Synopsis: Goku gets back on his feet, still accusing Tenshinhan of using a dirty trick, but Tenshinhan has no idea what he's talking about. Kuririn doesn't know what Goku is getting at either, but Roshi mentally curses Tsuru-sennin. Tenshinhan asks Goku if he's gone crazy and rushes him once more, with Goku rushing to meet him. Before the two can clash however, Tsuru-sennin instructs Chaozu to use his powers again, and Chaozu freezes Goku in place, allowing Tenshinhan's kick alone to connect, sending Goku flying towards the edge of the ring.
It looks like Tenshinhan is about to win by ring out, but at the last second, Goku uses a quick Kamehameha to launch himself into the air, and back into the ring. Goku quickly launches towards Tenshinhan once more, but just like before, Chaozu freezes Goku just before he gets ready to attack, allowing Tenshinhan's punch to connect with Goku's head. This time however, Tenshinhan notices that something is off. As the announcer starts the ten-count, Tsuru-sennin tells Tenshinhan that now's his chance to finish off Goku once and for all. Realizing what's been happening, Tenshinhan mentally tells Chaozu to stop what he's doing and let Goku free, as he doesn't want to win in this way. Chaozu is conflicted between Tenshinhan's request and Tsuru-sennin's orders when Tsuru-sennin tells Tenshinhan not to care about the tournament anymore and to just kill Goku. As the count continues, Tenshinhan remains frozen in the ring, before finally yelling verbally for Chaozu to stop it. The announcer and crowd react with confusion as Goku gets back onto his feet, preparing to rush Tenshinhan again, but Roshi tells Goku to stop as well. Tsuru-sennin curses Tenshinhan for disobeying his master, and Tenshinhan tells him that he wants to win a legitimate match, saying that he doesn't need any help to win this fight. Tsuru-sennin tells Tenshinhan once more to kill Goku, but Tenshinhan tells him that if he does that, he'll never be able to feel like he really won, and that he no longer wants to be an assassin at all. Roshi reacts with pride, but Tsuru-sennin accuses Tenshinhan of having been brainwashed by Kame-sennin, making him forget all that he owes his master for making him into the fighter he is today. Tsuru-sennin snaps and says that he and Chaozu will kill bot of them then, and orders Chaozu to paralyze both Tenshinhan and Goku. Chaozu falters and pleads with Tsuru-sennin, saying that Tenshinhan is fighting at his full strength for the first time, so he wants to see how this fight ends as well. Tsuru-sennin picks up Chaozu and says that everyone who disobeys must die, so he'll start with him then. Tenshinhan screams, but before he can do anything, Roshi tells him to step aside as he launches a Kamehameha from the sidelines that crashes into Tsuru-sennin, forcing him to drop Chaozu and sending him flying far away into the sky. With Tsuru-sennin sent flying away, Roshi cautions them that it'll take more than that to finish him for good, but tells Goku and Tenshinhan that they're now free to fight as they want. Goku apologizes to Tenshinhan for thinking that it was him behind the cheap trick that kept happening, while the audience and announcer are still in a daze over what just happened. Tenshinhan says that now that he's betrayed his master, he truly cannot allow himself to lose, and warns Goku that he'll be finishing the match with his very next attack. Goku prepares to defend himself, while Chaozu gasps and realizes that Tenshinhan must be about to use “that” move. Review: Alas, Tsuru-sennin – we only just met you, and now you're gone. Granted, we've already gotten to know what a terrible person he is, so granted it's fitting that he's dispatched with so we don't have to look at his despicable face anymore. All things told though, it is a little sad that this is pretty much all he amounts to in the end. The Crane Hermit's role in the story was really only to introduce Tenshinhan (and to a far lesser extent Chaozu) as students from a different, rival school to the Turtle style. Toriyama then seemingly came up with the idea of making him Taopaipai's brother as a way to instill further drama in the tournament's proceedings, as well as making it fine to bring back the Dodonpa as another energy attack rather than having to come up with another all new one. I'm not sure at what point it was he decided to also make him a former rival of Roshi's, but with all of these elements coming together, it feels like Tsuru-sennin is being built up to be someone of far greater impact than he ultimately is sadly. I mean, think about it. In an earlier review, I broached the idea of a scenario where the Turtle and Crane rivalries weren't dealt with by the end of the tournament, and thus it became a different sort of drama altogether between them after it's conclusion. In a scenario like that, it would have been pretty easy to see Tsuru-sennin as someone with further story potential, a character that could truly act as a dark counterpoint to Roshi's. With the tournament bringing all of that to rest however, there was really nothing left for the Crane Hermit to be but petty and snide, so once that was no longer useful, he's whisked off the page quicker than he first appeared. It's a bit of a shame, but what can you do? And in all fairness, the story has somewhat suggested that he's Roshi's lesser in terms of power, and considering Roshi himself is now being eclipsed as well, it's likely Toriyama wouldn't have really had much in mind for him past this point anyway. Of course, this won't actually be the last time we see him at all, but more on that when it comes. The fight between Tenshinhan and Goku in this chapter is largely repetitive by design, so there's not really much I can say on it. The real meat of this chapter however is Tenshinhan finally coming into his own and telling Tsuru-sennin to stay out of his affairs, and it's pretty enjoyable, albeit a little abrupt, to see the character mature and become the man we'll know for the rest of the series moving forward. It's almost a whiplash when you really look at how quickly his personality changes here, and made pretty funny when compared to the likes of a similar character we'll meet later on that takes a much, MUCH longer time to change. Tenshinhan ironically loathes this other character despite them sharing these similarities...or maybe it's because of those similarities and he just doesn't realize it or want to admit it? Hmm... And then of course there's Chaozu who, now stripped of everything that made him interesting, is quickly settling into his new permanent role of character with an extreme fondness for Tenshinhan because reasons. Sure hope you guys enjoy hearing them say each other's name back and forth constantly from this point forward – it's gonna border on 'InuYasha!' and 'Kagome!' levels of repetition. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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Synopsis: As Goku and Tenshinhan go at it once again, the announcer remarks that their moves are so fast that nobody can see them with their naked eye. Tenshinhan finally manages to drive Goku back again, but Goku responds by surrounding him with a series of afterimages. Tenshinhan says he won't fall for such an obvious ploy, and attacks the Goku that appears above his head. His kick goes right through the afterimage, and Goku appears from behind him, throwing his own punch at Tenshinhan. That punch likewise passes through Tenshinhan who reveals he left behind an afterimage of his own so that he could get the drop on Goku from behind, only for Tenshinhan's attack to once again pass through an afterimage of Goku's, before a reappearing Goku finally lands a kick on Tenshinhan that knocks him to the ground. As the crowd watches on in shock, Goku lands and explains that he went behind Tenshinhan's going behind him, and a frustrated Tenshinhan climbs back onto his feet. Goku is surprised he wasn't knocked out, but Tenshinhan smiles and says this is the first time anyone's ever hit him like this, and in front of other people no less. He says that playtime is over now and he'll be ending this match with his next attack. He puts his hands beside his face in a familiar maneuver, launching another blinding flash with the Taiyo-ken. With the crowd and his opponent blinded, Tenshinhan rushes in to finish off Goku, only to be surprised when Goku catches his fist and slams a hard punch of his own into Tenshinhan's gut. As Tenshinhan stumbles forward, Goku is revealed to be wearing a pair of sunglasses. Tenshinhan asks him where he got them before falling to the ground seemingly unconscious, and Goku says he borrowed them as Roshi's face is revealed, sans sunglasses. As the announcer starts the ten count, Goku walks over to give Roshi back his sunglasses, with his master praising both his speed and his quick thinking. The ten count suddenly stops at seven however, and Tenshinhan viciously strikes Goku against the wall, breaking Roshi's sunglasses in the process. Goku once again praises Tenshinhan's toughness, and Tenshinhan tells him not to get excited just because he was momentarily careless. As Roshi bemoans the loss of his shades, a stoic Tsuru-sennin watches quietly. Goku says he'll knock Tenshinhan down for real this time, and Tenshinhan challenges him to do so. Kuririn meanwhile notices that this is the first time he's ever seen his master without sunglasses, and can't help but notice that his eyes look kind of familiar, prompting Roshi to tell him to pay more attention to the match than his master's eyes. As Goku and Tenshinhan once again rush towards each other, Goku leaps into the air to attack, but suddenly finds himself frozen in place. Seeing an opening, Tenshinhan slams Goku with a powerful punch, knocking him back down to the ground much to Roshi and Kuririn's surprise. As Goku tries to get up, he accuses Tenshinhan of doing something cheap, with Tenshinhan having no idea what he's talking about. From the audience however, Tsuru-sennin chuckles. Review: