The expansive world of Dragon Ball never stops introducing new characters and Dragon Ball DAIMA gave us exactly that. The new ensemble naturally brought in new ideas for plot lines as Goku and other familiar characters navigate the Demon Realm after becoming mini-versions of themselves.
Long-time Dragon Ball fans were thoroughly enjoying the series. It presented a fun side of the franchise and the last one created by Toriyama himself. The updated animation was a treat for those who had to go through the old one.
More people were excited for Dragon Ball DAIMA than they were for Dragon Ball Super. It seems, however, the series wasn’t entirely without flaws. Despite the franchise having amazing villains, it feels as if DAIMA wasted the plot by having Gomah as the final antagonist rather than Degesu.
Gomah is overshadowed by Degesu’s character but it quickly goes to waste
Degesu was introduced in Dragon Ball DAIMA as an ambitious Glind under Gomah’s command. Although he isn’t very intelligent, he’s quite serious about his schemes regarding Dende and the creation of a new set of Dragon Balls. He’s also connected to Shin from Dragon Ball Z, who is his elder brother.
Dragon Ball DAIMA consistently hinted that Degesu would be the ultimate villain and that his plans would shake up the world. He’s manipulative, strategic, and cunning. His plans to overthrow Gomah were much more interesting to us.
However, unlike a typical villain, his brotherly ties to Shin add more nuance and character to him. He resents his elder brother which also led us to believe the two would face each other in a fight, adding much-needed emotion to Degesu’s arc. This doesn’t happen, making his arc very incomplete.
So just when his potential as the final villain was coming to fruition, episode 16 of Dragon Ball DAIMA sidelines him. Degesu was just a red herring and Gomah really was the real antagonist all along. The Glind is defeated by Piccolo, delivering an underwhelming end to his character.
Degesu’s arc deserved better, even if he isn’t the final villain
Episode 16, titled Degesu, should’ve brought the character’s plans to fruition. He had every detail planned out and targeted Dende from the start. So why waste it, only to make way for Gomah? A mastermind like him shouldn’t have been taken down so easily, especially not by Piccolo.
Even if Dragon Ball DAIMA didn’t want to make Degesu the final antagonist and mastermind, it wasted another intriguing part of him. The show had the perfect opportunity to also explore his resentment towards Shin. We never got to witness a confrontation. It’s yet another wasted plot point for Degesu.
While the latest installment had some great moments, it’s hard not to think they could’ve explored a much more complex villain. Gomah is just another arrogant character, whereas Degesu presents a more calculated yet complicated antagonist. Did they make a huge mistake wasting his potential?
Dragon Ball DAIMA is available on Crunchyroll.
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