Dragon Ball DAIMA has created an exciting and fresh treatment for the Dragon Ball franchise, incorporating overlooked characters and concepts. While this includes the Demon Realm to explore elements from Dragon Ball Super and the Majin Buu Saga, another crucial aspect comes from the earliest days of Akira Toriyama's story, with the main cast turning back into kids to recapture the charm of the early Dragon Ball stories.
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While this development, reminding of the much-maligned plot twist at the beginning of Dragon Ball GT, results in the characters being obviously depowered, thus opening the field to more interesting challenges, this may have not been the case for each member of the cast. Goku, Piccolo, and Vegeta are seen struggling to get the best out of their new bodies, but one classic character can only benefit from becoming young again.
Gomah's Wish in Dragon Ball DAIMA Levels the Playing Field for Master Roshi
Roshi Is the One Character Who Benefitted the Most From Turning Young
Muten Rōshi, known in the West as Master Roshi, was long overlooked, especially since the start of Dragon Ball Z. While Dragon Ball Super did a lot to bring the character back into the spotlight as a powerful and experienced warrior, Roshi also gets a fun makeover thanks to Gomah's wish to shrink him back to his child form, returning him to his prime in Dragon Ball DAIMA episode #2.
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Master Roshi was an invaluable teacher to Goku in the original Dragon Ball, helping the young Saiyan develop his martial arts chops and even teaching him the Kamehameha. His honed grasp of the basics and fighting abilities have allowed him to fight those far younger and even stronger than him, yet his old age has caught up with him, never quite showing viewers his true potential. While it's unknown how Master Roshi will use his rejuvenated form, it's fair to believe he could be much more powerful than ever before in Dragon Ball DAIMA.
After Goku and his friends were shrunk to their child forms in Dragon Ball DAIMA episode #1, the next installment shows multiple characters similarly affected, drastically altering their appearance. This includes surprising characters like Piccolo, Mr. Satan, and Master Roshi, with Roshi shaving off hundreds of years of age, showing newfound agility and youthful exuberance. Of all the characters affected by Gomah's wish, Roshi takes it easily and positively, seeing it as an opportunity to make up for lost time and prepare to enjoy the pleasures of life again.
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In his newly-transformed state, Roshi not only takes no time flirting with the birthday party catering staff but also shows immediate control over his transformed body, surprisingly better than Goku at first. Given Roshi's focus on strength training for Krillin and Goku in Dragon Ball and his unwavering grasp of martial arts fundamentals, Roshi's young form can reasonably be seen as similar in power to Goku's and the others. However, Roshi also shows zero interest in fighting in Dragon Ball DAIMA, despite his natural and raw instinct being enough to outpace godly adversaries.
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Master Roshi's Fight IQ Is His Advantage in the Dragon Ball Franchise
Instinct Powerful Enough to Conquer Immense Foes
Master Roshi, aka Kamesennin (Turtle Sage or Turtle Hermit), was an invaluable teacher to Goku and Krillin in their youth. Still, by Dragon Ball Z, he was relegated to the position of a background character. Roshi's newly transformed state in Dragon Ball DAIMA calls back to a moment from Dragon Ball Super chapter #39, where Roshi, despite notably having a pitiful power level, was able to fight in the Tournament of Power. The master's honed senses and pseudo-Ultra Instinct abilities allow him to defeat Kahseral and even momentarily become a tricky opponent for Jiren.
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This is a testament to Master Roshi's centuries of fighting insight and grasp of the basics. He can read his opponents and anticipate their strikes, no matter how quick. Whether this mastery level appears again in Dragon Ball DAIMA, along with the teacher's use of the Kamehameha, remains to be seen. Still, with DAIMA predating Dragon Ball Super on the timeline, Roshi can show Goku how it's done once more. Given that Roshi's insights and natural fighting IQ helped Goku awaken Ultra Instinct Sign, it's fair to have high hopes for him in DAIMA.
Goku's Mentor Has No Intentions to Fight in Dragon Ball DAIMA
Regaining His Youth, Master Roshi Has Other Plans
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As shown in Dragon Ball DAIMA episode #2, Roshi predictably uses his young form as an excuse to enjoy life no longer hampered by his advanced age. Given that the character is so infamously lecherous that one can google "Dragon Ball Pervert" and find Master Roshi dominating the image gallery, it's easy to imagine him using it for less-than-noble purposes. Such antics are true to his character, although Roshi has already quickly shown his valuable insight into Goku's predicament.
In Dragon Ball DAIMA episode #2, Goku tries to fly, only to crash into one of the catering tables where Roshi coaches him on how Goku's suddenly shrunken state has affected his balance and coordination. This is despite Roshi seemingly never showing the ability or inclination to fly, initially out of spite of his rival teacher, Master Shen. Still, again, his understanding of the human body gives key insight as Goku gets his bearings. Master Roshi's big moment may be another instance of comic relief, but his wisdom as a teacher still shines through in Dragon Ball DAIMA.
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
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Action
Adventure
Animation
Fantasy
Martial Arts
Dragon Ball DAIMA is the fifth overall series in the action-adventure anime franchise. It features most of the classic cast members as de-aged versions of themselves, including Goku, Vegeta, and Bulma. The series was announced at NYCC 2023, with creator Akira Toriyama returning to handle DAIMA's run.
- Seasons
- 1
- Franchise(s)
- Dragon Ball
- Writers
- Akira Toriyama