While the fight continues to go back and forth, it's already starting to look like Goku might have the edge after all, a fact that isn't lost on their two watching mentors, especially that crafty bird Tsuru-sennin. But more on that in the next chapter, for now the fight itself continues to be incredibly entertaining to read through. That said, man did I not relish trying to describe the almost Naruto-esque afterimage exchange between Goku and Tenshinhan. I promise you it is far more exciting to see in motion – er, in comic form rather (though I'm sure the anime version is even more impressive) – than it is to read my description, so at least go check out the first couple of pages of this chapter if nothing else, because while it's hell to try to describe, it's really, really fun to see for yourself. Even Toriyama seems to have had more fun drawing it than trying to explain it, as even Goku's explanation after the fact is pretty stilted. We finally get the return of the Taiyo-ken as well, and like with Kamehameha's being useless on Tenshinhan, Goku quickly proves that move won't work on him anymore either – though his defense against it is almost definitely cheating. Remember how in the first tournament, Goku should have been disqualified at least twice over, first in his fight against Giran (where he used kinto'un) and again in the final match (where he turned Oozaru and almost definitely stepped outside of the ring)? Well, here he does it again by grabbing Roshi's sunglasses. It's arguable that he never left the ring during that moment, as we see him handing Roshi's glasses back to him without leaving it, but that's still an outside item. It's not a weapon, but given what it's defending against, it's arguable that it counts as body armor I would think, not to mention that his master just so happens to be standing close enough (in an area he's not supposed to be no less) for him to borrow them without leaving the ring, and just so happens to be wearing sunglasses in the first place (the fact that he always wears them aside). This time though, not even a word is said about Goku potentially breaking any rules, so I guess this really may as well be the Anything Goes Martial-Arts Tournament. If Ranma doesn't enter next, I'm gonna be really disappointed. I do find it pretty funny though that even now, Roshi is still dead set on keeping it secret that he was Jackie Chun all along. As it stands, I'm pretty sure the only people other than himself that know are Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Tsuru-sennin (oh, and Nam from the previous tournament), and that's pretty much how it'll remain for the rest of the series moving forward. Watching this back and forth with Goku and his student, Tsuru-sennin seems to be up to something, though we're not made privy to exactly what just yet. If it weren't for the lack of dialogue from him coupled with Tenshinhan's surprise rather than amusement at Goku's accusation of cheating, one would almost think that Tenshinhan just had another trick up his sleeve, or his blows had been doing more damage to Goku all along than we'd previously thought, or the like. But nope, with that mischievous grin on his face ending the chapter, there's no doubt that he's up to something dirty. Just a different kind of dirty than Roshi's dirty. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The Rebirth of Tenshinhan Synopsis: Tenshinhan says he's been saving a special move to finish Goku off with, and while Chaozu wonders if it's 'that' move, Tsuru-sennin chuckles and says Goku's finished. Roshi and Kuririn watch with dismay as they wonder what Tenshinhan has planned. Tenshinhan promptly tosses Goku into the air, and announces that it's time for the 'Volleyball play'. After his face momentarily takes on an out-of-character goofy look, Tenshinhan rushes forward, hitting Goku just before he could touch the ground, followed by striking him further into the air with both his palms once Goku started to fall back a second time. Tenshinhan finishes by leaping into the air, passing Goku, and then spiking the boy back into the floor of the ring like a volleyball.
Tenshinhan lands and smirks as Tsuru-sennin thinks Goku must surely be dead, but much to everyone's surprise, Goku hops right back onto his feet. Goku says he's impressed by how strong Tenshinhan really is, and Tenshinhan likewise praises Goku's resilience. Goku says he thinks Tenshinhan wouldn't die even if Goku hit him at full power, and says he thinks he'll start going all out after all. Tenshinhan scoffs and says Goku's already been going all out, but Goku says that's only been at his 'tournament' level of power – now he's going to be coming at Tenshinhan at his 'battle' level. As Kuririn and Roshi try to figure out what Goku means, Tenshinhan accuses Goku of playing around and tells him to strike when he's ready. Goku takes Tenshinhan up on this, rushing in faster than Tenshinhan can react and punching him square in the face before following up with a ferocious series of punches and finally a kick that sends Tenshinhan flying backwards. Goku isn't done yet however, and quickly leaps after Tenshinhan, diving into the area between his opponent's body and the ring and kicking Tenshinhan up into the sky. Goku readies a Kamehameha to fire at his opponent's unguarded back...but stops, deciding against it. As Tenshinhan lands back in the ring, winded now, Goku chuckles and says he must have really felt that one. Tenshinhan laughs as well and says that he's happy to find out that there's someone out there like Goku who can truly challenge him and says that winning against someone like Goku will make his victory all the more sweet. Kuririn says that Goku was foolish to stop without firing his Kamehameha, but Roshi says it's the opposite – Goku's looking ahead, and saw that the Kamehameha would be easily dodged by Tenshinhan and ultimately just waste energy that he'd need to keep fighting, as this match is sure to be a long one. Both fighters then clash once more with renewed vigor. Review: This chapter is more excellent fighting that I cannot recommend highly enough that people check out for themselves, but it does give us a few new elements worth talking about as well in-between and sometimes even through the fighting itself. Let's start by talking about the Volleyball play. I love the Volleyball play. It's so ridiculously stupid that it almost comes off as cool, and is made even more so by the fact that it's being done by someone as grim serious as Tenshinhan, especially the Tenshinhan we've had up to this point. The face he makes is just pure comedy gold, and it's surprising that he's seemingly not embarrassed by it in any way given how stoic he usually is. The fact that it's meant to be a fight-ending maneuver as well is pretty entertaining – maybe the idea is that usually nobody that sees the face lives to tell of it. That sounds like a thing assassin's would do or say, right? The move of course does fail to kill Goku, but it does succeed in drawing Goku out of his 'tournament mode', revealing that he'd been operating at less than full capacity this entire time. On the one hand, this almost seems kind of dirty of Goku after he promised Kuririn that he would go all out only for it to turn out that Goku was holding back this entire time. At the same time however, this new level of 'power' Goku brings out doesn't seem to greatly change his tactics or maneuvers, just how hard he's hitting. While that's definitely holding back in one way, it's kind of hard to say if he was truly being deceptive about it or not given how his reasoning for bringing it out now is worded. Goku refers to this full strength as 'battle mode', and he only brings it out because he can tell Tenshinhan is hitting to kill and likewise durable enough not to be killed that easily himself. Hitting someone with the intent to knock them out versus hitting them with the intent to kill are two radically different things, and not doing the latter isn't necessarily the same thing as holding back in a sense, so...honestly, this is a little bit debatable I'd say. At least, going off of just this match alone, anyway. A far later story point will directly show Goku holding back rather than going all out, and that doesn't even have the excuse of being a tournament match where he has to worry about disqualification, so it's definitely something in Goku's character as well, so...take what you will away from this dialogue. Whether he was holding back before in terms of pure power or not aside, Goku does specifically hold back once in this chapter by choosing not to fire a Kamehameha at Tenshinhan, and this time it's definitely a calm and calculated maneuver. Just as Kuririn has been showing he's grown to be a fighter that can think as well as punch, Goku likewise is finally getting to show how much he's matured since the last time we saw him, and it's great to see. Goku might not be intelligent in the traditional sense, but there's no denying that few are as smart as him when it comes to thinking on the fly in the middle of a fight. Two chapters in and this fight is still just barely getting going, but it's already just as entertaining if not more so than any fight we've yet had in the series – definitely a sign that what's to come is going to be even better yet. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: As the announcer goes over how amazing Goku and Tenshinhan are to have made it this far, Roshi decides he wants to watch this match from closer up and leaps over the barrier to join Kuririn's side. Kuririn tells them the area is supposed to be off-limits to everyone except contestants, but Roshi says nobody will even know, and tells him to watch this match very closely, as they may never see a fight quite like this ever again. In the audience, Chaozu asks Tsuru-sennin if he thinks Tenshinhan will win, and the Crane Hermit tells him that Tenshinhan has no choice – to avenge Taopaipai's death and to defeat one of the Turtle School disciples, Tenshinhan has to win.
