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For a dozen episodes, Dragon Ball DAIMA has succeeded as an exciting showcase of Goku’s strength and skills, even when he’s reduced to a tiny body and thrown into a completely unknown world. It’s been incredibly entertaining to see Goku impress Majins and make waves throughout the Demon Realm, yet audiences were curious if the rest of Dragon Ball’s celebrated characters would have much to do in this anime. There was a sigh of relief when Vegeta, Piccolo, and Bulma ventured off to the Demon Realm.

That said, DAIMA’s focus remained firmly on Goku and there were reservations that these beloved characters would be reduced to supporting players who largely function as Goku’s glorified cheerleaders. These fears were amplified in the previous episode, “Legend,” when Vegeta’s first big fight against Tamagami Number Two kicked off with lackluster results. Fortunately, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 12, “True Strength,” shatters these concerns into a million pieces and gives Vegeta not only a stunning showcase of strength, but a long-overdue transformation that fans have been waiting nearly three decades to see. “True Strength” is DAIMA’s best episode yet and a love letter to everyone’s favorite reactionary Saiyan Prince.

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Vegeta Finally Unlocks Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 12

Vegeta’s New Transformation Helps Him Defeat Tamagami 2

Vegeta, while one of Dragon Ball’s strongest characters, has a history of being disrespected. There are far too many instances where the anime positions Vegeta for success, only for his ego or anger to get in the way and he merely sets up the layup for Goku’s victory. “True Strength” is smart to lean into this history and the audience’s preconceived notions on how battles with Vegeta typically play out. The cliffhanger in “Legend” is unsurprisingly immediately defused because, of course, Vegeta isn’t going to die in a random DAIMA episode. That being said, the combined efforts of Tamagami Number Two and Majin Kraken do seem to potentially be too much for him to handle.

Every Dragon Ball DAIMA episode has been rich in gorgeous visuals and innovative battle choreography, but Vegeta’s fight is especially dynamic. “True Strength” makes slick use of the Kraken’s tentacles and how Vegeta negotiates these cumbersome targets in addition to the Tamagami’s waves of attacks. The fight’s underwater aspects are equally impressive and these lush aquatic visuals add even more to the experience. “True Strength” flexes its animation muscles when these characters power up their attacks and rainbow-colored bursts of light fill the screen. This reaches its apex when Vegeta, on the brink of defeat, triggers a long-awaited transformation that elevates an excellent episode into an all-time classic.

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Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation is nothing short of incredible and it’s already one of the character’s greatest moments in the franchise. There was always some level of confusion over why Vegeta never reached this milestone and even Dragon Ball GT catapulted him to Super Saiyan 4 without giving him a taste of its predecessor’s power. Canonically, this ascension is a mess and it really doesn’t make any sense why Vegeta would never showcase this skill in Dragon Ball Super – especially when Beerus slaps Bulma.

However, it’s easy to ignore these invasive thoughts because Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta is just so glorious and extremely satisfying. This is the Vegeta showcase that he’s deserved for decades. He exudes pure confidence in his Tamagami takedown and he experiences just as much of a mental transformation as he does a physical one. This spectacle is absolutely perfect and “True Strength” allows him to wreak pure havoc on the Demon Realm. Vegeta has never looked more bad-ass and there’s a strong case to be made for why this is one of Vegeta’s best fights in the entire Dragon Ball franchise. This is the Saiyan Prince that audiences fell in love with.

Majin Duu Defeats Tamagami 1 And Gets A Dragon Ball

Dr. Arinsu’s Second Creation Gets The Job Done

Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation is going to be what “True Strength” is remembered for, but the episode actually gives more time to Majin Duu’s assault on Tamagami Number One. “True Strength” features some of DAIMA’s best editing as it oscillates between the two intense Tamagami duels. There are some excellent match cuts between the two fights that are particularly inspired and really creative. The heights of Duu’s strength were unclear back in “Legend,” but “True Strength” gives a much better indication of where his power lies. Majin Duu utilizes some trademark Buu malleability as he contorts his body to dodge Tamagami Number One’s strikes. There’s a particular moment where Duu spirals himself around the Tamagami’s sword to evade being stabbed that’s particularly inspired and a genuine delight.

