Over 40 years on from the franchise's debut, Dragon Ball Daima offered fans an all-new anime adventure that took its iconic cast back to their roots. Series creator Akira Toriyama had one final gift to give, and the finished product showcased just what Goku and company were able to do with modern animation and writing from the man responsible for decades of success. The series shrunk its main cast back into children and sent them on an adventure to the previously established but never-before explored Demon Realm.

By its finale, Dragon Ball Daima fed its fans some of the best visuals the series has ever seen, and even reintroduced the fan-favorite Super Saiyan 4 transformation. However, not everyone was entirely happy with the finished product. Certain inclusions created some continuity issues within the overall series timeline, and a large and loud section of the community stormed to social media to voice their concerns. While problems surrounding the canon are certainly valid, another issue reared its ugly head during Daima's finale, and it's one that seems to continue plaguing modern Dragon Ball.

Daima Failed to Feature an Interesting Villain

Gomah Was an Underwhelming Final Boss

While the fan base concerned themselves with the implications of Super Saiyan 4's return, an arguably bigger issue was staring Goku right in the face. The evil ruler of the Demon Realm, Gomah, stood as Daima's final boss, and was able to give Earth's heroes a hard time due only to the mysterious Third Eye implanted in his forehead. After being hinted at having had terrifying magical abilities earlier in the series, Gomah was never really able to put them on display, and ended his time in battle as a hulking, monstrous brawler.

It wasn't the first time that Dragon Ball featured a villain that was little more than a mass of muscle, but aside from his cowardly nature in the role of king, there wasn't much all that interesting about Gomah. His evil aspirations were in line with just about any corrupted leader in a position of power wanting desperately to keep his throne unchecked, and while his treatment of residents of the Third Demon World was undeniably horrific, the audience wasn't given a ton of time to experience those misdeeds.

By the time Gomah was defeated and the Third Eye was dislodged from his forehead, he simply did not do enough throughout the series to be compelling in any way. It wasn't bad enough that none of his power was his own, but his involvement in the plot boiled down to little more than him being an evil guy who made a not-well-thought-out wish, but wasn't powerful enough to back it up. Fortunately, Daima's gorgeous visuals and Super Saiyan 4 Goku were able to carry the fight, but Gomah is another signal of a troubling trend developing for the franchise.

Dragon Ball Has a Villain Problem

The Series Has Had Trouble Introducing New, Interesting Villains

Dragon Ball is home to some of the most iconic villains in anime history. Cell and Majin Buu have arguably become just as recognizable as some of the series' greatest heroes, while Frieza is one of the most well-known antagonists in the medium. However, modern Dragon Ball has had a bit of a tough time introducing new, memorable villains. Over the course of the series' renaissance that began in the mid-2010s, it introduced Gomah, Cell Max, Broly, Jiren, Goku Black and Zamasu, Frieza, and Beerus as major antagonists, from newest to oldest.

That isn't a terrible lineup of villains, but it's telling that nearly half of them are recycled in some way. Both Cell and Frieza come straight from Akira Toriyama's original masterpiece series, while Broly was the most popular film foe the franchise ever introduced. It's likely the majority of the fan base would rank Frieza and Broly as two of the better antagonists featured in modern Dragon Ball, with Goku Black and Zamasu topping the list for many alongside Beerus, while Jiren lags a bit behind the rest of the pack.

Though Goku Black and Zamasu are villains native to Dragon Ball Super, they take clear inspiration from Dragon Ball Z's Turles and Dragon Ball GT's Baby. Of the newly introduced antagonists, that makes two that most fans would agree were good in the Zamasu duo and Beerus, and two that many would consider underwhelming in Gomah and Jiren. Hitting on two of the six total main villains isn't exactly a great rate, and relying on villains of old to return and fill similar roles might not always have the same effect.

Dragon Ball Super Has Introduced Some Interesting Villains, But Not in the Anime

The Dragon Ball Super Manga Features Good Villains, But Anime Fans Haven't Seen Them

Since Akira Toriyama's ing in March 2024, the future of Dragon Ball Super is uncertain. The anime ended nearly seven years ago, and the manga has remained on an extended hiatus. It's unknown whether fans will ever see the series again, but while the manga was active, it introduced a couple of villains not seen in anime format. Both Moro and later Gas became all-new and interesting antagonists.

The former had magic abilities and made use of them, unlike Gomah, while the latter made a pesky wish to become the strongest in the universe, causing problems for Earth's heroes. If the anime were to ever return to TV and these two characters were explored, the troubling trend of a lack of new, compelling villains would be broken. Unfortunately, there have been no signs of life for the Dragon Ball Super brand in the months since Toriyama's ing.

Dragon Ball Daima offered the series' vast and ever-growing fan base a fresh and exciting anime experience, even if it fumbled its final villain to an extent. Unfortunately, the franchise has had a difficult time introducing new, interesting villains into its anime titles, though Dragon Ball Super's manga contains a couple that could break that trend if they're ever adapted. The series' future is uncertain without its creator at the helm, and whatever villain is next will help to prove whether Dragon Ball can move on without him.