Vegeta's Adult Super Saiyan 3 and Goku's Magic Powered Super Saiyan 4 Define Dragon Ball Daima Episode 19

Dragon Ball Daima episode 19, called Betrayal, packed in a huge amount of story. Episode 19 opened with a wish that turned out to be the right one, restoring Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta and the rest to their adult forms after Gomah had turned them into first graders back in the very first episode of Daima to nerf them. Seeing Vegeta as an adult again made it obvious just how nerfed they had all been as kids, since even his base adult form showed more than his kid Super Saiyan 3 ever did.

When the wish was made, the Dragon Balls scattered, but because this happened in the demon realm rather than on a normal planet, I am not sure exactly where they went. I noticed a shot of the dragon ball guardian showing his stomach still empty, which tells me the balls did not just return to him. My guess is they are scattered somewhere in the demon realm and will need to be collected again, possibly by the character who can telekinetically summon them, but I am curious whether episode 20 will actually explain this.

On a smaller note, this episode marked what I believe is the last time Goku mispronounces the name of the ally who made the wish, since later on he says it correctly. I do wonder now whether he was doing it wrong on purpose the whole time just to mess with him.

Vegeta Volunteers to Go First Against Gomah, One on One

Goku suggested they fight Gomah one at a time rather than teaming up, which I already flagged in my review as something that frustrates a lot of fans given how dangerous Gomah is. It reminded me of the Kid Buu fight, where Goku and Vegeta also refused to fuse, mostly because Kid Buu was pure evil with no one trapped inside him to justify it. This time Vegeta steps up with no rock paper scissors and no argument, wanting to go first, likely because Goku already got his turn as a kid Super Saiyan 4 in episode 18. Vegeta even points back to the earlier episode where Goku wanted to go first against one of the dragon ball guardians to justify the order.

Vegeta fights Gomah in his base form, and despite the staggering size difference, he actually lands a few shots. The scientist mentions she rescued the ally who made the wish from the third demon world, though we get no further explanation of what that meant, and I would love to know more even if I doubt episode 20 will tell us. Gomah tries projectile attacks, and Vegeta claims he has finally gotten used to his adult body again. The two trade key blasts, with Vegeta dodging while Gomah just eats the shots and smiles, until a blast to Gomah's solar plexus actually makes him spit up, though the pain is only temporary.

Vegeta's Adult Super Saiyan 3 Arrives, and the Final Flash Might Be the Best Ever Animated

When Gomah tries to squish Vegeta in his palms, Vegeta breaks free and goes Super Saiyan, then pushes further into his first ever adult Super Saiyan 3 in Daima. The art in this sequence is beautiful, reminiscent of his classic power ups going all the way back to his first Super Saiyan transformation, and even Gomah looks surprised at the sheer energy projection. Super Saiyan 3 has a known drawback of very high energy consumption, but I think the speed and power boost make it worthwhile if you can end a fight fast. Vegeta warps in with a massive hit to Gomah's stomach and follows with a barrage of punches, an uppercut, a drop kick and a flying axe kick, something you rarely see in Dragon Ball.

Vegeta then unleashes rapid fire key blasts, the same tactic he used on Namek and against Cell, hammering Gomah down again and again only for that third eye to bring him right back up every time. Then Vegeta charges his signature Final Flash for the first time in Daima. I thought the original Final Flash on Perfect Cell was beautifully done, but honestly this might be the best looking Final Flash animation has ever given us. During the beam struggle it looks for a moment like Gomah could overtake him, but Vegeta pushes through, and the resulting blast looks so devastating that you would genuinely think Gomah was finished, until that third eye saves him yet again.

Piccolo Calls Out Gomah's Third Eye as a Hack, and a Book Reveals the Weakness

Gomah counterattacks and starts chasing Vegeta, and Goku remarks that at this rate Vegeta's Super Saiyan 3 will not last much longer, which confirms the energy consumption problem I mentioned earlier. This is actually the explanation I have landed on for why Vegeta does not use Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball Super, since he seems to have recognized its flaws and instead sharpened Super Saiyan 2 to higher levels. Piccolo, described here as the voice of reason, points out that even in their restored adult bodies they still carry prior damage, and that this might not be the time to obsess over one on one pride fighting when Gomah essentially has a built in cheat with that third eye.

