Dragon Ball Daima basically just confirmed that it’s the franchise’s version of Star Wars with a mysterious new character

Warning: Spoilers for episode 3 of Dragon Ball DaimaDragon Ball DaimaDemon’s arrival in the Demon Realm gave the show a distinctly different feel from virtually every other show. Dragon ball series that came before. In fact, the episode had a Star Wars-like feeling, thanks in part to its mysterious new main character, Glorio.

After a few warm-up episodes, Dragon Ball Daima is ready to dive into the story proper as Goku steps into the Demon Realm for the first time. While some elements of the Demon Realm are vaguely familiar, it is, in reality, a truly strange kind of space, featuring bizarre elements like floating volcanoes and a huge pit that once allowed transfer between worlds. The Demon Realm is a truly new location, unlike any other Goku and his friends have visited, but it may feel a little more familiar to viewers as it echoes elements of a popular genre: the Space Western.

Dragon Ball Daima Embraces Space Western Tropes

The Demon Realm’s alien environment makes Goku a fish out of water

While the Demon Realm may not literally be in space, Goku, Glorio, and the Supreme Kai had to travel through space to get there, and it is fundamentally a foreign world to Goku. The episode borrowed many classic tropes from the Space Western genre – the Demon Realm’s rocky, desert environment, full of floating islands, certainly felt like a Western-style setting on another planet. The town where they disembark has a distinctly Western feel, complete with a bar full of gruff figures who are eager to pick a fight with anyone who looks like a stranger.

The bar itself was certainly reminiscent of the famous Tattoine cantina scene from Star Warsfull of strange figures, none of which look much alike. Glorio, as the group’s pilot and also the most experienced of the group, works well as a sort of stand-in for Han Solo.; he’s quite cautious about his work, just like Han, and quickly proves in the bar scene that he’s not someone to mess with. While Goku may have done most of the fighting, Glorio’s efforts made it clear that he’s been through more than his fair share of hardships and fights over the years.

Much like young Luke, Goku is the eager young man who doesn’t yet know his more experienced partner very well. This, fittingly, would place Supreme Kai in the role of Obi Wan – someone old and wise, who knows more about this world than he lets on, and who intends to guide young Goku on his adventure.

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Borrowing tropes from the Space Western genre in general, and Star Wars in particular, it seems to have really helped Daima establish a unique identity very quickly. The classic Space Western tends to involve a lot of exploration and adventure, which Daima is full of. Having an alien setting that is in some ways familiar and in others completely unfamiliar is a hallmark of the genre, and placing a character like Goku, especially a boy Goku, in that situation ensures that the awe and awe of such a setting are immediately felt. the public.

Goku becomes a point of view character for the audience, experiencing this world for the first time together with them. Even the use of a spaceship for travel helps reinforce the feeling that this is a space Western, especially since vehicle travel is incredibly rare in Europe. Dragon ball in general. This feeling is likely to only increase as Goku and his group move between the three worlds of the Demon Realm, each of which appears to have its own unique attributes and, perhaps, even culture. Goku is likely to encounter all sorts of strange beings on his quest, just like the aliens in a space western.

Bringing in elements from a related genre is quite appropriate, especially since Dragon ball has many science fiction elements, dating back to the arrival of the Saiyans in Dragon Ball Z. It feels like a very natural type of inclusion and helps to further emphasize that Daima It’s all about adventure and not just action. Just like Han, Glory’s mysteries will likely be unraveled as the story continues, explaining why he is the way he is. Dragon Ball Daima embraced its new genre elements without hesitation, and that led to it becoming a distinct new series even with just a few episodes.