Synopsis: As Goku and Tenshinhan leave the ring, Chi Chi congratulates her fiancé and expresses surprise over how strong he is. Yamcha tries to console Tenshinhan by saying it was a close fight, but Tenshinhan says it wasn't close at all, saying that Goku's strength is on a whole other level now, to the point that he wasn't even using close to his full strength against him. Tenshinhan's pride is wounded, but he doesn't hold it against Goku – he just wishes he knew what kind of training he went through to get this strong. Kuririn wonders just how much more amazing Goku is going to get if he's already this strong now. A watching Piccolo is pleased that his destined foe is strong, and can't wait to fight him himself. The announcer calls for the start of the last semi-final match, asking for both Demon Junior (Piccolo) and Shen (Kami) to enter the ring. Before Kami can leave however, Goku asks Chi Chi to wait outside and walks over to talk to him. He tells Kami he didn't recognize him at first due to the borrowed body, and asks him why he came to take down Piccolo himself after all. Kami confesses that he came because he doesn't think Goku can do it. Goku is confused, but Kami reveals that he knows that Mr. Popo told Goku not only knows about he and Piccolo once having been the same being, but also about their connection meaning that when one dies, the other will as well. Goku says that Popo cares about Kami, but Kami says he believes this knowledge will prevent Goku from doing what needs done in the end. Goku says he'll find a way to beat Piccolo without killing him, but Kami says this isn't the kind of opponent that will work with, while also saying that since Piccolo was a problem he created after all, he'd rather take care of it himself. As the announcer calls again for Shen to come to the ring, Piccolo wonders if his opponent is a coward, as Goku's friends spot him talking to the man. Kami says that he left most of Goku's training to Mr. Popo, so he admits to not having a very firm grasp on just how strong Goku has become, bu the still believes he himself is now the only one capable of defeating Piccolo. Goku doesn't like the sound of that and asks if Kami is planning to die, but Kami assures him that even God values his own life, and says that humanity has shown him an alternative method. He then steps out into the ring, apologizing for the delay by claiming to have had to use the restroom, causing Piccolo to suggest he would have been better off fleeing. Kuririn asks Goku what he and that Shen guy were talking about, and Goku promises to tell him once the tournament's over – at least, if everything goes as he hopes it does. As the announcer declares a start to the match, Piccolo apologizes to 'Shen' but says he has to end this quickly, as his destiny lies with Goku. 'Shen' tells Piccolo that is' foolish of him to already be planning for world domination as soon as he kills Goku and anyone else in his way, and Piccolo is shocked that the man knows this, as well as his real name. 'Shen' says he won't let Piccolo have his way, and launches a powerful shockwave towards his opponent, knocking him into the air and catching everyone else by surprise. Piccolo manages to stop himself in mid-air, and 'Shen' leaps up after him. Piccolo demands to know who or what 'Shen' really is, and launches a massive energy blast at him. 'Shen' is able to dodge it, and as it erupts into the water, Piccolo slams his fists into his opponent, knocking him back down to the ring. As 'Shen' lands however, Piccolo appears behind him and tries to hit him again, only to find that 'Shen' has disappeared. Reappearing above Piccolo, 'Shen' hits him hard enough to knock him through the ring's floor, but Piccolo merely breaks back through to the ring's surface in another spot. As the two fighters scowl and size each other up, Kuririn wonders what in the world is going on with the pair of them. Review: Have I mentioned before that I don't particularly care for Kami? Because I really, really don't care for Kami. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see him actually be proactive. One of my biggest issues, hell THE biggest issue I have with the character, is that he basically dumps his personal demon on the world below and then leaves them to clean up his mess, rather than actually trying to do anything about it. Well, here he's doing just that, he's trying to take care of Piccolo himself...but honestly, at this point? It's too little too late. It also doesn't help that we find out that he didn't even take care of much of Goku's training himself, and largely left it all to Popo. So...what exactly where you doing all that time, Kami? Watching Goku with one eye and Piccolo down on Earth with the other, and sizing up if you really liked the odds on the bet you'd just made? Way to not have much faith in your student there. Oh, I'm sorry – way to not have much faith in POPO'S student. Honestly, the only part of the exchange between Goku and Kami that doesn't irritate me a little is the reminder for the audience about Piccolo and Kami's shared lifeline, as well as the reveal that Goku knows about it as well. This is the one part of Kami's reasoning that I can work with: he presumably knows Goku well enough by now to know what a kind-hearted soul he is overall, and that would give him reason to be suspicious as to whether or not Goku will actually kill Piccolo if it means killing him as well. This is a good moral dilemma to present our hero and the audience both with, is it right to kill someone evil if it also means killing someone good at the same time? It's basically a high fantasy version of a bad guy taking an innocent hostage, with the problem being do you find a way to save the hostage at the risk of the bad guy winning or getting away, or do you “make a sacrifice” for the “greater good”? The series doesn't particularly dive into the ethos of this much, but it is there if you want to read into it that deeply, and I do appreciate Toriyama throwing in something to make this a little different than Goku's last fight with Piccolo – the trappings of the tournament are nice, but they probably wouldn't really have been enough, and on their own could actually have stifled this arc to a degree. Once we get to Piccolo and Kami's fight proper, Piccolo probably speaks for the audience when he says he wants to get this over with and get to the fight with Goku. We've barely seen what either fighter is capable of, and it seems inevitable at this point that they're going to be the final match of the tournament, so really this fight just seems to be in the way at this point. That said, Kami doesn't plan to step aside at all, and though this fight might seem like it really is pointless, it's actually serving the narrative by making things even more dire – though we won't really get into how it does that until the next chapter. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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Synopsis: Tenshinhan scoffs at Goku's claim of having found two weak points in his new technique, and tells him not to bluff, but Goku asks him to try him if he thinks he's bluffing. Tenshinhan says he'll do just that, at full power this time to boot. A watching Kuririn and Yamcha wonder if there's even one weak point, much less two, as the four Tenshinhan run to the edges of the ring again, and the announcer says it looks like Goku is caught in a do-or-die situation. Goku stands ready as the four Tenshinhan launch energy beams at him once again, and just as before, Goku leaps into the air to dodge the attacks. Tenshinhan's gaze locks on him again, and he loudly proclaims that it's useless to try to escape the sight of all twelve of his eyes. Goku however was counting on him seeing him, and apologizes to Tenshinhan before “borrowing” one of his moves. Goku uses the Taiyo-ken and blinds the four Tenshinhan, as the announcer reminds everyone that Tenshinhan himself used this move in the last tournament. Landing back in the ring, Goku explains that this is the first weak point. Tenshinhan blindly swings a punch at Goku, who dodges easily and chastises Tenshinhan for only relying on his eyes to track an opponent's movements, saying that now that he's blinded, he can't even tell where Goku is. Tenshinhan slowly starts to open his eyes again, and says that Goku should be in the same boat, but Goku laughs and accurately describes what a Tenshinhan behind him is attempting to do without even looking at him. Tenshinhan is taken aback and asks how Goku did that, and Goku explains that he trained a lot. He then says that Tenshinhan's eyesight should be just about back to normal now, so he's going to go ahead and win this now. Tenshinhan tells Goku he won't fall for the same trick twice, but Goku says that's why he's going for the second weak