22nd Tenkaichi Budokai Average Score - 6.9/10
Now, the Piccolo Daimao Arc.
This arc is one that definitely increased the tension far more than any before it, with a far stronger foe, multiple character deaths and the plot armour that is the Dragon Balls being removed half way through. However, good tension can only mean so much when not coupled with good writing.
One of the main problems is that once Goku encounters Daimao, the arc's general structure becomes a copy of the RRA Arc's Taopaipai segment; Goku encounters an opponent he'd helpless against, goes to Karin and with the help of the water kept there, is able to defeat his opponent. The worst thing about this, however, is that it's far less interesting this time around due to Goku not gaining any sort of new philosophy from this power up and didn't require anywhere close to as much effort as the Choseisui, which wasn't just a plot device like the Choshinsui.
Moreover, Tenshinhan coming to the battle with a cracked Denshi Jar was a big letdown as well. In terms of character stupidity, we also have Karin not noticing Shenron's death, despite watching Roshi and Chaozu's.
However, the arc did indeed have it's good qualities. Piccolo Daimao's ideal of letting humanity reveal their true nature was a very good concept, though we only see it in effect in the anime. The final battle between Goku and Piccolo was also very well executed, being one of the few ocassions wherein the terrain was used to each fighter's advantage. Yajirobe is also one of the most unique characters in the cast, being one of the few who just wants a quiet life away from all the fighting, yet always finds himself roped into it, making him seem very human. The segment with Kami's Temple was also a good power escalation, with Popo presenting that there's always someone stronger, along with his training philosophy of not making unecessary movements being a good step up in Goku's training. However, the Red Ribbon rehashes and Choshinsui asspull make this, for me, the worst arc to have been reviewed thus far.
Score - 5/10
Anime-wise, however, I have far more to praise the arc with, as it fixes a lot of the problems I found with the manga's portrayal. For one, the Choshinsui actually required some effort to obtain, with Goku having to prove his strength of brute force and character. After Daimao's conquest, we also actually see him follow up on his ambitions, such as the purge of martial artists, as well as allowing us to see the effects his lawless society went through. Bringing some old characters such as Suno back was also a good move, since the scenes with Suno's perspective showed a realistic take of the mindset of an average human in this helpless situation. Tenshinhan also doesn't make the dumb mistake of bringing a damaged Denshi Jar, making the fight between he and Drum far more engaging. We also get to see everyone's training, giving us a good sense of their growth.
There's only one main problem I have with this arc's filler. It isn't the Mutaito VS Goku fight, since that could be chalked up as the Pendulum Room likely creating illusions or altered timelines, due to how time travel in Dragon Ball is shown to work in the Cell Arc. My main problem, however, is the stupidity of Yamcha VS Tambourine. Not only does Bulma blurt out their secrets to a very obvious Mazoku, but despite Tambourine being able to easily kill Yamcha, he halts what could only take a second due to Daimao ordering him to go find Goku/Yajirobe. This may be the dumbest section in all of Toei's filler (which says a large amount), but I can somewhat ignore it in favour of the positives they brought the arc.
Anime Score - 6.5/10