The match starts with Goku and Tenshinhan immediately rushing in and exchanging blows. Goku briefly gains the upper hand by wrapping his tail around the taller boy's legs to dodge and strike back with an uppercut, but Tenshinhan quickly evades a follow-up blow by rebounding into the air. Goku follows after by launching a kick towards him, but Tenshinhan quickly fires a Dodonpa, knocking Goku out of the air and sending him crashing back down into the ring. Tenshinhan lands with a smirk, but Goku recovers quickly, leaping out of the hole and rushing towards his opponent once more. This time however, Goku disappears like he did in his fight with Kuririn. Tenshinhan listens to the tapping noise of Goku's feet and watches carefully before striking to the side with a brutal chop that catches a reappearing Goku in the side of the head. Roshi watches in shock as Tenshinhan says such a childish trick would never work on him, and he mercilessly slams Goku into the ring's side-wall with an elbow strike before continuing to pummel him with rapid-fire blows. As Tsuru-sennin laughs, Roshi compares the speed of Tenshinhan's attacks to a machine gun's fire. Tenshinhan finishes his assault by knocking Goku over the head, but he grabs the front of Goku's shirt to keep him from falling to the ground. Holding him up in the air, Tenshinhan says the match is finished, and hopes that Goku enjoys the afterlife whether he ends up in heaven or hell. Review: The final match of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai doesn't waste any time getting to the really high-octane fighting we'd expect from it, and honestly it's pretty wise that Toriyama chose to just get right to it this way. As I said at the end of the last chapter, things have already been built up about as high as they can at this point, and we're well aware of the basics of what both fighters are capable of – there's no real reason to hold punches in regards to what we can expect to see. The fight even manages to throw at least one slight new thing at us by nonchalantly revealing that Tenshinhan does indeed know the Dodonpa, though that's far from surprising at this point. What does come off as at least slightly surprising is that Goku is already forced to resort to what he considered a last-ditch 'dirty trick' against Kuririn for doing something cheap as well, the difference here being however that Tenshinhan is not Kuririn and sees right through it. On the one hand, it's somewhat stupid of Goku to try the same trick right away and expect to have the same results, but on the other hand, I doubt he expected it to win the fight outright by any means. This also allows Toriyama to show that there's not going to be a cheap or easy victory this time around – it's going to come down to who can deal out the most damage and who can endure the fight the longest, and after having Goku ride high for the entirety of the tournament up to this point, it's finally him who's the underdog again, at least based on the initial conflict. And once again, I find myself recommending people check out the chapter for themselves as well, because Toriyama's action drawings just keep getting better and better, and leaving me less to comment on until the actual story around the fighting kicks in again. Which given the way things have been going lately, will probably be sooner rather than later. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Kuririn is certain that the match is his now that he's managed to grab Goku's tail, a sentiment that Roshi agrees with though finds a little disappointing that their match has to end in such a manner. Goku falls to the floor of the ring as his energy drains away, and Tenshinhan smirks while watching and realizing that even someone like Goku has an Achilles Heel. Realizing the championship match will be between him and Kuririn now instead, Tenshinhan thinks how easy his win is going to be, but to everyone's surprise, Goku leaps back onto his feet just before the ten count finishes. Kuririn watches in confusion as Goku stands back up, and is unable to prevent himself from being flipped onto the ground by the tail. As Kuririn gets back up, he says he was sure that Goku lost all his strength when his tail was squeezed, but Goku explains that he'd spent the last three years training his tail as well as himself after Roshi said he should, so now he can handle his tail being squeezed no problem. Roshi vaguely remembers mentioning that to Goku, but he's astonished that the boy was able to do it in such a short period of time and so effectively to boot. He thinks that Goku might not have any weaknesses left at this point. In the ring, Kuririn pretends to see something in the distance, distracting Goku and allowing him to quickly strike him in the face with his elbow, causing Roshi to surmise that Goku still has at least one weakness – he's way too honest and trusting. Goku accuses Kuririn of using a cheap move, but Kuririn insists that there are no cheap moves in battle. Goku smirks and says okay, and before Kuririn can ask him what he means by that, Goku disappears. Kuririn looks to the air, but Goku is nowhere to be seen. The announcer and the crowd look around as well, unable to locate Goku, until a faint tapping sound can suddenly be heard from within the ring. Roshi says he can't see Goku either, but he can still feel his presence. Tenshinhan says Goku hasn't vanished however – he simply can't be seen by anyone except him with his third eye, and even then he can just barely make out what Goku is doing, leaping back and forth in front of Kuririn at an incredible speed, slowly but surely approaching him. Goku reappears just in front of Kuririn's face suddenly, making a face and saying 'Boo!'. This shocks Kuririn into being off-guard, and Goku swiftly strikes his friend, knocking him into the air and out of the ring. The announcer declares Gou the winner by ring-out, and the crowd bemoans what a lame ending the match has, while Tenshinhan notes that none of them could see the carefully controlled blows Goku used to expend just enough force to knock his friend out of the ring. Tsuru-sennin is loathe to admit it, but he thinks to himself that he can easily see now how this boy may have been strong enough to defeat his brother, while Roshi thinks that there's a good chance that Goku has truly surpassed him by a wide margin at this point. Goku hops out of the ring and apologizes to Kuririn for beating him, but Kuririn just wants to know how in the heck Goku manages to disappear and reappear like that, so Goku promises to show him later. The announcer says the next match is the championship one and asks Goku if he'd like to rest first, but Goku says he's ready to go whenever. The announcer calls for the final match of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai to begin and the crowd goes wild for the fight they're about to see. Kuririn tells Goku not to lose to that jerk, and Tenshinhan thinks to himself that he might just get an enjoyable fight out of this tournament after all. Review: And just as foretold, this match ultimately went the way we all knew it was going to. That said though, I'm probably being a little too presumptuous when I say that. While there are a lot of moments where I use the gift of knowing where the series is ultimately going to pinpoint certain moments in the plot that are of interest, a lot of what I try to do when reviewing these chapters is to try and put myself in the mind of someone who is only coming to this series for the very first time. In particular, I try to imagine what a young reader in Japan may have been feeling or thinking when a chapter first came out originally, and there WERE no further chapters or episodes to go off of. In the vein of that, while I still think most people were probably pretty sure Goku was going to win this match, I can't say with certainty that the end of the previous chapter and the start of this one didn't leave at least a little bit of wiggle room for surprises. Yes, it would have ultimately been disappointing to see Goku not get to the final round when he managed to do so the first time around. But keep in mind, Goku losing that first tournament at all was a fairly surprising choice for Toriyama to make – who's to say he wouldn't make another surprising choice here, and have Goku lose even earlier than he had