REVIEW: ‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ Episode 4 — “Chatty”

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 4, titled “Chatty,” sees Goku (Masako Nozawa), Supreme Kai (Yumiko Kobayashi), and Glorio (Kôki Uchiyama) strike out on foot after their plane is stolen. But it’s a big world full of perils. And Goku has never been known for his keen sense of caution. The absence will land him and his friends in hot water fairly fast.

The first thing that has to be discussed is the reason this episode gives for why our heroes must strike out on foot instead of simply flying away, which would be much faster. The cause of their predicament is the planet’s atmosphere, which Glorio explains is dense enough to tire them out quickly. After a brief test flight, Goku agrees and opts to walk. This answer feels ridiculous.  That the air is thick enough to hinder a guy who trains in hundreds of times Earth’s gravity doesn’t make sense. Even with his weaker child body, it simply feels like a transparent reason to make the group’s journey take a bit longer.

Despite the questionable reasoning for their mode of transportation, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 4 puts the extra travel time to solid use. Along the way, the trio stops at a small shop where they are treated to local cuisine and other items of interest. We learn that the Demon World has medi bugs, which can be used for numerous purposes. Most notable is the revive bug, which restores a person’s stamina. As Goku observes, this realm’s equivalency to Sensu Beans. But most importantly, they procure passage via a sky seed.

Sky seeds are multi-meter-long seeds launched into the air, moving in a single direction when a particular leaf is pulled from the stem. With no means to steer, the vehicle is only good for general travel. As the group rockets through the air, each of our protagonists experiences the trip in a manner that feels right for them. Glorio grimly focuses on the trip, Kai spends much of the journey screaming in terror, and Goku is thrilled by the new experience. The range of reactions creates a fun if predictable, emotional spectrum.

Once the group finds its feet back on Terra Firma, they go to an unidentified town. There, they come across a squad of Gomah’s troops collecting an annual offering from the area’s citizens. Much to the gathered civilians’ dismay, Gomah has decided to triple the required offering from one to three gold per person. Making matters even worse is the penalty for not being able to pay. For every gold a person cannot pay, the troops drain three years of their life. They do this using a machine that latches onto the person’s neck and collects their life force in a nearby container.

This concept works great to establish what kind of villain Gomah will be. Previously, we’ve seen him as petty and mean, but now we see him as a truly terrible person. Given the look of the impoverished townsfolk, one gold would be a brutal request; tripling it is diabolical.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 4 sees a fight break out when the troops look to punish an old man for not paying the full offering. Before the penalty can be carried out, a mysterious masked character appears, attempting to drive off the troops with some homemade grenade. However, her makeshift projectile does little more than fizzle out. Bulma, she isn’t. Goku steps in when the guards run the girl down, having decided he has had enough.

Goku’s brawl with the troops delivers a fun, acrobatic combat sequence. Bouncing between buildings and guards, Goku uses a combination of agility and his power pole to maneuver between his advisories as he knocks the stuffing out of them. The level of skill we see during this battle may surprise many fans. Dragon Ball frequently sees characters mindlessly wail at each other instead of demonstrating martial prowess. This is not the case here, and the episode’s brief battle is all the better for it.

As Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 4 draws to its end, our trio flees the pursuing guards, even though it doesn’t seem like they present a threat. Once in the clear, they are confronted by the masked hero. As the credits are about to roll, the mask is removed, revealing the young demon girl seen in the opening credits.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 4 continues the enjoyable journey of Goku and friends. Highlighted by some fun world-building and dynamic combat, this episode nudges the series in the right direction. Hopefully, what comes next can continue to build upon that momentum.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll and will arrive on Netflix next week.