Synopsis: As Piccolo continues to charge his ki, Goku and his friends note how terrifyingly large his energy is becoming, like nothing they've ever felt before. Goku again urges his friends to run and find some way off of the island before it's too late, and when Chi Chi asks her fiancé what he's planning to do, he says he's going to try and take the blast. Kami shouts for him to flee with them as this is no longer a tournament match, but before anyone can move, Piccolo's energy changes, and he grins. Realizing that it's too late and the attack is just about to launch, Goku frets about his friends. Thinking quickly, Tenshinhan fires a Kikoho into the nearby ground, creating a large hole for everyone to jump into. As everyone hides inside, Kuririn shouts to Goku to not take on too much, and Kami thinks that's exactly what Goku's about to do. Saying that there's no time for that sort of thing, Lunch kicks Kami into the hole, saying that she doesn't know if he's really 'God' or not, but they have to move. As Goku stands his ground and braces for the impact, Piccolo shouts at him to die and unleashes his energy, resulting in an explosion that engulfs almost the entire island, destroying buildings and even causing tidal waves in the nearby sea. As the dust settles, Piccolo stares at the sky, thinking that he's won at last as there's no way Goku could have withstood such an attack. As Kuririn slowly crawls out of the hole in the ground, he looks worried, then ecstatic. He shouts Goku's name, and to Piccolo's surprise as he looks down at last, Goku is still standing before him, tattered but alive. As Piccolo says this has to be some sort of trick, Kuririn tells everyone else that Goku's done it, and they all cheer for him as they crawl back onto the ground. Clenching his fist, Goku claims this victory for himself. Review: An attack that's going to destroy everything around and kill everyone there; Goku shouting to his friends that they need to get out of the way before it's too late, only it is too late and there's seemingly no way for them to not get caught in the crossfire...gee, this all feels really familiar, doesn't it? As much as I love this fight, I'd be remiss if I didn't note that we've technically been through this exact same situation two times already in this fight, first when Piccolo ended up forcing Goku to dodge into the air, and immediately after that when Goku ends up firing his Super Kamehameha for the first time. While those two moments were already repetitive, they were basically of the same mold as Tenshinhan using the same tactics against Goku twice as well – it happened to show that the same trick wouldn't work on Goku twice, and that he had a way of combatting it. This time however, even if the imagery makes for some really cool artwork, there's no getting around this feeling that we're starting to tread water on what's left for this fight to really show us. It's not surprising either, given that this fight is on it's eighth consecutive chapter, making it by far the longest fight between two characters in this series to date. As enjoyable as the fight is, it's definitely time that things start to wrap up, and I would say that this is definitely the moment that it starts to enter it's final stretch. That's not to say there's nothing of value in this repetition however. As I said before, the artwork on display here is truly gorgeous, and really shows how far Toriyama has come in regards to showcasing action, and how far he's still going in terms of showing how powerful these characters are getting. Piccolo's blast basically wrecks the entire island, and we even see some boats being tossed around at sea – this is without a doubt the biggest level of destruction we've ever seen. Again, discounting that time Roshi blew up the moon, of course. There's even a really good joke here that I love, with Lunch just kicking Kami into Tenshinhan's Kikoho-made hole and saying she doesn't really care if he's God or not. This treatment of Kami is great, and by all counts, it totally fits as something the blonde Lunch would say and do as well. This is it. We've basically hit peak Lunch, there's nowhere to go from here but downhill...is what I would say, but, well, we'll cover that soon enough. With Goku having survived Piccolo's blast – as well as his pants, seriously, what in the world are these characters making their pants out of and why aren't they using this same extremely durable material for their shirts? - it seems like there's absolutely nothing Piccolo can do to actually take our hero down. And yes, as someone who knows exactly what's coming next chapter, I am squeeing in anticipation right now. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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Synopsis: As Goku pants, Piccolo notes that even he is starting to show fatigue at last. Goku tells him he can't talk as his own punches aren't half of what they were at the start of the fight. Kami pleads with Goku again to stop treating this like a tournament and to fight alongside him, saying they'll regret it if they don't stop Piccolo now. Goku says he'll regret it more if he gives up now however, and likewise pleads with Kami to understand – it's his pride as a martial artist that won't let him stop this match. Kami starts to object, but Tenshinhan speaks up from the sidelines, saying that the world Goku's defending is one he's already saved once before, so he's surely earned the right to try to settle this his own way. Kuririn suggests that if Goku loses, then at that point they can all team up to take Piccolo down, but Piccolo laughs and says that even a hundred of them, teamed up with Kami, would never be able to stop him. Yamcha starts to object, but Roshi says that he's right, as only Goku is capable of tracking Piccolo's movements now. Left with no other choice, Kami agrees to let Goku do as he wishes, but urges him to kill Piccolo at all costs, saying that while it will kill him as well, perhaps they can revive him with the Dragon Balls afterwards. Goku thanks Kami and says he's got this in the bag now, but Piccolo laughs and accuses Goku of dreaming. Goku says that it's no dream as he's already seen through all of Piccolo's moves. As Kami muses about how Goku seems to have no limits and has even surpassed him, perhaps being able to win this match after all, Piccolo asks Goku if he really thinks he can easily defeat him now. Goku says that he can, and Piccolo grows enraged, saying that he's grown many times more powerful than he was three years prior. Goku congratulates him, saying that he's gotten a lot stronger too, and that pushes Piccolo over the edge. Piccolo fires a large blast at Goku, and Goku is surprised to see him resorting to something so basic. He leaps into the air to dodge the blast, but to his surprise, it turns and follows after him. Goku dodges again and again, but the blast constantly redirects to chase after him, with Piccolo laughing and explaining that it will follow Goku until it hits it's target. As he continues to dodge, Goku seems to get an idea, and drops to the ring below. He waits, and as it looks like the blast is about to hit him, he suddenly dashes forward, grinning at Piccolo while inches apart, before quickly disappearing. Piccolo screams in a horrified realization as his own blast explodes against him. Goku shields himself from the dust, and as the smoke clears, Piccolo's form is revealed, with one arm injured beyond repair. Everyone is shocked that Goku thought of something like that so quickly, and Goku tells Piccolo to give up as there's no way he can