before, just to prove a point about how he still had more room to grow, in regards particularly to his weak point? It would have been possible to have Kuririn go to the finals, most likely lose to Tenshinhan, and then Goku and Tenshinhan's ultimate match not even be a tournament fight at all, but something that happens after the tournament is said and done. There were ample possibilities for something like that to happen here and surprise us, so in all fairness, I'm probably letting my knowledge of where everything goes seep in a little too much in regards to this tournament. Such a route may have been unpopular however, and as we can see, Toriyama elected to go the more obvious route this particular time, and Goku's tail issue is already a non-entity. It's not too surprising to see Goku take the lesson about his weakness to heart either, given that it was a lesson driven in by his grandpa and reitterated to him after the fact by his master. It does pretty much take care of any physical weaknesses left for his character as well, which is a good thing from Goku's prespective, but potentially a bad one from a writer's one – Toriyama is quick to remedy that by assuring us that Goku is still Goku however, and thus pretty gullible and apt to fall for tricks. There's also always the possibility of someone just flat-out being stronger than him too, so it's not like Goku's set up as being completely invincible either. Removing the weak point of Goku's tail also fully gets rid of any reason for the character to need to be tailless as well. With no moon, he won't ever be able to transform into an Oozaru again; and with no weakness from it being grabbed, it won't ever be an issue in battle for him ever again either, if anything it'll be an asset by giving him one more opposable limb to use compared to his opponents. No, the most iconic part of Goku's design other than his hair should now be safe from ever having to be removed from him ever again...which is of course highly ironic to anyone that like me knows where things are going after this point. With his final gamble removed however, Kuririn is left with no choice but to play a little dirty, and it's fittingly that moment that leads to his loss here, as him doing so leaves Goku not feeling the need to hold back from using his own tricks against him. The idea of characters moving faster than others can see is one we've seen before (as well as one we'll see plenty of times after this too), and while there is the added benefit of other strong characters being unable to see them, plus the three-eyed Tenshinhan almost being unable to as well, it is a little easy to sympathize with the audience about this being an underwhelming ending to the fight. We've even seen Goku striking faster than can be seen before too, and recently to boot with King Chappa. As good as this fight is, it does come to a rather abrupt end, and I'm not really sure what could be done to make it any better while also still fitting with the characters involved. For better or worse, Toriyama got everything he could out of this fight, so he simply ended it so he could move on to the next, even better one. And it's definitely being hyped up as a match we're supposed to be excited to see. We've seen how strong both Goku and Tenshinhan are; we've stoked rivalry between the two rival schools on a grand scale, based both in the past between Kame-sennin and Tsuru-sennin, and more in the present and personally with Goku's outrage at Tenshinhan breaking Yamcha's leg; and we've seen a little bit of Roshi's hopes for Tenshinhan clashing with Tenshinhan's own beliefs and ideals about himself – the drama couldn't be any higher if it tried, so it's time to finally let it loose before the dam breaks. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The finals at last – Goku V.S. Tenshinhan! Manga
Dragon Ball: Chapter 1: Bloomers and the Monkey King Dragon Ball: Chapter 2: No Balls! Dragon Ball: Chapter 3: Sea Monkeys Dragon Ball: Chapter 4: They Call Him...the Turtle Hermit! Dragon Ball: Chapter 5: Oo! Oo! Oolong! Dragon Ball: Chapter 6: So Long, Oolong! Dragon Ball: Chapter 7: Yamcha and Puar Dragon Ball: Chapter 8: One, Two, Yamcha-cha! Dragon Ball: Chapter 9: Dragon Balls in Danger! Dragon Ball: Chapter 10: Onward to Fry-Pan... Dragon Ball: Chapter 11: ...And Into the Fire! Dragon Ball: Chapter 12: In Search of Kame-sennin Dragon Ball: Chapter 13: Fanning the Flame Dragon Ball: Chapter 14: Kamehameha!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 15: At Sixes and Sevens Dragon Ball: Chapter 16: One Goal, One Enemy Dragon Ball: Chapter 17: Carrot Top Dragon Ball: Chapter 18: Who's Got My Balls?! Dragon Ball: Chapter 19: At Last...the Dragon! Dragon Ball: Chapter 20: Just One Wish!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 21: Full Moon Dragon Ball: Chapter 22: The End of the Tale Dragon Ball: Chapter 23: Separate Ways Dragon Ball: Chapter 24: The High Price of Education Dragon Ball: Chapter 25: A Rival Arrives! Dragon Ball: Chapter 26: Who's That Girl? Dragon Ball: Chapter 27: Nothing to Sneeze At Dragon Ball: Chapter 28: Let the Training Begin! Dragon Ball: Chapter 29: Bad Day at Turtle Rock Dragon Ball: Chapter 30: Milk Run Dragon Ball: Chapter 31: It Only Gets Harder Dragon Ball: Chapter 32: Let the Tournament Begin! Dragon Ball: Chapter 33: Hard Work Pays!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 34: Strongest Under the Heavens Dragon Ball: Chapter 35: The Battle is Set Dragon Ball: Chapter 36: Match No. 1 Dragon Ball: Chapter 37: Match No. 2 Dragon Ball: Chapter 38: Water and Cheesecake Dragon Ball: Chapter 39: Monster Smash! Dragon Ball: Chapter 40: The Tail of Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 41: Kuririn V.S. Jackie Chun Dragon Ball: Chapter 42: The Big Fight Dragon Ball: Chapter 43: The Mysterious Jackie Chun Dragon Ball: Chapter 44: The Name of the Game is Namu Dragon Ball: Chapter 45: Taking the Air Dragon Ball: Chapter 46: The Final Match Dragon Ball: Chapter 47: The Kamehameha Dragon Ball: Chapter 48: One Lucky Monkey Dragon Ball: Chapter 49: The Big Sleep Dragon Ball: Chapter 50: Jackie's Shocking Secret Dragon Ball: Chapter 51: And the Crowd Goes Wild!!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 52: The Climax Approaches Dragon Ball: Chapter 53: The Final Blow Dragon Ball: Chapter 54: On the Road Again Dragon Ball: Chapter 55: The Red Ribbon Dragon Ball: Chapter 56: The Dragon Ball Scramble Dragon Ball: Chapter 57: The Storming of Muscle Tower Dragon Ball: Chapter 58: The Flexing of Muscle Tower Dragon Ball: Chapter 59: Devil on the Third Floor Dragon Ball: Chapter 60: Purple People Beater Dragon Ball: Chapter 61: The 4 1/2 Tatami Mat Flip Dragon Ball: Chapter 62: The Ninja Split! Dragon Ball: Chapter 63: Mechanical Man No. 8 Dragon Ball: Chapter 64: The Horrible...Jiggler! Dragon Ball: Chapter 65: How to Unjiggle a Jiggler Dragon Ball: Chapter 66: Muscle Tower's Final Hour Dragon Ball: Chapter 67: Go West, Young Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 68: Monkey in the City Dragon Ball: Chapter 69: Bulma and Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 70: Bulma's Big Mistake!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 71: The Turtle is Spotted! Dragon Ball: Chapter 72: The Blue Meanies Dragon Ball: Chapter 73: The Wrong Turtle to Mess With Dragon Ball: Chapter 74: The Pirates' Trap Dragon Ball: Chapter 75: Robot in Waiting! Dragon Ball: Chapter 76: The Treasure! Dragon Ball: Chapter 77: Bright Blue's Eyes Dragon Ball: Chapter 78: The Great Escape! Dragon Ball: Chapter 79: Run, Run, Run!!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 80: The Three Stolen Dragon Balls Dragon Ball: Chapter 81: Chased to Penguin Village! Dragon Ball: Chapter 82: The Broken Dragon Radar Dragon Ball: Chapter 83: The Stolen Dragon Radar Dragon Ball: Chapter 84: The Karin Sanctuary Dragon Ball: Chapter 85: Taopaipai the Assassin Dragon Ball: Chapter 86: The Devastating Dodon-pa!!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 87: The Great Climb Dragon Ball: Chapter 88: Sage of the Karin Tower Dragon Ball: Chapter 89: A Drink of Water Dragon Ball: Chapter 90: Son Goku Strikes Back! Dragon Ball: Chapter 91: Battle in the Sanctuary!