The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19, “Betrayal”.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is not the return of Dragon Ball Super most fans were asking for upon the series’ first unveil, but it’s far from the disappointment many expected. In some respects, Dragon Ball DAIMA even surpasses the original anime run of Dragon Ball Super, with more consistent animation quality and far less filler. Those who wanted to see the Moro arc animated will have to wait a bit longer, but at least Dragon Ball DAIMA has adapted the big plot twist from the Granolah Saga in its own way. While far from as shocking as Black Frieza’s initial appearance, Dragon Ball DAIMA got its own Black Frieza moment during Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 17, “Gomah”, and it may still be going on into the anime’s series finale.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is truly like a mix-and-match of every Dragon Ball series before it, borrowing concepts and story beats from OG Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and even Dragon Ball Heroes. That’s largely by nature, as Dragon Ball DAIMA’s identity as a celebratory anime commemorating 40 years of Dragon Ball gives it liberties to pull out all the stops. DAIMA’s Dragon Ball Super callback shouldn’t at all come as a surprise given that context, but it’s even more effective given the Dragon Ball Super manga has itself made its comeback in the midst of Dragon Ball DAIMA’s increasingly hyped climax.
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Dragon Ball DAIMA’s penultimate episode restores the status quo in a glorious, action-packed assault as Goku and Vegeta go all-out on Gomah.
Gomah Interrupting The Big Final Battle is a Clear Callback to Black Frieza
The Final Battle Against King Gomah Began in Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 17, “Gomah”
Dragon Ball DAIMA has contained a wealth of callbacks and references to previous Dragon Ball series as well as Akira Toriyama’s other popular series throughout its run. From homages to OG Dragon Ball through Goku retrieving his Power Pole, to references to Dr. Slump through memorable gags, Dragon Ball DAIMA is a celebration of Akira Toriyama’s manga in all its forms and manifestations. Even Episode 17 had another reference to Dragon Ball Super by way of a scene where Gomah ascends into the air while charging up, reminiscent to how Broly did the same in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
Black Frieza is still one of the Dragon Ball Super manga’s most memorable moments to date. It was a shocking unveiling that fans never saw coming. While defeating Frieza was a major motivation for the Heeters to begin with, there was never any indication Frieza could actually beat the Saiyans’ “Ultra” forms, let alone go toe to toe with Gas or Granolah in battle at that point. Frieza’s strongest form before the Granolah Saga was Golden Frieza, and it was far from strong enough to face UI Goku or UE Vegeta. In that sense, Frieza was a literal afterthought during the Granolah Saga that was never taken seriously.
The Tertian Oculus… j-just how powerful is it?!
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10 Dragon Ball DAIMA Details You Need to Remember Before the Final Battle & Series Finale
Dragon Ball DAIMA’s final episodes have been all about action and transformations, but there are nuanced details that could still come into play.
The true main event of Dragon Ball Super’s Granolah Saga was Goku, Vegeta and Granolah vs. Gas. After wishing on the Cerealian Dragon Balls to become the strongest in the Unigerse, Gas very much seemed like the final boss of the Granolah Saga. That’s what made Black Frieza so shocking. In just a single punch, Black Frieza defeated a villain that it took the three strongest heroes in the series so far to defeat, instantly taking the attention away from what had otherwise been the biggest fight in the arc. Similarly, prior to Gomah showing up in Dragon Ball DAIMA, Majin Duu was far and away the most powerful villain in the anime.
In fact, he was specifically created to be comparable in strength to Buu, meaning that Mini Goku probably wouldn’t have been able to defeat him on his own (assuming Dragon Ball DAIMA’s powerscaling was consistent with DBZ’s). Additionally, Goku and Duu were fighting for control of the Dragon Balls, as all three of them had been collected. With Dende already rescued, collecting the Demon Realm Dragon Balls was truly the final mission Goku needed to accomplish. In any other situation, Goku vs Duu would be the last battle, just as the Saiyans vs Gas was supposed to be.