point. Tenshinhan is shocked, but Goku tells him that turning into four people was a mistake. Launching at one of them, Goku slams a mighty punch into the first Tenshinhan's stomach. He rushes by a second, tripping it, before doding the punch of a third, kicking it hard enough to knock it down as well. He strikes the fourth in the gut as well, and all four Tenshinhan are knocked out of the ring, earning Goku the victory and shocking even Piccolo as he watches. Goku says that he's surprised Tenshinhan would make a mistake like that, as he notes that while turning into four people is an awesome strategy in theory, it split Tenshinhan's strength into four as well, thus rending the attack, defense, and speed of all three only a quarter of the real Tenshinhan's abilities. Roshi is amazed that Goku figured that out so fast, and Tenshinhan admits he didn't think Goku would see through the technique so quickly either – he didn't even have time to fly to save himself from ring-out. Yamcha and Kuririn are amazed as well, with Kuririn noting that Goku still doesn't look like he fought hard, and that he never even had to use the Kamehameha. Review: While this fight was easily the best one in the tournament so far - ...okay, second best, but I might be biased a little in regards to Kuririn V.S. Piccolo – it still doesn't quite hold up compared to Goku's original fight with Tenshinhan. Part of this is due to just how overly powerful Goku has now become, leaving Tenshinhan without much of a chance of victory no matter what he tries, and part of that is due to...well, what exactly it is that he tries. I'm not going to lie, I've never been a particular fan of the Shishiken technique, which is surprising even to myself given how much I enjoy basically the same thing over in the Naruto franchise. For Dragon Ball however, the idea of real bodies popping out thin air has never been as cool as the series presents it to be, as I can't think of a single time where it's ever actually come close to winning a fight. In effect, it's really no different from the fake version of the technique that Purple used back during the Red Ribbon Army arc. Basically anything effective that it really does can be mostly be achieved by a well-timed afterimage instead. The biggest issue with it is how it splits a person's power into four, and while you'd think that all four landing a blow on Goku would amount to basically the same thing in the end, it's fairly evident that that's not the case at all. Sorry Tenshinhan, but it looks like it's back to the drawing board for you. Jokes aside though, I do like this technique more than his previous four-armed one – that was just weird. Seeing Goku use the Taiyo-ken is a neat twist however, and it further shows that we've hit a point where most techniques can be learned just from seeing them enough times (which in Goku's case is often just once). That too is a double-edged sword however, as it continues a precedent that's being set in that Goku's pool of techniques largely contains moves that other people can use as well. In another arc, we'll get a couple of techniques that are exclusive to him out of his group of friends, but even those are learned from someone else, and one of them will pretty much get completely replaced in short order. Another arc beyond that Goku will finally learn a technique that's purely his own (albeit learned from someone else once again), but it's almost purely a non-combat technique. The sad fact is, Goku's roster of moves just isn't that interesting compared to some of his friends techniques. But hey, he's always got the Kamehameha, which Kuririn points out he didn't even use this time. This might be the first fight that wasn't a one-hit wonder that Goku hasn't used his most iconic move, and that just further cements how little of a threat Tenshinhan was to him at this point sadly, as well as a good enough reason for Piccolo to seem a little surprised by Goku's victory. There's just one more match to go before he can potentially get a crack at him himself, but in order to do that, the 'Demon King' is gonna have to meet his maker – and this might be the only time that's literal rather than figurative. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: God V.S. The Demon King! Synopsis: Tenshinhan can't believe Goku was able to move faster than even his eyes could keep up, and even Piccolo is impressed by Goku's speed. Tenshinhan gives Goku credit for catching him by surprise, but says he still won't be giving up this match, as he has a secret move he's been saving. Goku likes the idea of fighting Tenshinhan more, but says that the other fighter should probably take the belt back and fix his pants first. As the crowd laughs, Tenshinhan turns away and fixes his pants while explaining that his new move is absolutely terrifying. As the pair prepares to renew their fight, Goku asks if Tenshinhan is planning to use the Kikoho again. Goku says that the move is far too dangerous for both of them, and with Goku's new speed he'd probably dodge it anyway. Tenshinhan says that his new move lacks the raw destructive power of the Kikoho, but it makes up for that in one crucial way: Goku will never be able to dodge it. Kuririn, Yamcha, and Roshi all wonder what sort of move Tenshinhan could have to beat Goku's speed at this point, and Tenshinhan does praise Goku's speed as being superhuman, perhaps even godly – but all he has to do to beat that is have twelve eyes instead of three. Goku is confused by that statement, before Tenshinhan uses his 'Shishin' or 'Four Bodies' technique, splitting himself into two, and each of those two splitting as well, making four Tenshinhans standing in the ring. As everyone is taken aback by the bizarre move, Kuririn wonders if it's another illusion attack, but Goku says he can tell that all four bodies are real. Saying that there's no way for Goku to escape his twelve eyes, the four Tenshinhan rush to each edge of the ring, each one firing an energy beam towards Goku. Goku leaps into the air to dodge, but the Tenshinhan's quickly react, watching for where Goku is and firing another four energy beams from their eyes. The beams collide with Goku, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to crash back down onto the ring. As Goku's friends react in shock that the attack hit Goku after all, Tenshinhan asks Goku if he'd like to give up, as if he gets hit with that attack again, it might really do some damage to him. Goku says he's not giving up however, and claims that that attack could never hit him a second time. Roshi notes that even now, after taking such a strong blow, Goku still isn't truly winded, saying that the truly scary thing about Goku now isn't his strength or his speed, but his durability. Tenshinhan however claims that no matter how often they do this, the result will always be the same, but Goku disagrees, stating that he noticed two weak spots in Tenshinhan's move. Tenshinhan is taken aback, and Piccolo smirks ruefully, declaring the match in Goku's favor. Review: I've complained before about how old and tired the 'moving faster than others can see' trope is at this point in the series, but I'll give it this – noting that Tenshinhan has particularly good eyesight, what with having three eyes, and saying someone's moving faster than he can see is at least a little bit of a twist on it, especially with how well trained his eyes probably are by this point. It's not enough to fully reinvigorate that trope for me, but hey, I'll take whatever I can get at this point. As for how Tenshinhan decides to get around this newfound weakness in his vision, well...it's...something, alright. I'll save my final thoughts on the technique until after the next chapter, so for now let's talk about how the technique has been foreshadowed and evolved throughout the series thus far. The idea of someone appearing to have made multiple of themselves first came to light with the afterimage technique, something that we've been seeing off and on since the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. After that, it appeared that we got this very move back during the Red Ribbon Army arc when Goku fought Purple at Muscle Tower, except there it turned out to be a trick. Then at the last tournament, we saw Tenshinhan himself do something extremely strange when he sprouted an extra pair of arms. While the techniques are never confirmed (at least not within the pages of the manga itself) to be related, I can't help but wonder if that wasn't a stop-gap measure to Tenshinhan figuring out how to do the Shishin move properly. Making copies of yourself is at least as strange as growing an extra pair of arms if you ask me. In fact, these strange techniques coupled with his third eye have long been reasons that a lot of fans have wondered about Tenshinhan's heritage. At this point