Synopsis: Bora helps give Goku and Yajirobe a head start to getting back up Karin's tower by throwing the pair high into the air, past the lowest clouds. Yajirobe grabs hold of the tower and complains that even with that, he still can't see the top, and Goku tells him it'll be a bit further yet. Left with no other choice, Yajirobe begins to climb up the tower. At the castle of the King of the World, King Piccolo and his minion gloat over what will soon be their home. As the pair start to walk inside, Piccolo is confronted by a soldier who tells him nobody can enter without the king's permission, and Piccolo kills the man with a chop to the neck while proclaiming that he is the king. Another soldier tries to shoot Piccolo to no effect, and Piccolo blows him up with a pair of energy beams shot from his eyes. Forcing his way through the front gate, Piccolo and his attendant are soon surrounded by even more soldiers, with Piccolo smirking and referring to them as annoying bugs. At Karin's tower, Yajirobe is quickly running out of breath while climbing the tower, and demands Goku confess that this is all some trick. Goku insists that it's just a little further, and Yajirobe is annoyed and says Goku has been claiming that for hours now. Looking down, Yajirobe thinks it's too scary to climb back down now though, so he keeps climbing upward. Having made his way through the soldiers, Piccolo now steps inside the castle proper. His advance is stopped by a much larger soldier, who has seen the 'demonic powers' that Piccolo uses, as well as the fact that guns don't seem to work on him. The soldier is confident that his strength will be enough to stop Piccolo however. Piccolo offers the soldier the chance to give up and join him instead, promising him a place as his shoe-shiner, but the soldier refuses and orders Piccolo to surrender. Piccolo scoffs at the order as he claims it's the soldier that's about to die. Enraged, the soldier throws a punch at Piccolo, but Piccolo easily catches it in hand. Piccolo backhands the soldier into the wall before grabbing him by the front of his uniform. Piccolo asks the soldier where he can find the person who currently calls himself 'king', and when the soldier refuses to talk, Piccolo stabs him through the chest with his hand, killing him instantly. As other soldiers that had been watching until now try to flee, Piccolo cuts them off and asks again where the 'king' is, with one soldier telling him about the top of the western tower. Piccolo's attendant spots a small aircraft trying to leave, and Piccolo chuckles before flying after it. At Karin's tower, Yajirobe asks Goku if what he sees in the distance now really is the top, only to discover that Goku has fallen asleep much to his annoyance. He tries to wake Goku up as they're almost at the top, while back at the King's castle, Piccolo has landed on top of the escaping aircraft. Review: While both Goku and King Piccolo are actively on the move in this chapter, it's only Piccolo's part of the story that's actually engaging, and I think Toriyama knew that since it's front and center while Goku's part is kind of running in the background. To be fair, we've already seen Goku climb the tower once before, so there's not really much we can get out of seeing Yajirobe do the same. It is worth noting however that due to Bora's help, Yajirobe doesn't actually climb the entire length of the tower, which could potentially explain him not receiving Karin's training, at least not that we ever get to see. He does climb the vast majority of it though, with the weight of someone else clinging to his back, so that surely counts for something right? The main other point of interest with Goku and Yajirobe's section is that it starts out in the daylight but is night by the end of it, whereas it remains daylight throughout all of Piccolo's section. I guess there's a bit of a time zone difference between the two areas. It's a small thing, but it does help sell how far apart the two locations are in a simple, effective way. Piccolo's casual stroll into the King's castle is a little bit reminiscent of Goku's storming of Red Ribbon HQ, but it's even more of a curb-stomp. Here in the manga at least though, it doesn't look like the King's army throws anywhere near the same level of firepower at this intruder that the Red Ribbon did at Goku. We do get to see a neat new power from Piccolo out of it though, his eye beams, so it's fun enough I suppose (and I suspect showing off this particular skill of his is probably one of the main purposes of the scene, to establish he has that kind of attack in his arsenal). The large soldier that tries to take on Piccolo is unnamed, and only around for a short while, but you can't help but wonder just how strong of a fighter he is or isn't. He certainly seems confident, but we've seen that type get knocked down with ease since the very beginning of the story, and seeing as how the only person we see him fight is someone way out of his league, it's really impossible to say for sure. I'm sure someone out there has a power level theory for the guy though. And the chapter ends with our first look at the King of the world – which is something else I'll talk about a bit in the next review – and he's...a dog. Huh. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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Synopsis: King Piccolo is overjoyed to have his youth and full power restored to him, as are the Pilaf gang and his attendant. Shenlong bids the Demon King farewell, but Piccolo says there's going to b ea change this time around, and quickly fires an energy blast from his mouth, catching Shenlong full on with the blast and killing him, much to the horror of a watching Tenshinhan and Pilaf gang. Piccolo laughs again and says that now, with the Dragon Balls also taken out of the equation, nothing can ever threaten his life ever again. At Karin's tower, Yajirobe notices the sky getting bright again, and Goku checks the radar to discover the Dragon Ball signals are gone, indicating that a wish really was made. Still though, he can't figure out what someone as strong as Piccolo would even wish for... As Yajirobe and Goku get out of the car, Upa spots Goku and runs over to greet his friend before shouting to his father that Goku has come back. Yajirobe reminds Goku that he was promised a feast, but Goku talks to Upa and Bora first who are surprised to see that he's injured. Back on Pilaf's airship, Piccolo boasts that he's now ready to take over the world, and orders the ship to be flown to the King's castle, boldly declaring that the world will now be remade in his evil image. Pilaf interrupts Piccolo's declarations to congratulate him and remind him about their previous discussions about what Pilaf might receive as payment for helping him. Piccolo tells his attendant to take over the helm and send Shu and Mai up to join Pilaf, and Pilaf is overjoyed, thinking they're about to receive payment for their work. Piccolo however tells them to leave as he no longer has any use for them. Pilaf objects and says they're the ones that resurrected him in the first place, but Piccolo tells them they can either leave immediately or receive death as their payment. Horrified and left with no choice, the Pilaf gang leap from the airship while it's still in the air. Bora, having been told what's going on by Goku, thinks Piccolo sounds incredibly powerful, and Goku says he came back to ask Karin about training him again. Bora thinks Goku will never make it back up the tower in his condition however, and Goku says Yajirobe will be more than capable of carrying him up the tower. Yajirobe refuses, saying he only came here for food, and Goku tells him the food is at the top of the tower. Yajirobe doubts him, but when Goku tells him about the senzu, Yajirobe is somewhat intrigued