REVIEW: ‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ Episode 18 — “Awakening”

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18, “Awakening,” sees Gomah (Shôtarô Morikubo) continue to rampage across the battlefield. Fueled by the unfettered might of the Evil Third Eye, it seems nothing can stop him. Even Goku’s (Masako Nozawa) ascension to Super Saiyan Three (SSJ3) seems unable to match Gomah. However, a surprising gift may yet empower Goku with the strength to defeat his foe.

The opening half of this episode sees Goku clash with Gomah in his SSJ3 form. Mostly a one-on-one fight, Goku receives aid from Majin Duu (Fukushi Ochiai) and the Tamagami, but everyone else remains too exhausted to reenter the fray. The smaller number of combatants doesn’t see the intensity lessen. Instead, the stakes continue to rise with the power levels.

The action continues to deliver a lot of great moments and creative attacks. Gorgeous colors and fantastic visual designs make many attacks pop off the screen. The camera continues great panning shots as it swerves between rock spires and bounces across the battlefield. Sadly, though, much of Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18’s action has a major flaw.

This series has delivered lots of great callbacks to its predecessors. This has allowed it to be a fun new entry while also feeling like a deep link to its past. This episode brings back an unfortunate element of anime’s past: a reliance on hard-strobing visual effects. To make every blast feel bigger than the last, the episode frequently drowns its scenes in flashing lights. I don’t suffer from any photosensitivity, and my head was hurting by the time the credits rolled. If such stimuli cause you problems, you may want to proceed with caution.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 maintains a sense of humor. 

Amidst all the action, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 also brings some great humor. As Majin Duu watches Goku power up, the new Majin tries to emulate him. Matching auras with the Saiyan, Duu soon screams his lungs out and spawns similar long “hair” to Goku’s. It’s easily one of the best visual gags the series has produced.

Despite momentarily having an advantage, Gomah once more turns the tides on Goku, knocking him to the ground in a decisive fashion. As Gomah hovers overhead, gathering energy for one final attack, it seems like all is lost. That is until the unlikely figure of Neva (Hiroshi Naka, Delicious in Dungeon) appears. Standing over the Saiyan, the elderly Namekian projects an orb of energy into Goku.

Jumping into Goku’s mind, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 sees him transform. Goku’s power grows again as his body awakens, and he takes a new/old form. Standing upon the battlefield, covered in red fur and sporting his monkey-like tail, Goku’s new form looks incredibly close to the Super Saiyan Four (SSJ4) form first seen in Dragon Ball GT. Unlike in that series, however, the transformation to SSJ4 does not revert Goku to an adult.

Choosing to omit the age reversion element is definitely for the best. SSJ4 was always the oddest of the transformations, but seeing Goku’s child form furry and bulked up fits far better than the adult version. Also, the red eyeliner design element has been removed, vastly improving the overall look.

Gomah proves a resilient adversary. 

With Goku’s increased strength, he and several others return to the fray. The action continues to be kinetic and fun, even when it goes too hard on the eyes. Supporting characters get their moment to participate and shine. Most notably, though, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 delivers an act that has been in the discourse around the show since its hay days. Just as Gomah swats away Glorio and Piccolo, Goku begins to charge his iconic Kamameha Wave. However, the warrior doesn’t get past chanting “KAAAAAA” before getting swatted by Gomah. While the attack only delays the inevitable, seeing someone finally not just stand around waiting to get obliterated was a moment that brings joy.

With Goku’s signature finisher landing, it seems like Gomah has been defeated for good. But before the victory celebration can begin, a huge energy field surrounds the platform the combatants are on, and a ginormous Gomah emerges from the crater he had been knocked into. Using some new special skill, he drains Goku’s energy, reverting him to his base form.

With the final threat to Gomah defeated, Arinsu (Yôko Hisaka) decides it is time to act. Calling Glorio, she orders him to gather the dragon balls and meet her to summon Porunga so she can be powerful enough to defeat Gomah and replace him as Supreme Demon King.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 does a great job of making a spectacle of summoning the dragon. The moment feels epic. Best of all is seeing the wish-fulfilling dragon casually flick Gomah away when he tries to prevent him from performing his task. Just as Glorio utters his wish in Namekian, the credits roll. Whether he followed Arinsu’s orders is left unknown, creating a perfect cliffhanger ending.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 would be a perfectly paced, action-filled entry if it weren’t also headache-inducing. Enough curve balls and fun moments combine with epic action to make an entry that never lets its foot off the gas.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18 is streaming now on Crunchyroll and will arrive on Netflix next week.