in the series, one could almost assume that it's just due to the training he's undergone, perhaps something to chalk up to him having achieved enlightenment (enlightenment in a lot of eastern mythologies and religions does supposedly result in a third eye, though I'm not learned enough on the matter to know how often it's meant to be taken literally versus figuratively). That said though, Tenshinhan already had a third eye the first time we met him...when he wanted to be an assassin. That doesn't really sound like the sort of thing someone 'enlightened' would be doing, so that kind of rules that out. So, what then? Another theory goes that Tenshinhan has some alien ancestry in his DNA. Once again, nothing in series states that this is the case or even hints at it, but a guidebook released at one point does refer to Tenshinhan's heritage as him being a distant descendant of the 'three-eyed people'. Does that mean aliens, or just a particular race of humanity that seems to have largely died out by this point? Keep in mind that this is a world that's already shown itself to be filled with all kinds of magic, technology, and various forms of intelligent lifeforms that don't fit the mold of a 'normal' human being. Frankly, anything's possible, so while the series itself doesn't ever endeavor to answer these questions, there's plenty of options for fans to mull over and decide which one fits better to their liking. For me personally, I'll take the 'three-eyed people' explanation over the 'enlightenment' one any day, if only because Tenshinhan when we met him doesn't really fit that one very well. At any rate, with four Tenshinhan in the ring fighting just one Goku, you'd almost expect the announcer to declare Tenshinhan disqualified, because c'mon – how does he or any of the audience know that this isn't some sort of trick? It's not like they can sense energy coming from each individual body the way Goku likely can. I guess you could argue that Goku's explanation that all four bodies are real is overheard, but honestly, I'm more leaning towards it just being okayed by 'rule of cool'. Hey, it's saved Goku at least one time each tournament so far, it's about time it worked in someone else's favor. It's somewhat of a moot point anyway, as with the chapter drawing to a close, Goku doesn't seem particularly effected by the technique, nor does he seem worried. He's holding his stomach where he got hit, showing that Tenshinhan is strong enough to hurt him a little at least, but Goku's far from out even after all of that. Roshi chalks this up to Goku having gained an inhuman level of toughness, which given what we both did and didn't see of Goku's training going from the manga and the anime both, it's certainly easy to see or at least guess how he ended up like this. Will it actually be enough to win this fight for him though? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The Rematch's Conclusion!
Synopsis: Tenshinhan commends Goku for how much stronger he's gotten after three years of training, but warns him that there's one crucial thing that doesn't seem to have changed at all – his speed. Seeking to prove his point, Tenshinhan disappears, and Goku quickly hurries after him, with the crowd once again being left unable to see the fighters. Even Kuririn and Yamcha lose track of them for a moment, finally spotting them in mid-air, where Goku kicks at Tenshinhan and misses, as Tenshinhan praises him for seeing him. Tenshinhan says that seeing his movements won't be enough however, and Tenshinhan quickly flies above Goku, slamming an elbow into him and sending him crashing back down to the ring.
Goku manages to land properly, and as Tenshinhan disappears again, Goku launches himself into an elbow strike aimed at where Tenshinhan is moving to. He catches only an afterimage however, and as Goku tries to get out of the way, Tenshinhan catches him from behind with a vicious kick. Goku manages not to get thrown out of bounds by spinning his body like a top, landing back in the ring. Goku says Tenshinhan moved even faster that last time so he must have been holding back before, and Tenshinhan confesses that he'd wanted to see what Goku could do. Finding that Goku's speed truly hasn't changed much, Tenshinhan claims victory for himself, and even Goku praises him, saying he never imagined Tenshinhan could get so fast. Goku asks Tenshinhan if he can take a moment to get out of some of his clothes, and Tenshinhan agrees, noting that it is pretty hot out. As Goku starts to remove parts of his gi, Kami (as Shen) is amused that Goku's already taking it off, noting that he must consider Tenshinhan to be quite the opponent. As Goku struggles with and finally gets off his undershirt, he drops it on the floor of the ring, making a rather loud thud and catching Tenshinhan's attention. As Goku continues stripping, Tenshinhan picks up the shirt and is surprised to find out how heavy it is. Goku says that it's the same concept as the training he did before with Roshi while wearing a heavy turtle shell, and as he removes them, it's revealed that Goku's wrist-bands and boots are all extremely heavy as well, his entire weighted clothing weighing about 200 pounds. Goku is surprised by how much lighter his body feels now that he's taken off the weights, while Tenshinhan is likewise surprised to find out that Goku was fighting him so well while wearing such things, saying it was little wonder his speed didn't seem to have increased at all. Tenshinhan thinks this will make things more interesting now, and the two fighters rush each other once more. Goku moves quicker now, but Tenshinhan is still able to follow his movements, catching up with Goku and forcing him to block an incoming strike. Tenshinhan chuckles and says that Goku might be a little faster this way, but he still can't keep up with his own speed. Goku laughs as well, and as the two back away, he asks Tenshinhan what's in his hands then, holding up a stretch of fabric. Tenshinhan recognizes the sash of his gi just as his pants fall down. Review: Coming off of the end of the previous chapter, the fight seemed very much like it was going in Goku's favor. He was able to match everything that Tenshinhan threw at him, and wasn't even winded in the slightest, compared to Tenshinhan who was already having to catch his breath a little. To keep things exciting, this time the pendulum starts to swing back in the other direction, making it look like Tenshinhan is the one who has this fight in the bag...at least, at first. It is an interesting notion brought up, that someone could be stronger yet slower than their opponent who is weaker but faster than them. It's a notion we'll see the series kind of flirt with in the future as well, but unfortunately, it's something that's very rarely actually put into practice. If two fighters are relatively close in strength, then the factor of who's faster might come into play, but more often than not, the stronger character is also the faster one. While this does make some narrative sense, especially as the characters begin to focus more and more on ki use, it is disappointing, and definitely puts an even greater limiter on what the characters can do, especially as a large chunk of the cast falls even more dramatically behind what Goku and the other future front-runners are capable of. As much as I love this series, it's not without it's faults, and that the very ethos of it's combat usually boils down to 'who can hit harder and how are they going to hit the hardest today' is definitely one of them. No series is perfect, but there are definitely series that manage to make their combat systems feel at least a little more balanced in that regard – that said however, many of the examples I can think of came out after Dragon Ball, so there's a decent chance that some series like Naruto and One Piece learned lessons from where Dragon Ball faltered as well as from where it prospered. Seeing the return of heavy weights for training is definitely a welcome addition to this arc, particularly with it coming in the form of clothing that Goku can wear and it not look as out of place as the large turtle shells had. Factoring the weights into the new default look of Goku's clothing was a wise choice on Toriyama's part from a design perspective, but it also works wonders as a narrative choice as well. Now Goku has the ability to up the ante without necessarily going full force either, adding another gradual step to his power increase at any given time. It's basically the same function that powering up and later transformations will serve a well, an easy visual showing of how hard or not a character is trying at any given time. Once Goku has removed his weights however, the pendulum that had swung towards Tenshinhan's favor is immediately wrenched right back over to Goku's side, as he makes Tenshinhan drop his drawers, and all I can say is it's a good thing Tenshinhan didn't go commando that day. Or a bad thing I guess, if you're into that sort of thing. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: The 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai prepares to head into it's semi-finals round, with Bulma expressing disbelief that people as tough as Yamcha and Kuririn could lose. Roshi says that the remaining four however (Goku, Tenshinhan, Demon Junior, and Shen) are probably the four strongest in the world for real. The announcer calls for the first two fighters, Goku and Tenshinhan, to step into the ring as he recounts their last fight in the previous tournament's final round. Goku asks Tenshinhan if he's planning on going all out from the beginning, and Tenshinhan confirms that. The two fighters smirk at each other as they both leap into the ring, assuming their fighting positions. As Goku's friends discuss how incredible this fight is likely to be, Piccolo thinks this will be a great opportunity for him to learn about his foes himself. As Tenshinhan asks Goku to show him the fruits of his training with Kami-sama, the announcer declares a start to the match, and the two fighters immediately rush each other. Tenshinhan strikes out with a furious barrage of blows that Goku backflips away from, and as he leaps into the air, Tenshinhan leaps after him. Tenshinhan fires an energy blast at Goku, but Goku knocks it back towards him, forcing Tenshinhan to swat it away himself. Flying towards Goku, Tenshinhan locks him into another furious exchange of blows, with the two continuing to clash as they fall back down towards the ring. In mid-air, they break apart and land on opposite sides of the ring, before throwing themselves back at each other again, only to seemingly disappear. Everyone watching from the crowd can only hear the sounds of the continued fight, with even Piccolo acknowledging that they're moving extremely fast now. Kuririn and Yamcha are barely able to keep up with what's happening, shocking a confused Chi Chi. As the two fighters reappear once more, they crash into each other and lock hands. Smirking, Goku flips over and kicks Tenshinhan into the air. Tenshinhan disappears again and reappears behind Goku, rushing him, but Goku leaps out of the way. Tenshinhan instantly rebounds and swings a powerful swipe at an unguarded Goku's head, but to his surprise, it passes right through the afterimage Goku left behind. Reappearing behind Tenshinhan, Goku glibly asks him if he really fell for such an old trick. The two fighters grin at each other once more, as the announcer says they seem evenly matched. As Piccolo eyes both fighters however, Roshi notes that that's not the case at all – while Tenshinhan is breathing hard after all of that exertion, Goku isn't winded in the least. Review: The semi-finals round of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai is where the tournament's intensity truly gets started. In a way, this is a bit of a shame, and as much as I enjoy this arc, it is a bit of a mark against it – of the first round, only Kuririn V.S. Piccolo had the level of excitement in it's fight that we might expect at this point, as Tenshinhan, Goku, and Shen all won their fights with relative ease in comparison. While the first rounds of the 21st Budokai was also fairly mundane, that's a world apart from what we'd expect of this one, and the 22nd hit the ground running with Yamcha V.S. Tenshinhan setting the standard for what we could come to expect from combat in that portion of the story. Here however, things took a bit of a slow burn approach, with the mysterious opponents slowly whittling down until it became certain that Piccolo was the only evil threat afoot. Well, the only one worth worrying about anyway – RIP Taopaipai's relevancy. With the semi-finals first match being a rematch between Goku and Tenshinhan however, and no more mysteries to tease and tantalize us with, the gloves have come off. We already know that we can expect great things from these two fighters, and the only real question left is just how impressive are they going to be? That question is answered almost immediately – INCREDIBLY impressive. Goku and Tenshinhan's fight here really brings to mind the sorts of clashes we've seen previously between Yamcha and Tenshinhan, and even Kuririn and Piccolo, but already elevates them to an even more insane degree. There's furious exchanges of fists, there's quick dodges and rebounds, there's energy blasts being fired and discarded, there's disappearing and reappearing, there's flying and jumping so high they may as well be flying, there's even an afterimage – this fight has everything we've seen and then some, and it's just getting started. Hell, there's even the old 'moving so fast that nobody but other fighters can really see them' trope! ...Okay, that one's still old and boring at this point, but surprisingly I find that to be a bit of a shame, because this might be the first fight where that trope feels good and truly earned. Goku and Tenshinhan really DO seem to be moving way too fast for normal folks to see here. All the while, we know this is only the opening act of the fight too. While Goku and Tenshinhan both said they'd be going all out from the very start, we've been through this rodeo enough times by now to know that characters are still going to be holding back a few surprises, it's just a matter of seeing what exactly they'll do and when they'll spring them. This fight is made even more interesting by the knowledge that Piccolo is watching this, and though he doesn't say much, his silent gaze really leaves you to wonder what exactly he's making of all of this. As the fight comes to a brief standstill and the chapter to it's end, it definitely seems we're going to be in this fight for a little while, and at first glance, the announcer seems to be right – the pair of Goku and Tenshinhan seem really evenly matched in what they can do. Noticeable in the last panels showing their faces however is exactly what Roshi notes: Tenshinhan is shown to be breathing deep and sweating, whereas Goku almost seems like the fight hasn't even started yet. That's a remarkable difference given what we've seen them just do, and even more so when you realize Goku was the winner of that little encounter. Tenshinhan's exerting himself this much, and comes away winded with nothing, while Goku took down his best efforts with one of the oldest tricks in the book and it doesn't even phase him to do so? The fight's not over yet, but the implication is clear: Goku's on a whole other level. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: The announcer remarks how surprising it is that Yamcha is seemingly powerless against Shen, but Yajirobe isn't surprised at all. Yamcha tries again to hit Shen, but Shen blocks him and hits him with a punch of his own. Shen chastises him, cautioning Yamcha against making so many wasteful movements that leave himself open to a counterattack. Kuririn can't believe how outclassed Yamcha is, and as Bulma shouts for him to get his act together and win already, Roshi says there's no chance of that – his opponent is simply too strong. Yamcha leaps into a flying kick aimed at Shen, but Shen quickly moves out of the way and kicks Yamcha in the small of the back himself. As Shen warns him not to jump without a reason, Goku starts to suspect Shen's true nature. Getting back to his feet, Yamcha says he feels like an infant up against Shen. Shen says that's not the case at all, praising Yamcha as actually being quite good, enough to impress him even. Shen says he's stronger than Yamcha right now, but if Yamcha keeps training, he'll probably catch up to him in no time. Shen further confesses to Yamcha that he's not actually human. Yamcha laughs and asks if he's an alien perhaps? All Shen can say for sure is that this isn't his actual appearance, and that he's just borrowing the body Yamcha sees by putting his soul into it. Goku and Kuririn are confused by what they're hearing, but Yamcha laughs it off as nonsense, deciding to focus on the reality that he could really lose this match. Left with no other choice, Yamcha decides to use a technique he'd been hoping to save for later in the tournament. Focusing all of his energy into one hand, Yamcha forms a small ball of energy, the Sokidan (or Spinning Chi Bullet), and throws it at Shen. Shen barely manages to dodge it, and Yamcha re-directs it with hand motions, causing it to chase after Shen and crash into the ground where he had just been a moment before. Yamcha curses Shen's speed, and Shen is actually surprised, not ever having expected something like that from Yamcha. Yamcha says it's too soon to praise him however, and motions with his hands again, causing the energy ball to suddenly reappear, bursting out of the ground and slamming into Shen's chin from below, knocking him backwards and knocking off his glasses as well. Everyone is surprised, and it looks like Yamcha may have just won after all, but before Shen hits the ground, he rebounds off of it and dashes towards Yamcha quicker than the latter can react, slamming him hard in the chest with an elbow strike. Yamcha stumbles backwards in pain, ultimately falling out of the ring, earning Shen the victory. As Yamcha crawls back into the ring and Shen picks up his glasses, Goku finally figures it out – 'Shen', from 'Shenlong', meaning that Shen is actually Kami-sama! 