Dragon Ball Daima’s Ending Was Happy Even for Its Most Evil Villains

Dragon Ball always ends with everything working out for the heroes. Goku defeats the bad guy, the Earth is saved, and everyone in the main cast has a party to celebrate. Dragon Ball Daima doesn’t change the formula too much, with Goku and his party waving goodbye as they head home. However, this time it isn’t only Goku and friends that get their happily ever after. Daima finishes with even the villains having their fairy-tale ending. Previous Dragon Ball villains are either destroyed or become background nuisances like Pilaf. Even if they survive, the villains rarely get a blissful future.

The primary villains in Daima weren’t as malevolent as the biggest bads of Dragon Ball Z. Even Gomah, the main antagonist and biggest threat to Daima, was nowhere near as malicious as Frieza or Cell. The villains match Daima‘s lighter tone and their ultimate fates are played much gentler than other foes. When Frieza got cut in half or Cell was obliterated into ashes in Dragon Ball Z, it was much more cathartic because of how evil those characters were. It wouldn’t nearly be as satisfying if we saw the bad guys in Daima die in painful ways. Even Gomah and Degesu, who seemingly had the worst ending of all the bad guys, had arguably an ideal outcome thanks to the slideshow at the final credits.

Gomah and Degesu Enjoy a Blissful New Life

If there were villains that most deserved a Cell-like obliteration, it would be Gomah and Degesu in Dragon Ball Daima. These two villains transpired to steal the Earth Dragon Balls so that Gomah could unlock the Evil Third Eye to become powerful and retain his reign as the Supreme Demon King. Despite his short stature, Gomah became a major threat to the protagonists, bulking up to Jiren levels when using the full power of the Evil Third Eye. Degesu served as Gomah’s loyal servant and is the brother of the Supreme Kai, although far less benevolent.

Nonetheless, the pair’s most heinous actions mostly stem from transforming the Earth’s heroes into children and being incompetent rulers. Gomah is more of a gag villain, with his short stature and over-the-top personality making him less of an enemy to take seriously. Given how chaotic the Demon Realm was under Gomah’s rule, the Demon Ruler probably did deserve to perish at the hands of Super Saiyan 4 Goku. But instead of dying, Gomah and Degesu get trapped in a bottle in a similar manner to how King Piccolo was captured in the Rice Cooker in the original Dragon Ball anime.

While Gomah’s and Degesu’s fates seem cruel, the slideshow shown at the end credits reveals the duo living in a mystical place with a beautiful lighthouse and gorgeous scenery. Even though they are probably permanently stuck in the bottle, they pretty much have everything they need including video games and a place to sleep. Who needs the Demon Realm when you can live rent-free in a place full of all the necessities you would ever want?

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The Other Dragon Ball Daima Villains Got Want They Wanted

Dr. Arinsu, the secondary antagonist and sister to the Supreme Kai, was the more cunning and manipulative villain in Daima. Nevertheless, she was never excessively cruel and got what she wanted. Her goal was to usurp Gomah to become ruler of the Demon Realm. Instead, Majin Kuu took over the Deamon Realm after Gomah’s defeat. Fortunately, Kuu would name Dr. Arinsu his “Vice-King,” essentially making her the co-ruler of the Demon Realm. Kuu isn’t very intelligent so Dr. Arinsu would likely be making all the decisions anyway, giving her what she wanted.

Neva, the last Namekian in the Demon Realm, aided Gomah and Degesu in obtaining the Earth’s Dragon Balls. In spite of that, Neva wasn’t really an antagonist in Dragon Ball Daima. He would help Goku and the rest by providing much-needed backstory. He was also somehow involved with Goku transforming into Super Saiyan 4 during his fight with Gomah. Neva becomes a minister for Supreme Demon King Kuu and Vice-King Dr. Arinsu, giving Namekians proper representation in the Demon Realm.

Dragon Ball Daima offers fans a nice change of pace for the franchise, presenting fans with a lower stake conflict where everyone walks away in a better place. Some people may prefer the darker edges of Dragon Ball Z’s best arcs, yet it is nice to see villains have their own arcs and come out better than they started.