Since the series’ release in October 2024, “Dragon Ball DAIMA” has ensnared the attention of many fans of the franchise who eagerly await the final four episodes of the season.
Currently in the story, the main crew of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Glorio, Pansy and the Supreme Kai (Shin) have reached the enemy headquarters in search of the final Dragon Ball, one of the three mystical orbs that can grant any wish by summoning the dragon from within.
However, they’ve run into a problem that could prevent them from getting their wish. One of the main antagonists, Dr. Arinsu, also appears to need the Dragon Balls for her own reasons and possesses the last one the main crew need which could lead to tension in the next episode.
Meanwhile, the main antagonist of the series, Demon King Gomah, is getting ready to confront our heroes with his newfound strength gained from a magical item he acquired in the latest episode.
From the beginning, “Dragon Ball DAIMA” feels more comparative to “Dragon Ball GT” in the sense there is a satisfying balance of mystical adventure from the original “Dragon Ball” and the titanic fisticuffs old and new fans love.
The series has been successful in keeping that same feeling of mystical wonder and adventure that doesn’t lead to semi-stale and repetitive plot lines which “Dragon Ball Super” struggled with.
So far, the series has done an incredible job keeping the balance between the two. It’s nice to go back to the roots without being bombarded with new transformations every couple of episodes that raise the bar and make older episodes borderline meaningless.
Speaking of transformations, it was amazing to see Super Saiyan 3, my favorite form, get more utility and a whole new user to boot in the form of Vegeta and the animation only serves to heighten the elated feeling.
The animation has been absolutely phenomenal so far with very few hiccups. Everything from the fast-paced, dynamic fighting scenes to the calm lore-building and character developing moments has been beautiful and hard to look away from.
It feels as if each character has a role to play in the series besides serving as the heavy muscle or solving a problem every once in a while.
Characters including Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo still act as the team’s heavy hitters with Goku and Vegeta playing a major role in the adventure. However, the series doesn’t revolve around only those two characters with others such as Piccolo, Glorio and Pansy contributing to fight scenes instead of being demoted to the side lines.
As enjoyable as the story and characters, old and new, have been, the series will unfortunately come to a close Feb. 28 and it is quite difficult to see what lies ahead.
So many questions remain unanswered: “What is Glorio’s connection with Dr. Arinsu?” “What is Dr. Arinsu’s plan with the Dragon Balls?” and “Who will be the final antagonist of the series?” to name a few.
“Dragon Ball DAIMA” has been such a perfect representation of what Akira Toriyama loved the most in a fun, whimsical story which has the same explosive combat “Dragon Ball” is known for.