Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima Epsiode #13Dragon Ball Daimahas been jam-packed with adventure and whimsy, returning the franchise to its roots as the main cast of characters explore the newly introduced Demon Realm. Around every corner are creatures and scenery that couldonly have been created by the legendary Akira Toriyama, but the series' most recent episode calls back to a prior series in which the creator had little involvement. Episode #13, titled “Surprise”, takes the characters to Planet Mega,a world reminiscent ofDragon Ball GT’s Planet Mommath.

The parallels betweenDaimaandGTare evident from the premise of the newest series alone. However, the latest episodeis the clearest call back to the divisive 1996 anime yet, as the entry is similar in just about every way toGT’s sixth episode. WhetherDaimawill continue to take inspiration fromGTremains to be seen, but nevertheless, its latest adventure to Planet Mega is a fresh take on a world the franchise explored nearly two decades ago.

Goku, Trunks, and Pan looking on at Giants in artwork created by Akira Toriyama.

Daima’s Latest Episode Isn’t Goku’s First Run-In With Giants

Dragon Ball GT’s Planet Mommath Is Extremely Similar to Planet Mega

Dragon Ball GT’s sixth episode in its controversial opening arc takes Goku, Trunks, and Pan to Planet Mommath, a world where everything is several times larger than the size of the cast members. After some humorous hijinks with Bees, a Black-Star Dragon Ball becomes lodged in a Giant’s tooth, and Goku uses a Kamehameha to retrieve it from its mouth. Though certainly featuring far less action thanDaima’s latest adventure,the similarities between the episodes are obvious.X user, Herms98, points out that a scene is a direct call back to art Toriyama drew forGT.

Dragon Ball Daima Is Already Avoiding Dragon Ball GT’s Worst Mistakes

Dragon Ball DAIMA has already drawn a lot of comparisons to Dragon Ball GT, but even with that, it’s unlikely to make any of the same mistakes.

Leaving much of the humor aside,Daima’s trip to Planet Mega is much more eventfulthan the pit stop on Planet Mommath. Featuring intense combat with what appears to be a Giant’s pet dog, Goku struggles with the enormous animal before taking on the Giant itself, and having to use some Super Saiyan heroics to escape danger. Unfortunately,Daima’s detour doesn’t offer much in terms of plot progression, but it’s a fun call back to an earlier, largely forgotten episode ofGT.

Goku in GT and Goku in DAIMA

Daima Continues Its Demon Realm Exploration, For Better or Worse

Daima’s Newest Episode Ignores Plot Progression For a Side Quest

Dragon Ball Daimahas been undeniably fun, taking the time to explore a world that was first mentioned in the Majin Buu Saga, but never quite fleshed out. Each stop of the cast’s newest grand tour has featured worthwhile additions toDragon Ball’s universe, while breathing some much-needed life into a franchise that spans over 40 years of content. However, afterintroducing Super Saiyan 3 Vegetain the previous episode, there seemed no better time to kick up the series' action.Instead, the latest episode returns to world building.

Dragon Ball Daimais a series created for the purpose of touching on previously unexplored aspects of the franchise, and its latest call back toDragon Ball GTseems fitting in that regard. Aside from Super Saiyan 4 and its iconic conclusion,much ofGThas been forgotten to time. Whether fans believe that to be a good or bad thing is largely up to personal preference. Regardless, the gang’s trip to Planet Mega highlights a prior run-in with Giants, with a little more excitement sprinkled on top.

Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo cling to vines in Daima Episode #13.

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Cast

Dragon Ball Daima sees Goku and his allies inexplicably shrunk into miniature forms, prompting a journey to the Demon Realm. This animated adventure, part of the Dragon Ball franchise, explores their mission to solve the mystery and restore their original statures. Released in October 2024.

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