and realizes he has no choice. He tells Goku to hang onto his back, and Bora offers to help them out as well. The Pilaf gang is shown to have survived the fall, albeit injured, as Mai asks Pilaf if they're really as pathetic as all this, prompting Pilaf to tell her to shut up. Review: Of all the surprises the arc has thrown at us this far, I think Piccolo killing Shenlong might be the most shocking one of all. It's arguably the most shocking moment in the entire manga when you stop and think about it really. At this point, the Dragon Balls are still billed as having no real limits. If you gather all seven of them, any one wish you have, no matter what it is, will be granted without caveat. We've seen them bring people back to life before, so we already know that using them to revive everyone that dies in this arc is fully possible (to be fair, we've only really seen it bring a solitary person to life, but it's safe enough to assume with the context of the series up until now that bringing back multiple people won't be a problem either). Piccolo may have gotten his wish, which sets things back a full year, but that's plenty of time for the characters to grow stronger, do something about Piccolo, and then use the balls to set things right at the end of the day. ...But then Piccolo kills the dragon. There was absolutely nothing in the series up until now to suggest Shenlong was even “alive” in any traditional sense, or that it was even possible to touch him, much less kill him. But Piccolo blows him away almost like it's an afterthought, complete with Shenlong's arm falling to the ground with a physical thud before it finally fades away. This is completely mind-blowing, and changes the game moving forward. Despite the series being called 'Dragon Ball', it looks like we don't even have those titular objects moving forward. There's no way to wish people back. There's no way to wish away Piccolo. And seemingly, nobody is left that knows how to use the Mafuba. The world is now Piccolo's oyster to do with as he wishes, and he knows it too. Out of everything we've come to in the series so far, this is the moment that I most feel must have had audiences on the edge of their seats back when it first hit, because it's really hard to try and guess where the story would go from here if you don't already know. The rest of the chapter keeps any guesses on that pretty close to it's vest as well. Tenshinhan's still laying on the ground, unable to move. Goku has arrived at Karin's tower, which seems somewhat hopeful, but there's really no hints given as to what he could really achieve there that will bring him any closer to Piccolo's power than he already is. Everything is left completely up in the air. That includes the Pilaf gang, at least briefly, as they're completely ditched by Piccolo and the story at this point. Poor rubes. They kickstarted the series, and they kickstarted this franchise-changing arc, but this is the very last time they're seen in the original manga. There's a few more filler appearances yet to cover, but as far as the 'canon' material goes, the trio won't re-surface until Battle of Gods many, many decades down the line. Thanks for all the laughs, Pilaf trio. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Piccolo's Insurrection Day Synopsis: With all seven Dragon Balls gathered, King Piccolo prepares to makes his wish at last, with the barely conscious Tenshinhan overhearing what his desire is. The sky turns dark as Piccolo summons Shenlong, and Tenshinhan thinks to himself that if this isn't stopped, then they're all doomed. Shenlong springs free from the Dragon Balls and floats in the sky before everyone, and as Piccolo basks in the dragon's magnificence, Tenshinhan telepathically contacts Chaozu to tell him about what happened with Roshi paralyzing him. He pleads with Chaozu to speak their wish before Piccolo can get his own, and though he's scared, Chaozu agrees. As Shenlong asks Piccolo for his wish, Chaozu leaps out and starts to yell their own. Before he can finish saying Piccolo's name however, Piccolo quickly blasts Chaozu, killing him instantly. Piccolo curses himself for almost being caught off guard once again as Tenshinhan angrily curses Piccolo and mourns the loss of his friend. With nothing left to stop him now, King Piccolo states his wish and Shenlong grants it, restoring Piccolo to his youth and full power once more. Elsewhere, Yajirobe notes that the sky turned dark and that something like this happened about three years ago too, and Goku realizes that someone, likely King Piccolo, must have summoned the dragon and is getting their wish granted. Yajirobe still doubts this story to some degree, but Goku points out Karin's tower just ahead of them. Review: This is an extremely short chapter, and for once it's not due to an abundance of combat – it's simply full to the brim with large panels (two entire-page ones at that) that often show everything at once rather than relying on any dialogue to move the story along. It's effective and is great to look at, it just makes for a rather light review once again. That said, what actually happens in this chapter is anything but light. With nobody able to stop him, Piccolo at last achieves his ambition and is once more the same Demon King that tormented the world in ages past rather than the shriveled remains of a once great being. Given what we've already seen Piccolo be capable of, it's easy to buy in to Tenshinhan's summation of the situation: they are all completely and royally screwed now. If Piccolo was strong enough to 'kill' Goku and cause the death of Kame-sennin before, then what in the world is he capable of doing now? Oh yeah, and then Chaozu dies. I'm sure we're all completely broken up about that one, right? I joke, and his death really doesn't hit nearly as hard as Kuririn or Roshi's, partially because he's still too new of a character but also because, as I've maligned him before, he's barely a character in the first place from this point on – but it IS a sad moment, especially for Tenshinhan. And for as much crap as I give the little guy, he risked his life to try and save the day with an Oolong tactic, and he paid the price for it sadly. You might not be anyone's favorite, but you are brave, lil' guy. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: King Piccolo is in disbelief that someone who knows who he is would challenge him to battle, so he assumes that Roshi must only know him through rumors and old stories. Roshi assures the Demon King however that this isn't the first time they've met, saying that he once fought Piccolo alongside his master. This catches Piccolo's attention, so Roshi tells him the name of his late master: Mutaito.
