Dragon Ball DAIMA reveals a new type of fusion

Important takeaways

• Dragon Ball DAIMA introduces a new concept of fusion using Join Bugs, offering a unique twist to the traditional fusion methods.
• Join Bugs allows two individuals to fuse together temporarily, potentially leading to the creation of an entirely new fighter, adding excitement to the series.
• The concept of fusion via Join Bugs opens up possibilities for fusion with more than two individuals, hinting at new and powerful fighters in the future.

Dragon Ball DAIMA has been an interesting exploration of an aspect of the series created by Akira Toriyama that has not received much attention throughout history, but now that Goku is on a brand new adventure, we can finally learn more about the infamous Demon Realm. In the fourth episode, it is revealed that some practical tools and items found in the “Outer Universe” have counterparts in the Demon Realm, such as the Senzu and even the Dragon Balls themselves.

Among the items shown is a type of bug that, when consumed, allows two users to temporarily fuse together and create a new warrior; a fusion method never before seen in Dragon Ball franchise.

The wonderful world of Medi-Bugs

Something similar to item capsules

In section 4 of Dragon Ball DAIMAGoku, Supreme Kai and Glorio find themselves without transport as Glorio's plane was stolen in the previous episode. They eventually come across a small shop where they can eat and restock, and that's when we're presented with a DAIMA original concept: Medi-Bugs. While Glorio asks the shopkeepers about possible means of air travel, Supreme Kai and Goku search around the shop and find many interesting elements, such as barrels full of dead insects encased in an amber-like substance. The shopkeeper tells you all about Medi-Bugs, items used to deal with various health and status effects in a way comparable to the item capsules seen in various Dragon Ball video games.

There are different types of bugs, such as Achichi Bugs for burns, Zutsu (literally “headache”) Bugs for headaches, Beaut Bugs for cosmetic enhancements, and of course the most interesting of the lot: Join Bugs. When the halves are fed to two individuals, these bugs enable them to become a single individual for an as-yet-undetermined amount of time—a fusion. The concept greatly excited Goku, who eagerly asked Glorio to buy some bugs from the nice old couple. Seeing Goku excited about the weird and colorful treats made it look like he was a kid in a candy store, and we get to see his collection of Medi-Bugs, which interestingly includes two Join Bugs.

What does this mean for the series?

Are we getting another merger?

Considering the fact that each type of fusion in Dragon Ball have different advantages, disadvantages and results, it is not far-fetched to assume that Join Bugs gives rise to a completely different type of fusion than the ones we have seen. They also feature an eye-catching shade of jade green reminiscent of the color of the Potara earrings that were a key feature in the Majin Buu saga. When Goku and Vegeta used Potara in Dragon Ball Zthe Supreme Kai's ignorance led us all to believe that the resulting fusion is permanent; however, this was changed Dragon Ball Super that it was a permanent fusion for divine beings only, and even then Supreme Kai and his close companion Kibito managed to become separate individuals again.

As for Join Bugs, the merger is temporary. The Metamoran fusion method that gives rise to Gotenks in the Buu Saga (and Gogeta in various movies and Dragon Ball GT) comes with Metamoran traditional clothing for the resulting fighter, while the Potara fusion creates a composite outfit that combines elements from both fighters. It is not yet known what kind of traits will appear when using Join Bugs, but looking at the evidence left by past cases of fusion, even if characters that have fused before use them together, it will most likely to give rise to an entirely new fighter, which is an extremely exciting opportunity for the series. What is even more exciting as a possibility is the fact that the instruction manual shows three individuals become a single powerful individual, so if it's anything to go by, fusion via the Join Bug might not even be limited to just two people as fusion material.