keep fighting with just one arm. Despite this however, Piccolo grins and takes hold of the arm, ripping it from his body. Everyone watches in horror as Piccolo then grows a new arm in it's place. Piccolo is outraged that he's been reduced to this, but says he has no choice now but to resort to his final gamble. Grabbing hold of both of his arms, he starts to channel his energy rapidly. Seeming to guess what's about to happen, Goku shouts for everyone to run and get as far away as possible as quickly as they can. Review: After everything that's happened so far, it might seem a little underwhelming that it's Piccolo's punch that finally winds Goku in any real way, but let's not forget that everything that's happened thus far has all happened in one fight without any real breaks. That means, everything that Goku and Piccolo have done is still fresh and taking a toll on their bodies – basically think of that last punch as the straw that broke the camel's back as it were. I mentioned last time that Goku's point of view, while making a lot of sense with his character, is one that is understandably at odds with logic, thus making it easy to understand why Kami would balk at it. Here however, we see that it's hardly exclusive to Goku, as even Tenshinhan and Kuririn speak up in favor of Goku finishing the match. We're going to be seeing a lot of 'martial artist' and other kinds of pride as the series continues on, and let's just say that very often this series goes out of it's way to prove the old adage about pride going before the fall. Again, I'm loathe to agree with Kami on anything, but he IS looking at the greater good here, as opposed to Goku just...wanting to have a fun fight. We're definitely reaching an era where what our heroes want may not always be the truly heroic thing, but that's part of the charm of this series, and it always has been – we're following a group of flawed individuals who basically trip into the roles of heroes, rather than actively pursuing any such role at all. The only difference is that now we're dealing with literal super-powered beings. The idea of everyone teaming up against Piccolo is one that it's a little odd to see dismissed so quickly. Tenshinhan did at least hold his own against Goku for a bit, and let's not forget that Kuririn actually impressed Piccolo earlier. Now all of a sudden however, they're absolutely worthless and it wouldn't matter if there were many more of them, they still wouldn't do a thing to Piccolo? I have a feeling that if it came down to it, they'd hold their own against him better than he expects, especially given how drained of energy he's bound to be by this point, but ah well – the story's gotta build up Goku to be even more impressive, after all. The idea of an energy blasts that homes in after an opponent is also a new one, and it's a bit of a novelty as there's really only a few other times in the series that we'll see blasts follow along quite to this same degree. It's basically an even more impressive version of what Yamcha was able to do earlier, though it's also similar to what we've seen Goku do before by altering the direction of a blast post-firing it. Unfortunately for Piccolo, as dumb as he is in general, Goku really is smart in a fight, and he finds the easiest way to deal with this attack. The fact that not even Piccolo was able to weather it without damage certainly shows just how much force he put into it too. Piccolo has proven to be full of surprises, showing of all kinds of new abilities that we never saw happen with King Piccolo, and the most recent addition to that list is apparently the ability to regrow limbs. It's certainly a power that King Piccolo seemed to lack, given that he didn't just regrow the cavity in his chest that Goku flew through – either that or there's some other reason for that not happening, such as the injury either being too great or him being too low on energy at the time. Either way, this is a step too far for Piccolo's own pride to deal with, and as such, he's ready to bring this fight to an end – permanently. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Kami is surprised to find himself in the outside world once more, whilst Bulma, Oolong, and the tournament announcer are all surprised to see what seems to be a second Piccolo in front of them. Roshi explains to Kami what just happened and how he was freed by Goku's plan. Piccolo shrinks back down to normal size, and Goku teases him by saying that he must not have wanted Goku to fly into his mouth again. Irritated, Piccolo launches himself at Goku once more, and the two fighters disappear.
The ring is once again left empty as Kami notes that even he can't follow their movements, not even with a God's eyes. The pair soon reappear in the sky above the ring, continuing to exchange a flurry of blows. Piccolo is able to punch Goku away from him, but Goku surprises him by launching a sudden Kamehameha not from his hands, but his feet! The blast sends Goku hurtling fists first into Piccolo, as Roshi praises his former student for having become such a genius when it comes to fighting. As Piccolo falls through the air, he launches a surprise attack of his own, catching Goku with an energy blast fired from his antennae. As Goku himself falls towards the ring now, Piccolo flies back in to finish him off, much to Kami's horror. As Goku barely gets back up before Piccolo can reach him, it seems like Piccolo's attack is going to land true, but Kami leaps in the way, blocking Piccolo's fists with his hands. Piccolo curses him, and Kami tells Goku that they'll take down Piccolo together. To Kami's surprise however, Goku objects, saying that the match hasn't been decided yet and that if Kami interferes, they'll disqualify him, and Goku doesn't want that. Kuririn is surprised that Goku can still think of this as a tournament match at all, but Roshi says that Goku never was one to look at the bigger picture, and that he's the type to only get excited by having a tough opponent in front of him. Goku offers Piccolo one free punch to make up for the one that Kami blocked, otherwise he'll feel guilty. Piccolo calls Goku a braggart but takes him up on the offer, punching Goku and sending him crashing into the tournament ring's wall again. As Goku tries getting back up, he tells Piccolo that they're even now. Review: It figures that as soon as he's let back out into the world, Kami immediately starts trying to interfere with things – that's just such a God thing to do, isn't it? Jokes aside, this chapter basically serves as a way for Kami to be brought up to speed on everything that's happened since he was sealed away just before the final match of the tournament began. He now knows how he got sealed away (though technically, shouldn't he already know how that happened?), he knows that Goku broke him out again, and he sees that Goku and Piccolo are both far stronger than he ever imagined. You'd think that this newfound revelation that they're stronger – and faster, let's not forget faster, why they're moving so fast that not even GOD's eyes can see them, hahahaha-ugh... - would motivate him to put a little more trust into Goku's chances of winning this fight. But nope – Kami still can't help but think that he needs to do the job himself, or at least be involved with it now. It's admittedly pretty ironic how this has turned out, given that my initial issues with Kami were that he didn't take care of his own mess. Now that things have evolved far past the point where he can, he can't stop poking his nose into a business that's way past him at this point. Amongst all of the