This Show Just Went Super Saiyan
Spectacular.
Top to bottom, this episode was fantastic. Goku’s fight with the Tamagami was a blood pumping, rip-roaring affair that is Dragon Ball combat at its absolute best. Short, but intensely sweet, I have not been so pumped for a kamehameha since Dragon Ball Z. The fight was a spectacle, and it succeeded the tremendously high expectations I had for the first real fight of DAIMA.
The back half of the episode was entirely exposition, and yet it kept the breakneck pace alive by providing a relentless series of story developments, plot twists, and franchise-altering lore drops, from the perspective of Arinsu. It looks like King Gomah has some competition.
I had assumed that because of the limited episode count, the trajectory of DAIMA would be simple and obvious, with Goku defeating a Tamagami every six episodes or so, and ending in a showdown with King Gomah. With the reveal of a new Majin working for Dr. Arinsu, I have absolutely no idea where DAIMA is taking us, but I am so very happily along for the ride.
The following review contains spoilers for Episode 8 of Dragon Ball DAIMA.
Plot Summary
From the get go, we dive headlong into Goku’s pulsating fight against the Tamagami. The two go toe to toe, as Goku dodges the fierce hammer of the Tamagami, and struggles to find purchase with his bo staff. The Tamagami seems to get the better of Goku, pinning him between his hammer and a mountain, until our hero unleashes his Super Saiyan form.
From there the two are on equal footing, as Goku slices his hammer in two. They each give as good as they get, until the Tamagami switches to ranged blasts, prompting Goku to finally unleash one of the most spectacular kamehameha blasts to ever be televised. The blast overwhelms the guardian, who barely manages to deflect it skyward, and then concedes to Goku.
The battle isn’t over yet, rather it becomes a game of wits as the Tamagami hides the Dragon Ball under a cup and challenges Goku to a cup-switching game, shuffling the cups so quickly that not even Supreme Kai Shin can keep track of them.
Goku catches on and guesses correctly that the Dragon Ball is not in any of the cups, as the Tamagami threw the Dragon Ball into the nearby crowd at lightning speed. The Tamagami concedes and praises Goku, bestowing him with the first of the Dragon Balls. As Goku’s victory is celebrated, Glorio stealthily updates Dr. Arinsu on the situation.
Meanwhile King Gomah and Degesu continue to analyze the battle between Buu and the Z-fighters. This time they hone in on Vegeta’s sacrifice, in which he erupts himself to destroy Buu, only for the Majin to reform into many smaller Buus, and then reintegrate. Degesu notices something in the background, zooming in to see Arinsu lurking on the edge of the battlefield, collecting a sample of Buu into a vial, and disappearing.
Arinsu herself returns to her home, a gothic mansion in the middle of a swamp, to execute the next part of her plan. In a backroom laboratory, the witch Marba is toiling over a stew of some kind. It is revealed that Arinsu had added the sample of Majin Buu to the stew, and from here a number of big reveals are made in rapid fire.
This witch Marba is the true creator of Majin Buu, not Babadi, who had merely asked Marba to create the creature. Majin Buu’s carnage caused the Glinds to flee the demon realm, before Buu also escaped. The stew they are concocting is to give birth to a new Majin, one that will be as strong as Majin Buu, but more controllable. Arinsu plans to use the Majin to become the next Supreme Demon King, after King Gomah is defeated. Goku and the Dragon Balls are merely a backup plan.
The episode ends with the supporting cast, who are informed of Goku’s victory by King Kadan. They are to meet Goku at Warp-Sama. Looks like the next episode, the two parties will finally join! Vegeta demands information on the Demon Realm Dragon Balls out of Hybis, and is shut down. (“You’re not even a king but you act so arrogant, so I ignored you.”) The episode ends with an embarrassed Vegeta, as he is forced to debase himself, and use the word “please.” A rare sight indeed!
Analysis
Before anything else I need to gush about the fight between Goku and the Tamagami, because it was phenomenal. Truly, the only thing preventing it from finding a place in the hall of series-best fights, is a lack of emotional stakes. The fight itself was five straight minutes of pure eye-candy.
None of the traditional Dragon Ball Z shortcuts here, no repeated animations, no constant cutaways to the audience, no prolonged transformations or beam attacks. Just pure, smooth action, blow for blow, until the fight is finished. I must have rewatched it three times before moving onto the rest of the episode. After that pure spectacle, I am genuinely giddy thinking about what the climactic fight against a powerful Majin could look like.
Dr. Arinsu is a truly great villain. She has a memorable design, being identifiably Glind yet having an appearance that is so thoroughly and uniquely her. Her personality is infectious, with such a cool and calculated aura as if nothing ever catches her off guard, yet with an underlying manic energy. The mad scientist trope perfected.
Her dialogue is fantastic, she chews up every scene she is in, and she’s the most compelling character in any given moment, regardless of who she’s with. I loved getting to spend time in her perspective this episode, and she is quickly becoming one of my favourite villains in the series. The last Dragon Ball villain to endear me like this was probably Perfect Cell in the 2000’s.
DAIMA continues to do an excellent job developing series lore, and it was taken to an apex in this episode. It isn’t a surprise that Babadi didn’t actually create Buu, Toriyama himself dispelled the idea long ago by suggesting Buu was a primordial force who had always existed. This is another retcon, attributing his creation directly to Marba.
A brief peruse of select fan communities shows that a number of fans are fairly upset by the change to Buu’s origin, but I think it works. I’d rather Buu’s origin be explained in media, rather than via an interview. Besides, Toriyama was heavily involved in writing DAIMA, so he would have been involved in this decision one way or another. Either way, I think the creation of Marba is clever. If she survives DAIMA, the franchise will now have an easy route for the creation of new Majin going forward.
Looks like King Gomah won’t be the true endgame after all, and we’re in for a match against another Majin. The choice of using a Majin is fun, and it makes sense considering post-Z era Dragon Ball has revisited every era of Dragon Ball Z villains except Buu at this point. Dragon Ball Super: Broly gave us a Saiyan for Goku and Vegeta to fight. Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F saw a rematch against Frieza. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero pitted Gohan against Cell Max, revisiting the Android saga.
Now DAIMA is introducing another Majin, pulling from the Buu saga. The circle is complete.
I am keen on the idea, and I am excited to see how this Majin differs from Buu. What will it look like? We saw a faint outline in the stew’s vapors, and it seemed to bear similarities to Super Buu. I hope we learn sooner than later!
Final Score (5 out of 5)
This episode was fantastic. As a result of the excellent fight, yes, but also because of the spectacularly well-written exposition scene with Arinsu, which took up the back half of the episode. Everything from the way the dialogue was written, to the environment evoking feelings of a haunted mansion, complimented by Halloween-esque music, and the exciting revelation of the direction DAIMA is going to go, was thrilling.
The fight was truly magnificent, though. This was a truly great episode from top to bottom, and I am pleased to give it five stars. I can’t wait for further Tamagami fights, and to see what comes of this show. How will Glorio balance his obligation to Arinsu with his clearly growing fondness of his party members? What will Gomah do now that he knows Arinsu is plotting? What will come of this new Majin?
I can’t wait to find out.
How did you feel about episode 8 or Dragon Ball DAIMA? Were you are blown away as I was? Am I overrating it? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image Credit: Toei Animation
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