REVIEW: ‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ Episode 10 — “Ocean”

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10, “Ocean,” sees Goku (Masako Nozawa) and friends arrive at the second demon world. As the heroes finally group up, Arinsu  (Yôko Hisaka) sets her new minion, Majin Kuu (Tomokazu Seki, Jujutsu Kaisen), against the First Demon World’s Tamagami, hoping that he will live up to the standards set by previous Majin creations.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 opens with Majin Kuu challenging the Tamagami of Demon World One. Interspersed throughout the episode, the battle gives the audience their first look at the newest Majin in town. As Kuu challenges the Tamagami, we learn a lot about this new villain’s character.

Right off the bat, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 makes it clear that Kuu follows the franchise’s grand tradition of ridiculous villains. Posing frequently like he’s a member of the Ginyu Force, Kuu seems more concerned about outlandish wind-ups than defeating his opponent.

When he does manage to land a blow, the results are less than impressive. The Tamagami is never even phased by Kuu’s assault, leaving the character’s power levels in question. It is safe to assume that Tamagami One is stronger than the one recently dispatched by Goku, but the difference would have to be vast to place Kuu in the same power level as our hero.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 fleshes out Tamagami

Though Arinsu is forced to leave, disappointed in her new creation, there is still a likelihood that Kuu will grow to become a true threat to Goku and his friends. Whether through some internal growth trigger that hasn’t happened yet or perhaps some form of empowerment by Gomah out of desperation to stop our heroes, a transformation to a true threat wouldn’t be unlikely.

An easily overlooked element of Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10‘s fight is how it continues to build out the Tamagami. There are moments in the battle where Tamagami One comes across as menacing; however, he seems to have no interest in actually killing his opponent. Once it becomes obvious that Kuu cannot take the Dragon Ball from him, One’s intent seems to shift as the guardian begins playing with his foe.

This alters how the audience should look at the Tamagami. The way many characters reference them makes them seem like terrifying monsters, but they are clearly more like testing instruments. They don’t exist to hoard the Dragon Balls, just to ensure only one who has put in sufficient effort may claim them.

As Kuu’s battle plays out, we see Goku’s group arrive at the Second Demon World. Their presence is quickly greeted by Gendarmerie, resulting in a mid-air battle. As Glorio (Kôki Uchiyama) struggles to engage his foes with their craft’s weapons, Goku makes short work of their pursuers. The battle sees the Saiyan get creative with his approach to defeating some of his adversaries, performing some unique attacks to drop his enemies from the sky, but not before a few well-placed laser blasts leave their airship struggling to maintain altitude.

The plane’s low altitude soon draws the attention of a monstrous Kraken. Grasping the ship, it begins to crush it like a tin can. While the crew initially flees, Panzy (Ai Fairouz) soon returns to the craft, desperate to save something. Hoping to save his friend from being crushed and swallowed, Goku follows her.

No sidetracking here. Just smooth sailing!

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 delivers this sequence well. It takes time to let the danger set in as Goku struggles to reach Panzy in the rapidly shrinking space. A task that would’ve been much easier with his adult body.

As the ship and its inhabitants disappear into the Kraken’s maw, there is a momentary worry that the story will get sidetracked by a long sequence showing Goku and Panzy escaping from the beast’s gullet. Happily, no such distraction is indulged in. Rather, the two simply fly out, having escaped in just the nick of time, with Panzy bearing the Dragon Ball she went back after.

Deciding its best to await the arrival of Bulma’s team, the now vehicle-less group takes a breather on the original homeworld of the Namekians. Looking strikingly similar to the original Planet Namek, the locale provides another clever callback for long-time franchise fans to enjoy.

Once Bulma’s group arrives, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 takes some time to flesh out the history of the Demon Realm, its part in creating the wider universe, and the particular reasons the Glinds and the Namekians left. This sequence manages to deliver interesting tidbits about the world’s lore without ever going too deep into the weeds.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 delivers some fun and lore as it briskly continues the heroes’ adventure. Just as the credits are about to roll, we see the ancient Namekian Neva watching the group depart the Nemekian home from the shadows. What implications his presence brings to the story is a question that leaves fans with an extra little reason to look forward to the next episode.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 10 is streaming now on Crunchyroll and will arrive on Netflix next week.