fighting that Kami finally gets to see, we ourselves get to see two more moves we haven't yet seen before. The first of which is the cooler one in my opinion, and that's Goku's 'foot Kamehameha'. I don't know why, but I've always thought this was a cool trick, and it's a shame that we only get to see it the once. I guess flying becoming a thing mostly takes away the need for this move, but it's still one of the more surprising uses of the Kamehameha in the entire series. We also get to see Piccolo fire energy from his antennae. Huh. Neat! I mean, it is another way to catch an opponent off-guard, and it certainly works – it's just not as surprising or ground-breaking as the newest Kamehameha innovation, especially not when we've already seen something like this from the Gatchan back in Penguin Village. Man, remember Penguin Village? Where were THEY when King Piccolo was taking over the world, that's all I want to know. If Senbei had sent in Arale, things would have gone a lot smoother. Going back to Kami's interfering, it's here that we finally get it spelled completely out that Goku still considers this a tournament match that he wants to win rather than a fight to save the world. As much as I love to harp on Kami, and while this is something that 100% fits Goku's character – almost too much, as this is the sort of thinking from him that's going to get even more extreme as time goes on – this kind of is a good reason for him to not trust leaving things in Goku's hands alone. If it wasn't for a certain plot point that I still can't talk about just yet, then it really would make a lot more sense to kill Piccolo here than it does to let him live and win the tournament. He's also already proven to be incredibly resilient, so it would make a first time reader wonder if Piccolo even CAN be beaten without killing him. It did take his death to stop the former King Piccolo, after all. One other neat thing worth mentioning is that in the pages of the chapter itself, Piccolo's free punch isn't actually depicted. The title page of this chapter seems to portray it though, in a rare case of the manga having a title page that actually takes part in the series proper – usually the closest thing we get to that are the rare chapters without a title page at all, with most actual title pages just being character art for the sake of character art. It's a little thing, but it's nice, and I kind of wish it happened more often. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Piccolo asks Goku if it's really wise to turn down his friend's help, claiming that without it, he doesn't stand a chance at all. Roshi notes that despite Piccolo's increase in size, his speed doesn't seem to have suffered at all, but Goku insists that size like this is nothing to him. Piccolo sneers at the thought and launches an energy blast from his mouth, but Goku dodges out of the way and kicks Piccolo in the back of one of his knees. Piccolo falls backwards, and once he's on the ground, Goku grabs hold of one of his massive fingers, and flips Piccolo through the air and onto his back on the ring. Though Piccolo immediately leaps back to his feet, Goku's friends are impressed that he was able to lift someone so huge overhead like that. Roshi points out something even more incredible to Kuririn however, causing them both to wonder just what kind of training Goku went through – even after that and the large Super Kamehameha from before, Goku's power still doesn't seem to have dropped much at all. As Kuririn cheers his friend on, Piccolo says that Goku is nimble if nothing else, and Goku boasts that he was right about Piccolo's size meaning nothing – though, if Piccolo had been even bigger, it might have been a different story, he admits. Hearing this, Piccolo smirks, and asks if Goku really thinks this is his limit. Goku is shocked, but Piccolo proceeds to grow even larger than he was before, towering above Goku and barely fitting in the ring. As Goku's friends start to run, Yamcha implores Goku to do the same, but as Piccolo laughs, Goku grins. Saying that Piccolo fell for it, Goku leaps into the air, and fires a quick Kamehameha that launches him down Piccolo's throat. Piccolo immediately beings gagging, and before Goku's friends can figure out what he's doing, Piccolo spits the smaller warrior back out. Landing in the ring, Goku quickly tosses something to Tenshinhan – the bottle that Kami's sealed in! Tenshinhan quickly opens it at Goku's request as Piccolo curses them all, and Kami is freed from his prison, popping back into existence before them all. Review: Given how big Piccolo grows, it'd be a forgivable enough assumption that he'd have nerfed his own speed in the process. If his performance at the end of last chapter wasn't enough evidence to the contrary however, Roshi's words put an end to the matter directly – he didn't. This seems to be a much more effective move than Tenshinhan's Shishin technique, at least in that regard, as his power and speed hasn't dropped at all. If anything, it's arguable that he's possibly a little stronger in this form. That said, it's quickly made obvious that whatever increase in strength he gains from this form isn't enough to outdo Goku just yet, as Goku is able to toss him around like a ragdoll regardless. This feat also serves as a way for Roshi to point out what his skilled eyes are noticing that others stronger but less trained than himself might have missed – even after all of THIS, Goku is STILL not left panting or out of breath in any real way. Goku was always a sturdy fighter, but it looks like now his level of stamina is on a level that our other characters can't even comprehend. Also, as an aside – anyone else find it frankly hilarious that Piccolo just HAPPENS to not step out of or get tossed out of the ring even while the size of a mountain? The world really does favor Goku getting what he wants sometimes, doesn't it. Piccolo's bad luck continues from there, as he falls for a trick from Goku of all people. It's not even really a battle trick, like a new technique or something – he just says what he wants Piccolo to do in a very goading way, and Piccolo falls for it hook, line, and sinker. Given that Piccolo is often regarded as one of the smarter fighters in the series, this is definitely an embarrassing showing for him. And with Goku's trick working out, Kami is once again freed, and Goku is free to finish off Piccolo! ...Oh, wait. There's still that pesky matter of Kami dying if he kills Piccolo. But wait, they can use the Dragon Balls to bring Kami back afterwards! ...Not even going into the 'twist' with that that I still can't talk about yet, this still seems like a rather impractical plan, because now all they've really achieved is that they'll have to watch Kami die rather than him dying unseen inside of Piccolo. Strange thing to consider an improvement, frankly, but maybe they just want Kami to go through what people did for years while King Piccolo was running rampant. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Piccolo curses Goku, vowing to repay him in full for making him taste fear. Goku wonders what to do now as Piccolo even withstood an attack he'd planned to use as his big finish. Piccolo lands back in the ring and says he can't rest until Goku is in shreds. As Goku's friends watch in horror, the announcer describes how amazing the match has been thus far, eventually noting that 'Demon Junior's' clothes have been damaged. Upon getting a better look at him, he and the crowd both start to think he looks...a little familiar... As Yamcha thinks that everything is about to be revealed and cause a panic, Lunch says what everyone else is thinking, that 'Demon Junior' looks exactly like King Piccolo. Hearing the crowd's mumbling, Piccolo shouts that he should look like him, given that he's the reincarnation of the Great Demon King. The crowd is stunned, and Piccolo laughs, telling them to let the whole world know that the moment Goku stops breathing, he'll become their king once more. The horrified crowd rushes away from the Tenkaichi Budokai grounds in a panic, leaving only the announcer and Goku's friends, as the announcer leaps back into the stands to continue his commentary to nobody in particular. Goku asks everyone to stand further back so he can fight more freely, and they cheer him on. Piccolo is ready to resume the match now that the 'trash' is gone, and Goku tells him that he won't let him take over the world. Piccolo thinks that such a line should have been saved for after his next move, and as Goku watches on, Piccolo suddenly grows in size, becoming easily ten times the size he was before. As he towers over everyone, Piccolo says the end is near and swings a might punch at Goku, who is barely able to dodge out of the way. Piccolo strikes twice more, and while Goku is able to dodge the second blow, the third hits him hard back into the ring's floor. As Goku lays on the ground, his friends are horrified, and Tenshinhan rushes forward to offer to help Goku fight. Goku turns him down as he gets back to his feet however, saying that if anyone helps him, he won't win the match fair and square. Review: With the fight being as over-the-top as it was, it was quickly becoming clear that this isn't the sort of fight that should really be contained in a tournament ring. Hell, Goku and Piccolo's previous matches up to this point have already shown that both of them are far stronger than any of the other tournament contestants and could easily use a much larger area to fight in. As such, this chapter basically brings the status of both this fight and this arc as a whole as a 'tournament' to a close...or at least, it would. Piccolo's secret is out now, and it's no longer just Goku's fighting group of friends that know the truth of who Piccolo is, the entire crowd in attendance of the tournament know now too. The result is exactly as everyone previously feared it would be, as everyone in the stands except for Bulma, Lunch, Oolong, and Puar all flee in fear. It's a completely understandable reaction, given how much damage Piccolo did to the world's peace in an extremely short amount of time before. It's easy to see why everyone would be scared by the idea of him coming back. What doesn't happen from here is what doesn't make a bit of sense however. If this were a series I wasn't already intimately familiar with, maybe I would speculate about what could come from this instead of talking about what doesn't, but this series being one I and most readers are already going to be very familiar with as it is...I don't think there's any harm in jumping the shark just this one time to talk about how basically nothing greatly changes in the world of Dragon Ball from this revelation. I mean, think about it – we just saw a LOT of people running and leaving the tournament ground's. Surely someone has some way to contact the rest of the world and announce that King Piccolo is back. If it was just one or two people, that would be one thing, but an entire stadium full of them, all making the same claim? That's the kind of thing that you'd think people would take seriously, particularly the King of the World and his military. We should be seeing them coming here to investigate or at the very least to ask what happened after everything's said and done, but spoiler warning – we see nothing of the sort. In fact, the world basically seems to just...keep on going, as if this horrifying return was never revealed to a large group of people. It just goes to show one thing that a fan of Dragon Ball has to quickly get used to, and it shows it in spades – the populace of the world is dumb. I mean, like, really, REALLY dumb. And forgetful. Far more so than the real world's population is, and given the past few years, that's really saying something. It's enough to make you wonder if that's not the biggest reason for much of the rest of the story being events that are relatively unknown to Earth's population at large – if they don't know about it, Toriyama doesn't have to have them completely forget about it, and things move on much more smoothly. It's a cop-out if ever there was one, but it is what it is. At any rate, everyone that left the tournament so quickly misses out on seeing Piccolo's new move, and this time around, it's actually brand new – we haven't seen him do anything like this at any point before now. Growing giant definitely seems to be an attack that would be hard to avoid, and it definitely does seem to take Goku off guard. That said, he's still in this to win this, which brings us right back around to how this is actually still a tournament match somehow. Remember how everyone in the crowd ran except for the announcer? That's because we need at least one official person there to call this match once it's done. Notice how even once he grows giant, Piccolo is still within the confines of the ring? That's because if he stepped outside of it, he'd lose by ring-out. And Goku rejecting Tenshinhan's offer of help? It's not because Tenshinhan wouldn't be of any help – though he probably wouldn't – it's because if Goku accepts outside help, then he'd forfeit the match. Goku himself calls it as such, referring to his bout with Piccolo not as a 'fight', but a 'match', one that he wants to win 'fair and square'. First off, that's hilarious coming from the guy who previously used kinto'un in one tournament, and then arguably left the ring enough to grab sunglasses in another. Second, it's a testament to who Goku is that he still wants to consider this a tournament match rather than a deathmatch. He's lost this tournament twice before, and it seems like it might just mean something to him to win it for once after all. There's also the fact that he continually doesn't want to kill Piccolo...but that's just because if he did, he'd lose the tournament (there's a no kill rule, don't forget) and he'd kill Kami too. There's nothing else to it, right? ...I'll get back to you on that one. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Goku warns Piccolo that he's never seen something like this, and starts to prepare his 'Super' Kamehameha, surprising his friends at such a thing, with Kuririn suggesting that it must be even better than the usual Kamehameha. Before Goku can fire the blast however, Roshi shouts for him to stop, reminding him that if he kills Piccolo, then Kami will die as well. Goku curses himself for forgetting something like that, and Piccolo laughs, saying that Goku's greatest weakness is his sentimentality. He claims to share no such weakness, stating that while Goku's caring won't allow him to fight him full force, Piccolo can do whatever he wants – including killing everyone there in an instant. The announcer and crowd are taken aback by this statement, and Piccolo vows to show them all a splendid hell, with his only regret being that their deaths will be instantaneous and he won't get to enjoy their suffering. As Piccolo starts charging his energy, Goku shouts that it's unfair and that Piccolo is fighting him and him alone, so he should leave everyone else out of it. Piccolo however, asks Goku if he really thinks that he cares. As Piccolo prepares to fire the blast, Bulma and Oolong wonder if this