'Shen' praises Yamcha for that last attack, saying that his only mistake was becoming over confident after landing it, thus leading to his defeat. Noticing some blood from his lip, Shen worries that he's damaged this borrowed body. Yamcha says he lost a total defeat if that's all the damage he took from taking on the Sokidan head on, and asks Shen if he won't tell him who he really is. 'Shen' says that's a pleasure that will have to wait for another time, and winks to Goku as he leaves the ring. Review: While this chapter does bring our worst fears for Yamcha to light – that he's destined to never get past round one of these damned tournaments – it actually goes a pretty good bit out of it's way to try to alleviate some of the damage being done to his credibility as a fighter. While everyone is becoming convinced at this point that Yamcha doesn't stand a chance in Hell (even his own master is writing him off at this point, poor guy), 'Shen' is actually taking every chance he gets to build him up. And yeah, before moving on, let's go ahead and rip off that bandage and call him Kami-sama, now that the secret has been revealed. Just as in last chapter, all throughout the fight, Kami keeps telling Yamcha what he's doing wrong, in an effort to get him to learn from his mistakes as they go along. This culminates in him confessing that he's actually pretty impressed with how far Yamcha has come on his own (let's not forget that at this point, Yamcha has trained with Karin just as Goku had before, so he's far more capable now than we're really getting to see on display in this fight), and tells him that he sees the making of a much better fighter within him. Think about that for a second – literal God has come down to Earth for some other agenda, and he takes time out of his busy schedule (okay, I'll tone down the sarcasm there) to talk to Yamcha about how well he's doing against him. This is an entity that seemingly has only ever trained two people before, Mr. Popo and now Goku, and he's telling Yamcha that he's actually pretty good. I suppose you could make the argument that he's just being nice, but even with what we know of Kami so far, that really doesn't seem like the kind of thing he'd do. Yamcha then makes an even better impression by whipping out his own special move, the Sokidan, and it's actually a pretty awesome move. It's a small energy ball, sure, but it certainly sets itself apart from the likes of the Kamehameha and Dodonpa far better than most later energy attacks will. It's a shame too, as I think this is the only time barring filler that we ever get to see Yamcha use it. It moves fast enough to catch up with Kami who was practically running circles around Yamcha prior to that, so it definitely has speed on it's side if not power. It makes such an impression against Kami in the end that it's after getting hit with it that Kami decides he needs to end the fight right then and there, not trying to teach Yamcha any further. If landing a solid blow against God that, while it doesn't do much against him, it does make him want to take you out now before you pull any other tricks out of your hat isn't impressive, than I don't know what is. That said, is all of this really enough to repair Yamcha's damaged reputation at this point? Well...sadly, no, not really. It's nice that we get something to put in his win column again after so long, even if it's not an actual win in a fight, but it's really too little too late, even at this point. We've already seen Yamcha sit out entire arcs, and lose in the first round of all three tournaments, as well as lose almost every other fight he's been put in as well. And when you're already a fan and know where the rest of the series is going for him? Kami's words don't hold enough weight to counter-balance what's coming. Yamcha's fate is still going nowhere but downhill. While most of the chapter is focused on Yamcha's fight however, we do naturally get a bit coming from Kami on the other side as well. When he confesses to Yamcha that he's not who he appears to be, there's an interesting guess on Yamcha's part that he might be an alien. Even Kami doesn't really shoot that idea down entirely (curious, that), but he does clarify that he's put his soul into this other man's body. That's...not creepy or skeevy at all. I mean, holy crap Kami, did you ask the guy for permission first, or did you just shove your soul on top of his and tell it to be quiet while you take care of some business? That doesn't sound unethical at all, does it? This also raises the question of just why Kami has come down to Earth at all, and why he's choosing to take part in the tournament. The whole purpose of his training Goku was so that Goku could take care of the new Piccolo in the same manner he did with King Piccolo before him, so what game could Kami possibly be playing here? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: The announcer calls for the final first round fighters, Yamcha and Shen, to enter the ring. As Shen steps out, the audience is confused how someone so ordinary looking made it into the tournament, and Kuririn tells Yamcha that he got lucky matching against that guy. Yamcha agrees, and steps into the ring expecting an easy win. Even Bulma remarks that this time around, he's guaranteed to get past the first round.
Shen bows to Yamcha and wishes him good luck, and Yamcha returns the sentiment. Watching from the audience, Yajirobe thinks that Yamcha's actually got unlucky with this match-up, and even Goku seems concerned about Shen for some reason, confusing Kuririn. As the match starts, Yamcha offers Shen the first strike, and Shen goes into an awkward stance that makes the audience laugh. As Goku watches however, Shen runs at Yamcha, seemingly missing his attack, but his flailing legs as he falls down causing him to kick Yamcha hard in the stomach. Yamcha is embarrassed, but compliments Shen for the attack, saying that sometimes you can pull off by accident what you can't do on purpose. Yamcha says he's going to attack next, and asks Shen not to hold it against him. Deciding to just knock him from the ring right now, Yamcha goes in for a kick – only for Shen to duck out of the way, causing Yamcha's crotch to slam into the back of Shen's head. Yamcha falls to the floor in agony, as the audience laughs at Yamcha once again. As Shen asks for forgiveness, Yamcha angrily says that it was nothing, claiming to have trained every inch of his body. Shen says that's good – he's certain he's going to win this match, but he'd hate for it to be that way. Annoyed now, Yamcha asks Shen if he really thinks he can win against him. Shen says that he can, and Yamcha laughs, saying he'll give it his all in that case. Shen encourages him to do so, and asks if he should try attacking again then. Yamcha allows this, and Shen rushes in, hitting Yamcha hard with an elbow strike and knocking him down. Everyone is surprised, but nobody more than Yamcha, who struggles back onto his feet. Shen says that Yamcha's mistake was making assumptions based solely on his outward appearance, and as such he missed Shen's inner power and subtler movements. He cautions Yamcha that he'll never become a truly great martial artist if he carries on as he has been. That said, he claims he's telling Yamcha this because he sees the makings of just such a fighter inside of him. Roshi wonders who in the world this Shen really is, as Yajirobe's theory that Shen isn't ordinary is confirmed. Yamcha says that Shen has opened his eyes now, but that he doesn't care for the way he did it, calling him a sneak and a jerk. Because of that, Yamcha says he's going to win if only so he can put him in his place. Shen apologizes and says that he can't let that happen as he has to win, and Yamcha rushes him again in anger. Shen says they'll continue the 'lesson' for a bit longer then, and blocks Yamcha's attacks before kicking his feet out from under him. Shen chastises him, saying he left his legs wide open. Review: *sigh* Poor, unfortunate Yamcha. For three tournaments in a row now, he's matched against opponents who are so far out of his league that its all he can really do to stay in the ring practically. Against