Dragon Ball fans recently saw Sean Schemmel, best known for voicing Goku in the English dub, expressing his support for creator Akira Toriyama during an appearance on Dr. Applesauce’s YouTube channel. His endorsement comes in light of some fans’ criticisms regarding the recurring theme of Daima transforming the main characters, which they felt echoed the GT series. However, Schemmel had a different perspective.
Schemmel asserted that Toriyama possesses an exceptional gift for reinventing established concepts, making them feel novel and engaging for audiences. He pointed to Frieza’s return in Dragon Ball Super and a new iteration of Cell featured in the Super Hero film as prime examples, urging fans to embrace Daima and acknowledging Toriyama’s profound impact on the anime industry.
Disclaimer: This article includes spoilers for the series.
Sean Schemmel Defends Akira Toriyama’s Vision for Daima and Super
For several decades, Sean Schemmel has been the iconic voice of Goku and recently shared his insights on Dr. Applesauce’s channel, commending Akira Toriyama for his unique writing approach. He highlighted Toriyama’s humor and comedic timing, as well as his impressive ability to refresh old ideas within the franchise, turning them into something captivating.
He cited the resurrection of Frieza and a new take on Cell as evidence of Toriyama’s talent for revitalizing past concepts. While acknowledging the skepticism of some fans regarding Goku’s transformation back into a child in Daima, Schemmel encouraged the community to keep an open mind, given Toriyama’s impressive history of innovation.
On a related note, Schemmel mentioned he has no updates on whether the Super anime will resume, although he expressed his desire to rejoin the project. He took a moment to appreciate Toriyama’s contributions to anime and manga, emphasizing that his presence in the industry is a direct result of Toriyama’s creative endeavors.
Fan Reactions on Social Media
Many in the Dragon Ball community seem to resonate with Schemmel’s perspective. The overwhelmingly positive feedback for Daima further supports his argument, as fans have lauded the series’ animation quality, its expansion of the lore, particularly the development of the Demon Realm, and the nostalgic return to adventure-focused storytelling rather than merely emphasizing combat.
Additionally, many fans share Schemmel’s sentiment that Dragon Ball Super should eventually return to the anime format, as two prominent manga arcs—the Moro and Granolah arcs—remain to be adapted. Given the rapid success of the Daima series, it appears likely that these arcs could be explored in the future.
“Nothing but facts here. Toriyama gave his own take on Broly and it was great, so I’m excited to see his take on the GT concept too!”one user commented.
“Taking an old concept and making it fresh is true. Think of the body snatchers, the two villains planning prison breaks, and those turning people into food, etc.,”another user remarked.
“W for Sean Schemmel. I believe DB Super will return when the time is right!”someone else added.
While the exact timeline for Dragon Ball Super’s anime comeback remains uncertain, Toei Animation might view the favorable reception of Daima and Schemmel’s remarks as encouraging signs for the franchise’s future.
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