Piccolo instantly recognizes the name of the martial artist that once sealed him away, and while Piccolo is in shock, Roshi quickly throws out a capsule, revealing an electric rice cooker with a talisman attached to it's side, putting even more fear into Piccolo. Watching from the side, Tenshinhan is proven correct that Kame-sennin knew the Mafuba all along and now intends to sacrifice his life to seal away the Demon King once more. Pilaf is confused as to what's going on, but Piccolo's attendant also starts to worry about what's going on down on the ground. Piccolo leaps into the air to try and flee, but Roshi launches the Mafuba, catching the evil being in it's wave of energy instantly. As everyone else on the scene watches on in either amazement or horror, Roshi swirls the energy around, before finally hurling the energy and the trapped Piccolo towards the rice cooker and...missing, slamming Piccolo into the ground rather than into the rice cooker. As Piccolo coughs and tries to gather himself, Roshi curses himself for coming so close only to fail right at the end. He cautions Piccolo however that this is only a temporary reprieve, as someday someone will come along who is strong enough to defeat him outright and save the world. Roshi says he truly believes that before, energy completely expended, falling to the ground, dead. Tenshinhan mourns Kame-sennin's demise as Piccolo gets back onto his feet, laughing. Elsewhere, Goku thinks he can feel that something has happened, but he can't quite tell what. Piccolo and his crew celebrate his victory, though even Piccolo acknowledges that it was a far closer call than he would have liked. Now however, he has nothing to fear, and he quickly levitates the buried Dragon Balls out of the ground before regurgitating his own two. Now, all seven Dragon Balls are in his possession, and there seems to be no one left to stop him from having his wish granted. Review: Kame-sennin is a character we've known for a very, very long time now. He's practically been with us since the very beginning of the story – he does date back to the very first story arc, though his role wouldn't be greatly expanded upon until the following arc. He's been a source of pervy antics, sometimes questionably so, but he's also always been shown to be a wise and powerful mentor, the perfect character for others to learn from and improve themselves. He's been shown to still be a capable fighter as well, and after whipping himself back into shape, he was even able to go toe-to-toe with someone that ultimately won against Goku. But here, now faced with the power of King Piccolo, even Roshi is outclassed, and he knows it. He's been saying since the very start of the arc that their only chance at winning is through subterfuge...but as it turns out, that very plan was itself an act of subterfuge against his friends, to a degree. As we learn from the last chapter and this one, what Roshi actually realized was that using the Dragon Balls or the Mafuba were the only way to defeat Piccolo immediately and put a stop to any further carnage here and now. With the Dragon Balls unable to be used without first dealing with Piccolo however, Roshi has had to opt for Plan B, the Mafuba. This means his own death, something that Roshi is seemingly content with, but he doesn't want any more of the next generation to get involved and die as well (especially since in this scenario, sealing away Piccolo seemingly would mean sealing away two of the Dragon Balls as well, so none of the already fallen could come back to life). Piccolo has already taken the lives of too many of the young, so he's taking it upon himself to make sure the past and only the past stays buried this time, which is part of why he makes sure Tenshinhan can't get involved in this fight. But then, we come to the other reason he had to make sure Tenshinhan couldn't get involved – on the off chance of his failure, Roshi needed to make sure there was still a Plan C, the hope that someday, someone could grow strong enough to take down Piccolo, and at this point, Tenshinhan is his greatest hope for that endeavor. And from his own perspective, it's a good thing that Roshi did plan for this eventuality, because failing is unfortunately exactly what he does ultimately. Roshi expends his entire lifeforce to grab Piccolo in the Mafuba, but misses the rice cooker. It's a sad, unfortunate turn of events. The great master of martial arts, known for some time in the series as the strongest man in the world, falls upon his own sword in combat, and ends up with nothing to show for it either. It's a sad, tragic end, that hits all the harder because it's the first main character death we actually fully witness – remember, Kuririn was already dead by the time we saw the aftermath, and Goku hasn't actually died in either of his two recent defeats. Roshi's passing hits exactly as hard as Toriyama intended it to. There's also something to be said about this being the perfect ending for the character. I don't want to go too far into content that's further ahead, but Roshi may perhaps have been better served with this being his final scene. He would have perfectly set the pace for the next generation to build off of, and would have been memorialized in the same way as Grandpa Gohan, except by more than just Goku – most of the cast, as well as all of the audience, would have looked upon him and remembered him in that same vein. It would have been sad, but sometimes, from a story perspective? Sometimes that's better. I leave it to each individual to decide if they think that would have been better in the long run, or if they prefer what we ultimately get instead. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Aboard the airship, Pilaf announces to King Piccolo that the other five Dragon Balls appear to be heading in their direction now. Piccolo laughs and thinks that whoever this other group is, they clearly don't know who they're dealing with. Flying in their own aircraft, Roshi likewise tells Tenshinhan and Chaozu that King Piccolo is heading their way. Roshi reiterates that they have no chance of winning if they fight, so their only chance is to steal the remaining two Dragon Balls from him and wish for Shenlong to rid Piccolo from Earth entirely a plan that Tenshinhan still isn't very fond of. As Yajirobe drives Goku towards Karin in a stolen car, Yajirobe warns Goku that even after they get him fixed up, he should never mess with Piccolo like that again. Goku asks Yajirobe if he knows Piccolo, and Yajirobe explains what he can remember from the old legends about him, including how he was somehow stopped by a martial artist. Goku wonders what that person could have done to stop Piccolo, but Yajirobe has no idea. Yairobe asks Goku what happens when someone gathers all seven of those 'Dragon Ball' things anyway, but when Goku tells him any wish you have can be granted by them, Yajirobe doesn't believe him and accuses him of lying. Goku however wonders what someone as strong as Piccolo could even want to wish for in the first place. As Piccolo is overjoyed at how near he is to eternal youth, Roshi has Tenshinhan land their plane in an empty wasteland and return the aircraft to it's capsule form. Roshi quickly punches a hole in the ground and tells Chaozu to bury their five Dragon Balls in it before telling them his plan. He tells Chaozu to hide in the shadows of a nearby cliff while he and Tenshinhan somehow steal Piccolo's two Dragon Balls, after which they'll toss them to Chaozu who will immediately summon the dragon and state their wish. He has them all take their posts, just as Pilaf notices that the five Dragon Balls have stopped moving. Piccolo assumes their foes must be readying for an ambush, and instructs them to take the airship to just above their location. As Pilaf's airship comes to a stop in the air above them, Roshi and Tenshinhan notice it's not landing, and wonder if they'll need to board the ship to take the Dragon Balls. Piccolo however realizes when there doesn't appear to be anyone on the ground that they must be hiding and are planning to take his Dragon Balls rather than face him directly. To prevent this, Piccolo promptly swallows both Dragon Balls, much to the horror of a watching Tenshinhan. Roshi curses, realizing that now they'll never get the Dragon Balls without first defeating Piccolo, but that sits Tenshinhan just fine. Roshi tells Tenshinhan to stay out of it and leave it to him as he can't die due to drinking the elixir of immortality, but Tenshinhan balks and demands to take part in this battle. Before he can argue further however, Roshi sprays him in the face with tranquilizer to knock him out. Roshi apologizes to Tenshinhan, explaining that he lied about the elixir of immortality, and if he dies fighting Piccolo like Goku no doubt has, then Tenshinhan will be the only one left who stands a chance at defeating him someday if he trains as hard as he can. Roshi shouts to