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 92: Taopaipai at the Brink Dragon Ball: Chapter 93: Goku's Charge Dragon Ball: Chapter 94: Attack from the Sky! Dragon Ball: Chapter 95: The Fall of Commander Red Dragon Ball: Chapter 96: The Triumph! Dragon Ball: Chapter 97: The Lost Dragon Ball Dragon Ball: Chapter 98: The All-Seeing Crone Dragon Ball: Chapter 99: The Five Champions Dragon Ball: Chapter 100: Battle of the Bleeders Dragon Ball: Chapter 101: The Devil's Cesspool Dragon Ball: Chapter 102: Goku at the Plate! Dragon Ball: Chapter 103: The Power of Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 104: The Beam of Evil Dragon Ball: Chapter 105: The Last Champion Dragon Ball: Chapter 106: Strong V.S. Strong Dragon Ball: Chapter 107: To Win by a Tail Dragon Ball: Chapter 108: Son Gohan Dragon Ball: Chapter 109: A Second Helping of Pilaf Dragon Ball: Chapter 110: The Pilaf Machine Dragon Ball: Chapter 111: Reenter the Dragon Dragon Ball: Chapter 112: Go, Goku, Go! Dragon Ball: Chapter 113: Return to the Tournament Dragon Ball: Chapter 114: The Qualifiying Rounds Dragon Ball: Chapter 115: King Chappa Dragon Ball: Chapter 116: The Doctored Lottery Dragon Ball: Chapter 117: Yamcha's Kamehameha! Dragon Ball: Chapter 118: The Cruelty of Tenshinhan Dragon Ball: Chapter 119: The Full Moon Grudge Dragon Ball: Chapter 120: Look Out! The Dodon Blast! Dragon Ball: Chapter 121: Kuririn's Master Plan Dragon Ball: Chapter 122: Goku V.S. Panput Dragon Ball: Chapter 123: Tenshihan V.S. Jackie Chun Dragon Ball: Chapter 124: Young Tenshinhan Dragon Ball: Chapter 125: Goku V.S. Kuririn Dragon Ball: Chapter 126: Goku V.S. Kuririn, Part 2 Dragon Ball: Chapter 127: Goku V.S. Kuririn, Part 3 Dragon Ball: Chapter 128: Goku V.S. Tenshinhan Dragon Ball: Chapter 129: The Volleyball Play Dragon Ball: Chapter 130: The Fist of the Sun Dragon Ball: Chapter 131: Tsuru-sennin Dragon Ball: Chapter 132: The Arms Race Dragon Ball: Chapter 133: Desperation Move Dragon Ball: Chapter 134: Up in the Air Dragon Ball: Chapter 135: The Death of Kuririn Dragon Ball: Chapter 136: Target: Tenkaichi Budokai Dragon Ball: Chapter 137: We Need You, Goku! Dragon Ball: Chapter 138: The Weirdo with the Ball Dragon Ball: Chapter 139: Yajirobe's Prey Dragon Ball: Chapter 140: The Martial Arts Hunter Dragon Ball: Chapter 141: Goku V.S. Tambourine Dragon Ball: Chapter 142: Piccolo Descends! Dragon Ball: Chapter 143: Goku V.S. The Demon King Dragon Ball: Chapter 144: Goku...Loses? Dragon Ball: Chapter 145: The Muten Roshi's Decision Dragon Ball: Chapter 146: The Mafuba Dragon Ball: Chapter 147: The Demon King of Old...Restored! Dragon Ball: Chapter 148: Go Ask Karin! Dragon Ball: Chapter 149: World Domination Dragon Ball: Chapter 150: Karin's Quandary Dragon Ball: Chapter 151: The Superest Super Water!!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 152: Piccolo's World Dragon Ball: Chapter 153: Tenshinhan's Resolve Dragon Ball: Chapter 154: Tenshinhan V.S. Drum Dragon Ball: Chapter 155: Guess Who's Back? Dragon Ball: Chapter 156: Fury Dragon Ball: Chapter 157: The Immortal Battle Dragon Ball: Chapter 158: Goku's Greatest Crisis! Dragon Ball: Chapter 159: The Blasted Earth Dragon Ball: Chapter 160: Goku's Final Gamble Dragon Ball: Chapter 161: The Fist of Son Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 162: The Nyoibo's Secret Dragon Ball: Chapter 163: The Sanctuary of Kami-sama Dragon Ball: Chapter 164: Enter God Dragon Ball: Chapter 165: Shenlong Resurrected! Dragon Ball: Chapter 166: The Reunion Dragon Ball: Chapter 167: New Challengers Dragon Ball: Chapter 168: The Eight Finalists Dragon Ball: Chapter 169: Tenshinhan V.S. Taopaipai Dragon Ball: Chapter 170: The Assassin's Struggles Dragon Ball: Chapter 171: Goku Gets Married! Dragon Ball: Chapter 172: Kuririn V.S. Demon Junior Dragon Ball: Chapter 173: Kuririn V.S. Demon Junior, Part 2 Dragon Ball: Chapter 174: Yamcha V.S. Shen Dragon Ball: Chapter 175: "Shen" Dragon Ball: Chapter 176: Goku V.S. Tenshinhan Dragon Ball: Chapter 177: Goku V.S. Tenshinhan, Part 2 Dragon Ball: Chapter 178: Tenshinhans Secret Move! Dragon Ball: Chapter 179: The Two Weak Points Dragon Ball: Chapter 180: Kami-sama V.S. The Demon King Dragon Ball: Chapter 181: God's Miscalculation Dragon Ball: Chapter 182: The Fated Showdown! Dragon Ball: Chapter 183: Testing the Waters Dragon Ball: Chapter 184: The Real Fight Dragon Ball: Chapter 185: The Super Kamehameha Dragon Ball: Chapter 186: Panic at the Tenkaichi Budokai Dragon Ball: Chapter 187: Piccolo's Super Gigantification Spell Dragon Ball: Chapter 188: Goku's Fight Dragon Ball: Chapter 189: The Demon King's Final Gamble Dragon Ball: Chapter 190: Piccolo Destroys Everything! Dragon Ball: Chapter 191: The 10 Count Dragon Ball: Chapter 192: The Last Gasp! Dragon Ball: Chapter 193: The Fate of the Strongest Dragon Ball: Chapter 194: The Gift of the Dragon Balls Dragon Ball: Chapter 195: The Mysterious Warrior from Space Dragon Ball: Chapter 196: Kakarot Dragon Ball: Chapter 197: Tails of Future Not-Quite-Past Dragon Ball: Chapter 198: An Enemy in Common Dragon Ball: Chapter 199: An Unexpected Strength Dragon Ball: Chapter 200: Nothing Up My Sleeve Dragon Ball: Chapter 201: Piccolo's Farewell to Arms?! Dragon Ball: Chpater 202: A Surprise Appearance Dragon Ball: Chapter 203: Goku's Last Chance Dragon Ball: Chpater 204: Sayonara, Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 205: A Warrior in Hell Dragon Ball: Chapter 206: Gohan and Piccolo Dragon Ball: Chapter 207: Son Gohan, the Inconsolable Dragon Ball: Chapter 208: Deeds Done by the Full Moon Dragon Ball: Chapter 209: Goku and Gohan's Training Begins!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 210: Masters and Students Dragon Ball: Chapter 211: The Hardest Time of His Death Dragon Ball: Chapter 212: Closer...Closer Dragon Ball: Chapter 213: The Day of the Saiyans Dragon Ball: Chapter 214: Let the Games Begin! Dragon Ball: Chapter 215: One Down... Dragon Ball: Chapter 216: Heroes in Terror Dragon Ball: Chapter 217: Hope Runs Out Dragon Ball: Chapter 218: The Last Blast Dragon Ball: Chapter 219: Goku, Hurry! Dragon Ball: Chapter 220: Back from the Other Side Dragon Ball: Chapter 221: The Time Draws Near... Dragon Ball: Chapter 222: The Death of a God!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 223: Piccolo's Last Stand Dragon Ball: Chapter 224: The Quiet Wrath of Son Goku Dragon Ball: Chapter 225: Vengeance Dragon Ball: Chapter 226: The Mystery of the Kaio-ken Dragon Ball: Chapter 227: The Last of Nappa Dragon Ball: Chapter 228: Mano a Maniac!! Dragon Ball: Chapter 229: The Decisive Battle at Last! Dragon Ball: Chapter 230: Too Much Power? Dragon Ball: Chapter 231: Battle in the Red Zone! Dragon Ball: Chapter 232: The Moon Dragon Ball: Chapter 233: The Energy Sphere Dragon Ball: Chapter 234: All That Power Dragon Ball: Chapter 235: The Last Heartbeat Dragon Ball: Chapter 236: Least Resistance Dragon Ball: Chapter 237: Once More...the Sphere! Dragon Ball: Chapter 238: The Hopes of a Planet Dragon Ball: Chapter 239: The Worn-Out Warriors Dragon Ball: Chapter 240: Monkey in the Moon Dragon Ball: Chapter 241: Goku's Request Anime Dragon Ball Dragon Ball: Episode 29: Another Adventure - The Wandering Lake Dragon Ball: Episode 30: Pilaf and the Mysterious Army Dragon Ball: Episode 31: Yikes! A Fake Goku Appears!! Dragon Ball: Episode 32: Vanished?! The Flying Fortress in the Sky Dragon Ball: Episode 33: Legend of the Dragon Dragon Ball: Episode 42: Imminent Danger!! Go for It, Ha-chan Dragon Ball: Episode 44: Goku, Friends, and Tons of Danger Dragon Ball: Episode 45: Watch Out! A Mid-Air Trap Dragon Ball: Episode 79: Kinkaku and Ginkaku's Man-Eating Gourd Dragon Ball: Episode 80: A Crucial, Honorable Match! Goku V.S. Ten Long Dragon Ball: Episode 81: Goku Goes to the Demon Realm Dragon Ball: Episode 82: The Violent Monster Inoshikacho Dragon Ball: Episode 83: Hurry Goku! The Tenkaichi Budokai Dragon Ball: Episode 107: Son Goku - An Explosion of Anger!! Dragon Ball: Episode 115: Get Your Hands On It! The Mysterious Super God Water Dragon Ball: Episode 116: Kame-sennin's Alive?! Dragon Ball: Episode 127: Faster Than Lightning Dragon Ball: Episode 128: As Quietly As the Sky Dragon Ball: Episode 129: Time Traveling Goku Dragon Ball: Episode 130: Goku's Opponent is...Goku?! Dragon Ball: Episode 131: Each On His Own Path Dragon Ball: Episode 132: Hotter Than Magma Dragon Ball: Episode 149: The Wedding Dress in Flames Dragon Ball: Episode 150: The Phantom