Jackie Chun, he ultimately didn't do even that. He fared better against Tenshinhan, at first anyway, but then that led to a broken leg that kept him completely out of the following arc, and now...well, there's a reason I said it was all downhill for Yamcha after his fight with Tenshinhan, and this is the first pit-stop on that journey. In a way, we really should have seen it coming even without the tease of Yajirobe losing to Shen, because there was really no way Toriyama was going to give him an easy win after how he'd been treated in the previous two tournaments. The only chance Yamcha would have had would have been to match against someone close to his skill and overcome them in the end, and naturally that didn't end up being the case. In another setup, I could have seen him matching well against Kuririn for a time, or maybe even having him fight Goku would have been interesting given their shared history together. But nope – Yamcha's gotta get the biggest embarrassment to date, because that's his lot in life now. As much as I hate how this turn of events once again bags on the poor guy however, the mystery of what's going on with Shen is an engaging one. At first, you could definitely see Yamcha's theory on him being correct, that Shen's a relatively skilled martial artist who's playing like he's weak so as to catch his opponents off guard. It wouldn't be that out there, as we've already seen someone try that very tactic back in the 21st, and I'm sure we all remember Ranfan (she's pretty hard to forget, all things considered). That theory very quickly doesn't seem to hold up though, as Shen seems to be going out of his way to try to teach Yamcha. That's a weird thing for someone just trying to be sneaky to do, and it suggests that there's still more to Shen than meets the eye, even now. Couple that with Goku's concern about him as well, and it seems like this guy might actually be more of a contender than we ever suspected. That said, the match isn't over yet, so there's still a chance Yamcha could pull this off in the end, if he gets serious. There's...there's always a chance, right? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Piccolo asks Kuririn if he's prepared for this, and Kuririn tells him to bring it on already. Piccolo says there's no need for him to worry, as he's not planning to kill him, though he thinks to himself that will have to come later, as all of Goku's friends stand in the way of his plans for world conquest. Goku and the others watch with bated breath, and Tenshinhan wonders what a 'preview' of Piccolo's true strength will be like.
Raising his arm into the air, Piccolo then throws it forward, surprising everyone by stretching his arm out across the ring and grabbing Kuririn by the leg without even moving. Retracting his arm, he drags Kuririn closer, landing a powerful punch to the face that sends the smaller fighter hurtling towards the ring's wall. As Piccolo sneers, Kuririn rebounds off of it however, throwing himself back at his opponent once more. Piccolo is surprised, but flips upside down quickly, kicking Kuririn hard up into the air above the ring. Piccolo pursues Kuririn high into the air, cursing his persistence, as Kuririn tries to quickly regather himself. He realizes that he only has one more chance – putting all of his remaining energy into one big Kamehameha. As Kuririn readies the attack, Piccolo appears behind him, ready to punch him, but Kuririn turns around and fires the Kamehameha at point blank range. The blast seems to envelope Piccolo, but his form soon gives way, revealing itself as only an afterimage. As Goku shouts up to Kuririn to look out, Piccolo appears behind him, and slams his fists overhead into Kuririn, sending him rocketing back down into the ring's floor, hard. Everyone watches in horror, and Piccolo lands back in the ring, cursing himself for putting a little too much into that last attack, as Kuririn is surely dead now, bringing Piccolo's 'fun' to an end. To his surprise however, Kuririn gets back up onto his feet. The announcer starts to say that the fight isn't over yet after all, but Kuririn surprises everyone next by falling into a sitting position, and conceding the match. The announcer declares Piccolo the winner but highly praises Kuririn for the amazing match he just gave them, as Goku rushes into the ring to help his friend up. Goku also praises Kuririn for getting so strong, but Kuririn objects and says it doesn't really mean much when he can't get a win. From the audience, Roshi tells Kuririn to hush up, praising him for becoming such a fine martial artist. Seeing all of this, Piccolo thinks to himself that maybe conquering the world won't be as easy as he'd hoped. Review: It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I've been a fan of Dragon Ball as a whole for a long time now. It's also fairly well known that I'm a huge fan of the character of Kuririn, a sentiment I've likely also expressed here in the past. What might not be known however is that it was the very story covered in today's chapter that cemented the character as one of my absolute favorites in the series, as well as in anime and manga in general. As it was for so many others, I first got into the series via the 'Z' portion of the anime, and it would be years before I got to see a lot of this earlier material with my own eyes. I knew everything that happened of course, courtesy of various websites from back in the day, but reading about what happened and actually seeing it for yourself are two very different things. And when I saw the outcome of this match for the very first time, I was profoundly affected and impressed with how far Kuririn had come, and how he conducted himself in this storyline. Kuririn first entered this series as a bit of a braggard. He was cocky and arrogant, seemingly full of himself and completely dismissive towards Goku, someone he thought had to be far beneath him. Kuririn was the one serious enough to have already had martial arts training at a temple and to even shave his head for his cause, surely he would be the better of the two he thought, especially with Goku's laid-back attitude being what it was. Almost immediately however, Goku showed Kuririn up. At first, Kuririn lashed out further at him, but eventually, a combination of going through the same grueling training together (a training regiment that was tough even for Goku) and Goku's personality (the same personality that initially annoyed Kuririn) forged a bond of friendship between them. The old braggard Kuririn was gone, and in it's place was a good person who was, at times, unsure of himself. At the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, Kuririn was able to easily defeat his old bullies, and even got to the second round, losing to the tournament's overall winner. Like Goku, he was inspired to keep training and get even better, and that's just what he did. He was featured less throughout the next larger portion of the series, but he was shown to have continued his training, but that uncertainty about himself continued to plague him, occasionally reviving that old cockiness, much to his detriment (such as when he lost against Dracula Man). The process repeated leading up to the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, where Kuririn was once again able to get to the second round, this time losing against his best friend. Although Kuririn never stood a real chance against Goku, he showed that he was able to give it his all, and even hang tough in a fight that he was utterly outclassed in. Then, Kuririn died. He sat out the entirety of the King Piccolo arc as a result, and upon returning to life, he renewed his training harder than ever before, desperate to not get left behind. In this fight, we've seen exactly the kind of dividends that Kuririn's training has brought, making him an almost unrecognizably improved fighter who just went toe-to-toe with and surprised one of the strongest people in the world. Kuririn has more than earned the right to brag, but that's no longer who he is (for the most part, but hey, who doesn't brag SOMETIMES?). He's now proven himself a warrior capable of fighting back against his own self-doubt and doing his best just to show that he can, and... …It's at the moment, when Kuririn has most shown that he's capable of far more than anyone ever gave him credit for, including himself, that he bows out. Faced with just how much stronger than himself 'Demon Junior' is, Kuririn instead opts to concede defeat and live to fight another day. Some would probably dismiss Kuririn or anyone else at this point, saying 'he gave up too easily' or 'yeah, he was never going to win that fight anyway'. Some would say that to real people in real situations similar to this as well. To those that do however, I think you're missing the