Chaozu that the plan has changed and that he needs to remain hidden no matter what, before stepping out into the open and yelling to Piccolo to come down if he wants the Dragon Balls. Piccolo is impressed that this old man knows who he is though thinks that makes him fighting him an even more foolish proposition. Piccolo floats down to the ground, and Roshi points out where they buried the Dragon Balls to him, telling Piccolo he can have the Dragon Balls if Piccolo defeats him. Piccolo laughs and says Roshi is a funny old man, but Roshi thinks he should laugh while he can. From the sidelines, both Chaozu and a barely conscious Tenshinhan watch. Review: This chapter is the beginning of the end for the first part of the King Piccolo storyline, where everyone is scrambling in one way or another to stop the Demon King from gathering the Dragon Balls. Most of what happens here is something that we've already seen the characters discuss a good few times before now, so there's not really much to say in the way of their plans initially, but as things start to go off the rails, things get quite a bit more interesting. It would have been somewhat interesting to see Roshi, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu actually try to steal the Dragon Balls back from under Piccolo's nose while the villain's group landed to look for the Dragon Balls, but chances are that was never going to be as simple as what Roshi thought it was going to be. I mean, think about it – with what we've already seen of Piccolo, he's pragmatic but also the type to send others out to do his bidding for him. Piccolo was always likely to realize that these opponents are after the Dragon Balls more than they're after him, so in any situation he was likely going to keep the Dragon Balls on his person rather than leaving them unguarded (or even guarded by the likes of the Pilaf gang or his non-fighting attendant for that matter). So either Piccolo would have kept them on his person, or he would have remained in the airship with them next to him while everyone else went down to the ground to search for the other five balls. It's understandable that Roshi wanted to avoid conflict with this much stronger force at all costs, but in this situation, I don't think there was really ever any other choice. Also, with Tenshinhan being the way he is and how he's been acting in regards to the sneaking plan, who's to say he wouldn't have just waltzed right up and tried to fight Piccolo, even while telling Roshi it would serve as a distraction for he and Chaozu to get the Dragon Balls while he kept Piccolo busy? Sorry Kame-sennin, but this plan was basically a no-go no matter how it went down. That said, seeing Piccolo just swallow the Dragon Balls is pretty gross and amusing in-of-itself. Like...is that long tongue a demon thing, or can can a particular race itself also just do that? Wait...is this more or less the same thing as the arm-stretching we'll get later on? Hmm... Once it's clear he's going to have to fight after all, Roshi's real reasons about wanting to keep Tenshinhan from fighting become much more clear. Roshi knows that he's at his own peak, or at least that he's not going to get any stronger. He presumes Goku to be dead, so Tenshinhan is the only capable fighter left – discounting Yamcha...poor guy... - who seemingly stands any chance of growing strong enough to maybe, one day, hopefully and maybe, being strong enough to combat Piccolo effectively. It's an extremely small hope, but it's all Roshi or the world at large has, and Roshi is damn sure not letting it slip away if he can avoid it. Kame-sennin also has another reason for keeping Tenshinhan out of this fight for now, but we'll touch on that in the next chapter. Interestingly enough, Roshi's fib about his immortality comes into play here as well, and it's something that's always both intrigued and confused me personally. Up until this point, Roshi was presumed immortal both due to his extreme longevity (he's well over 300 years old by this point), as well as by an implication of him having had a pet phoenix that could grant someone immortality (the phoenix itself having died from tainted bird seed...irony!). Either way, it's basically been a given up until now that Roshi was immortal...only now, he says he's not. This raises a lot of questions about just HOW in the world he's managed to stay alive for so long if he's not, and WHY bring it up now? For the former, there's never been a completely concrete answer (though an episode of Super does have some suggestions, but that didn't come until decades after this reveal, so take from that what you will), but my assumption is basically that however he did it, he's 'immortal' in the sense that he won't die of old age. That said, he can still die as a result of outside factors, which brings us to the 'why' of this retcon, and... Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Farewell, Kame-sennin... Synopsis: King Piccolo asks Goku if that's really all he has, and asks him if he's prepared to die. Goku can't believe how strong Piccolo really is, and wonders if there's really nothing he can do, while Yajirobe is just glad he hid before Piccolo could find him too. Goku watches in horror as Piccolo gathers energy in both of his hands before launching a devastating energy blast that Goku is barely able to dodge by leaping into the air. This leaves Goku unable to dodge the second hand's blast however, which catches him full-on from the front. Goku lands on the ground, defeated. Laughing to himself, Piccolo walks over to check Goku's body, as his attendant asks Pilaf's gang if they now understand the true greatness of the Demon King. Piccolo touches Goku's chest and determines that his heart has stopped beating before taking the Dragon Ball from him. Piccolo floats back up to the airship and announces that they'll now be heading after the group gathering the other Dragon Balls, as he's now eager to regain his youth. Pilaf asks the attendant if Piccolo will really be stronger once his youth is restored, and the attendant says the difference will be so great that even the Piccolo they've just seen will seem like nothing in comparison. As the airship leaves, Yajirobe walks back over to Goku's body, thinking that the least he can do is give him a proper burial since he doesn't look that tasty. To his surprise however, Goku's body twitches, and when Yajirobe listens to his chest, his heart has started beating again. When Goku wakes up just enough to ask for water, Yajirobe quickly carries him to a nearby river and holds him intot he water to get a drink. Yajirobe says Goku must have some crazy life force to be able to come back from something like that, but Goku thinks he was completely helpless against Piccolo. Yajirobe says this isn't a surprise given what a monster Piccolo is supposed to be. Goku asks Yajirobe if he knows where Karin is, and if not, if Yajirobe can take him there if Goku points the way. Yajirobe agrees due to Goku's condition, but on the condition he gets to eat a lot of food once they're there. Elsewhere, Chaozu finds the fifth Dragon Ball, and Tenshinhan reminds them that this means one of the two remaining ones is in the hands of King Piccolo himself. Checking the radar however, Roshi discovers that both remaining balls are in the same location and are actually heading towards them, forcing them to realize that an encounter with King Piccolo is imminent. Meanwhile, Yajirobe has loaded Goku into a car and is taking him to Karin, when Goku asks him if he really didn't try to help him fight at all, with Yajirobe retorting that he didn't want to get killed too. Review: Unfortunately for Goku, this was just not a fight he was ever going to win at this point in time. Even at his absolute peak strength and Piccolo arguably in the weakest state he's ever