Gomah stepping in the middle of that to present himself as the true ultimate evil is as akin to Black Frieza as any villain in Dragon Ball. Perhaps the most relevant other example of something like this happening in Dragon Ball would be Imperfect Cell interrupting Piccolo’s fight with Android 17. Unlike Black Frieza, however, Cell was far from an overpowered threat at that point in the Cell Saga. He was still in his weakest form, and multiple other characters could have definitely defeated him on their own at that point. The same can’t be said for either King Gomah or Black Frieza.
Gomah is an Overwhelming Powerhouse Just Like Black Frieza Was
Gomah is Easily The Strongest Villain Pre-DBS
Other than Beerus, who can’t really be said to be a villain anymore, Black Frieza is far and away Dragon Ball Super’s most powerful villain in the series. Even with Goku and Vegeta at their absolute strongest in the franchise’s history thanks to Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego, Black Frieza mopped the floor with them like they were nothing. Just like Black Frieza, King Gomah is easily the most powerful villain Goku and Vegeta have faced thus far. It’s to the point that he can easily defeat the former strongest villains of Dragon Ball DAIMA, Duu and Tamagami 1, without even breaking a sweat. Against both King Gomah and Black Frieza the heroes and the villain ended up having to fight the same opponent at the risk of certain death.
While Black Frieza dealt with his opponents with far more ease than Gomah has (especially considering Goku and Vegeta have continually powered up throughout the battle in Dragon Ball DAIMA), that doesn’t change the fact that both the heroes and the villains were no match for the true final boss in both Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball DAIMA’s cases. In fact, it’s interesting that both Gomah and Frieza are considered laughable afterthoughts at best, right up until the moment they both first appear to interrupt the final battle. On the other hand, as incredible as both Gomah and Frieza’s power-ups are, there is a fundamental difference between the sources of their powers that differentiates the characters.
I couldn’t very well keep losing to Saiyans my whole life… so I needed a bit of a power-up.
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Goku having the ability to use Super Saiyan 4 before Dragon Ball Super is the latest continuity issue to spawn from DAIMA.
In Dragon Ball Super, Frieza achieved his new Black form after having trained for the equivalent of 10 years in a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. In short, Frieza’s power-up was through sheer hard work and effort. In contrast, Gomah’s power up is all thanks to the Evil Third Eye, which grants its wearer unmatched power at no cost of their own. The magic of the Third Eye simply powers up Gomah however much it needs to in order to defeat his enemies, and Gomah doesn’t need to give it any personal effort. This dichotomy between earned and unearned power is important, because it’s a major theme in Dragon Ball. In fact, Frieza was himself always someone who never believed it was worth working for power – true power was something given at birth.
It was only his constant losses against the Saiyans that proved to him what the value of training was, which inevitably led to him finally unlocking his Black Frieza form. Often in Dragon Ball, a character who puts in so much effort to become strong is always redeemable as a villain, while those who only seek power for power’s sake remain villains until they have a change of heart. For Frieza to begin training to outdo the Saiyans, it shows that he has already been irreversibly affected from knowing Goku, which indicates his redemption arc is already deeply underway, even if he still acts like a villain for now. For Gomah, though, redemption is still a far off thought, as he has yet to be truly humbled by Goku and Vegeta just yet.
Majin Duu, Glorio and Tamagami 1 Have A Lot in Common With Granolah and Gas
DAIMA is Bringing The Granolah Saga To Life in More Ways Than One
Gomah has many parallels to Black Frieza in terms of how he introduces himself into the battle, and the overwhelming strength he possesses. But he’s not the only character in DAIMA’s climactic final battle that calls back to the end of the Granolah Saga. While likely not done with complete intention, it’s interesting to note that both Majin Duu and Tamagami 1 also share similarities to Granolah and Gas, especially insofar as their roles in the final battle are concerned.
