Tamagami Times Two

Episodes like this are why DAIMA is worth watching. Two enjoyable fights, mixed with some fun character interactions, and an interesting lore dump? Sign me up for a million more. 

“Episode 11: Legend” flips between two plots, as the heroes (now united in a single group) chat with a familiar character, before Vegeta challenges Tamagami Number Two. Meanwhile, our villains (namely Dr. Arinsu and Kuu) are busily crafting the next Majin, to succeed after Kuu handily lost to Tamagami Number One.

The episode can be roughly divided into two. The first half covers the heroes’ conversation with a new ally as well as the crafting of the new Majin by the villains. The back half oscillates between the two Tamagami battles as both heroes and villains strive for a Dragon Ball.

The episode is a blast. This is in no small part because both the fights are excellent. The bout between Vegeta and Tamagami Number Two is high octane while the battle between the new Majin and Tamagami Number One is more unorthodox while remaining compelling.

All in all, it makes for an episode with fantastic pacing, and not a minute that feels stretched out or wasted. We don’t get any conclusions here, both fights end on cliffhangers, but that doesn’t make these episodes any less individually enjoyable. 

The following review contains spoilers for Legend, Episode 11, of Dragon Ball DAIMA.

Plot Summary

The mysterious new ally I reference is Neva, who made contact with the heroes in last episode’s dying moments. Piccolo sees through his “doddering old fool” act, and Neva spills the beans on Gomah’s plans. We also get some more lore, most interestingly the true name of Demon King Piccolo from Dragon Ball, also Piccolo’s father. His name is Katatz. Neva accompanies the party, as they will need a Namekian speaker to use the Dragon Balls.

Meanwhile, we bear witness to the creation of the next Majin, named Majin Duu. Instead of being jealous of his replacement, Kuu is excited to get a new brother. Duu is created using the rest of Buu’s essence, as well as the last remaining Saibamen seed, buried a full 20 centimeters to ensure the creature is extremely powerful (yet difficult to control). Duu is a portly, more chaotic Majin in comparison to Kuu, but does indeed seem more powerful.

At this point, the heroes reach and challenge Tamagami Number Two while the villains challenge Tamagami Number One. The fights happen simultaneously, cutting back and forth. For the sake of clarity, they will be described separately.

Vegeta takes on Tamagami Number Two, much Goku’s dismay. The guardian is slender, armed with a spear. He moves quickly as opposed to the beefy Tamagami Number Three with his mighty hammer. While Two initially underestimates Vegeta, a flurry of blows and blasts evens the playing field. The battle is even, but Two eventually gains the upper hand on the Saiyan Prince, and launches him into the ocean. There he is swallowed by the kraken, and left to an unknown fate.

Majin Duu challenges the graceful swordsman Tamagami Number One, the strongest of his kin. As the battle begins, the gap between Kuu and Duu is made clear. Duu’s fighting style is somehow even more chaotic and unorthodox, as he wiggles his butt at One, and fights like a gag character. He is effective though, and quickly sobers One’s expectations. The Tamagami is no slouch, giving as as good as he gets.

Both these fights end on a cliffhanger.

Analysis

The Namekian deep lore keeps on rolling! Neva is the creator of the original Dragon Balls, initialized as a means to foster bravery in the Namekian race. When the balls became sought by those with ill intent, Neva created the Tamagami as guardians. Some hilarious shade thrown at Piccolo as Neva is casually revealed as strong enough to defeat Gomah, but opts not to as “a Namekian’s power shouldn’t be used in combat. Cue the entire group gawking at Piccolo.

During the Namekian flight under the reign of King Abura, Neva remained on his home planet to maintain it for their return. Poor guy has no idea the Namekians are content on their new planet. Man, DAIMA lore is just sad all the time.

Majin Duu is hilarious, they are knocking it outta the park with these new Majin. They’re both just silly little guys, and I love them. Kuu and Duu both share a manic, goofy energy, but Duu is very unique in his own special way. Whereas Kuu is quick-witted and a bit of a class clown, Duu is dim-witted and his humor is unintentional. I love their camaraderie and I really look forward to seeing more of it before Kuu is inevitably killed by Vegeta, or absorbed into Duu.

This week had some great battles! The idea of simultaneous Tamagami fights from both the hero and villain perspective worked fantastic, especially because both fights had such unique vibes. Vegeta’s fight is traditional Dragon Ball Z fare, high paced martial arts action with plenty of energy attacks for good measure.

The fight with Duu, on the other hand, is right out of the World Martial Arts Tournament arc of Dragon Ball, which was chock full of gag fighters who nonetheless remained real threats. Vegeta launched flurry after flurry of brutal blows whereas Duu just flops and rolls around the battlefield in a way that is bizarrely effective. Both fights are highly entertaining on their own, but the contrast between them is a strength in and of itself.

As this episode’s closer, I want to draw attention to a small blink-and-you-miss-it moment that I really loved. That was Bulma and the pride she showcased watching Vegeta battle Two. It was refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I love Chichi. She’s a great character, but she sometimes tends to lean into the trope of “superhero spouses that primarily exist to complain that their spouse is a superhero.”

It is one of my least favourite character dynamics, and I love that Bulma is much the opposite. She encourages Vegeta and when he is seemingly losing to the Tamagami, her smile never falters. She has complete belief in him. It was a small moment, but it further endeared me to what is already the best Dragon Ball relationship, and is one of countless great Bulma moments.

Final Score (4 out of 5)

Last episode was a good course correction, but not particularly thrilling. This episode absolutely was.

The plot is moving quickly, but doesn’t feel rushed. Next episode will likely see all three Dragon Balls leave Tamagami possession, giving DAIMA half a season to set up a showdown between the heroes and villains. The episode’s storyboarding and editing deserves praise, as it deftly weaved between two Tamagami battles without feeling cramped. These episodes ended in cliffhangers, and yet did not feel like setup episodes.

I can’t wait to see the resolution of these matches, and I am even more excited to see the heroes and villains meet. How will it go? Will we get classic Dragon Ball fight progression? (Vegeta defeats Kuu, then is defeated by Duu, who is defeated by Goku). Will Kuu and Duu merge, forcing Goku and Vegeta to do the same? It’ll be thrilling to find out.

This was a great set-up episode, and of course any episode that ends with the two crews finally properly joining will be a good one in my books. I am excited to see more of the Second Demon Realm, and for the secondary crew finally get some main screen action. 

How did you feel about this episode? Do you like Duu? Are you enjoying Vegeta’s showing so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Image: Toei Animation

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