Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima Epsiode #13Dragon Ball Daima has been jam-packed with adventure and whimsy, returning the franchise to its roots as the main cast of characters explore the newly introduced Demon Realm. Around every corner are creatures and scenery that could only have been created by the legendary Akira Toriyama, but the series’ most recent episode calls back to a prior series in which the creator had little involvement. Episode #13, titled “Surprise”, takes the characters to Planet Mega, a world reminiscent of Dragon Ball GT‘s Planet Mommath.
The parallels between Daima and GT are evident from the premise of the newest series alone. However, the latest episode is the clearest call back to the divisive 1996 anime yet, as the entry is similar in just about every way to GT‘s sixth episode. Whether Daima will continue to take inspiration from GT remains to be seen, but nevertheless, its latest adventure to Planet Mega is a fresh take on a world the franchise explored nearly two decades ago.
Daima’s Latest Episode Isn’t Goku’s First Run-In With Giants
Dragon Ball GT’s Planet Mommath Is Extremely Similar to Planet Mega
Dragon Ball GT‘s sixth episode in its controversial opening arc takes Goku, Trunks, and Pan to Planet Mommath, a world where everything is several times larger than the size of the cast members. After some humorous hijinks with Bees, a Black-Star Dragon Ball becomes lodged in a Giant’s tooth, and Goku uses a Kamehameha to retrieve it from its mouth. Though certainly featuring far less action than Daima‘s latest adventure, the similarities between the episodes are obvious. X user, Herms98, points out that a scene is a direct call back to art Toriyama drew for GT.
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Leaving much of the humor aside, Daima‘s trip to Planet Mega is much more eventful than the pit stop on Planet Mommath. Featuring intense combat with what appears to be a Giant’s pet dog, Goku struggles with the enormous animal before taking on the Giant itself, and having to use some Super Saiyan heroics to escape danger. Unfortunately, Daima‘s detour doesn’t offer much in terms of plot progression, but it’s a fun call back to an earlier, largely forgotten episode of GT.
Daima Continues Its Demon Realm Exploration, For Better or Worse
Daima’s Newest Episode Ignores Plot Progression For a Side Quest
Dragon Ball Daima has been undeniably fun, taking the time to explore a world that was first mentioned in the Majin Buu Saga, but never quite fleshed out. Each stop of the cast’s newest grand tour has featured worthwhile additions to Dragon Ball‘s universe, while breathing some much-needed life into a franchise that spans over 40 years of content. However, after introducing Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta in the previous episode, there seemed no better time to kick up the series’ action. Instead, the latest episode returns to world building.
Dragon Ball Daima is a series created for the purpose of touching on previously unexplored aspects of the franchise, and its latest call back to Dragon Ball GT seems fitting in that regard. Aside from Super Saiyan 4 and its iconic conclusion, much of GT has been forgotten to time. Whether fans believe that to be a good or bad thing is largely up to personal preference. Regardless, the gang’s trip to Planet Mega highlights a prior run-in with Giants, with a little more excitement sprinkled on top.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is the fifth overall series in the action-adventure anime franchise. It features most of the classic cast members as de-aged versions of themselves, including Goku, Vegeta, and Bulma. The series was announced at NYCC 2023, with creator Akira Toriyama returning to handle DAIMA’s run.
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Akira Toriyama