In fact, the creator of the Demon Realm Dragon Balls, Neva, even gave Tamagami 1 his power, making him somewhat similar to Granolah and Gas in terms of the source of his powers. On the other hand, Majin Duu was created solely to be the strongest, quite similarly to Gas especially. On the other hand, Gas’ propensity to grow increasingly stronger as the fight goes on can be seen as a parallel to Gomah’s ever-increasing strength thanks to the Evil Third Eye. Dragon Ball DAIMA‘s Granolah Saga similarities run even deeper, as Glorio also shares a lot in common with Granolah in terms of his overall character archetype and combat techniques.
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Aside from being mercneraries with an edgy personality who become reluctant heroes, they even both use guns (though Granolah’s isn’t physical like Glorio’s) and magic as their main means of attack in combat. Glorio even makes a wish on the Dragon Balls to give the heroes an edge in battle as well, calling back to Granolah’s own wish to become the strongest. Dragon Ball DAIMA has been toted as a celebration of 40 years of Dragon Ball history, so it’s unsurprising it would blend so many different ideas and reference other series in the Dragon Ball pantheon.
Dragon Ball Super itself has been a staple of Dragon Ball DAIMA, as even Gomah’s outfit is highly suggestive of a connection to Jiren and the Pride Troopers. In a series like DAIMA, that has so many Easter Egg references and callbacks to Dragon Ball history, it can be hard to discern what is a mere wink to the fans from what is a genuine addition into canon that could influence future story arcs down the line. This makes Dragon Ball DAIMA particularly ripe for fan theorizing, as even additions as overt as Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 form can be interpreted in any number of ways.
It Was the Perfect Time For Dragon Ball DAIMA to Reference Black Frieza
Super Saiyan 4 Goku Could Very Well Be a Black Frieza in His Own Way
While Gomah played the role of Black Frieza in Episode 17, Dragon Ball DAIMA’s final few episodes may have created another take on Black Frieza. Black Frieza’s surprise entrance was a defining feature of his introduction in the series, but after that, what defined him going forward was his utter absence over the course of the years since. Black Frieza appeared for one chapter in Super, then wasn’t seen again for over two years, and has still failed to make an actual appearance in the series other than from the main cast making the occasional mention of his new power from time to time. Unfortunately, this could very well be the fate of Super Saiyan 4 Goku as well.
Super Saiyan 4 Goku was only introduced in Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18. With him facing Gomah in the conclusive battle, it seems that he will defeat the villain, only to not return for innumerable arcs throughout Dragon Ball Super’s entire run thus far. This makes him very much like Black Frieza, perhaps even more so than Gomah himself. Even though Black Frieza is perceived as a villain, he was technically the one who actually defeated the main villain of the arc, thereby making him almost heroic in a way. His choice to spare Goku and Vegeta in the end is still be interpreted by fans in a whole range of ways, but it’s clear that he’s at least not the merciless villain he once was when he tortured Vegeta on Namek so many years ago.
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Dragon Ball DAIMA’s Super Saiyan 4 Goku Proves GT Is Non-Canon Once and for All
Dragon Ball DAIMA canonized GT’s most popular concept, SSJ4, but it also proved GT will never be part of Toriyama’s canonical story in the process.
Since Black Frieza’s unveil in 2022, fans have anxiously awaited the now-mythical Black Frieza arc in the Dragon Ball Super manga. This was put on hold for two years as the manga began adapting the Super Hero Saga depicted in the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, only finally concluding in March 2024 with Chapter 103. With Chapter 104’s Goten and Trunks flashback definitively marking the true conclusion of the Super Hero Saga (it’s even the last chapter of the recently announced Volume 24 of the manga), the stage is now set for Black Frieza’s return.
With Black Frieza apparently on the horizon, it makes sense that Dragon Ball DAIMA would mimic this iconic plot thread with its own main villain – and perhaps even its main hero. It’s a perfect means of mentally preparing the fandom for the Dragon Ball Super manga’s comeback. Considering there’s still no confirmation of the Super anime’s returning anytime soon, it’s entirely possible that Dragon Ball DAIMA’s final battle could be the closest thing to Black Frieza fans get to see animated for quite a while.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Release Date
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October 11, 2024
- Writers
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Akira Toriyama