Fire-Eating Bird Dragon Ball: Episode 151: Thanks to Chi Chi's Bridal Training Dragon Ball: Episode 152: Hurry, Goku! The Mysterious Mountain of the Five Elements Dragon Ball: Episode 153: Mount Frypan Burns! An Intense Do-or-Die Journey Dragon Ball Z Dragon Ball Z: Episode 9: Sorry, Robot-san - The Desert of Vanishing Tears Dragon Ball Z: Episode 10: Don't Cry, Gohan! His First Fight Dragon Ball Z: Episode 11: The Saiyans, Mightiest Warriors in the Universe, Awaken! Dragon Ball Z: Episode 12: Catnap on the Serpentine Road - Goku Takes a Tumble Dragon Ball Z: Episode 13: Hands Off! Yama-sama's Secret Fruit Dragon Ball Z: Episode 14: Such Sweet Temptation! The Snake Princess-sama's Hospitality Dragon Ball Z: Episode 15: Escape from Piccolo! Gohan Summons a Storm Dragon Ball Z: Episode 16: Run, Gohan! Longing for Mount Paozu, Where Chi Chi is Waiting Dragon Ball Z: Episode 17: City of No Tomorrow! The Long Road to Victory Dragon Ball Z: Episode 20: The Saiyan Legend Reborn! Goku's Roots Films & Specials Dragon Ball Dragon Ball: Movie 1: The Legend of Shenlong Dragon Ball: Movie 2: The Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle Dragon Ball: Movie 3: A Mystical Great Adventure Dragon Ball Z Dragon Ball Z: Movie 01: Return My Gohan! Dragon Ball Z: Movie 02: The World's Strongest Guy Dragon Ball Z: Movie 03: A Super Decisive Battle for Earth REVIEWS Chapter 1: The Red Huntress Chapter 2: Dodou & Naraoia Chapter 3: Of Werewolves and Hunters Chapter 4: Plans Chapter 5: Smoke Signal Chapter 6: Beginning of Part 2: The Outside World Chapter 7: The Ironworks Chapter 8: Hot-Blooded Debonair Chapter 9: The Exam Begins Chapter 10: The Six's Plan Chapter 11: Merriopios Chapter 12: Bonkers Chapter 13: It Takes All Kinds Chapter 14: The 42nd Final Debarkation Exam Chapter 15: End of the Line Chapter 16: The True Book Chapter 17: Holograms Chapter 18: The Battle Is... Synopsis: As Goku was able to land without taking any damage, Kuririn is left at a disadvantage in the air where he can't easily dodge. Goku leaps up and aims a kick at his friend, but Kuririn takes a deep breath of air, managing to keep himself just above Goku long enough to avoid the blow and land back on the ground himself. Goku lands as well, and happily praises Kuririn for being way better than he was the last time they'd met, and Kuririn asks him if he's surprised by that. Goku says he wants to keep going as he's never had a fight this fun before, and Kuririn asks Goku if he's not at least a little bit scared as his own heart is beating through his chest. Goku tells Kuririn to just enjoy the fight – after all, it's not like he's going to kill him or anything. Kuririn scoffs but smiles, reminding Goku that he told him not to hold anything back. Watching the fight from the audience now, Roshi thinks that they're about to get a look at Goku's true strength. Wasting no more time, Goku rushes Kuririn quickly but stops just short of him, leaping into the air instead. He fires a quick Kamehameha into the air, propelling him down towards Kuririn quicker than the other can react and slamming him with a punch that knocks Kuririn to the ground, where Goku follows up with another knee strike. With Kuririn down and seemingly out, Roshi is amazed at his student's power, and even a watching Tenshinhan praises Goku as a true warrior. The announcer starts his count, but Kuririn manages to get back up, telling Goku that that was a fun attack he did just now. He says it's his time to have some fun now, and tries rushing Goku, but Goku merely blocks and knocks him down again with a quick neck chop. Kuririn rushes away, realizing that Goku's way too strong to face head-on, and if he fights fair, he has no chance whatsoever of winning. Roshi can't believe the difference between them, as he notes that even Kuririn's strength is already approaching superhuman. Seeing no other choice, Kuririn tells Goku he's going all out now, and prepares to fire a Kamehameha. Goku cautions Kuririn that his Kamehameha will still be too weak and he'll only waste his energy, but Kuririn smiles and fires the beam anyway. Goku calmly blocks the blast with an open hand, but misses Kuririn moving quickly out of view as the blast collides. Before Goku can figure out where he went, Kuririn re-appears behind him, grabbing hold of Goku's tail. Goku is shocked, and Kuririn tells Goku that it's all over now that he's managed to grab his weak spot. Tenshinhan is confused while Roshi praises his second student's quick thinking, as Kuririn gives Goku's tail a squeeze to drain him of strength. Review: With all of Roshi's moralizing about the next generation done for the moment, it's time for Goku and Kuririn's match to really get going, and for a fight with a pretty clear outcome, it more than manages to keep itself entertaining. As much as Goku keeps Kuririn on the edge, Kuririn doesn't back down, and even manages to come up with some pretty creative ways to get around the gap in power between them. Some of those ways do kind of strain a reader's belief perhaps though. I can't lie, as much as I love the fight, Kuririn's balloon man moment is pretty out there. I guess in a way it could be seen as an inverse of Goku's kiai in the preliminaries, but as unrealistic as that was, it at least makes some sense in the world of fantasy martial arts that Dragon Ball operates in. This is just...silly. But Dragon Ball is also a world full of silliness, so it's not the worst thing ever or anything. If nothing else, I'd hazard a guess that it may have been around this time that Toriyama realized he was going to be needing a way for characters to avoid the whole 'unable to dodge while in mid-air' problem, and would you look at that, the Crane School just so happens to have a move that could be easily abused to remedy that. Hmm... The bad news for Kuririn of course is that Goku is not only stronger than him, he's almost just as good at thinking on the fly. Goku's running and leaping Kamehameha marks the first time I believe that we've seen someone fire the beam and not just remain stationary while doing so, as well as I believe the first time the technique is used only to give forward momentum rather than outright as an attack itself, and there's certainly no questioning it's effectiveness here. It's after it's usage that Goku starts going at Kuririn harder, and the poor boy just has no chance by this point. That is, until he does. Kuririn going for Goku's tail is a twist that makes perfect sense here. Kuririn learned of the tail's weakness at the end of the previous arc where everyone else was thus reminded of it, and it's the one aspect of Goku's character that has never changed up until now. It was even pretty well shown or suggested that regardless of his strength, Goku from before could have lost to even the Pilaf gang had he had his tail at the time, so Kuririn actually getting a win through a tactic like this doesn't seem that crazy at all. ...But again, we all know where this is going. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The Best of the Boys. Synopsis: The announcer prepares to start the second and last semi-final match, with Kuririn suddenly realizing that his next opponent is none other than Goku himself. Goku is happy, saying this will be the first time that they've really gotten to fight each other, and says that he's going to do his best and that Kuririn should do the same. Kuririn tries to push his anxiety aside, and tells Goku he'll never forgive him if he doesn't use his full strength, and Goku agrees. The two fist bump and step out into the ring, with Oolong and Turtle both wishing them luck and thinking this will be a really good match. Kuririn thinks to himself that he's trained really hard since the last tournament, so if he gives it his all, maybe he has a chance after all. Backstage, Roshi finishes taking off his Jackie Chun disguise only to be found by Tenshinhan. Tenshinhan asks him why such a renowned master such as himself would disguise himself and enter the tournament in secret, and Roshi explains that he did so for the sake of his students, explaining his concerns about what could happen to their personalities if they won the tournament at such a young age. Tenshinhan smirks and says he understands now, stating that once Roshi saw how good he was he must have realized his students could never beat him, while