The latest series from the “Dragon Ball” franchise, “Dragon Ball DAIMA,” has come to a satisfying end. The 20-episode series carried the best parts of the franchise.
The season finale of “Dragon Ball DAIMA” released Friday marking a full year since the death of Akira Toriyama, the creator of “Dragon Ball,” on March 1, 2024.
The story of “Dragon Ball DAIMA” has been quite the pleasant watch and displays the best parts of the “Dragon Ball” franchise that all fans love: The epic adventures and world-shattering fights.
While the series may not have focused on epic fights in the beginning, it more than made up for it toward the middle and end of the series.
Each fight has been absolutely stunning and the consistently beautiful animation makes it difficult to take your eyes off of the action. Specifically, the transformation scenes for Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2 and especially Super Saiyan 3 have been unbelievably fluid like never before.
Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 have both been incredibly natural when activated. Super Saiyan 3 on the other hand seems akin to an explosion each time it is used and feels just as powerful as it did in its first appearance in Dragon Ball Z.
Speaking of Super Saiyan 3, it has received way more attention and recognition than it has in recent years. In the past, it used to be consistently overshadowed by other, more powerful forms due to its high energy costs and the difficulty it took to draw the ridiculously long, spiky hair.
Dragon Ball DAIMA has showcased the form in a new light and made it feel powerful again, not overshadowed by the constant addition of new, more powerful forms.
Combined with the gorgeous animation, Super Saiyan 3 feels as if it’s a much more utilized form instead of being thrown to the wayside in favor of other, more powerful forms.
The characters each felt like they had a role to play, big or small. It rarely ever felt as if they were there just to be there but instead they each contributed to the story in some way.
Pansy, the young demon princess and mechanic, for example rarely fought anyone in the series and still found ways to be useful and have her personality shine. From repairing the main team’s only ride that takes them throughout different parts of the story to saving one of the dragon balls from being lost, she has been an integral character in the series.
Glorio, the not-so mysterious boy from the demon realm, and Shin, the supreme kai, have also been an integral part of the series.
From guiding the main team throughout the story and expanding “Dragon Ball’s” lore to offering some insight into the story behind the Demon Realm, both characters have been a pleasure to watch off and on the battlefield.
In regard to the main antagonist of the series, Gomah, he feels more like a generic villain at the start but the rare addition of magic makes for an interesting exchange between him and the main characters.
Magic used by the villain is a rare occurrence in the “Dragon Ball” franchise, with the only cases being in the Buu arc by Babidi and Moro arc by Moro himself, so it is nice to see magic be utilized more.
Overall, “Dragon Ball DAIMA” has been an amazing, casual watch for the average “Dragon Ball” fan with the best parts of both older and newer “Dragon Ball” series.
