8 Hardest-Hitting Episodes In Dragon Ball Daima, Ranked

The series naturally has to establish a new world, characters, and conflicts, but it definitely takes a couple of episodes to find its momentum and give glimpses of the Dragon Ball fans have grown to love through the decades, but those moments are well worth watching.

Major spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima below.

8

Episode 3

Daima

Considering that the series is called Dragon Ball Daima, it would have been a shame if the reveal of the Demon World was underwhelming, which is something that could have broken the series’ momentum before it even began properly. However, Episode 3, fittingly titled Daima, features Goku going to the Demon World for the first time with Glorio and Shin. This is where the sense of a grand adventure finally begins to take form.

The third episode also marks the first proper action sequence in Dragon Ball Daima, and although it is on a much smaller scale than what Goku is used to by this point, it seems like a perfect encounter given the Saiyan’s mini-predicament. There’s also an underlying tense tone that accompanies Episode 3, as the Demon World inhabitants are not exactly too trusting of strangers while under tyrannical rule.

7

Episode 6

Lightning

Fun character interactions, plenty of heavy lore drops and reveals, and exciting action sequences all culminate in what makes Dragon Ball truly special, and Daima’s sixth episode delivers on all of those fronts. Episode 6 finally showcases some much-needed character development for Glorio, someone who stayed pretty quiet and secretive up until this point, but his sparring session with Goku makes Lightning a memorable and exciting chapter.

As the title of the episode suggests, Glorio tackles Goku’s Saiyan powers by using magical electrical attacks, marking the first time that the character actually shows what he is capable of while also revealing that he is secretly working for Arinsu.

Oh, and Shin sharing that two of the antagonists in the anime, Degesu and Arinsu, are his siblings is also quite interesting.

6

Episode 12

True Strength

While the first half of Dragon Ball Daima is serviceable enough to set up what is to come, the second batch of ten episodes is where the majority of the highlights are located, starting with Episode 12, showing what Akira Toriyama fans had been waiting for all this time: Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta. Sure, it’s his mini version that makes his SSJ3 debut, but it’s still a highly satisfying moment that cements the Saiyan prince’s dedication to getting better and eventually catching up to Goku.

As the battle between Vegeta and the Second World Tamagami continues, there is another fight going on simultaneously between Majin Duu and the First World Tamagami, so it is just non-stop action that you signed up for. The twelfth episode also showcases Majin Kuu’s true strength of intelligence, resulting in the Arinsu gang finally getting its hands on a Dragon Ball.

5

Episode 15

Third Eye

One of Akira Toriyama’s greatest strengths was juggling a lot of characters with different personalities and giving them all a moment or two to shine from time to time, so it only made sense for Panzy’s father, King Kadan, to get his time in the spotlight as well.

As one of the most wholesome new characters featured in Dragon Ball Daima, Kadan’s entrance at the end of the climactic Episode 15 is no less than epic, as it seems like all hope is lost for Goku’s gang until the king arrives with his forces.

The fifteenth episode also introduces the titular Third Eye, or the Tertian Occulus, adding more layers to the Demon World’s lore and finally giving Gomah the chance to become a menacing villain.

4

Episode 17

Gomah

This is the point where Dragon Ball Daima stops being good and turns into something absolutely amazing, as the run from Episode 17 to the finale is some of the best that has been witnessed in recent anime. All the players who had been navigating the Demon World finally collide in Gomah, an episode fittingly referencing the primary antagonist because he becomes a massive force to be reckoned with on the battlefield thanks to the Third Eye.

From Goku and Duu’s battle getting interrupted by Gomah to everyone who can fight teaming up against the big bad of the Demon World, there is not a single dull moment in the seventeenth Daima episode, which is only made better thanks to stunning animation.

3

Episode 18

Awakening

Now, Dragon Ball GT may have received a lot of flak for its controversial handling of many elements, but if there is one thing that stood out about that television-exclusive non-canon series, it was the Super Saiyan 4 transformation. The design was unlike any other Super Saiyan form that Goku or Vegeta has in store, so when Daima makes it canon by bringing it back in Episode 18, albeit in Goku’s mini form, it is simply goosebumps-inducing.

Awakening sees Goku and Majin Duu teaming up and unleashing their shared strength on Gomah, but when that doesn’t work, Neva triggers Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 transformation for some much-needed power and, of course, fan service.

2

Episode 19

Betrayal

The mini-versions of the Z Fighters are entertaining enough on their own, but since Dragon Ball Daima is the final anime that creator Akira Toriyama could work on during his lifetime, it would have been a waste to not see adult Goku and Vegeta in battle at least once. Thankfully, Episode 19 wastes no time in bringing the beloved cast back to their original forms, resulting in an excellent action sequence between adult Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta and Gomah.

However, the real star of the episode, aside from Glorio, who is the one that the chapter is named after, is Goku, as he shows off all of his Super Saiyan transformations up until SSJ4, making his final confrontation with Gomah a joy to witness.

1

Episode 20

Maximum

There is something extremely bittersweet about the final moments of Dragon Ball Daima, as it serves as a heartfelt farewell to Akira Toriyama and hits even harder when the opening theme starts playing towards the end credits. Not only does it already feel nostalgic, but the events leading up to that are top-tier Dragon Ball material as well, with each character getting some satisfying closure.

Goku’s intense battle with Gomah continues, Piccolo tries his best to contribute, Majin Kuu becomes the new Supreme Demon King and appoints the majority of the regular Daima cast to his government, and plenty more happens in just one episode. This is why Maximum feels like the perfect send-off to Dragon Ball, ending the saga in a way that honors the franchise’s undeniable legacy.