also asserting that had the fight continued, he would have won anyway. Roshi chastises him however by saying that he's got it all wrong. As the fight between Goku and Kuririn is just about to start, Roshi explains that the real reason he forfeited was he suddenly realized that the next generation of fighters were turning out just fine, and there was no reason to worry any longer that his students would turn into slackers if they won, so he was no longer needed as a roadblock for them. Roshi further says to Tenshinhan once more that he's just not cut out to be evil, because if he was he wouldn't have bothered to come and ask Roshi these questions. Tenshinhan says he aspires to be the world's greatest assassin, just like Taopaipai before him, but Roshi says that at least one thing he's said to him today was likely true – if they had continued to fight, Tenshinhan would likely have been the winner. Roshi leaves Tenshinhan by saying he's expecting a good match and will be watching from the audience, leaving the youth to stew as to how someone so strong could swallow their pride well enough to acknowledge their own probable defeat. Back at the ring, Goku and Kuririn's fight as begun, with the two friends exchanging blows rapidly. Goku briefly gains the upper hand by knocking Kuririn back with an elbow strike, and flies towards him with a follow-up kick that Kuririn is just able to dodge before being forced back onto the defensive. Kuririn is finally able to force Goku back however, earning both boys a brief moment of rest. Kuririn praises Goku for being as fast as ever, asking him when he managed to get behind him, but Goku says Kuririn is just as fast for being able to dodge it. As the crowd marvels at how this is a match between children, Kuririn prepares to attack Goku again, but switches to a different kind of attack so as to catch Goku off guard. He succeeds in knocking Goku back, but as Kuririn leaps in to press his advantage, Goku leaps into the air to dodge. Kuririn follows after him, and after spotting the sun behind him, he smirks and tilts his head, causing the sun to reflect off of his bald top and blind Goku once more. Taking advantage of this newfound opening, Kuririn leaps higher into the air and kicks Goku downward, thinking that he's just won the match as surely not even Goku could handle slamming into the ground that hard, but much to Kuririn's disappointment, Goku lands on his feet and absorbs the impact without a scratch. Review: Despite the title and fight of focus for this chapter, the spotlight is actually still on Roshi and Tenshinhan for the moment just as much as it is on Goku and Kuririn. While that might be disappointing in some ways, there's still plenty of that fight yet to come, and honestly? Most of what Roshi and Tenshinhan discuss only serves to further emphasize what the Goku V.S. Kuririn match is really about, and that's really something that's needed in the long run. Let's be honest – we all know exactly how this particular match is going to turn out, both because there's almost no way Goku doesn't get to the finals yet again thematically, but also because there's been too much tension already built up between him and Tenshinhan for it to go unfulfilled. So while the conclusion of this match might not be up in the air, there's still a lot to be found in the character interactions leading into it. Let's start with Goku and Kuririn as, surprisingly, it's the two currently fighting that offer the least direct information on what's happening now. For Goku, this match doesn't really change much, at least not yet. He's excited to fight his friend, sure, and he's even more excited to see just how far Kuririn has come since he's last seen him, but it doesn't really go anyplace beyond that – this is simply Goku being Goku and being excited at the prospect of a really good fight coming his way. For Kuririn though, it's something more than that. Goku has been his rival since the very first day they met, and while it's come around to being a much more friendly rivalry, that fact has never changed. Kuririn didn't get to be involved in a large portion of Goku's last adventure, and as such, he saw Goku pull drastically far ahead of him in terms of strength and accomplishments. While this no doubt reinvigorated Kuririn to train harder than he ever had before, he knew that Goku was out there gaining even further strength as well. Now, he has to face off with that very strength, a power that's bound to be greater than the one that did in the Red Ribbon Army. For Kuririn, this is his chance to finally prove that he can be just as good as Goku, and to prove that he's still worthy of being Goku's rival. It's also a fight to prove to himself that he can still get better than he was the day before, and that's a fight that his pride as a martial artist won't let him back away from, hence his telling Goku to go all out against him. Regardless of how things turn out, this fight is the penultimate moment of Kuririn becoming the character we'll know for the rest of the franchise. Goku and Kuririn are both blissfully unaware of what's happening beyond their fight though, and it's something that Roshi can see clear as day. As mentioned before, Roshi's whole reason for discreetly entering the tournament and the one before was to ensure that his students, who had already surpassed normal human limitations just from their first round of training, still had someone stronger than them to try to overcome. Given how much Goku had improved since then, he initially felt the need to do the same again, to ensure that Goku still had something to strive for. But then he saw Tenshinhan and how good of a fighter he was, and I think a mix of that and just how dedicated his students still were to getting stronger made him realize that it's not a roadblock any of them need anymore – it's rivals. People still in their prime who are also going to be continuously growing stronger, and can thus keep his students on their toes and trying to keep up lest they get surpassed as well. Ironically, Roshi has seen what is going to be the main driving force for Goku in particular to get stronger and stronger throughout the course of the series – he just hasn't seen the revolving door the entrance to Goku's Room o' Rivals is going to have. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Brains V.S. Brawn! Synopsis: As the announcer comments on the scope of the fight seen thus far, Chun asks Tenshinhan why a fighter as great as him still hangs around with someone like Tsuru-sennin. Tenshinhan tells him off and says he won't get away with badmouthing his mentor like that, so Chun asks him to do something about it. Tenshinhan smirks and says he'll reveal a bit of his full strength for a minute, shocking both Chun and the listening Goku and Kuririn. Raising his hands to the sides of his face, Tenshinhan shouts and unleashes his Taiyo-ken ('Fist of the Sun'), producing a blinding flash of light that incapacitates Chun, Goku and Kuririn, and much of the audience. As Chun struggles to regain his vision, Tenshinhan appears from behind and slams his knee hard into the back of the old man's head, knocking him to the ground. As Goku and Kuririn continue rubbing their eyes as well, Tenshinhan says that while Chun isn't dead (killing him would disqualify him, after all), it's unlikely he'll ever wake up again. The announcer explains how Tenshinhan attacked Chun after the burst of light and begins his count, but shockingly Chun regains consciousness and climbs back to his feet after just five counts. As Goku and Kuririn finally can see again, Tenshinhan calls Chun stubborn while Chun accuses him of being disrespectful to his elders by using such an attack. A watching Tsuru-sennin starts to get suspicious about Chun's true nature as Tenshinhan asks the old man what on Earth he is. Chun responds by asking Tenshinhan to use his power for good instead of evil, telling him that his own power is crying out in shame, and telling him he really should break things off with his former mentor. Outraged, Tenshinhan says he'll make Chun eat those words and resumes his assult, but even as he's hit again, Chun claims that Tenshinhan's blows aren't like before so he must have struck a nerve. As Tenshinhan and Chun continue to argue, Goku asks Kuririn how the announcer was able to see and describe