Change is tough to just accept when you may’t reconcile longstanding emotions with present actuality. Belief me, I used to be identical to most detractors when phrase first got here out in October 2023 of Dragon Ball Daima’s impending launch. It was a troublesome capsule to swallow that, after ready 5 and a half years since Dragon Ball Tremendous’s epic Match of Energy arc concluded, our reentry into weekly Dragon Ball anime episodes was going to be with Goku and the gang as kids…once more! Nevertheless, after begrudgingly watching the primary few episodes I shortly realized I used to be improper, and so have been all of you.
In 2025, the cool factor to do is shit on the Dragon Ball sequence, and for good purpose. The combat animations aren’t as meticulously choreographed as they’re in Assault on Titan or Jujutsu Kaisen, and the animators usually disguise this reality by making it look like they’re preventing too quick for us to even correctly perceive the motion. Loads of Dragon Ball Tremendous was centered on continually shifting energy dynamics amongst transformations that cheapened the suspense by merely introducing a random transformation (Tremendous Saiyan Blue Advanced? WTF?). Goku’s an fool, Gohan is annoyingly nerfed, and Vegeta simply retains shedding at all the things. That is why Daima is shutting all of that noise up.
In simply 15 gorgeously animated episodes, the most recent sequence has returned the Dragon Ball franchise to its roots. Goku’s Tremendous Saiyan transformation was a goosebump-inducing rarity that conveyed the legendary standing of its energy. It’s not till the fifth episode of Daima that Goku briefly goes by way of the golden transformation to dispatch King Kadan’s troopers, and he’s solely returned to that type a handful of occasions over the ten episodes that observe. As an alternative, the sequence has prioritized hand-to-hand fight (with a bit of Energy Pole motion thrown in) to floor the fantastical feats in some type of actuality. The anime additionally blew everybody’s minds when Vegeta unveiled his Tremendous Saiyan 3 transformation in episode 12 to win the Dragon Ball from Tamagami Quantity Two. Not solely did that one second fully rewrite a significant flaw within the Dragon Ball sequence (Vegeta actually let Kakarot and Gotenks go SSJ3 however not him?), however it let or not it’s identified that the Dragon Ball canon was open to revision in Daima.
The combat choreography can be among the greatest the franchise has seen because the masterclass duel Broly had with Goku and Vegeta within the Dragon Ball Tremendous: Broly film from 2018. Goku dodging Tamagami Quantity Three’s ki blasts solely to land destabilizing kicks to its legs, and backflipping in midair to keep away from Tamagami’s Thor-like hammer from hitting him earlier than breaking the deal with together with his Energy Pole in a single transfer introduced literal tears to my eyes. The fights in Daima really feel like they’ve actual stakes and aren’t simply throwaways with a view to fill time and maintain individuals entertained with dazzling ki blasts.
The story additionally does an ideal job of increasing on the Dragon Ball Z arcs we love with out venturing into the polarizing Dragon Ball Tremendous tales. Let the document present, Dragon Ball Tremendous is wildly underrated, and the Match of Energy is arguably the best story arc in the whole historical past of Dragon Ball. That being stated, Tremendous generally delved too deep into the gods controlling all the things. The Fused Zamasu vs. Vegito Blue was too astounding for it to be resolved by the newly launched Zeno, god of all, merely wiping the baddie from existence. Dragon Ball Daima beginning proper after the fan-favorite Buu saga and increasing upon that with out negating what occurred in it has been exceptionally accomplished.
Certain, Goku’s nonetheless an fool and never as stoic as he was when going through off towards Cell or Frieza in Dragon Ball Z. Many of the episodes focus extra on exploration than preventing. However with the introduction of compelling characters like Glorio, Dr. Arinsu, and Panzy, the journeys across the newly explored Demon Worlds really feel much less like a chore and extra like excavations right into a Dragon Ball previous that was proper beneath our noses the whole time. We could solely have another month left of Daima earlier than its season finale, so I implore all of you, lovers and haters alike, to have an trustworthy watch of this incredible sequence, after which take an trustworthy look within the mirror, as a result of it’s time to confess Daima is strictly what the Dragon Ball franchise wanted and deserved.
