Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima, Episode #5
Dragon Ball Daima proves that Goku's as skilled a fighter as ever with its most recent fight scene, one which actually may go down as one of Goku's greatest "one man army" moments in the entire franchise. The battle featured some excellent animation in addition to a rare strategic use of Super Saiyan that's absolutely brilliant.
In episode #5 of Daima, Goku's group, with Panzy in tow, make their way to the Third Demon World King's castle. There, they have a meeting with the king, who is eager to see Goku's power in person after finding out that Goku plans to challenge the Tamagami, something no one has ever successfully done. Goku agrees to show his power, and they arrange for Goku to go up against the king's strongest and most experienced soldiers, with Goku even choosing to allow the warriors to use their weapons, if they so choose. What follows is a fantastic fight sequence worthy of being in Dragon Ball's top fights.
Dragon Ball Daima Proves Goku is as Powerful as Ever
Goku's Success in Battle Proves Being Mini Hasn't Weakened Him
Goku challenges the mob of soldiers and doesn't even use his Power Pole to do it. Despite still being relatively new to this smaller body, it seems Goku has gotten used to his size again already, as he's shown swing around and dodging with expertise. When too many soldiers start to pile up on him, Goku briefly goes Super Saiyan, using the shockwave given off by the transformation to knock his attackers away. Goku seems able to channel the Super Saiyan power even after the golden hair fades, using it to reinforce his attacks to hit even harder. Hardly even breaking a sweat, Goku takes out all the king's men.
Goku's ability to handle large groups of combatants isn't put to the test very often, as he's typically only pitted against one major villain at any given time, and relatively few of them use minions to fight. Still, these "one man army" moments can be very telling about Goku's power level, and this one seems to indicate that Goku is already getting familiar with what it was like to fight as a kid again. Many of Goku's more famous moments like this are from his days as a child, fighting the goons of the Red Ribbon Army en masse.
Dragon Ball Daima Keeps Up the Quality of Its Fights
Daima's Best Fight Sequences Have Seen Goku Against Multiple Opponents
This is the third time in Daima that Goku has had to fight against a group of people all at once, following the bar fight in episode #3 and the Gendarmerie in episode #4. All three examples use some exceptional fight choreography, leading to absolutely beautiful fight sequences that just feel right. Goku does things like swing around on weapons, kick off of opponents, and dodges expertly, making full use of all the elements present in the fight. Goku uses his own techniques, like Super Saiyan and Instant Transmission in the fight in clever ways, proving that he's still more than capable of handling a group like this.
While the sequence was clearly added just so that this episode would have a fight in it, it doesn't feel out of place or shoehorned in; it fits logically into the plot, and Goku sees it as good practice to help him keep in touch with his smaller body. The episode is plenty strong enough to stand on its own without a fight, but adding one in, especially one as well animated as this, certainly boosts the quality of the whole episode by a significant margin.
Daima has been giving Goku the kind of fights that fans rarely get to see him engage in, and that's a great thing for the series as a whole. These kinds of "one man army" moments definitely reinforce just how much stronger Goku is than the average person, something that can be easy to forget when he's surrounded by other powerful people like Vegeta. Even in this Mini form, Goku's power is exceptional, and there's just no better way to prove it than having him wipe out dozens of experienced fighters in one go.
While there are sure to be plenty of one-on-one fights ahead for Goku, such as his battles against the Tamagami for the Demon Realm's dragon balls, fans should take the chance to enjoy seeing Goku's full power on display against a group. Dragon Ball Daima has reinforced Goku's reputation as a one-man army--even if he's a kid again.
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.
Seasons 1
Writers Akira Toriyama
English (US) ·