bigger picture here that Kuririn's efforts and acceptance are showing. In many ways, life is a two way street of sorts. What's true for one person won't always be true for another. In general however, there's absolutely no shame in putting your all into something, especially if you're passionate about it as much as Kuririn is about martial arts (even if his original motives for learning them are, let's say, a little more selfish). If you truly enjoy something, and especially if you discover that you're even a little bit good at it, then do it. Keep doing it and getting even better at it as long as it brings you joy, and eventually, you might end up finding that you've become good enough at it to be recognized by others for, something that, even if we don't do something for that reason, just about always strokes our ego and makes us feel better about ourselves. Conversely however, there's no shame in realizing when you've gone as far as you want to go in a particular endeavor, and calling it quits, even if temporarily. Sometimes we can get lost in what matters most to us, and end up driven to pursue that goal to it's ends, and overdo it. While there's plenty to say and admire about pushing yourself to your limits and overcoming them, there's also plenty to say about self-preservation, and realizing when the will just isn't there enough to overcome the odds. This can be particularly hard for people plagued with self-doubt as Kuririn is, and it's something that I can more than empathize with as well. Giving up feels like losing, and it can feel like if we didn't make it far enough to win whatever prize we were after, than we haven't achieved anything. But let's look at it this way – if you go too far, push yourself beyond what you're able to do and you know it, and end up wrecking yourself in some way, then that can be it. It's over. Forever. But if you can figure out when the right time to step back is, for your own good? You can learn from where you went wrong, you might even be able to learn from what others did in that same situation, and push beyond your limits the next time an opportunity comes along. Kuririn has grown wise enough to know exactly when that's the better option, and he chooses it here, and it's that level of self-awareness that I love so much about this character, and that I try to emulate as much of in myself as I can. I know more than my fair share what it's like to be plagued by self-doubt and to feel like the challenges of life are constantly overwhelming me, but like Kuririn, I choose to try and take it in stride as much as I can, hoping that the next time around, I'll do better. Phew. Been a while since I've had to essentially write a thesis on 'Why Kuririn Is The Best', but hopefully I've made my point well enough. Before closing out the chapter, there were a few other, non-Kuririn related items in the chapter that I wanted to touch on briefly. I mentioned before that Piccolo would have no problem just upending the tournament and killing everyone there if he had to, and while that's still true, we see that he'd rather things not go that extreme, at least not at first. The reasoning is something we'll get straight from the horse's mouth later on, but it's already pretty easy to guess at – he wants a fairly large audience for when he takes down Goku in revenge for the original King Piccolo, to further inspire fear in the populace that he plans to conquer. There's also a moment where Piccolo shows off a strange new technique, the ability to stretch his arms out really long. It's something we'll see a fair bit from the character in the future (though I forget how much of that is anime-only), as well as something we never saw King Piccolo do. I'd assume he probably could have done the same, as could Kami, as it's something that's very likely due to the three's 'shared nature', but... I'd also assume it's something they could do with their legs for long-distance kicks as well, but I don't think that's ever shown anywhere. Finally, we also see Piccolo utilize the after-image technique. Much as Goku's air-pressure punch earlier was described as something that demons traditionally do, the after-image technique is something we've seen lots of characters on the good side do, but never a villain that I can think of. Much like the 'martial arts schools' mentality is being dissolved by the leaving of both Turtle and Crane schools, we're also seeing the story somewhat move away from basic techniques that only certain people can do. There will still be special moves unique to individual characters of course, and there will be some rather rudimentary skills that some groups of characters are unable to do that others are able to do easily, but by and large, we're entering an era of the story where basically any technique can be picked up and learned if someone observes it and really tries it for themselves – granted, there will still be people who pull that off absurdly fast, keeping the tradition of Goku's first Kamehameha use alive. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Piccolo calls Kuririn a 'little nothing' and tells him to come at him whenever he's ready. Kuririn smirks and says that 'Demon Junior' seems awfully full of himself, so he won't be holding back. Roshi feels something off about Kuririn's opponent, and wonders if 'Demon Junior' is more than just a name. Kuririn gets things started by pulling his arms to his sides, confusing Goku with such a bizarre stance, and launching a large pair of energy blasts from each hand. Piccolo calls the move absurd and leaps into the air, easily dodging it, however the blast soon follows after him. Piccolo takes out the energy blasts with an attack of his own, shooting lasers from his eyes, but Kuririn takes advantage of his distraction to leap into the air and land a solid punch to Piccolo's face. As Kuririn summersaults back to the ground, Piccolo stops himself in mid-air by flying. Piccolo lands back in the ring and says that Kuririn is better than he expected, and Kuririn can't believe all of that wasn't at least enough to shake Piccolo up. The fight continues as Kuririn launches himself at Piccolo again, but Piccolo quickly dodges out of the way. Rebounding off of the ground however, Kuririn immediately follows him, surprising Piccolo, and throws a flurry of punches that the green fighter is forced to block. Both fighters leap into the air, and Piccolo says that Kuririn is being awfully obstinate for a nothing, and kicks him hard in the jaw, sending him hurtling down and heading out of the ring. Everyone is shocked, but before Kuririn can land, he stops in mid-air, revealing that he too knows how to fly now. Roshi is astounded that Kuririn knows that technique, and even Tenshinhan wonders when he had time to learn it on his own. Goku meanwhile is thrilled at how amazing his friend has become. The announcer is rendered speechless as both Piccolo and Kuririn land back in the ring, and even Piccolo confesses to being surprised by Kuririn - not by his flight however, but by his speed and toughness. Piccolo says that to make up for underestimating him, he'll now give Kuririn a gift: a preview of his true power. Kuririn boldly says that sounds good to him, and as Piccolo stares him down, Bulma shouts that it's just a bluff. Roshi watches with concern however, and Goku shouts that it's no bluff, and Kuririn says he can tell that himself. Review: From it's very start, this match proves to be the tensest fight in the tournament thus far. Kuririn definitely steps into this ring as an underdog as is, but even more than that, there's the question of just what exactly Piccolo is gong to do to him. It's unlikely that Piccolo will intentionally kill him, since he wants to fight Goku, but there's nothing really stopping him from grievously injuring him, and even if he does kill him, what's stopping him from upending the tournament itself and just causing a larger fight to break out? With even Roshi sensing that something is up with 'Demon Junior', the ball is most definitely in Piccolo's court. At least, that's how it seems until Kuririn follows Goku's advice, and hits the ground running, throwing everything he has and then some at an unexpectant reborn Demon King. Kuririn's energy blast alone is an interesting attack, in that it shows him launching energy without really calling out an attack – something that we've only scarcely seen up until now – but also from his redirecting it's path once it's fired, something we've only seen once before, and that was from Goku himself. All of this, and the attack itself is only a distraction so Kuririn can swoop in and attack physically? This is where I'd do a Chef's Kiss if I were a cook, because this is perfection. Even once that first clash is done, and Kuririn is a little surprised that his efforts didn't do more, he still manages to catch Piccolo by surprise a SECOND time. It's after this push that Piccolo finally lashes out and delivers a kick intended to ring Kuririn out, but guess what – surprise #3 right here, Kuririn can fly now. In truth, Kuririn is getting to show a lot of growth here and show just how much Goku's other friends are likely capable of now, because he's really the only one in any position to. Tenshinhan was already treated as if he were in Goku's league previously, and while his pedigree slipped quite a bit in the previous arc, his fight with Taopaipai set him up to be something truly amazing once again. Without spoiling too much, Yamcha's fight is...well, gonna be something else entirely as well, so Kuririn is in a unique position as the person best suited to show how much the trio has collectively improved in the past three years, especially given his somewhat insinuated nature as possibly the 'weakest' of the three initially. There's an old saying that says it's the nail that sticks up that gets the hammer however, and unfortunately for Kuririn, it looks like being taken by surprise three or four times is Piccolo's limit, and he's getting ready to bring out the hammer. Surely after such an impressive showing though, Kuririn can handle this...right? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Goku still doesn't know why 'Name Withheld' would be so angry with him, so he asks if maybe she has him confused with someone else. She knows that he's Son Goku however, and all of Goku's friends can't figure out who she could be either. The announcer declares a start to the match, and 'Name Withheld' furiously strikes at Goku, who is able to dodge every blow. Goku asks if she's really sure they've met before, and when she says yes, he asks when. That makes her even angrier, and she says that's exactly why she's mad – he doesn't even remember her, and she spent a long, long time waiting for him! Kuririn is shocked as it seems that Goku really must know her after all, as she says she was waiting for Goku to live up to his promise. Goku continues dodging her attacks, and a watching Roshi notes that while he's still not sure what's going on, her fighting style seems eerily similar to the Turtle style. Goku asks 'Name Withheld' what in the world he promised her, and she stuns everyone by saying that he promised to ask for her hand. She thinks that she's jogged Goku's memory now, but Goku turns to Kuririn at the ringside and asks what that even means. Kuririn explains that asking for someone's hand means asking to marry them, and Kuririn is outraged that Goku managed to ask someone so cute for something like that. Yamcha explains that marriage means living together with someone for the rest of your lives, and Goku can't figure out why he'd promise something like that to someone he doesn't even know. He asks her for her name, and 'Name Withheld' says she'll tell him if he manages to beat her in this fight. Goku is thrilled, as he really didn't like the idea of living forever with someone who's name he doesn't even know, but his opponent calls him out for already assuming he's going to win. Oolong laughs and says he can't believe Goku still can't figure out who she is. When Bulma asks him if he knows, Oolong says that she, Puar, and even Roshi should all know who she is too, and that the 'hick talk' should be a clue. 'Name Withheld' prepares to continue the fight, but Goku punches out into the air quickly, and she's sent flying out of the ring, earning Goku a victory. As Goku is declared the winner, Roshi explains to a confused announcer what must have happened – Goku punched the air with enough force that it caused a shockwave that blew the girl back without even touching her. As Goku checks on his opponent, Piccolo remarks that it's strange Goku knows how to do that, as it's a move that demon folk such as himself use. 'Name Withheld' admits that she's impressed, not having expected even Goku to get as strong as he apparently is, but happy that the man she chose for a husband is that great. When Goku still doesn't seem to recognize her, she reveals who she is at last – Gyu-mao's daughter, Chi Chi. Everyone that met her before is taken aback, and Goku suddenly remembers that he did promise to come ask for her hand. At the time, he'd thought that meant to ask for some food, but seeing as he did promise...Goku says they should probably get married then, and Chi Chi is delighted, as is the audience. Goku's friends however are dumbstruck as Goku walks out of the ring with Chi Chi clinging to his arm. Goku warns Kuririn that his next opponent is no ordinary guy, so he should go all out from the very start, and Kuririn confusedly agrees as the announcer calls for both he and Demon Junior to step out into the ring. Kuririn doesn't feel like he's in any mood to fight now, but gets a little more fired up as he sees Demon Junior descend into the ring. Review: We're only halfway through the first round of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, and already we've seen an attempted murder followed immediately by a marriage proposal - talk about a crazy first two matches. Much like the reveal of Taopaipai's strength however, the reveal of who Chi Chi is and what she's come for does unfortunately de-fang what could have initially been thought of as a lead-in to something bigger in the combat sense. Compared to Taopaipai though, who was only there to give Tenshinhan some further growth, Chi Chi is actually here to stay. Whether that's largely for the better or for the worse is something to discuss another time however. For now, I'll just say that bringing her back out of seemingly nowhere is something that's almost uncharacteristic for Toriyama, as usually once a character in Chi Chi's position is done with in the story, they're really done with. I mean, outside of her minor connection to him through her father and Roshi, Chi Chi's not really any different from the likes of Suno – she's a young girl that Goku encounters, that he ends up helping in some fashion, and she seemingly takes a liking to him (though for Chi Chi it's far easier to say for sure that she liked him in a romantic sense), and then the story moves on without ever looking back. Much like Suno, we haven't seen Chi Chi since her introduction, outside of the occasional bit of filler here and there. So for Toriyama to bring her back and have Goku make good on his promise to her, now that the series is almost a completely different beast from what it was when she was last shown, is a really surprising choice. I also stand by the idea that I don't think many people experiencing this story for the very first time, with no knowledge of further adventures via Z, would likely have guessed her identity before this chapter, though it is possible some may have guessed prior to the actual reveal, as we do get some hints dropped here and there before Chi Chi spills the beans. The hints are laid out almost in the same way that the identity of Baba's Masked Fighter being Grandpa Gohan were as well. Oolong's the first one to figure things out based purely on Goku's promise to marry her, and he gives further hints by saying that he, Bulma, Puar, and even Roshi have all met her too. For it to be someone that all of those characters know but not Kuririn or Lunch, who came along just one arc later, it'd have to be someone from the first hunt for the Dragon Balls, and there's really only one person who fits the bill there. It's interesting though that Kuririn notes that Puar should know her too. It's true that Yamcha and Puar both met her as well, but...did Oolong know that? As best as I can recall, Yamcha and Puar being there at that point in the story is something that would only be known to themselves and Chi Chi. Weird. Moving beyond this shake up in the story – and the idea of Son Goku, the most oblivious man on Earth, marrying someone, is definitely quite the shake up – the fight does give us one brief further hint of what Goku is capable of now. Being able to create a shockwave in the air just from punching out hard and fast enough is definitely one hell of a power move, and it's made even more interesting by Piccolo's explanation of such a feat being a demon-style move. Seems Piccolo doesn't know that Goku trained at Kami's, and seems like Kami knows a few tricks that Piccolo does, making them less demon-style moves and more...well, something inherent to themselves. As the chapter draws to a close, we're immediately set up for the next fight, and it's a pretty safe bet that this one won't end with a marriage proposal, but the jury's still out on the likelihood of an attempted murder. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Kuririn struts his stuff! |
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
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