is some sort of joke, and Goku and his other friends brace themselves for what's coming. Suddenly, Kuririn shouts to Goku that they still have the Dragon Balls, reminding him that they can be used to bring Kami back to life even if Goku does kill Piccolo, and urging him to fire the Super Kamehameha. Goku thanks Kuririn for reminding him about that, and gets back into position. Piccolo laughs, saying that Shenlong was destroyed three years ago, and fires another massive blast towards Goku in the ring. Goku counters by saying that Shenlong was brought back, and fires a massive Kamehameha, larger than any he's fired before. The two blasts meet in the air, and Piccolo is horrified as Goku's blast overtakes his own and he's bathed in energy, barely able to cross his arms before him to try to withstand it. As everyone watching is thrown back by the force of the attack, Goku pants at last as his blast finishes firing. Much to his surprise however, Piccolo is still alive, floating in the air high above. As Goku praises his ability to withstand such an attack, Piccolo is shown not to be entirely unscathed, as his turban and much of his gi have been ripped apart. Review: So that part about old tricks not coming to save Goku now was a bit of a lie as you can now tell, but not entirely – it says right on the name, it's a SUPER Kamehameha! That's totally and legally distinct from a regular Kamehameha, and if you disagree, why, Toriyama will see you all in court. I joke, but honestly, as overdone as the technique is going to become in time, I really can't blame Toriyama for reutilizing it in this way, as by now it had already become an incredibly iconic part of Goku's character. Basically, if you show off his haircut, his gi, or say the name of this attack, people are almost always going to instantly know you're showing them or talking to them about Dragon Ball, and at the end of the day, the goal of this series was always just as much about staying popular and making money as it ever was to tell an engaging story, so why mess with success? It's worth noting that that's exactly what Toriyama did by aging Goku up at all however, so you can't help but wonder if keeping this attack was always Toriyama's plan, or if it was another concession towards allowing him to change things up as much as he ultimately did. As far as I'm aware, nothing suggesting that has ever been said in any interview or guidebook however, so I'm entirely hypothesizing here. For all intents and purposes, the Super Kamehameha truly is the same attack, right down to how it's performed, just bigger and better. If the previous Kamehameha were a rifle, this is a high-powered tank, and given what we just saw Piccolo pull off last time, it was something Goku definitely needed in his arsenal for it to be believable that he could beat him. Hell, it's arguable he needed something of this level when he defeated King Piccolo. Now that it's here, it's basically here to stay, and pretty safe to assume that practically every other Kamehameha we see from this point on is of the Super variety, either by size or just power. Piccolo's commentary on what he's willing to do and Goku isn't is basically a retread of what I discussed last chapter, so there's not really much for me to add to it this time. Instead, I do however want to talk a little bit about Kuririn's remarks here that urge Goku on to fire the Super Kamehameha after all, though I can't fully dive into this moment until towards the end of the arc unfortunately. For now however, I do like that it's Kuririn, the one character on the scene who's died and been brought back before, that brings up the idea of just reviving Kami after the fact. It's a good plan in theory, and he's the perfect person to bring up such an idea...it's just a shame that, after everything is said and done, this moment is part of the one plotline of this arc that's a little...off, at least in implementation if nothing else. It's also worth noting that Piccolo seems to remember that Shenlong was destroyed, but has absolutely no memory that Kuririn should be dead if the Dragon Balls weren't brought back. In all fairness, King Piccolo probably paid very little attention to the faces of those that Tambourine said he'd already killed, so it's a forgivable enough misunderstanding on his part. That said, you'd think he would have maybe considered the idea that Goku could have convinced Kami to bring them back, especially given the presence of both of them here at the tournament. With Piccolo's survival of the Super Kamehameha, it's clear that this fight still isn't over just yet, as neither character has been as injured as one might think after facing off with energy blasts strong enough to level entire countrysides. Piccolo's outfit seems to have taken more damage than anything else, and believe it or not, that's actually going to have ramifications of it's own. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: As Kuririn wonders if this is the real start of the fight, Goku and Piccolo once again lock arms in combat. The two fighters furiously exchange blows, eventually ending up hand in hand, each one trying to overpower the other. Piccolo tries launching blasts from his eyes to catch Goku off-guard, but Goku ducks beneath them before flipping up and kicking both feet into Piccolo's chin. As Piccolo is knocked back, Goku leaps away and seemingly disappears. While Tenshinhan praises Goku for having completely erasing his presence, Piccolo is undeterred, and catches a reappearing Goku in the chin with an elbow strike, sending him crashing into the ring's wall. Goku's friends are shocked, but even more so when they realize that the wall is broken...but Goku's not there. Piccolo is also shocked by this turn of events, as Goku reappears behind him, kicking him hard and knocking him flying. Piccolo regathers himself and springs off of the ring and high into the air, infuriated. Goku is surprised to see that even that didn't really affect Piccolo, as the demon vows to destroy Goku and the arena in an instant. Realizing what Piccolo is planning to do, Goku quickly urges everyone to run away, but it's too late. With no time for anyone to run, Goku leaps into the air to divert Piccolo's attention, and Piccolo fires a massive energy blast towards Goku, lambasting him for trying to protect worthless humans. Goku manages to dodge the blast at the last second by using another forceful kiai, but the blast still manages to nick his shoulder before crashing into nearby mountains, vaporizing them instantly in a flash of light. As the light fades, the crowd is stunned to see the massive cloud of destruction left behind. Piccolo curses himself for only landing a glancing blow, as Goku uses a small energy blast of his own to land back in the ring. Roshi comments that if Goku hadn't acted, everyone in the tournament grounds would have been blasted to atoms. Goku chastises Piccolo for going so far, and says that he'll teach him with his own next attack – the Super Kamehameha! Review: While I heaped praise upon the previous chapter, it's worth noting that we've been down this road before. The fighting here might be more intense than anything we've seen before, but that doesn't take away from how high-octane Goku V.S. Tenshinhan was, or even Kuririn V.S. Piccolo. Even going back to the previous tournament, Yamcha V.S. Tenshinhan also opened up with action unlike anything we'd seen before, and Goku's original fight with Tenshinhan built upon that greatly. In each of those instances however, the hype was fairly short lived, as the fight soon changed course. I don't want to say they fizzled out, as they certainly didn't, and an entertaining shonen fight is far more than 'who can hit harder' – but there's no denying that those fights had strong openings that kind of went away as the fight went on, and outside of Goku's original fight with Tenshinhan, they all ultimately wrapped up in a handful of chapters overall. That's not what's happening here. This chapter continued showing Goku and Piccolo's fight as being just as insane as it already was, and if anything, despite the characters claiming to be going all out, it promises to get even crazier from here on out. We're again treated to new takes on tactics and techniques we've seen before, such as Piccolo's eye beams and Goku covering his presence, but they're both instantly dealt with by their respective opponents. I can't lie, I was rooting for Piccolo a little bit when he cut short another segment of 'they're moving so fast that I can't even see them!'