I had little to no expectations for Dragon Ball DAIMA’s, but this was a new low. For constantly being disappointing, there was a pattern that had me weary. There was so much set up in the story that amounted to nothing. From the bugs to the endless pit and the Kraken, nothing really made sense. More so, the final battle felt like it only wanted to bring Goku to the center of it all.
Although, I must praise how little dialogue there was in the entire episode. I had a constant complaint about how much the characters were talking and telling about the lore and backstories. As much as I found it annoying, it added value to the overall story. Despite how the run has been so far, I commend the series for making it this far in its mediocre consistency. For what it’s worth, DAIMA has given fans nothing but what they want and still make it as underwhelming as possible.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is relying on plot convenience
When the premise for the finale of Dragon Ball DAIMA was first set up, I had anticipated a bigger role for Piccolo simply because he has contributed minimally. I was so wrong. He had absolutely no part to play throughout the fight. In fact, even as he got an opportunity to take those three hits behind Gomah’s head, he was pushed away comically.
Although, I must admit; Majin Kuu becoming the Supreme King of the Demon World is the best ending possible. His wit had been one that was only brushed upon, and the fact that he kept getting pushed around felt so unfortunate. So, his rise as the very leader makes me feel happy. Hybis was the runner-up in my eyes. Hybis and Majin Kuu are such underdogs that their somewhat growth feels cathartic. However, that is just a little bright side to the series.
So what is the issue, one might ask. Well, Piccolo’s presence is the issue, or the lack thereof. He was supposed to hit Gomah three times to get rid of his third eye. One would assume he would be on the constant lookout for a window, but no. Goku got his big fight, which was really well done, I’ll admit. He waited for Gomah to be somewhat defeated and then strike. Even then, his moment was stolen by Kuu. All in all, Piccolo’s role was only to act as a background character.
Goku’s happy ending
For a finale, I would say that Toei Animation did a somewhat decent job. For what the story was worth, it played out well. For what it had set up, the execution was as hopeless as I had anticipated. So much of the minute details felt like they’d add up to something, but they simply didn’t. The fusion bugs, the healing bugs, the krakens, the pit, the density of the air, and so much more felt like they would help deepen the story, but no.
The story felt too convenient for the sake of it. Goku’s explanation for how he could transform into Super Saiyan 4 was bland and felt far too made up. The story was never to be prioritised, and it showed. So he had been practising a non-canonical transformation since his fight with Majin Buu and never talked about it? On top of that, it just always existed? Sure. Okay. I see your game, Toei, and I don’t like it.
This series was supposed to act as Akira Toriyama’s swan song, and while his contributions could not fulfill that alone, there was so much others could have done to enhance it. Not only was there no ending sequence to appreciate him, but it felt just okay. It wasn’t even good or great, just okay. Although Super would be following it, this marked the end of Dragon Ball officially. I would say, though, that the final zoom-in on Goku with his ‘See you again,’ felt full of hope. Hope that would perhaps mean nothing in the bigger picture.
Rating: 6/10
Dragon Ball DAIMA is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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