quite unlikely. Akira Toriyama is responsible for the story, the setting, and the character design, and he stated in his comments that DAIMA will "close in on the mysteries of the Dragon Ball world", meaning the plot will be relevant. This comes as great news, as a non-canon product would have surely lowered fans' interest in the new series.

Overall, it's possible to predict that Dragon Ball DAIMA will take place after the battle with Majin Buu and either before Dragon Ball Super or at some point in the sequel. However, it's unlikely to have any connection with the plot of Super. From the information revealed, it seems that DAIMA will be a very long "side story" that will see Goku and his friends go on an adventure in a new world, and it will probably be self-contained. This would be the perfect decision as it would avoid messing up the franchise's timeline, which is already quite entangled, while letting Dragon Ball DAIMA develop its own story, with a distinctive look and feel from other Dragon Ball products.