The “Goku Show” No More
Things are really heating up in Dragon Ball DAIMA.
This episode resolves the dueling Tamagami fights that began in “Episode 11 – Legend.” Vegeta finishes his battle with the spear-wielding Tamagami Number Two, while Majin Duu wraps up his bout with the swordsman Tamagami Number One. The vast majority of the episode oscillates back and forth between these battles much in the same manner as the prior episode.
It results in a fantastic time–an episode full of frenetic action that I enjoyed from start to finish. Vegeta truly gets time to shine here, as his battle with Tamagami Number Two is the best bout in DAIMA so far and has a truly shocking twist. Meanwhile, Duu’s battle against Tamagami Number One continues to evoke the slapstick era of Dragon Ball’s past, and it concludes in an entertaining way that sets up an exciting path forward for the spinoff series.
DAIMA is really hitting its stride, and I hope this quality carries through all the way to the end.
The following review contains spoilers for Episode 12 of Dragon Ball DAIMA.
Plot Summary
As with “Episode 11 – Legend”, the runtime oscillates between both fights, but I will describe them separately for the sake of clarity.
The Super Saiyan Vegeta is overcome by Two, and is launched into the kraken’s maw. He escapes by transforming into Super Saiyan Two, at which point he turns the tables on the Tamagami, who then receives a transformation of his own from Neva. Vegeta is pushed to his limits, and is forced to reveal his mastery of Super Saiyan Three, something never before seen by the Saiyan Prince. The newly ascended Vegeta makes a plaything of Two, and draws a concession.
Duu presses One with his wild assault. The fight is more Ren and Stimpy than Dragon Ball Z, as Duu butt-smashes and bellyflops on the hapless Tamagami. He effortlessly overcomes One, until he pulls his punches and flops to the ground to throw a literal tantrum. Duu won’t fight until he gets some more chocolate. Kuu races to a nearby corner store, and once Duu is resupplied, he puts the beatdown on One.
Next up, the victorious Vegeta and Duu must pass the intellectual challenge.
Duu watches as a dizzying array of holographic numbers rapidly flash past. He must provide the sum of all the numbers together, a task too difficult even for the brilliant Dr. Arinsu. Luckily Kuu reveals a shocking aptitude for mathematics, and whispers the answer to Duu, who is given the Dragon Ball.
Vegeta is offered a word problem, trying to discover how many biscuits were fed to Ichigo the Snake, after a long and hazy sequence of Majin taking biscuits from the bag. Vegeta gives an out-of-the-box answer, and declares that Ichigo ate no biscuits, because snakes don’t eat biscuits. Surprising Vegeta as much as anybody, the answer is correct.
The viewer is left to ponder on the inevitable clash between these two groups, as Duu and Vegeta receive their Dragon Balls.
Analysis
Vegeta is the star of the show here.
There is no doubt, to be a Vegeta fan is to suffer, as he eternally exists to play second fiddle to Goku. Vegeta is a better posterchild for the “Whorf Effect” than Whorf himself. Vegeta gains power only to be effortlessly dispatched by the new villain to establish their strength, and while that may still happen, it was elating to see him be allowed to defeat Tamagami Number Two. I was rather convinced he would lose the fight to make room for Goku to save him.
Vegeta’s ascendance to Super Saiyan 3 is a huge deal, but I already know it won’t be a universally loved decision. Seeing Vegeta reach Dragon Ball Z’s ultimate individual transformation in a canon piece of media has been something fans have desired since Goku first reached the form in 1994.
It finally happening is a notable event, but I know a number of fans will be upset it occurred in DAIMA as opposed to during Dragon Ball Z, Super, or a followup movie. Regardless of Toriyama’s involvement, many fans place DAIMA as lesser-than because of its place as a spin-off series, and are upset the monumental moment occurred in a spin-off as opposed to the main series.
Other fans have issue with it happening in DAIMA because of the childlike forms the characters inhabit. They are upset that we finally got Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta, but in the form of a child. It feels cheapened to them. I can understand that criticism certainly, although I don’t share it.
The most important thing to me is that the moment was reverent, and I think the episode absolutely succeeded at that. His transformation felt powerful, and shifted the landscape of the battle entirely. Best of all, Vegeta was allowed to actually win the fight, which is not usually the case with his powerups. I think DAIMA handled his new transformation well, and I look forward to seeing him test his mettle against a stronger opponent.
It was also nice to see the episode highlight Vegeta’s non-martial prowess as well. It is nice to be reminded that when it isn’t letting his pride blind him, Vegeta is a competent guy. He’s not a meathead like Goku, and seeing him solve the riddle on his own, albeit with an unorthodox answer, was a perfect character moment. It showcased his smarts, while allowing it to be done in a non-traditional way, which is the core of Vegeta as a character. Obtaining his goals in his own way.
It also served the purpose of reiterating why it was useful for Vegeta to fight Two instead of Goku, because they would have been toast if Goku was given that word problem. Thinking about biscuits probably would have simply made him hungry.
Aside from Vegeta, the episode was full of other fantastic, small character interactions as well. Nothing earth-shattering, but DAIMA is really good at small blink-and-you-miss-it character development moments, and this episode was a showcase of them.
For example, I loved how much Kuu’s personality shone through despite being merely a spectator to his brother’s victory. He doesn’t feel slighted by Duu succeeding where he failed, rather, he is his brother’s greatest cheerleader. When Duu melts down over chocolate, Kuu handles the problem himself without being asked by Arinsu. When Duu gets all the credit for solving the math problem even though it was Kuu, he doesn’t let it upset him, he just brushes it off. Kuu has a surprising amount of emotional maturity, and he is quickly becoming more than a one-note side villain for me.
There were a number of other nice interactions as well, such as the tender moment between Tamagami Number Two and his creator Neva, or Glorio shooting Panzy a grin after she fixes the ship (which is meaningful because of how distrustful he was towards her initially.)
DAIMA continues to excel in these small character moments, and it allows this episode to be much more than a simple punch-fest, despite the runtime being dominated by the two conflicts.
Final Score (4 out of 5)
This was a fantastic episode. It built off the action established in “Episode 11 – Legend,” and ended both Tamagami duels in thrilling fashion.
The climax of Vegeta’s brawl with Tamagami Number One was electrifying, and the reveal of Super Saiyan 3 was an incredible cherry on top. Then you have Duu’s fight with Tamagami Number One. While it was not quite as serious, it was no less action packed, and certainly not lacking in beautiful and fluid animation. I appreciate the slapstick alternative to the testosterone-fueled brawls the series has relied upon since the end of Dragon Ball, and both Kuu and Duu are proving to be more than simple one-note villains.
Tie that with some excellent character moments, and an interesting narrative path forward, and “Episode 12 – True Strength” goes down as one of DAIMA’s best episodes so far.
How did you feel about this episode of DAIMA? Did you enjoy Vegeta’s transformation? Did you love Duu’s wild fighting style? Let us know in the comments!
Featured Image: Toei Animation
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