been in, the gap is just too wide between them at this point. As such, Goku meets a quick defeat, and even a momentarily seeming demise, right at the start of this chapter. While Goku's defeat isn't too surprising, especially coming after how things went last chapter, his “death” actually is a little bit. At this point, we've already seen Kuririn be killed, so the idea of Goku dying has always been on the table since, but to actually see it happen probably shocked a ton of fans back in the day. At least, until they got four pages further and found out that it was just a near-death experience. I've seen this twist get a lot of flack in various places over the years, and while I can't say I like it completely myself, I'm really at a loss to think of any way around it either, at least not without greatly changing the situation (like having Yajirobe cause a distraction that allows him to get Goku away, or the like). King Piccolo is determined to kill any promising martial artists that might learn the Mafuba, and Goku fits that criteria to a T, so there's no way Piccolo wasn't going to try to kill him here. It is a little suspect that his heart stops just long enough to fool Piccolo and then is trying to beat again by the time Yajirobe comes to check on him, but overall I'd say this moment's a bit of a necessary evil to keep the story moving along. Now where it's heading next for Goku however, THAT'S something that I'll gripe about later. With Goku out of the way and all of the Dragon Balls accounted for one way or another however, there won't be any time for the story to rest while Goku's on the next phase of his journey however. Brace yourselves, because even as dark as things are right now? They're about to get so, so much darker. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: A Master steps up to the plate. Synopsis: As Goku launches himself at Piccolo, the Demon King quickly recognizes how fast Goku is. Goku fist connects with Piccolo's jaw, and he immediately follows up with a kick that sends the demon flying backwards, but Goku isn't done with him yet, leaping off of the ground to pursue him further. Piccolo strikes out with a clawed hand, but Goku manages to stop just short of the blow connecting, grabbing Piccolo's wrist with his tail and launching another punch at his face. Piccolo moves quickly, knocking Goku backward with his opposite hand, but Goku launches off of the ground again, slamming both feet into Piccolo's chest, knocking the Demon King to the ground. Watching all of this from above, the Pilaf gang is horrified and declares Goku the real monster here, while Yajirobe, watching from his own hiding spot, is in disbelief that Goku is really holding his own against Piccolo. As the Pilaf gang prepares to flee, Piccolo's attendant stops them and asks if they truly believe that it would take so little to defeat the Demon King. Getting back on his feet, Piccolo says that he never imagined there would be a power out there great enough to force his back to the ground, even in his current state. He muses that it's little wonder his underlings couldn't handle Goku, and says he has no choice but to completely obliterate him himself. Piccolo removes his tunic before telling Goku that he'll show him the true overwhelming power of the Demon King now, but Goku says he doesn't care what Piccolo does. Wasting no time, Piccolo rushes Goku, kicking him high into the air before the boy can react. Jumping into the air after him, Piccolo catches up to Goku's body and punches him hard in the jaw, sending him crashing hard into the ground. As Yajirobe watches in horror, Piccolo lands and reaches into the crater, pulling Goku out by the front of his shirt. Piccolo praises Goku for being able to survive that before punching him hard in the face, but to his surprise after that, Goku bites him on the thumb. Piccolo tosses Goku to the ground and he quickly scurries away, causing Piccolo to laugh in amazement that he still has even enough strength left to do that. Realizing that Piccolo is not only stronger but faster than anything he's ever seen before, Goku is seemingly out of options. Piccolo tells Goku that death is the only path left before him and boasts that he hasn't even used half of his strength yet, mockingly asking the boy what he plans to do next. Piccolo is momentarily horrified when Goku clasps his hands together in front of him, but rather than the Mafuba that he fears, Piccolo is delighted to see that it's something else entirely. Goku launches his Kamehameha, hitting Piccolo head-on. As the dust cloud disperses however, Piccolo stands there, completely unscathed much to Goku's dismay. Piccolo laughs and wonders if now is the time to kill Goku after all. Review: This chapter and Goku both don't waste any time, launching right into the thick of things right from it's very first panel. Goku throws everything he's got at Piccolo right from the start of their encounter, and at first it seems to be paying dividends. He catches the Demon King off guard, knocks him back twice over, and even manages to contend with Piccolo's own attacks on him just fine. After how strong Goku was against Tenshinhan at the 22nd Tournament, and him now arguably being even stronger and back to full power to boot, it's almost believable that Goku might just have this fight in the bag. ...Almost. C'mon, I don't think anyone actually expected this story arc to be wrapping up THAT quickly, even when it was first coming out. That said though, this all serves a purpose in bigging up King Piccolo in a very real sense. Up until now, there's just been talk about how great and powerful he was, and though we could assume he was pretty strong based on the capabilities of Tambourine – well, Tambourine himself was dealt with quickly enough in the last chapter, and Piccolo himself has noted that he's nowhere near what he once was due to the ravages of time. But that's just it – this is Piccolo in, by his own words, a weakened state. He's nowhere near his prime, if anything this is the most vulnerable he's ever been on the power scale...but even that's not enough. As soon as that tunic comes off and he starts to take the fight with Goku seriously, Goku is completely overwhelmed, and doesn't manage to land so much as a single other blow on the Demon King. I mean, okay, he bites him, but that's more a sign of Goku's refusal to give up than anything else. And compare the number of blows Goku has landed on Piccolo up to now with nothing to really show for it, whereas all Piccolo had to do to almost completely defeat Goku was hit him TWICE. Demon King Piccolo more than lives up to the stories about him, as Goku is now learning. Even Goku's final ditch effort, a point-blank Kamehameha, isn't enough to do more than scare Piccolo momentarily, and that's for reasons completely foreign to Goku. Things couldn't possibly be looking more bleak for our little monkey boy, but you know what they say – it's not over until the fat lady sings. ...Does anyone else hear opera right now? