Dragon Ball Daima has been shaking up the Dragon Ball franchise in some pretty significant ways since the new anime began last year, and it’s really putting the work in to finally give the Kamehameha Wave the impact it used to have in the classic series. As part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the late Akira Toriyama’s original Dragon Ball manga hitting the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, Goku and the others are now on a brand new adventure through the Demon Realm. Getting turned into children again as a result of a new wish on the Dragon Balls, it’s been a real return to form.
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Dragon Ball Daima has forced Goku and Vegeta to rely on their skills in order to make up for the lack of combat ability in their new smaller forms, and the anime thus far has seen the two of them reaching new heights of power in order to overcome new threats in the Demon Realm. This has put more of an importance on what they are capable of as of the end of the Majin Buu arc, and it’s made the Kamehameha Wave more important than it has been in quite a long time. It’s back to being special again.
Goku’s Going Back to Basics in Dragon Ball Daima
Dragon Ball producer Akio Iyoku explained in a recent interview that Goku and the others were turned into children again both because it serves as a way to ease in both lapsed fans of the classic Dragon Ball anime yet still offers something new for more dedicated fans. The team thought it would be fun for the Z-Fighters and their families to go through this new transformation to kick off this new anime series, and it’s been the case so far with the first cour of the new series that aired through the Fall 2024 anime schedule last year. As the anime continues with new episodes this month and beyond, we’re seeing even more examples of this mentality in action.
The action in Dragon Ball Daima thus far has been both intriguing for dedicated fans, and fun to watch in general. Goku and Vegeta have had to adjust to fighting within their much smaller bodies, and had thus been limited in terms of what they could do. Coupled with the fact that this new series takes place after the events of the Majin Buu arc but before the Battle of Gods arc that kicks off Dragon Ball Super, Goku and Vegeta are also without many of the god powered transformations that they get later in the franchise. Goku even had to go back to using his Power Pole in the Demon Realm to make up the difference.
It’s made Super Saiyan all the more important than ever, and Vegeta even showed off a missing Super Saiyan form to compensate for all of the changes. But even more so, it’s made the aspect of fighting itself all the more cool. Fights in the franchise been blown up to massive proportions over the years, and Dragon Ball Daima has returned to that classic Dragon Ball essence where fans can easily follow every punch and kick thrown while also being able to keep track of the immediate area around the fighters. It means that even the smallest bits of Ki use seem more grandiose as a result. Thankfully, that also means the Kamehameha Wave has gotten a visual and physical upgrade in this new style too.
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Goku’s Kamehameha Wave Feels Big Again
As Goku is fairly limited in what he can do, it also means that his techniques are fairly limited too. Each use of the Kamehameha Wave in Dragon Ball Daima feels huge as it’s technically now the strongest move in his arsenal. Goku isn’t going to be able to layer on it with stronger abilities as we’ve seen in other series, and it takes a greater amount to charge because of those limits placed on his body. So with all of this extra effort put in to help build it, each use is that much cooler like how Goku used it to push back a giant dog in the latest episode (even going as far as to use familiar sound effects for it).
Dragon Ball Daima has been a return to basics in many ways, and those basics have been elevated in order to provide a fresh experience. It’s giving all of the action a shot in the arm as the action has gotten muddier over the course of the series releases. But with this new yet familiar take on Goku, we’re also getting a familiar, yet fresh take on everything Goku is capable of.
