Dragon Ball Daima Ep 9 Review
Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Now that Goku has beaten one of the Tamagami, his name is spreading like wildfire throughout the Demon Realm. This next episode of Daima has us dealing with the aftermath of Goku’s victory and the unwanted attention it provides. And while the episode largely focused on the comedy, we got a hint about something Gomah is looking for, and see the birth of a potential threat to Goku.
Don’t Steal From Goku
Having won the first of the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls, the gang decides to spend the night in a hotel instead of camping out again. That means that Goku has to put on a disguise to avoid attracting attention thanks to his newfound notoriety. Since it’s Goku, though…it doesn’t last very long. And, just as the others fear, thieves attempt to steal their Dragon Ball. They do succeed for a short time, but thanks to Panzy putting a tracking device on it, and Goku’s intimidation, they get it back pretty quickly.
They’re like a family already #DragonBallDaima pic.twitter.com/3LqtJubg8F
— A★M (@YapapaMirage) December 9, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The fact that they almost lose the Dragon Ball isn’t the point, though. The point the series is trying to make is that, from here on out, they’re going to need to be a little more careful about their prize. To the best of my knowledge, they didn’t bring a dragon radar, so if they lose it again, it could hard to get it back. And speaking of losing things, guess who lost their own plane due to it getting stolen by bandits.
In a rather hilarious echo of the first group, Vegeta’s group lost their own plane after he beat up a group of bandits. What’s worse is that when Goku’s team catches up to where Vegeta’s team is stuck, they don’t have the room to hold all of them. Thus, any chance of the parties merging gets put on the back burner.
To be fair, it seems like keeping the entire party in two separate groups is a deliberate handicap on the story’s part. If they all joined up into a single group, they would be strong enough to handle everything thrown their ways. Goku, Vegeta, Glorio, Shin, and Piccolo would mow down every enemy in sight, while Bulma and Panzy would invent something capable of getting them straight to King Gomah. No Mr. Warp needed. As for Hybis, he might be more important than he realizes. Here’s why.
Just a Theory. A Dragon Ball Theory!
During this episode, word reaches Gomah that not only have Goku and the others followed him to the Demon Realm, but Goku already beat one of the Tamagami. With his plans to neutralize the potential threat having backfired, the king once again laments being unable to obtain the Evil Third Eye. Described as a powerful artifact lost during the reign of one of Dabura’s predecessors, the Evil Eye is said to grant immense power to anyone who puts in on their forehead. However, I don’t think it’s actually lost. During this episode, it’s revealed that Hybis has this weird, living he found attached to his belt. The fact that this came up right as we heard about the Evil Eye again can’t be a mere coincidence. It’s subtle foreshadowing that this potentially powerful MacGuffin is already in the hero’s hands and they don’t even realize it. If I’m right, then all those years reading One Piece and learning about foreshadowing were worth it!
Easy work for Vegeta & Piccolo #DragonBallDAIMA pic.twitter.com/AVT29k3Mjd
— UlTiMaTe_DryOid (@darkness2light0) December 6, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Majin…Kuu?
While Vegeta’s party ends the episode with them poised to recover their plane from the bandits, the episode ends by shifting back to Marba and Dr. Arinsu’s attempts to make a clone of Majin Buu. They manage to succeed, combining the Buu fragment with a Saibaman seed. I never thought we’d see the Saibamen again, so this was a big surprise. Unfortunately, then we learn the name that Arinsu gives her new minion: Majin…Kuu.
A menacing Majin has emerged… Episode 9 of Dragon Ball DAIMA is now simulcast streaming! #MajinKuu #DragonBallDAIMA #DAIMA pic.twitter.com/TXKo9ikiJn
— Toei Animation (@ToeiAnimation) December 10, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
I’m sorry, but what? I’m aware that Toriyama liked to name his characters based on puns. However, for the life of me, I can’t figure out if Kuu is meant to be a pun, or just a lame reuse of Buu. I’m really hoping that there’s a pun in there, or that Kuu is just as strong as Buu. Otherwise, the tension of having someone compete for the Dragon Balls will seem a bit pointless.
It now looks like the race is on for the Dragon Balls, and while this episode was relatively slow, not every episode has to be an absolute banger. Comedy is just as much a part of Dragon Ball as action, and since Daima is returning the franchise to its roots, we should expect plenty more comedy.