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: An outright loss. Synopsis: With Pilaf's airship heading towards the location of Tambourine's demise, King Piccolo vows to show whoever the culprit is the true terror of angering the Demon King. Just then however, Pilaf notices something strange on their radar – the Dragon Ball that was being shown just a short while ago is missing. Tuning the radar in once again, Pilaf discovers that four of the Dragon Balls have now been gathered together in one place, and the four balls are now heading towards a fifth, meaning someone else out there is gathering the Dragon Balls as well. Flying in their own plane, Tenshinhan tells Roshi that he can't believe they've managed to gather four of the balls so far without any real incidents. Roshi says it seems that gathering the Dragon Balls must be a secondary concern for Piccolo at the moment, as the murders of martial artists have continued, with word of Giran's death having reached him. Tenshinhan muses that perhaps the Dragon Ball they're going after now is the one Piccolo's monster took from Kuririn, and Roshi says that if that's the case, they'll be face-to-face with the Demon King sooner rather than later. Roshi says they won't have a chance facing him head-on, so in that scenario, all they can do is try to catch him off guard, take his Dragon Ball, and then once they have all seven, wish for Shenlong to destroy King Piccolo. Tenshinhan still isn't fond of that plan, saying that he'd rather stand and fight, but Roshi assures him that even if they all attacked as a group they still wouldn't stand a chance against Piccolo's power. Tenshinhan thinks that if only they could try using the Mafuba against him, but Roshi tells him that if they try that and fail, only Yamcha will be left to face him. Tenshinhan accepts Roshi's objection, but mentally notes that he was correct – Roshi DOES know how to do the Mafuba. Pilaf asks Piccolo what they should do, thinking it'll be bad if this other group manages to gather the Dragon Balls first, but Piccolo isn't concerned. Whoever they are, they'll have to come to him to get the Dragon Ball in his possession, and says they'll let this other group gather the Dragon Balls for them and then take them from them when it's time. For the time being, Piccolo's entire focus is on killing the ones that killed his children. On the ground, Yajirobe tells Goku that if he brings him another big bird to eat, he'll give him the Dragon Ball he has, but Goku is too busy looking at the radar to pay attention to him. The radar shows that a Dragon Ball has moved right to their location, and looking around, Goku finally spots Pilaf's airship in the air just above them. Mai's voice rings out over the intercom and announces that the Demon King Piccolo has reached his destination, causing Shu to point out that she hit the wrong button and just used the outside speakers. As Mai repeats her message with the inside speakers, Yajirobe thinks the name 'Piccolo' sounds familiar. As Goku realizes this must be the guy behind the monster that killed Kuririn, Yajirobe suddenly remembers why he knows that name and hastily gives Goku his Dragon Ball before running. Goku thinks Yajirobes acting strange, but puts the Dragon Ball necklace around his neck and prepares to challenge this new threat. On top of the airship, Pilaf uses a pair of binoculars to see who Tambourine's killer is and immediately recognizes Goku. Pilaf warns King Piccolo that the brat may look small but is incredibly strong, and Piccolo is annoyed to realize that such a small being is behind the deaths of his children, wondering if his powers have decayed more than he realized. Piccolo leaps from the aircraft and lands on the ground before Goku, who asks him if he's the boss of the guys who killed Kuririn and took his Dragon Ball. Piccolo is amused to see that Goku has another Dragon Ball on his person now, and Yajirobe – watching from the 'safe distance' of a nearby tree – thinks this really must be the great Demon King after all. Piccolo praises Goku for having enough strength to defeat his children, and Goku vows to defeat him and take back his Dragon Ball. Piccolo laughs and says that Goku must not be aware of how strong he is, but muses that it has been a long time since he was last active. Goku says he doesn't even know who Piccolo is, and Piccolo smirks, saying that even the sight of a martial artist as small as Goku fills him with the urge to kill. Goku launches himself at Piccolo, as Yajirobe watches and thinks that it's futile. Review: You'd think that discovering that someone else is gathering the Dragon Balls would draw Piccolo's ire greatly, what with the news coming just after the death of yet another of his children, but give the Demon King his due – if there's one thing he's fully confident in even after these setbacks, it's his own power. The only things Piccolo fears are the Mafuba and the chance that someone out there might know to use it, but beyond that he's certain he's got control of things, or will soon enough. And he does raise a pretty good point in that, since he has one of the Dragon Balls in his possession already, anyone wanting to use them against him is going to have to come for him directly eventually. When that happens, he can either take their Dragon Balls from them, or kill them and go retrieve the six Dragon Balls they have from wherever they stashed them before facing him. He certainly knows how to be efficient, much more so than Commander Red ever was. On the other side of the Dragon Ball gathering, Roshi has realized this same issue now that they're getting close to gathering the last few balls themselves. At least one of the balls they've yet to gather is in the enemy's hands, and whether that's one of the next ones or the very last one they go after, either way they're going to need a plan to get around Piccolo that doesn't involve fighting. Given how Tenshinhan was before his change of heart, it makes sense that he'd still want to face Piccolo by his own strength rather than relying on a magical wish-granting dragon to do the dirty work, so much so that he actually tricks Roshi a little bit here. When he suggests the Mafuba once again, he's hoping Roshi will slip up and say something other than 'we don't know how', and that's exactly what Roshi does – he instead says that if they try and fail, they're doomed. As far as proof for a deduction goes, it's fairly flimsy, but it's enough for Tenshinhan to feel pretty certain that Roshi has that final card stored away just in case they need it after all. As for Yajirobe...well, him being cool and effective was nice while it lasted. In the presence of King Piccolo, he's now becoming basically what he'll be for the rest of the series, a bit of a coward who will almost never help out no matter how much it's needed unless he can be fairly certain he won't be put in harm's way as a result. He still keeps his selfish disposition on top of that, but it's that cowardice that's gonna rule the perception of his character moving forward, which is a bit of a shame. Heck, he won't even be the best person to be in this role, as the boots of 'big-talking coward' will get filled again by someone else later, and that someone else will wear them WAY better than Yajirobe ever did. But that's all far in the future. For now, Goku is going to clash with the greatest threat he's ever come across in this series. Will even having a full stomach be enough to keep him in the game this time? Well... Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Son Goku V.S. Demon King Piccolo Synopsis: Tambourine is surprised to see Goku still alive after all. Goku loudly proclaims that he's going to avenge Kuririn and kinto'un and take back his Dragon Ball, and Yajirobe reminds him that he wants to eat the monster's body after Goku has killed it. Tambourine laughs as he realizes they must be who took down Cymbal, though he can't believe Cymbal could be beaten by the likes of them. Tambourine warns them that it would be suicidal to fight him, but Goku insists that it won't be like before because he has a full stomach now. Tambourine continues to doubt Goku's abilities, but Goku catches him off-guard by immediately rushing him and leaving a trail of afterimages surrounding the monster. The real Goku leaps in and slams his elbow into Tambourine's face, following up with a vicious barrage of punches that sends the monster flying through the air. Leaping after him and rebounding off of a nearby cliff, Goku knees Tambourine in the back of the head, knocking him hard into the ground. As Goku stands seemingly victorious over the monster, Yajirobe reminds himself to never really make Goku mad. Still alive however, Tambourine starts to get back to his feet. Goku tells him to give up, but Tambourine refuses to believe that a mere human could take down a demon warrior such as himself. He launches a surprise energy blast from his mouth, seemingly eradicating Goku in one attack, but Goku reappears a short distance away saing that he couldn't help but dodge an attack like that. Goku tells Tambourine once again that he'll pay for all that he's done, causing the monster to instinctively flee into the air. Yajirobe shouts for Goku not to let him get away, and Goku quickly pursues the monster by extending nyoibo. Once high enough, Goku leaps off of the staff and quickly fires a Kamehameha, hitting Tambourine point blank and completely erasing his body. Back on Pilaf's airship, King Piccolo is once again struck by pain as he reports to his attendant and the Pilaf gang that Tambourine too has been killed. Piccolo orders them to fly the ship to the location his minions died so that he can take down whoever is out there personally. On the ground, Yajirobe chastises Goku for completely destroying Tambourine's body after promising him that he could eat it, and Goku apologizes and says that he was so mad that it just sort of happened. Review: This was a fairly short chapter to read and review, but man if it wasn't cathartic. After knowing that he killed Kuririn and seeing him easily take down Goku before, it feels good to see Goku finally get one up on Tambourine. You certainly can't say the monster didn't have it coming either. As enjoyable as it is though, it might have been even more entertaining if it hadn't been a complete curb-stomp in Goku's favor. Given what we'll later learn about the boy's heritage, it's somewhat likely he received a power boost after his defeat last time, but even still, this is a monster that killed Kuririn with ease – it would have been fun to see him put up more of a fight against Goku too. Him not doing so sort of undersells Kuririn's level of skill we last saw him at even while it elevates Goku even further, but I guess that's the sort of thing we should really be getting used to as there's no turning back from that power difference now. Beyond that, there's unfortunately very little for me to comment on here as of yet. Goku's finally gotten revenge for Kuririn and kinto'un, but instead of getting his Dragon Ball back, he's gained a different “prize” in it's place – the attention of Demon King Piccolo. Considering two of his newest minions have been taken out in such a short amount of time, it's no wonder Piccolo is choosing to take matters into his own hands at this point, and given how much he's been built up as a truly terrifying being, you can't help but feel excited at the prospect of Goku going toe-to-toe with him. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Descent of the Demon King!
Synopsis: With Yajirobe's slaughtering of Cymbal, King Piccolo contacts his other 'son' Tambourine, interrupting his fight with Yamcha, to inform him of Cymbal's death, and to give him his new orders – seek out whoever killed Cymbal and destroy them! Elsewhere, a pirate ship on tank treads travels across a forest landscape. It's captain holds Roshi, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu at gunpoint while playing with the Dragon Ball in his possession. Roshi asks if there's any way to convince him to give it to them, but the large bear-man says it's his because he found it first. Tenshinhan says the captain doesn't need it in the first place, and the captain agrees that to him it's just a pretty ball, but one look at their faces tells him it must be worth more than that after all. The captain demands 1 million zeni from them if they want the ball, prompting Roshi to try to bribe him with a cabaret club coupon and a lottery ticket instead. The captain won't budge however, and when the pirate crew tries to rob them, the trio are left with no choice but to fight, and they quickly make short work of the entire crew, gaining the Dragon Ball for their trouble. In a nearby desert, Goku follows Yajirobe and warns him that another monster, likely the one that killed Kuririn, will soon come for him, but Yajirobe ignores him. Goku tries to convince him to lend him the Dragon Ball as well, but Yajirobe blows him off and tries to leave Goku behind. Meanwhile, on Pilaf's Airship, King Piccolo continues to fume about the death of Cymbal. Shu tries to convince Pilaf that this is the perfect chance for them to escape, but Pilaf thinks they're too close to getting their prize to duck out now. Tambourine contacts Piccolo to inform him that the area where Cymbal died is empty, and Pilaf checks the radar to see the Dragon Ball moving at great speed as Yajirobe continues trying to give Goku the slip. Following their instructions, Tambourine pursues the Dragon Ball's new direction. Pursuing another Dragon Ball themselves, Roshi, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu soon find themselves in an Old West style town, with the radar directing them towards one house in particular. As they approach the house, Tenshinhan is surprised and horrified to see that a man inside the house is someone he recognizes – a former fighter who is still suffering from a beating Tenshinhan once gave him, including a broken kneecap. The man reveals that the hospital stay from everything Tenshinhan did to him lasted two and a half years, distracting Tenshinhan as the man's wife goes to a back room with their baby and makes a telephone call while the radio talks about the strange deaths of martial artists happening right now. Tenshinhan apologizes to the man, saying that he was foolish back then, and asking if they could have the Dragon Ball the man currently possesses. The man claims not to know where it is even after Tenshinhan describes it, and asks Tenshinhan what he's planning, saying that even if he did know what or where the Dragon Ball was, he'd never give it to the likes of him. Waiting outside, Chaozu seems concerned for Tenshinhan, but Roshi tells him not to worry and leave it to him. Suddenly, a SWAT team arrives and surrounds the house, with guns drawn. Tenshinhan asks the man if there's any way to make him reconsider, and the man tells him to stop asking already. Tenshinhan starts to approach the man who quickly grabs a rifle from the wall, but Tenshinhan pleads with him that he's not trying to attack him. The SWAT team moves into the house and surround Tenshinhan, telling him he's under arrest for suspicion of murder. The man says he knew right away it must be Tenshinhan behind the murders, as he was the only one who could kill fighters of such high caliber. Tenshinhan says this is all a big misunderstanding, but the man doesn't want to hear it, and the police say they'll listen to whatever crazy story Tenshinhan has back at the station. As the police try to apprehend him, Tenshinhan knocks them back and readies himself to fight, but Roshi steps in and prevents further fighting from breaking out when the leader of the police squad recognizes who he is. Roshi says that Tenshinhan is innocent and gives them all his word that he's not who has been killing martial artists. The man Tenshinhan injured still isn't convinced, so when Tenshinhan asks him again for the Dragon Ball, the man tells him to ransack the house until he finds it, stating that that's his way of doing things after all. To his surprise however, Tenshinhan gets down on hands and knees, begging for the Dragon Ball and even offering the man his own arm or leg to break if it'll make him feel better about what he did to him before. The man is taken aback by Tenshinhan's earnest plea, and ultimately recognizes that the ball must be something very important after all for someone like Tenshinhan to go to such degrading