I’ll admit, it takes a lot for new Dragon Ball content to make me sit up these days. Endless spin-offs and nostalgia cash grabs have worn me thin, so when Bandai Namco unveiled the Dragon Ball Daima expansion for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, my skeptic’s antenna went fully erect. Yet there’s something about revisiting Goku’s pint-sized odyssey in the demon realm that actually piqued my interest. Below, I break down what’s promising, what still raises an eyebrow—and why this DLC could matter for the entire Dragon Ball gaming pipeline.
Rather than shoehorning Daima into Kakarot’s existing power curve, the expansion splits into two bite-sized chapters. Part 1 lands July 17, plunging us into Goku’s de-aged quest to reclaim Dragon Balls while battling demon hordes. We tag along with Kaio-shin, Glorio and the new recruit Panzy, and we’re back to classic adventure stakes—no instant Super Saiyan crutches, no franchise’s customary power rampage. It feels less like busywork and more like a standalone spin-off, and that tonal shift is a welcome gamble.
On display in the recent Bandai Namco showcase: expanded exploration zones, a dynamic party system, and novel status effects. For the first time in Kakarot, poison can cripple your fighter, forcing real-time strategy—eat demon bugs mid-battle to recover, or swap out characters before the meter empties. Yes, the bug-eating bit borders on gimmick, but I’d rather see weird anime mechanics than another rehash of the same boss-rush formula.
Bandai Namco wisely drops Part 1 without requiring completion of Kakarot’s main story. That opens the door for series newcomers to dive straight into Daima’s arc. And on July 18, a physical “Daima Edition” for PS5 and Switch arrives, bundling the base game with both DLCs. It’s a clear bid to hook fresh audiences and longtime fans who might’ve stalled after the vanilla campaign. Whether that expands the player base or simply shuffles existing buyers remains to be seen.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| DLC Part 1 Release | July 17, 2024 |
| Daima Edition (Physical) | July 18, 2024 |
| Genres | Action RPG, Adventure |
| Platforms | PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC |
If Daima nails meaningful status effects and a living, breathing world to explore, it could reset the bar for anime-based RPG expansions. We’ve seen countless half-baked tie-ins that lean on nostalgia and quick DLC cycles, but this could usher in deeper mechanics and narrative detours beyond the usual tournament arcs. And if Part 2 introduces fan-favorite transformations in equally compelling scenarios, Bandai Namco might convince us that DLC can be more than disposable power-ups.
On the flip side, fragmenting Daima into two paid chapters risks alienating players if Part 2 doesn’t deliver on Part 1’s promise. Future Dragon Ball releases will watch that play out—especially with subscription and episodic models gaining traction across the industry.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s Daima DLC feels like a calculated attempt to reinvigorate a series stuck on cruise control. It ditches formulaic boss runs in favor of exploration, party tactics and story-driven stakes. Skepticism is still warranted—Bandai Namco has burnt us with shallow license adaptations before—but if Daima delivers substance over surface-level fanservice, it could reshape expectations for every anime game that follows. Let’s just hope Part 2 doesn’t leave us hanging in the demon world.
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