REVIEW: ‘Dragon Ball DAIMA’ Episode 19 — “Betrayal”

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19, “Betrayal,” sees the battle against Gomah (Shôtarô Morikubo) continue as the heroes hope their restored bodies will turn the tide. But while their power levels have returned, they still labor with the damage and exhaustion they carry from their previous fights. This leaves Goku (Masako Nozawa) and his friends needing an unlikely ally.

With Arinsu (Yôko Hisaka) standing before Porunga, arms raised, the Glind clearly expects her empowerment to begin any second. However, nothing happens. Rather, the characters transformed into children at the start of the series are restored to their original bodies. This breathes new life into the heroes’ efforts as they can now access their full strength.

Despite the last episode trying to create a cliffhanger ending by leaving the reveal of Glorio’s (Kôki Uchiyama, Wind Breakers) wish until now, it was obvious how this was going to go. Seeing all the characters get their bodies back blends triumph with a dash of comedy.  While this sequence delivers a positive note to start the episode on, it does fall short in one way.

Presuming everyone transformed has been restored, it would’ve been nice to see a couple of shots of the Z Fighter left behind on Earth as they pop back to their normal selves. Given they had no idea the transformation was about to occur, a couple more humorous moments could’ve been showcased. Plus, it’s a convenient excuse to show the rest of the gang that didn’t get to come along on this adventure.

Some more humor might have added more depth to the characters becoming big again.

With their bodies restored, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19 sees the Saiyans fall into their old habits, opting to take Gomah on one at a time. Determining that it is his turn now, Vegeta (Yûdai Mino, Synduality: Noir) steps up to the battle, immediately going Super Saiyan Three in anticipation of the fight he has before him.

Vegeta’s battle with Gomah delivers all the spectacle and excitement you would expect. And as a bonus, it didn’t induce a headache like last week’s battles did. The unfolding fight is creative, as Vegeta quickly establishes that he is the better fighter, though this confirmation doesn’t yield the results he would like.

It’s soon made clear that when Vegeta is at his peak power, he’s stronger and more skilled than his adversary, but Gomah’s endurance is unending. No matter how hard or often Vegeta hits his foe, he doesn’t stay down. Still carrying the scars of their previous fights, Vegeta soon begins to falter as Gomah doesn’t lose a step.

With the battle raging in the background, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19 cuts away momentarily to focus on Glorio and Arinsu. Arinsu is angry with her underling for his betrayal, as she expresses her disappointment in his choice. It’s revealed that she is the reason he was able to escape from the poverty of the Third Demon World, which is why it was so hard for him to betray her. Arinsu promptly dismisses Glorio, leaving him to return to the others.

Vegeta levels up in Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19 but Gomah is too powerful.

Arinsu’s handling of Glorio’s choice moves the needle a bit on how the show presents her. Still a bad person willing to manipulate others for her gain, this moment clearly establishes that she’s not in the same camp of bad guys as Gomah is. If Gomah is defeated and Arinsu manages to gain control of the Demon Realm she’d likely still become a tyrant, but as tyrants go, you could do a lot worse.

When Glorio returns to the heroes, there is an awkward pause as he fears how they will react to him. His concerns are soon cast aside as Panzy rushes forward to thank him, leading a chorus of appreciation. Goku even finally manages to get Glorio’s name right.

This moment will be unsurprising to long-time fans, but that makes it all the more special. Glorio has no way of knowing the forgiving nature of Goku and his companions, so his hesitancy is understandable. However, knowing what the conclusion is will make the moment more endearing. He’s safe, whether he knows it or not. As that fact dawns on him, the positivity and warmth that the Dragon Ball franchise has always projected come to pull the newcomer in, making him officially part of the family.

As Vegeta’s powers start to sputter out, Goku and Piccolo (Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Skip and Loafer) begin to consider their options. Despite Goku being fresher than Vegeta, he’s still worn out. It seems unlikely he’ll fair any better than his compatriot, leaving them stuck with how they’ll defeat the monstrous Demon King. Once again, it’s left to a far smarter woman to bail out the beleaguered heroes, though this time it’s neither Panzy nor Bulma.

Arinsu’s edge softens a bit for a good cause.

Arinsu comes to the rescue when she recalls that the former Demon King was able to remove the Third Eye at will. After some quick research aided by Majin Kuu, she determines a way to remove the eye, restoring Gomah to his previous power levels. Rather than entrusting the task to her minions, Arinsu shares the knowledge with the heroes, allowing them to formulate a plan.

This moment provides another beat to soften Arinsu’s edge a bit. Being willing to team up with former enemies to defeat a greater foe doesn’t make you a hero, but it shows an amount of common sense the deepest levels of villainy generally can’t afford to entertain.

The only roadblock to implementing their hastily made plan now is Vegeta. The proud warrior refuses to stand down, even if it means death. At least till Bulma threatens him with something worse. To bring Vegeta in line Bulma informs him, in front of everyone, that she’ll never bathe with him again if he doesn’t let Goku fight. The abject horror that plays across Vegeta’s face is something the series hasn’t shown since he was getting stomped by Frieza. This moment feels like a pure Toriyama joke, with a level of absurdity that perfectly fits the franchise.

With Vegeta out of the way, Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19 sees Goku step up to fight Gomah. To capture his foe’s full attention, Goku walks him through the various Super Saiyan transformations from one to three. But, just as the battle is about to begin, Goku begins another transformation. This time, without the help of Neva, Goku achieves Super Saiyan Four. After the huge outp[ouring of power the transformation emits, the stage is set for the final battle to begin.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19 delivers great action, some strong development for one of its secondary characters, and just a bit of humor to keep the atmosphere fun. All that’s left is to see if Goku and Piccolo can pull off their plan and defeat Gomah.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Episode 19 is streaming now on Crunchyroll and will arrive on Netflix next week.