. Ultimately however, Goku really did move faster than anyone could see, and by god, Toriyama may have finally figured out a way to show it off properly by...not showing it at all and just having Goku reappear behind said opponent. ...Brilliant! Piccolo seems to think less of it than I do however, as being showed up infuriates him to a degree we haven't yet seen from this incarnation of the Demon King. The difference between the two fighters outlooks gets shown clearly here. For Piccolo, this is all just a game, with his goal being to not only defeat Goku, but to kill him. As such, he has no problem bringing this entire tournament crashing down around him and killing everyone there if that's what it takes. Goku however won't stand for others being hurt when it's him his opponent is really after, and makes it a point to divert Piccolo's attack. There's another, less altruistic reason for Goku's decision here, but as that hasn't been revealed yet, I'll hold off on commenting on it for now. I've mentioned a few times already that this era of the story is redefining how the series treats energy attacks and how it's audience should think of them. Prior to this arc, energy blasts were basically only ever seen with big, named attacks. Now however, we've started to see characters just launching smaller energy blasts like it was nothing. This arc is also reinventing ki blasts in another manner however – it's making them bigger. The two outlier Roshi attacks (the times he destroyed Mount Frypan and later THE MOON) aside, we've never seen energy blasts quite like the one Piccolo fires at Goku in this chapter. Even when we saw King Piccolo destroy whole cities, it was more of an immediate explosion rather than an actively moving energy blast. Here however, the blast Piccolo fires off is HUGE, and the devastation it leaves behind is no less immense. Even without Roshi's commentary, it's easy to believe what kind of damage that attack would have done to Goku if it hit him head on, much less what it would have done to everyone else at the tournament, especially the non-fighting crowd in the audience. Faced with something like that, Goku'd going to have to have something pretty amazing of his own if he's going to keep taking the fight to Piccolo, no old tricks are going to be able to save him this time. But what about an old trick reborn? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The Kamehameha Reborn! Synopsis: Goku and Piccolo immediately clash as the match begins, with each opponent blocking the other's initial assault equally. Piccolo headbutts Goku away and leaps after him, landing behind him, but Goku is able to catch him with a kick to the chin. Leaping away again, Piccolo lands at the edge of the ring and stretches his arm out towards Goku, but Goku merely catches his arm and uses it to throw Piccolo high into the air. Piccolo attempts to stop himself mid-air, but Goku sends him flying further away with a kiai motion. Leaping into the air after him, Goku is caught off-guard when Piccolo recovers, hitting Goku at point-blank range with an energy blast. The attack sends Goku crashing into the ring's floor, after which Piccolo follows up with a continuous volley of blasts that all hit Goku. As the crowd and Goku's friends try to shield themselves from the force of Piccolo's blasts, the dust clears and Goku's body is shown lying in a crater in the ring. As Goku's friends fret, the announcer starts the ten count, but Piccolo asks him to refrain and allow Goku to get back up. The announcer is taken aback, and Piccolo accuses Goku of being too transparent, stating that even his strength would never take down Goku so quickly. Laughing, Goku gets back up and asks if he was really that obvious, surprising everyone. Seeing that his gi's all torn up again, Goku rips off what's left of his shirt, as Piccolo asks him if he's still holding back even now, accusing him of being overly cautious. Goku says that he could accuse Piccolo of the same thing, and Piccolo promises to start showing more and more of his real power now. Goku says that Piccolo may be evil, but he knows how to put up a good fight. Piccolo says that he won't be able to spout such things for much longer, as Piccolo plans to kill him soon, but Goku thinks he'll have to actually win this fight first for that. Goku's friends are amazed that the two warriors are already going this hard and only testing each other. Piccolo tells Goku that his next moment of weakness will be his last, with Goku swearing to start going all out as well, as the two fighters leap towards each other once more. Review: In a previous review, I said that everything was on the table now, and that there was nothing left but to get to the fight that we've been building towards since the end of the last arc, and boy does this chapter prove me right. It wastes absolutely no time getting things going, with it's very first page starting right where the last chapter left off. Even at this early stage, I think it's easy to see why I love this fight so much – Toriyama's artwork and staging has never been more dynamic, and Goku and Piccolo's clash is already the equal to any fight we've seen in the series up til now. And with this being only the first chapter, it only promises to get better from here. As with most chapters that are entirely fighting, it doesn't leave me with a lot to comment on, but I do want to point out that a few tactics we see in this fight are things we've already seen in a few fights prior, with those previous tournament matches laying the ground work for what we're seeing here. If we hadn't already seen Piccolo's arm stretching, it might have caught Goku and the readers both off guard; likewise, we've already seen Goku attack with just a yell and the force caused by him moving his arm fast and hard enough. We've also already seen a few instances of energy blasts being treated as a regular thing now and not solely being the domain of big, named attacks. This fight is taking everything we've only just learned about how combat in Dragon Ball can truly be, and it's running with it without looking back. Some of these concepts will ultimately get so big and grand in scale that it's going to get harder for Toriyama to portray them as grandiose as they truly are, with a lot of the heavy lifting falling onto character's dialogue to truly sell it, but for now? It's in the perfect sweet spot where just seeing it for ourselves is enough. And seeing it for yourself is absolutely what I recommend everyone do. The anime's take on this fight is great as well, but I cannot recommend this part of the manga any harder if I tried. Go. Read it. Do it now! Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: That's not a real fight – THIS is a real fight! Synopsis: With 'Shen' down for a ten count, 'Demon Junior' is declared the winner, with Piccolo thinking to himself that even if the human Kami had possessed got back to his feet, there would be nothing he could do. Everyone is confused and stunned by what they just witnessed, especially Goku who is surprised to see Kami lose and get contained in a small bottle. The announcer wakes Shen up to confirm that he's still alive, and as the man comes to, he's surprised to see a large audience clapping for him. He asks the announcer if this isn't the Tenkaichi Budokai, and the announcer confirms that it is, wondering if Shen hit his head. Shen bashfully apologizes for being on the stage and rushes off of it, through a crowd that continues cheering for him. He wonders how in the world he got up there in the first place, wondering if he got drunk, but to his surprise, his son calls out to him and praises him for being super strong, confusing Shen even further. The announcer declares the final match of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai to be Son Goku V.S. Demon Junior, and says it will start after a ten minute break. Piccolo scoffs as he needs no break, but Roshi takes advantage of the recess to leave Bulma, Lunch, Oolong and Puar in the stands so he can go talk to Goku and the others. Goku stands in the way of Piccolo leaving the ring, and demands that he hand over the bottle holding Kami captive. Piccolo laughs and says he finally has Kami right where he wants him, and promptly puts the bottle in his mouth and swallows it. Piccolo sneers and says that unless Goku kills him, he'll never get the bottle, but if he does kill him, then Kami will die as well. Goku curses Piccolo, and Piccolo laughs once again as he leaves the area, saying that in the next round, it will be Goku's turn to become tattered. Outside of the arena, Roshi approaches the group and asks Goku what's going on. Goku finally explains to everyone exactly what's going on – he tells them that 'Demon Junior' is actually the reborn Demon King Piccolo and how he came to be; that this Piccolo seems to be way stronger than the previous one; and even that the being they saw get sealed away in the bottle was actually Kami-sama himself, as well as Kami and Piccolo's connection to each other. Everyone is surprised by this deluge of information, with Chi Chi surprised to learn that it was Goku who defeated King Piccolo, and everyone else surprised both by Piccolo's origin as well as the new peril they all face. Roshi says that he can see why Kami would have opted for the Mafuba, as it was seemingly the only way to deal with Piccolo without killing him. Goku asks if there's any way to get him out of the bottle, and Tenshinhan says they'd have to pop it's cork, but since Piccolo swallowed the bottle... Kuririn wonders if Goku even stands a chance against Piccolo now, and Yamcha and Tenshinhan think that Goku is the only one they can rely on, as even if they all rushed Piccolo together, it wouldn't make any difference. They all resolve to place their hopes in Goku, as Piccolo seems to harbor some fear of him, hence his showing up at the tournament at all. Piccolo speaks up, having been listening in for some time, and confesses that that might be true, saying that Goku does pose an obstacle to his plans, even more so than Kami ever did. He boasts however that the Piccolo that Goku defeated before is nothing like the one they now see before them. Goku says that the same is true of him, and Piccolo tells him to enjoy the final moments of his own life and the world's freedom. The announcer calls for both contestants to return to the ring, and Piccolo tells Goku not to worry – as soon as he's dealt with him, he plans to send all of Goku's friends to the afterlife as well. Kuririn asks Goku if he's confident he can beat him, but Goku confesses that he can't be confident as he hasn't fought him yet. Kuririn is worried, and Chi Chi demands that Goku not get killed and make her a honeymoon widow. As Goku steps into the ring and says that there's no way around it now, he'll just have to see how things go, Kuririn wonders how Goku can sound so calm when the fate of the world will be decided by this fight. As Goku and Piccolo face each other, Piccolo asks Goku if he's prepared to die. Goku doesn't respond, and as his friends watch, the announcer declares the match's start, and Goku and Piccolo both rush towards one another. Review: The bulk of this chapter basically serves as a recap of everything leading to the fight we're finally going to see starting next chapter, and as such, it doesn't really give me a whole lot to comment on. As much as I usually hate recap stories like this however, this one I find a little bit forgivable, as there is a LOT of information that only Goku and Piccolo were privy to that his friends now need to know to understand what's happening at this tournament. An argument could be made that Toriyama could have easily had all of that information conveyed off page and thus gotten to the start of the fight much quicker, but I think the recap does serve a little bit in hyping things up as far as they can be by reminding us as an audience of everything leading up to it as well. The hype and tension couldn't possibly be any higher either once the other shoe drops and Piccolo swallows Kami's bottle. Now, Goku seemingly has no choice but to kill Piccolo, since it's seemingly the only way to get Kami out of him; but in doing so, Kami will die as well. As I mentioned before, it's basically the perfect catch-22. There are a few other small moments in the chapter that I like, such as Chi Chi realizing that it was her new fiance that saved the world – man, has she missed a LOT by being MIA since the first story arc – but I think my absolute favorite has to be Shen (though we never do learn his real name) waking up and rushing off back to his kid in the crowd. Based on everything here, we can assume he was just a guy who turned up to watch the tournament with his kid before Kami showed up, possessed him, and used his body like a ragdoll to enter the tournament. I'm not entirely sure how that all worked given that Kami previously said he just put his soul into Shen's body, and what we'll see later contradicts the idea that Kami's actual body is back up on his sanctuary, but it's still pretty hilarious to see his poor sap wake up and have no idea what's going on. With both the audience and the supporting characters all made aware of what's really going on now, there's nothing left for the arc but to get to it's grand finale, and guys? It doesn't get much more grand than this. I'm literally squeeing with excitement right now, you have no idea. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: As 'Demon Junior' (Piccolo) and 'Shen' (Kami) stare each other down furiously, everyone watching is stunned by how intense the fight already is. Roshi thinks that both of them are far too strong, Bulma wonders how anyone like that can even exist, and Yamcha and Tenshinhan both think it's little wonder that they've been outstripped by people like them and Goku. Kami thinks to himself that he miscalculated, having never expected Piccolo to have grown this much stronger, thinking that even with the handicap of having possessed a weak human body, Piccolo must have trained somehow. Piccolo surprises 'Shen' by reading his mind and asking him who he is to have borrowed someone else's body. Realizing that the jig is up, 'Shen' replies to Piccolo in a bizarre language. Piccolo responds back in that language, saying he now understands why 'Shen's' fighting style is so similar to his own, asking Kami what business he has here in the lower realm. Kami praises Piccolo for finally figuring it out, and says the reason should be obvious. Piccolo asks if a God has really left his sanctuary to destroy him, and Kami confirms his guess. The announcer comments that the two fighters are trapped in a verbal conflict now, but that none of them can understand a word that's being said. Continuing in the bizarre language, Piccolo asks Kami if he's gone mad – or has he forgotten that destroying him will mean his own death as well? Kami says he remembers that and has accepted it, and wonders if Piccolo can say the same. Piccolo is horrified, and asks Kami if he'd really kill himself to defeat him, but Kami tells him not to worry, as the humans have shown him another way to deal with him. As both Piccolo and a watching Goku wonder what Kami is planning, he pulls a small bottle out and sets it on the floor of the ring, with the announcer wondering if perhaps it's some sort of charm. Kami asks Piccolo if he's prepared himself, and as Piccolo recognizes the writing on the side of the bottle, Kami fires his attack – the Mafuba! Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Roshi all react in shock at the reappearance of the late Mutaito's technique (Goku not recognizing it at all, however), as the energy reaches out to grab hold of Piccolo. Before it can however, Piccolo sneers, and reverses the flow of energy, causing the Mafuba to grab hold of 'Shen' instead. Kami screams as he's caught by his own attack, and realizes that there's nothing he can do to stop it. Deciding to at least spare the body he borrowed this fate, he leaves Shen's body and lets he alone be caught by the attack. Kami screams to Goku that he doesn't care that he'll die, pleading with him to defeat Piccolo for the sake of the world. Wasting no more time, Piccolo seals Kami within the jar, and rushes forward to put the stopper in it, trapping God himself in the container. As Goku and his friends look on in horror, Piccolo smirks and thinks to himself that if they thought he would be beaten the same way the previous King Piccolo was, then they're in for a rude awakening. Review: Coming off of the heels of the previous chapter, the reaction of various characters at the start of this one pull a lot of weight in trying to describe how intense this fight is and how powerful it's two combatants are. That said, it can't help but feel a little hollow given how little of last chapter was actually dedicated to their fighting. This is only worsened by the fact that most of this second and final chapter of their fight is also dedicated to things other than their fight, basically rendering this whole match as nowhere near as impressive as the characters are trying to build it up to be. It certainly doesn't hold up against either Piccolo's previous fight with Kuririn, or Goku and Tenshinhan's rematch just a few chapters ago. It's a bit of a shame that the faint praise going on hurts this part of the story really, because the real purpose of this fight is something else entirely, and it handles it's real goal quite well. Once the ruse is up, and Piccolo knows exactly who he's really dealing with, much of the rest of the chapter is dialogue based, and hilariously enough, it's technically in a dialogue that neither we, nor any of the other characters present, can understand a bit of. If it weren't for the inclusion of actual text beneath the fake language text, we'd be just as lost as everyone else around. It's a bit curious that this is the route Toriyama chose for this scene too – we as the reading audience already know the true identities of both parties, and Goku is already aware of it as well. Is there a reason to keep it secret from anyone any longer? Well...yes, probably. Goku himself earlier asked Tenshinhan to stay quiet about his own guess as to Demon Junior's true identity, saying that revealing it now would likely cause a panic. Kami, at least, is likely thinking the same, and let's be honest – if the return of Demon King Piccolo is enough to warrant a panic, just imagine how much more shocking 'Oh yeah, and this guy is God' would be on top of that. At least that is, if anyone believed it, which...yeah. Either way, the real reason for the use of a made-up language here is something that I can't talk about just yet, as it's origin won't be revealed for a bit yet. Even without that though, there's arguably already enough reason for Kami and Piccolo to converse in secret, though you'd think they could have also just...thought at each other. Unless Kami's incapable of reading Piccolo's mind in return for some reason. The idea that Kami has figured out how to do the Mafuba is a believable enough one – Tenshinhan is far less skilled (and even more so a few years prior), and he learned it after seeing it just once – but I do have to question the timing here. Yes, Kami no doubt saw Roshi use the move, and he probably saw Tenshinhan's practice with it as well...but what about hundreds of years ago when Mutaito used it, successfully no less? Was Kami just not watching then, or did he just...not come down and try to use it when King Piccolo returned? I guess it could be argued that he only started trying to learn it after Goku defeated King Piccolo, since Mutaito's defeat of the demon seemed more permanent in a way (he was sealed 'for good', versus Goku's defeat of him leaving him an opening with which to birth the new Piccolo), so I guess I'll let this one slide. I do love though that, out of the four people we see reacting to the Mafuba by name, Goku's the only one who doesn't get why this is a big deal. Roshi and Tenshinhan both used it, and Yamcha at least knows what it is, but there's a good chance that Goku was never told exact details on how Roshi died before, so this is likely his first time hearing of the move at all. It's a small thing, but it's a nice attention to detail. I would say that Piccolo's reversal of the move makes the Mafuba's track record worse, but I guess technically reversing it is still a proper usage of it just not by it's caster, so actually, this kind of brings the move up to 50/50. It does however basically put an end to the move's usefulness as a tactic to deal with threats, as it being able to be reversed could basically make things worse – at least, in theory. Sure, some of the later threats are going to be much, much stronger than Piccolo is here, but Piccolo innately knows about this move, what it is, and how it works. Later threats wouldn't, so...hmm. What the Mafuba's reversal, and the outcome of this fight, does achieve however is to heighten the tension to even higher levels than before. We know how strong King Piccolo was years ago. We know that Goku was stronger than that. We know that Kami was likewise more skilled and seemingly more powerful than that. Goku and Piccolo have both trained and gotten far stronger than they were before, but we haven't been made privy to just exactly how good they really are now, what with both of Goku's previou fights not forcing him to show what he's capable of in any real sense. Piccolo was largely in that same boat, but now he's faced down Kami, the character who was previously shown to be the strongest. So we know Piccolo has surpassed Kami...but has Goku? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Laying all the cards on the table at last. |
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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