Summary
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 18, “Awakening”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Dragon Ball DAIMAis in the final stretch with just a few episodes remaining, and the Evil Third Eye has made Supreme Demon King Gomah nearly unstoppable. Despite a valiant team effort where even villains like the Majin brothers fought alongside Goku and friends, the magic of the Tertian Oculus was simply too powerful. With his back against the wall, a miniaturized Super Saiyan 3 Goku may be their last hope as the battle with Gomah continues inDragon Ball DAIMA.
After successfully rescuing Dende from Degesu, Goku looked to be on a collision course with Majin Duu and Dr. Arinsu as theDAIMAfinale approached. Goku and Duu’s clash in the courtyard over the Demon Realm Dragon Balls seemed evenly matched, butdeus ex Gomah had other plans in Episode 17. While Majin Duu and Tamagami Number One bought Goku just enough time to complete his Super Saiyan 3 transformation for the first time since the fateful battle with Kid Buu at the end ofDragon Ball Z, even that may not be enough to defeat Supreme Demon King Gomah.
Dragon Ball DAIMA Unveils Super Saiyan 4 Goku (Mini)
Following the cliffhanger of hisSuper Saiyan 3 transformation, a newly powered up Goku immediately took the fight to Gomah whenDragon Ball DAIMAEpisode 18 began. With the speed and strength of Super Saiyan 3, Goku quickly gained ground by landing several massive strikes on his much larger opponent. Inspired by their enemy-turned-ally, Majin Kuu somehow acquired a chocolate chip cookie roughly the size of a large pizza and threw it like a frisbee into the mouth of Majin Duu.
Despite his inability to match Gomah before this point, the cookie actually worked and gave Majin Duu a significant power boost. Looking to the golden-haired example beside him, Duu even transformed his head to match the spiky Saiyan hairstyle.
The trio of cookie-powered Duu, miniature Super Saiyan 3 Goku, and Tamagami Number One managed to deliver several combination attacks, but the cookie quickly wore off and Duu’s power dissipated with it. Gomah overpowered the assault and fired a devastating beam directly from the Tertian Oculus. With a few quick follow-up attacks, Gomah had Goku and all of his allies down for the count. As Gomah prepared to deliver one final blast, Neva stepped in to turn the tide.
The legendary Namekian sent a ball of energy into the downed Goku and set off a chain reaction over a decade in the making. In a moment that felt similar to Grand Elder Guruawakening Gohan’s potentialduring the Frieza Saga ofDragon Ball Z, this infusion of energy triggered a transformation that fans have been clamoring to see return for years.
Goku’s hair took on a deep red color, ape-like fur of the same hue began to cover his torso, and he suddenly grew a tail for the first time in canon since the originalDragon Ball. Gomah fired a massive ball of dark energy, but Goku came through the transformation to block and overpower that attack. Everyone around Goku was shocked at this new form, but there’s no doubt longtimeDragon Ballfans immediately recognized it. While his current size led to a slightly different look, there’s no denying thatSuper Saiyan 4 has returned.
Originally seen inDragon Ball GT, the new miniaturized version of this Great Ape-inspired transformation gave Goku an exponential power boost. Glorio and Piccolo stepped in for a last ditch attack on Gomah that failed, but they managed to give Goku enough time to charge a Kamehameha.
Gomah closed the gap with a huge strike before it could fire, but Goku quickly reset while flying through the air and delivered a Kamehameha so powerful it blasted Gomah deep into the ground below them. Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough.
An even larger Supreme Demon King Gomah emerged from the rubble andused the Evil Third Eyeto create an orb of energy that knocked Goku all the way back to his base black-haired form. With defeat seemingly inevitable, Dr. Arinsu finally activated her double agent and ordered a reluctant Glorio to bring her the other Demon Realm Dragon Balls and use the Namekian he’d learned to summon the Demon Realm version of Porunga. If even Super Saiyan 4 Goku (Mini) couldn’t defeat Gomah, the fate of the universe may rest on Glorio’s wish in the next episode ofDragon Ball DAIMA.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Dragon Ball Daima is the latest anime in Akira Toriyama’s legendary franchise. After being transformed into a child, Goku must travel to a new world to try and turn things around.