lengths to get it. The man tells Tenshinhan the ball is in the next room for him to take, but warns him that the baby, currently sleeping while holding the ball, might start crying if he doesn't want him to take it. Elsewhere, Yajirobe – who had finally given Goku the slip – is caught up to and found by Tambourine, who comes looking for the Dragon Ball. Yajirobe suddenly realizes that everything Goku told him was the truth, just as Goku himself catches up to them as well, loudly declaring that he's the one who'll kill the monster that killed Kuririn and destroyed kinto'un. Review: I can already tell what you're thinking (“But wait, wasn't most of this episode filler that doesn't really add anything to the material it's fleshing out?”), and for the most part, you'd be right. Everything dealing with characters and actions we've already been seeing as of the last few chapters (Goku and Yajirobe's dealing with Cymbal, Piccolo's outrage at Cymbal's death, Tambourine being told to go after them instead, etc.) is all pretty by the numbers, and formulaic to the point of feeling pretty pointless really. It's all filler in the truest sense in that it just runs out the clock until the episode is done, and pretty much leaves us exactly where it last found us, ready for the next canon material to play out in it's stead. As such, there's not really much for me to comment on in regards to that material other than to say...eh. It's not the worst, and if you haven't already read the manga, you won't even notice it's there (again, it's so tied to the actual canon material that it's difficult to divorce the two without directly comparing them). So why talk about this episode at all then? Because the last act of it is one of those few times that we really get anywhere close to a character study in all of Dragon Ball, and it's the perfect chance to check in on how Tenshinhan is faring post his “victory” at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai. While the opening scene of Roshi, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu is a fun one, especially with Chaozu being the one that takes down most of the crew in one go via his psychic powers stopping their bullets, it's after that when they're on their way to the next Dragon Ball's location that things really get interesting. The idea that there's someone out there that Tenshinhan beat the living daylights out of and might still hold a grudge against him for it is one that makes perfect sense, and I'm glad Toei made use of it since Toriyama won't - well, mostly. Of the two other grudge seekers I can think of off the top of my head, the first is really after vengeance against the entire group not just Tenshinhan specifically, and the latter is in Super and thus so far removed so as to not carry the same weight at all. Either way, this guy is someone that very much got the same treatment as Yamcha, except worse as his hospital stay lasted an entire two and a half years, and he STILL has a busted leg to show for his troubles. It's unclear if he and his wife already knew each other prior to that timeframe, or exactly how long it's been since Tenshinhan wiped the floor with him, but it's clear either way that he's not forgiving or forgetting what Tenshinhan did as easily as Yamcha did. And when you think about it, why should he? For all he knows, Mr. Three-Eyes is only here to finish the job, especially since it's made clear that the man and his family are well aware of murder of martial artists going on right now. Tenshinhan being mistaken as the culprit, even if only briefly, is another brilliant idea that I'm glad Toei came up with and used here, though I would've liked to see more done with that or someone else also coming under suspicion for it. There probably wouldn't have been room for it in the manga, but it's something the anime definitely could've played around with a little more if it had wanted to. It's made radically clear from the beginning of their interactions how much his sins are weighing on Tenshinhan's mind as well. This is a guy who, until very recently, had convinced himself that his dearest desire was to become an assassin the likes of Taopaipai, and had even convinced himself that he enjoyed causing pain. On one level, that being the level of proving his strength, I think he DID enjoy it, he liked proving that he was stronger than anyone else. After coming into contact with Goku and Roshi during the tournament however, he's become a changed man...but that doesn't erase everything that he did before that, something that this nameless victim from the past almost proves with a bullet. Tenshinhan can do better things now, he can spend the rest of his life making up for the way he used to be, and that's a good thing, but it doesn't mean anything to the people he's harmed if they don't know about it, and if he doesn't prove it with his actions rather than his words. It's that very choice, action and not words, that finally wins the man over in the end too. Rather than continuing to try to convince him by talking to him, but also choosing not to fight and overpower as is expected of him, Tenshinhan instead chooses the path of humility and bows his head before the man, pleading with him to help him as if he were the one with all the power in the situation, not Tenshinhan. Seeing someone that he knows used to value power and victory over anything else do something like that is what finally breaks through the man's hatred of the man that injured him and allows him to fully move on at last as well, and both are proven with the sight of his child holding the Dragon Ball – now, he has something more valuable than his past to motivate him, and in allowing Tenshinhan to come anywhere near his child, he shows that he no longer holds any ill will towards him in his heart. It's doubtful the two ever meet again after this point, but that's okay – their issues are now resolved, and at least one portion of the weight still weighing down Tenshinhan's soul has been lifted off of it. It's not much, and frankly the episode would have been better served to focus more on this portion of it rather than the rest of it (something FUNimation must have agreed with, as their title for the episode, Tien's Atonement, focuses on this portion over everything else), but it's nice to see something in the way of a moment of growth and remorse for a character in the series, especially one that started off very much on the villain side of things. Would later bad-guys-turned-good have been better served if they had gotten similar redemption episodes? Well...maybe. As bad as the things Tenshinhan did are, he's still a far cry from the likes of some of our later redemption stories, so doing this sort of thing too often could have rung a little too hollow, and likewise might have come across more forced with their changes of heart – especially for one spiky-haired prince in particular. And if you're wondering why I chose to cover this episode, but not the previous one that, as teased in the 'previously on Dragon Ball' beginning of the episode, featured Yamcha and Tambourine's fight? Well...while Tenshinhan's drama in this episode gives quite a bit to talk about, Yamcha's fight with Tambourine was probably best left as a near miss like in the manga rather than something we needed to actually see, because it was always a foregone conclusion how it was going to turn out, so in this case, less is more. Sorry Yamcha, maybe next time...but no promises considering...well...yeah. Until next time! Favorite Scene: Tenshinhan's prostration of himself in front of the man he assaulted before is a powerful showing of just how far he's willing to go to change from who he used to be. Next Time: Rematch with Tambourine! |
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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