what happened while everyone else was blinded, and Kuririn points out that it was probably the sunglasses he's wearing. Chun asks Tenshinhan if he enjoys being hated by others like Tsuru-sennin, and a listening Crane Hermit finally figures out who Chun is, telepathically informing his student that he's facing none other than Kame-sennin himself. Roshi realizes that his cover has been blown, but he asks Tenshinhan to keep it to himself rather than telling his students, while also telling him that he really means what he's been saying – he thinks it's a waste for someone as good as Tenshinhan to waste his time being evil. Tenshinhan says that in return for Roshi's “advice”, he'll show him something interesting. Though Roshi at first asks if Tenshinhan has nudie magazines on him, Tenshinhan instead surprises everyone by firing a large Kamehameha directly at his opponent. Roshi remarks that a Kamehameha that big could easily kill some of the audience, so he braces himself and catches the blast with his hands, forcing it's trajectory upwards into the sky instead. As the audience watches in awe seemingly unaware how close they were to dying, the announcer remarks what a stunning sight it is to see someone from the Crane school launch a move from the opposing Turtle school. Goku and Kuririn marvel at how good Tenshinhan really is, while Tenshinhan himself chides the Kamehameha as being such a basic move that anyone could learn it after simply seeing it once, challenging Roshi to show him more moves that he can pick up on the fly. Roshi says that Tenshinhan is even better than he thought, and that learning this makes him happier than he can express. He once again urges Tenshinhan to change and follow the path of the light. Tenshinhan asks him if he's still harping on about that, but Roshi merely turns his back on him and says that he's been waiting for someone like Tenshinhan to come along so that he can retire again...before promptly leaping from the ring and surrendering the fight to his young opponent. As the announcer declares Tenshinhan the winner, the young fighter angrily asks Roshi why he would lose on purpose. Tsuru-sennin laughs and says it's because he was too ashamed to fight for real and lose in front of everyone, but Tenshinhan thinks to himself that Roshi hadn't yet unleashed his full power at all. As he leaves the ring with a confused Goku and Kuririn watching, “Jackie Chun” declares that it really is quite a new era dawning, he thinks. Review: The exchange of blows in this chapter might not be as intense as the first half of the fight, but don't mistake that for this match becoming any less interesting – I'd argue it's this second half that really makes this match stand out, for both competitors but in particularly for Roshi. This is especially poignant as this is more-or-less the last time we really get to see him fight in the original manga, making for a bitter-sweet but still ultimately pleasing finale for his time as 'the strongest man in the world'. Honestly, this fight and how his character operates within it, along with one further moment yet unseen, should define the character of Kame-sennin just as much as his perverted antics do, but that's sadly not really the case. I think this largely comes down to two factors – 1) there's still a large portion of the story left so the amount of time given to Roshi being perverted far surpasses the amount of time he's given as a wise old sage (especially if you take anime filler into account), and 2) related to that, these moments that help define Roshi as more than a letch are contained in the earlier part of the series that a lot of fans either didn't come to until later, or largely ignored period in favor of the more action-oriented 'DBZ'. The latter especially is a shame as we're currently neck-deep in really good fighting, but the former is somewhat more unfortunate as it's unavoidable no matter which medium or form you come to Dragon Ball in – Roshi's character past this point will almost always be perverted comedic relief. Moving beyond Kame-sennin for the moment however, Tenshinhan also gets a pretty good showing in this chapter that goes beyond his ability to keep up with, and even ultimately out-pace, the strength of Roshi. He's shown to be full of tricks and moves that already out-strip anything we've seen from even Goku – I mean, think about it. All we've seen from Goku at this point, as far as techniques that actually seem to stick, are the Kamehameha and the Janken Fist, the latter of which is already seen less and less. In comparison to that, we've seen that Tenshinhan can float (and presumably fly based on the fact that Chaozu could), that he likely has the Dodonpa (again, based on Chaozu's ability to do so and the fact that it's been hyped up as the Crane school's main move), and he even has another move in the form of Taiyo-ken. While that last move is more of a strategic one than a straight combat one, it's probably the move that has the longest staying power, and is fittingly stolen by both Goku and Kuririn at later points in the series, a fact that makes Tenshinhan's usage and lambasting of the Kamehameha as a move 'so simple anyone could do it' particularly hilarious in hindsight. Hell, flying gets stolen too, so as far as number of moves taken and used by other characters later on goes, the Crane School wins this round. It's also worth noting that Tenshinhan's one time use of the Kamehameha means more in a different way however. Up to this point, there's only been one other character shown to use it that also is shown to have gotten it down after only seeing it once, and that was Goku himself. Between his extreme levels of strength, his adaptability in battle, and his fighting smarts that are good enough to pick up new moves on the fly, Toriyama is building up Tenshinhan as an excellent mirror of Goku in a lot of different ways. As such, it was probably just as clear to him as it was to Roshi that it was time for Roshi himself to step aside. It's that stepping aside that I want to talk about last here. I mentioned before that this is a moment that should ultimately help define the character of Roshi, but it's also one that's representative of a recurring theme throughout Dragon Ball, the idea of the next generation out-doing the previous one. It's largely seen here in the form of Goku and his generation far exceeding the likes of Roshi and even Grandpa Gohan's era, but jumping ahead quite a bit, it's also seen in the form of Goku and his fellow Saiyan survivors ultimately going far beyond what the Saiyans themselves were ever capable of during their reign. It's also an idea that's flirted with constantly with the introduction of the second Son Gohan and somewhat with Goten and Trunks later as well. The next generation will always prove itself the equal and often the better of the previous generation, because that's what martial arts is about, bettering oneself and surpassing your own limitations. It feels like something that should be integral to what makes Dragon Ball the series that it is is...but sadly? This is one of the only moments that it's done more than paid lip service to. Don't get me wrong – there's still quite a few moments left to show that Goku's generation is far outdoing Roshi's, but whenever the chance is offered to show another generation beyond that getting a chance to shine, the series will ultimately fumble that at every opportunity. There are a lot of reasons and fan theories as to why that is, and I'll probably touch on those as the moments come up, but for now I just want to say what a shame it is that the franchise is kind of stuck in that rut. I love this franchise, I love it's core cast of characters, but as a series, Dragon Ball has always had some element of 'passing the torch' to it, but for the most part the torch passing only happens once and then it's stubbornly held onto forever afterwards, and I can't help but wonder if that's not ultimately what's holding it back from truly doing something new and exciting. Food for thought at any rate. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Expectations for the next generation. |
About the AuthorAspiring author and big anime/manga fan, just trying to do my best in the world. For more details, go to About Me. Archives
September 2022
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