the anime can still offer the action fans want from Dragon Ball. And now, on their way to the Second Demon World, Goku and company have gotten some backup in the form of Bulma, Piccolo, and Vegeta.

Team Goku and Team Vegeta finally cross paths in the most recent Episode #9, titled, "Thieves". The episode, though a bit of a slower affair than the previous few, introduces the series' all-new Majin Buu, aptly named Majin Kuu. And while it would make sense to have both Saiyans team up to fight the mysterious new Majin, Daima instead keeps them apart on separate journeys. After Goku and company leave, Vegeta and Piccolo become the centerpieces of yet another one of Daima's beautifully animated fight scenes.

The anime has been paced well over its first eight episodes, though it immediately suffers somewhat as the focus becomes split in its ninth. While Bulma, Piccolo, and Vegeta are welcome additions to Dragon Ball Daima, their presence ultimately shifts focus away from the group of Goku, Glorio, Panzy, and Shin, putting the main adventure on hold. The series had a perfect opportunity to merge both teams in its most recent episode, and instead has chosen to send Team Vegeta on a side-quest that only distracts from the main story line, and underutilizes their characters.

Vegeta and Piccolo Finally Show Off Their Mini Fighting Prowess

The Fan-Favorite Fighters Are Still Powerful In Their Smaller Bodies

Dragon Ball Daima has thus far scaled back the action in favor of a heavier focus on adventure. But recent episodes have shown that the series is capable of offering a tasteful mix of both. After a Goku-centric fight which featured the best visuals Daima has yet seen, Vegeta and Piccolo steal the spotlight in Episode #9. Throughout the trio's mostly off-screen journey, events have unfolded parallel to those that Goku experienced in his adventure through the Demon Realm.

Vegeta shows his stuff in a horribly one-sided bar fight, before the losing Demon Realm residents steal the trio's plane, leaving them stranded. The bar thugs then return for revenge, but Vegeta and Piccolo make quick work of them despite the number disadvantage. The fight is incredibly animated and makes use of expertly choreographed combat, proving that the two established fighters are still highly skilled in their smaller bodies.

Dragon Ball fans want to see characters like Vegeta and Piccolo involved in the action, and while Daima's latest fight is undeniably enjoyable, it also showcases just why the decision to separate the two main parties isn't a very good one. Taking the focus from Team Goku stalls the plot, sacrificing development to ensure that Team Vegeta receives ample screen time. It's bittersweet in a way; Vegeta and Piccolo get to take part in the series, yet are resigned to the side quest.

Dragon Ball Daima Is Not Making the Most of Team Vegeta

Daima's Split Focus Leads to Wasted Screen Time

Though Goku is Dragon Ball's protagonist, many fans hold Piccolo and Vegeta in just as high, if not higher, regard. Both are two of anime's greatest villains turned good guys, and arguably far more interesting characters than the leading Saiyan. Yet when Daima brought the two separate parties together, the series decided not to combine them. It's likely that having so many characters on-screen at once would cause the cast to become a bit too crowded. However, keeping them separate also deprives fans of interaction between similar characters like Bulma and Panzy.

It's relatively clear that Team Vegeta will begin to veer off Team Goku's path and target Gomah straight-away, as Goku suggested, while the other squad will continue on their path to the Dragon Balls. But until Daima places them in high-stakes situations, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Bulma serve no real purpose in being in the Demon Realm. Their fight, though entertaining, held little weight and seemed to just get in the way of what Team Goku was doing.

The split focus slowed the episode's pacing to a crawl, and now that the newly introduced Majin Kuu is headed for Tamigami #1, located in the same world as Gomah, it's likely that Team Vegeta will come across him first. If the new trio becomes the focus of the series after running into Kuu, Team Goku will then be left to fight less important battles like the one involving a dragon demon in the most recent episode.

Splitting the two groups, while it may have the benefit of a less crowded cast, ultimately relegates one to taking screen time away from more interesting events. Vegeta and Piccolo have been largely underutilized throughout Daima thus far, and though fans surely want to see them in action, the series may be better off leaving them that way.

Goku and Vegeta Will Need to Team Up Down the Line

A Potential New Fusion Might Make Up For Daima's Mishandling of Piccolo and Vegeta

Dragon Ball Daima would not have placed both Goku and Vegeta in the Demon Realm if the anime didn't plan on having them team up. However, whether it be to progress the series' multiple moving pieces, or keep the audience in suspense, fans will need to wait to see them fight side by side. When that time does finally come, the wait may very well be worth it, as the series' parallels to the Majin Buu Saga point toward the possibility of an incredibly exciting new fusion.

The briefly mentioned Bugs currently in Goku's possession might just make up for Dragon Ball Daima's mishandling of Vegeta and Piccolo, though the possibility always exists that someone else might just make up half of a new warrior. Nevertheless, the series has its work cut out for it in episodes if it intends on splitting screen time between two groups of characters. Though if anyone can pull it off successfully, it's the legendary Akira Toriyama. A run-in with the mysterious Majin Kuu is likely just around the corner, and fans surely aren't going to want to miss it.