Dragon Ball DAIMA is only a few episodes in at this point, but it’s already set the stage for some thrilling battles against the Demon Realm’s most powerful forces. There’s been a lot of focus on the three Tamagami — dangerous knight-like guardians — who were created by Neva to protect the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls. It’s not hard to picture Goku taking on each of the Tamagamis and defeating them one-by-one. There’s still plenty of value in this idea. However, it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that there are three Tamagami and three central heroes — Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo — who have traveled to the Demon Realm. Immediately, the prospect of perfunctory Tamagami battles become more interesting if there’s a possibility that each one will be faced by a different hero. Vegeta and Piccolo are just as resilient as Goku and, while they possess comparable levels of strength, they all carry very diverse abilities. It’s more creative and suspenseful to divide the heroes for their Tamagami battles to better push them out of their comfort zones. Not only would each Tamagami battle feel different with this formula, but it also means that Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo can’t just pool together their talent and overwhelm the enemy. It’s exciting to have different heroes at the center of each of these big fights, but it also forces them all to do the heavy lifting on their own.
This structure also opens the possibility of these characters stumbling upon new techniques or transformations. There have been rumors that Vegeta actually ascends to Super Saiyan 3 status in Dragon Ball DAIMA. A milestone of this nature is only possible if he needs to fight on his own and give everything he has on the battlefield. New powers for Vegeta, Piccolo, or even Shin aren’t possible with a single team where Goku leads the charge. Beyond the Tamagami, there are also actual Demons to handle between Gomah, Degesu, Neva, and Dr. Arinsu. There’s the possibility that the heroes engage in group battles against these threats. However, a likelier alternative would be for the heroes to divide and conquer against their dark halves. Piccolo fights Neva, Shin faces Degesu, and Goku and Vegeta both take on Gomah. These are all more exciting scenarios that actually take advantage of the heroes’ versatility and justify the villains who have been assembled for this story.