Warning: The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball DAIMA up to Episode 12, “True Strength”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Summary
Dragon Ball DAIMAhas packed every single episode with nuggets of information aboutDragon Balllore as it continues to fill the gap betweenDragon Ball ZandDragon Ball Super. The posthumous swan song of Akira Toriyama also feels like a love letter to many aspects of the largerDragon Ballworld which have barely been explored. With a single line from Supreme Demon King Gomah inDragon Ball DAIMA, the unique Third Eye of Tien Shinhan may have gained a surprising origin story.
Originally introduced as part of his very own saga inDragon Ball, Tien Shinhan was once an evil student ofthe Crane School under Master Shen. While he utilized powerful techniques developed under Shen’s training to stand against Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament, there’s no denying Tien’s heritage is a major source of his power. Despite never being explained throughout anyDragon Ballanime, an encyclopedia series published just after theDragon Ballmanga ended its serialization in 1995 offered some clarity about Tien’s history and the source of his Third Eye. TheDaizenshuubooks revealed Tien is a descendant of the Triclops race, also known as the Three-Eyed People, something later confirmed via aDragon Ball ZSeason 4 DVD box-set booklet and in multiple games, andDragon Ball DAIMAhas given a new clue to the origins of Tien’s ancestors.
Dragon Ball DAIMA Hints at Demon Realm Origin for Triclops
Despite plans for it to be the shortest anime series inDragon Ballhistory,DAIMAhas delivered tiny bits of lore at every turn as the intricate details of the Demon Realm have been unveiled. In Episode 9, “Thieves”, one very brief cut away from Earth’s heroes shows Supreme Demon King Gomah being informed of Goku’s progress by Degesu. Gomah began the series by wishing for Goku and friends to be turned into children, butShenron refused to grant more than one wishfor Gomah. Unsurprisingly, Gomah isn’t exactly thrilled to learn miniaturized Goku was still strong enough to defeat Tamagami Number Three and claim the group’s first Demon Realm Dragon Ball.
After hearing the news, Gomah shouts “I knew my first wish should have been for the Third Eye!” Degesu has been ordered away by this point, and it’s a detail the series has yet to explicitly expand on as of Episode 12. However, the newly revealed history ofthe Demon Realmpresents a natural origin for Tien Shinhan’s Triclops ancestry. As Supreme Kai explains, there was once a good Supreme Demon King that ordered Super Majin Rymus to create the multiverse. When Supreme Demon King Dabura’s predecessor Abura took control, his cruelty caused many different races to flee the Demon Realm and seek refuge elsewhere in the universe. This could ultimately mean that the original Triclops race, also known as the Three-Eyed People, were from the Demon Realm.
Gomah shouts “I knew my first wish should have been for the Third Eye!”
In one past interview,Akira Toriyamaexplained “beings with a third eye on their forehead are thought to be godlike and are said to possess the power of true seeing. It seems that Tienshinhan, who was raised by the evil Tsuru-Sen’nin [Crane Hermit], lost the ability to use the myriad powers of his third eye for good purposes.” Even as an Earthling/Triclops hybrid that doesn’t have full control of his third eye, Tien mastered unique fighting techniques that allow him to grow extra arms, split into multiple versions of himself, and shoot eye lasers with all three eyes. Supreme Demon King Gomah doesn’t mention why he intended to wish for a Third Eye, but it’s possible that having done so would grant him the “power of true seeing” that Toriyama once mentioned or even divine “godlike” power.
If the Triclops race did originally come from the Demon Realm, Gomah could know much more about their history and the abilities he might gain access to. As for Tien, this opens up two distinct possibilities for his Triclops origins. If the Triclops race had toflee the Demon Realm during Abura’s reign, it’s possible that some survivors settled on Earth long ago and are the source of Tien’s heritage. On the other hand, the Triclops may have successfully fled to another planet only for some to later settle on Earth. This could make the existence of the true Triclops race still a possibility elsewhere in the multiverse. With at least eight episodes left in the series, fans could learn much more about Tien Shinhan and his mysterious Third Eye asDragon Ball DAIMAcontinues.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Dragon Ball Daima is the latest anime in Akira Toriyama’s legendary franchise. After being transformed into a child, Goku must travel to a new world to try and turn things around.
