Dragon Quest Dai episode 9: Popp's fight with Crocodine

Episode 9 of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai (2020) is the story of Popp finally becoming a hero instead of a coward. I really loved it. It might not be my favorite episode of the show, but I think it's the best looking one so far.

Episode 8 ended on a cliffhanger, with Crocodine about to blast Dai and end his life. Episode 9 opens with that attack landing. It wasn't a bluff. Dai takes the hit and is injured.

Popp has to overcome his fear of death to help Dai

The heart of this episode is Popp facing his own fear. He runs into the mage from the party of fake heroes, and she has the ability to show him what's happening in the fight. Popp can see that Dai is in trouble, and he has to overcome his fear of death to help him.

You'd think he would have figured that out by now, since this is the ninth episode. But remember that only a couple of days have passed in the story. Popp and Dai haven't known each other long. They haven't been friends for months, so it makes sense that Popp is still holding back.

It's easy to lose track of that. In real life, it's been weeks since we first met Popp, based on when the episodes come out. Within the world of Dragon Quest, though, it's maybe been a couple of days. So don't let that fool you. It makes sense that Popp and Dai aren't bonded yet, or at least not as strongly as they will be as the story goes on.

The fake hero's mage gives Popp a pep talk, and the Avan joke lands

There's a scene where Popp gets a pep talk from the fake hero's mage, even though the words weren't really her own. That's what begins to inspire him to get involved. It's a sarcastic little moment, and I found it interesting.

There's a funny scene too. The mage tells the fake hero not to worry about Popp because he was trained by Avan, the real hero, and they start freaking out over it.

Why Popp's big save comes early in A Single Shard of Courage

With a title like A Single Shard of Courage, you'd think the episode would build to the moment Popp finally snaps. Instead, it happens early enough that the episode gets to focus on his deeds more than his emotions.

That's an interesting choice, because not many shows would make it. Usually you'd get an episode that builds and builds before Popp makes the save and the comeback. Here they did it early in the episode, and honestly, it's not a bad choice.

Popp goads Crocodine into a one on one fight

Popp goads Crocodine by threatening him and calling him out, pushing him into a one on one fight without Brass getting involved. Remember, Brass had been turned evil.

The animation here is gorgeous. There's a shot where they zoom in on Popp's face and his eyes, and it looks absolutely beautiful. As I see it, "this show continues to impress day by day, week by week, month by month."

When an anime has a good preproduction schedule and is planned out well, most of the episodes can look incredible. Maybe not every episode, because that's very difficult, if not impossible, when an anime comes out weekly and doesn't run seasonally. But this is about as good as it's going to get for this generation of anime, and about as good as it gets for shows that aren't seasonal.

I enjoyed this fight. It's a nice strategic mix of brawling and magic. There are shots of Crocodine lunging at Popp, and the size difference and the way it's put together make for beautiful art. Popp is on the run for most of it, and when he does try to strike, it's clear Crocodine isn't just a brute. He's got some skill, and that's the point of the fight. It's fun to watch.

Popp frees Brass from Crocodine's control

Popp gets close enough to Brass to cast a spell that's meant to take away all the dark influence and turn an evil monster good. He casts it successfully, and Brass is no longer under Crocodine's control, which is great.

This was a great sequence. I can't describe to you how beautiful the animation was in this episode. You have to see it to believe it. This show is amazing.

Brass is protected inside a force field, a version of the spell Avan used to protect the island a few episodes earlier. That also lets Dai fight freely and as powerfully as he can, without having to hold back now that Brass is no longer on the bad side.

Dai's secret power returns as he catches Crocodine's axe

That leads to a tense moment where Crocodine is about to finish off Popp. Then a big blue light starts shining, Crocodine starts freaking out, and Dai makes his big comeback. His secret power, which we've been teasing and discussing and which has to do with his heritage, comes out once again.

Call it Super Saiyan Dai 2, since this is the second time he's done this in the series. Maybe the third, but I think it's the second. It's always cool. Ultra Instinct Dai, maybe.

Crocodine is about to slice him with his axe, and Dai blocks it with his bare hands, catching it in his palm, like what Trunks did to King Cold. It's incredible. Crocodine realizes he has to fight Dai and win.

Then there's an animation cut I loved. Crocodine is about to finish off Dai, who is unarmed, so Popp throws him a sword. Dai catches it and starts to glow. The way the camera moved for the shot of Popp throwing the sword was amazing.

Episode 9 might be the best animated episode of Dragon Quest Dai

Episode 9 might end up being the best animated episode of Dragon Quest Dai we've had so far, and it's definitely the best looking one. The art and animation are incredible, and it's like that for the whole episode.

Dai's Avan Strash and Crocodine's final choice

Dai connects with the Avan Strash first and slices off part of Crocodine's body. There's blood everywhere, black and blue rather than red, and he's done.

Then, in a shocking move, Crocodine gives a speech about how to be a real hero and how he failed himself, and he does the honorable thing. Some are going to say he stumbled, but no, he didn't. He walked up to the ledge and threw himself off, taking his own life because he was disgusted at the deeds he had done. At the same time, his injuries would have killed him anyway, so Dai ends up killing Crocodine here.

That makes me sad, because I really loved Crocodine. His face, his reactions to things, the way he would think about things: I was really digging this character, and he's gone now.

Arc two of Dragon Quest Dai comes to an end

With Crocodine dying, the other monsters flee, and the Dark Lord is missing for now. Bad day to be a bad guy.

That event puts an end to the second arc of Dragon Quest Dai. The arcs are short, but they all go together, and the next one was set to begin with the following episode. Nine episodes in, two arcs were done, with more coming.

I really loved this episode. It could have been my favorite episode of the entire show, though it probably wasn't. That's probably still episode 2. But this was probably the best looking episode of Dragon Quest Dai I'd seen so far, and the best is yet to come.