The scientist reveals that someone used to actually remove and reattach the third eye, meaning there has to be a way to take it from Gomah. She has her assistant fetch a book called the Book of Magic Items, Archive Number 37, which I found interesting given how much attention fans have paid to a book mentioned once in Dragon Ball Super and never explained again. Thanks to her assistant's incredibly fast page turning, the scientist finds the answer: hit Gomah in the back of the head three times in a row and the third eye will pop out, taking his power with it. I noted this feels similar, though not identical, to Cell Max's weak spot on top of his head, almost uncomfortably close in my view. The scientist also makes clear she is not there to help them, she just wants Gomah beaten.

Bulma's Bath Threat Pulls Vegeta Out of the Fight

With the plan set, Goku is meant to distract Gomah while Piccolo finds an opening to strike the back of his head three times, but Vegeta stubbornly refuses to step aside. That is when Bulma steps in and tells Vegeta that if he does not stop, she will never take a bath with him again. I admitted I completely forgot to mention this moment in my original review despite how much I enjoy the Vegeta and Bulma dynamic, and I do not think Dragon Ball has ever made a joke quite like this, though it fits given Bulma was shown taking baths back in the earliest chapters of the original manga.

Whatever it takes, it works, and Vegeta disengages immediately. Goku then states he has to end things quickly because he is already tired and Gomah is too dangerous to drag this out.

Goku Cycles Through Super Saiyan Forms Just Like the Majin Buu Fight

Goku powers up exactly as he did against Majin Buu above West City, cycling from Super Saiyan through Super Saiyan two and into Super Saiyan three to essentially teach Gomah about the forms. The animation on this transformation sequence is, in my words, beyond explanation, with every frame looking like it could be frozen and used as art. Super Saiyan 3 gets criticized by some because it never actually beat a major villain on its own, only winning against Hirudegarn in the thirteenth Dragon Ball Z movie while needing the Spirit Bomb to finish Majin Buu, but I still think the form is cool, and this episode's execution made me feel like a kid again.

Gomah dismisses it, smirking and calling the transformations pointless, and at that point it looks like Goku might just stick with Super Saiyan 3. I also noticed one of the characters present reacting to the transformation by comparing it to Majin, a word I have pointed out before is not limited to Majin Buu's race but can apply to anyone from the demon realm. Some viewers are going to read that line as another hint that Saiyans originated from the demon realm rather than the outer realm as stated earlier in the series, but I am not convinced that reveal is actually coming in the finale given how much episode 20 already has to wrap up.

Goku's Adult Super Saiyan 4 Shakes the Demon Realm

Goku then says one more bonus, and what follows is one of the most beautiful transformation sequences in the entire franchise as far as I am concerned, with lightning effects and energy work that I would put in the top three coolest looking transformations in Dragon Ball history. His shirt rips off in a surge that reminded me of Broly getting angry in the original Broly movie. The power up is strong enough to affect the weather in other demon worlds, with another dragon ball guardian in a different demon world sensing that something is happening, similar to how Jiren once shook the world of void, and I think this is something power scalers are going to debate for years when placing Daima's Goku against the rest of the franchise.

This is the adult version of Daima's Super Saiyan 4, achieved by tapping into the magic power given to him by an ally in the previous episode, since Goku could not reach this form through training alone. It has to be unlocked through magic, which makes me wonder if Goku is starting to understand magic itself. This is not the Dragon Ball GT version of Super Saiyan 4, even though the pose with his foot up on a rock looks like a visual callback to GT's opening animation; the look and the method of transformation, tied to that borrowed magic rather than the Blutz Wave and golden ozaru process, are different.

What the Form Might Be Called, and What Comes in the Finale

Goku smiles but does not call the form Super Saiyan 4 on screen. Internal Toei documents list it as Super Saiyan 4, though I noted these are early production documents and the name could still change, similar to how Gohan Beast was referred to as Final Gohan in internal documents before that movie came out. It is possible episode 20 gives the form a new name, or it sticks with Super Saiyan 4 and gets distinguished from the GT version some other way.

The following episode was titled Zenkai, meaning maximum, and was set to be the series finale of Dragon Ball Daima, with Goku in this new form battling Gomah, the Fusion Bugs still needing to be dealt with, Goldman needing to be beaten, and everyone needing to be sent back to the outer realm. I had been worried about whether Daima could stick the landing, but based on the last couple of episodes I felt it was heading toward a finale that would be remembered fondly, even if it is not perfect and has some flaws I planned to discuss further once the finale aired.

Would Vegeta with Super Saiyan 3 alongside Goku's Super Saiyan 3 have been enough to beat Majin Buu back in the day? I am not sure, but let me know what you think.