The battle choreography here is just as engaging as what Vegeta and Tamagami Number Two bring to the table, yet these fights feel completely different in their construction and execution. Vegeta’s fight is pure adrenaline, but there’s a thoroughly silly gag character component to Majin Duu’s fight. It’s incredibly on brand and rather hilarious that Majin Duu just refuses to fight part way through the battle until Majin Kuu feeds him some chocolate. It’s even funnier to see how much stronger he gets from this sugar rush and that a full stomach of chocolate appears to be akin to some sort of zenkai boost for Duu. He totally turns the tables on Tamagami Number One after this development, which raises some interesting concerns for when the Saiyans take him on. An enormous chocolate cake has the potential to make Duu even stronger than a Super Saiyan 3 duo.

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“True Strength” also thankfully returns to the skill-testing game component that each Tamagami requires for their Dragon Balls to be claimed. DAIMA could have waved away this idea and explained that it was just a unique quirk for Tamagami Number Three that was an extra precaution because he’s the weakest of the trio. This is thankfully not the case and “True Strength” has a lot of fun with these extra hoops that Vegeta and Majin Duu have to jump through. It’s such a simple element, but it’s easily one of DAIMA’s most creative details.

It turns each fight into a Mario Party-esque minigame that reinforces how strength alone isn’t enough to be a hero. This component is especially intriguing for someone like Majin Duu who doesn’t seem to possess much intelligence at all and instead is an embodiment of pure power and id. If it were a chocolate-based minigame he’d surely do better, but he still manages to complete Tamagami Number One’s challenge with a bit of Kuu’s help. It’s also rather satisfying to see Goku struggle in the background of Vegeta’s mental test as he tries to do basic math.

Vegeta and Majin Duu’s Victories Raise Dragon Ball DAIMA’s Stakes Even Higher

All Three Demon World Dragon Balls Have Been Acquired, What Happens Now?

“True Strength” checks off a lot of boxes and undeniably excels with its action. All this raises some compelling questions for what the rest of DAIMA is going to look like. There’s largely been a telegraphed formula in place where a systematic takedown of each Tamagami is necessary to obtain all Demon Realm Dragon Balls. “True Strength” mixes things up for the better by putting all three Dragon Balls in play and moving past the Tamagamis much faster than one would expect. The Tamagamis were positioned to be DAIMA’s central obstacles and it’s really quite interesting that the anime will likely conclude with the heroes never even meeting Tamagami Number One. It’s incredibly exciting for there to be a greater sense of mystery surrounding the rest of DAIMA’s episodes and what lies ahead. Clearly, a battle against Majin Duu is imminent and he’s ultimately a stronger and more entertaining antagonist than Tamagami Number One.

It still feels like there will need to be more complications ahead and it’s likely that DAIMA will recreate the original Dragon Ball’s energy as these three Dragon Balls get swapped between the three warring parties. Some of the most exciting material to come out of Dragon Ball Z’s early Namek episodes was when the Dragon Balls were constantly changing hands and power was in flux. This will hopefully be the approach that DAIMA takes now that the Tamagamis are out of the picture. It’d be narratively frustrating to have a half-dozen of playful filler-esque adventures to buy time until Goku, Vegeta, and Glorio go up against the villains.

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Moving past the Tamagamis also gives DAIMA the opportunity to return to Dende’s plight and explore some of the anime’s more underdeveloped plot threads. Gomah and Degesu spend most of “True Strength” enraged over their adversaries’ successes. This is a great opportunity to remind audiences that Gomah and Degesu were DAIMA’s original villains, rather than making them increasingly irrelevant with each passing episode. It’s the perfect time to unearth the Evil Third Eye and have Gomah prove that he’s worthy of the Supreme Demon King title.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 12, “True Strength,” is a near-flawless episode that’s everything that fans could want from the series. Even if DAIMA were to seriously screw up every subsequent episode from here on out, the anime would still be a worthwhile experience and success because of this episode alone. It’s an exciting and inspirational episode that makes Dragon Ball fans feel like kids again and remember what it’s like to hoot and holler at the screen while they pump their fists at a hero’s impressive accomplishments.

‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ is now streaming on Crunchyroll

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Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 12, “True Strength”

Due to a conspiracy, Goku and friends are transformed into children. They intend to travel to a mysterious new world to undo this change

Pros

• Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta
• Excellent fight choreography
• Exceptional pacing