Synopsis: As Goku arrives at the battlefield at last, Kuririn and Gohan are overjoyed to see him. Vegeta asks Goku (referring to him by his Saiyan name of Kakarot) what he thinks he's doing here, and hopes that it's not to make some lame speech about 'defeating them'. Goku ignores Vegeta's taunts and walks calmly over to Piccolo, checking for a pulse on his neck to confirm that he really is dead. Gohan explains that Piccolo died trying to save him, and Goku glances around, seeing the lifeless bodies of Tenshinhan and Yamcha as well. Nappa mockingly laughs and says Goku shouldn't be surprised to see that his friends are dead given how weak they were, and reveals that another one blew themselves up, leading to Goku to mourn Chaozu as well. As Goku realizes the scope of their losses, noting that Kami is dead as well as a result of Piccolo's death, Vegeta's scouter picks up on Goku's power increasing steadily. As Goku approaches Nappa, Nappa asks him if he's ready to die, throwing a punch at Goku. To Nappa's surprise however, Goku appears behind him, walking over to Kuririn with Gohan on kinto'un in tow, causing Vegeta to note how fast Goku is. Goku apologizes to his son and friend for how late he is and breaks apart the last senzu bean, telling them both to eat part of it. Kuririn tells Goku that he should keep it for himself just in case he needs it as even healed they won't be much help, but Goku insists, saying that he's going to throw the senzu bean away if they don't take it. As Kuririn and Gohan are healed, Goku praises Gohan and Kuririn for how much stronger they've gotten. Gohan explains that Piccolo trained him, and Kuririn laments that he let everyone die, especially Piccolo as they can't use the Dragon Balls now as a result. Kuririn suggests that they all fight together so that they can take at least one of them down with them, but Goku says he'll be fighting the Saiyans alone now, and asks Gohan and Kuririn to stay back out of harm's way. Kuririn and Gohan object at first, but seeing the look on Goku's face, Kuririn says they'd better do as he asks, thinking to himself that he's never seen Goku look so angry. Goku approaches Nappa once again, and Nappa tauntingly says he'd hoped that Kakarot wouldn't want to die so quickly. Goku tells Nappa that he won't be giving him any mercy and begins to power up, causing rocks to float from the ground all around him. Nappa and Vegeta both look on in horror, and as Goku lets out a scream and ceases raising his power, Nappa asks Vegeta what his scouter reads for Kakarot's power – in response, Vegeta removes his scouter and crushes it in hand while revealing it read Goku's power as 8,000. Horrified, Nappa doesn't think there's any way that reading can be right. Goku promises not to use the Kaio-ken on Nappa yet, and as Vegeta wonders what that could be, Nappa launches himself at Goku, proclaiming that the latter will never be a match for him. To the surprise of everyone watching as well as Nappa however, Goku speedily moves behind the brutish Saiyan, kicking him hard in the back of the head and knocking him to the ground. Review: After the last chapter put so much emphasis on Piccolo, it's only fitting that this chapter returns the focus of the story to Goku himself. The two characters started this arc together, but now that Piccolo's out of the picture, Goku's going to have to take over and become the strongest character in action once again. And there's no better time for it either, as Goku now gets the chance to show the remaining two Saiyans just how “worthless” he truly isn't. It's interesting to note the three different reactions the characters all have to Goku's anger and power building as well. Gohan and Kuririn are at first overjoyed to see Goku back, because it means that now they stand at least a chance of winning, or at the very least taking one of the Saiyans down with them as revenge for their friends. Once Goku says that he'll be fighting alone however, they worry that Goku's getting in over his head...at least, until Kuririn sees a look on Goku's face that he's never seen before. Meanwhile, Nappa thinks Goku is a complete joke that never should have come at all since all it means is he's going to die just like his friends, and continually thinks there's no way that someone that had to die to beat Raditz before could ever be his equal or better now. Vegeta however lands somewhere in the middle. He doesn't seem particularly worried, but he's smart enough to realize that Goku isn't someone to take lightly – after all, he's a Saiyan as well, no matter how low-class he might be, and Saiyans are strong. It's also worth noting that both of them, but in particular Vegeta, never refer to Goku by any name other than Kakarot – that's going to be a trait that's going to continue onward for Vegeta. All three sets of reaction change when Goku starts powering up. Kuririn and Gohan are horrified just like Nappa is, and that's a testament to just how strong Goku feels now in comparison to how he was before – even when they're on his side, that power just feels overwhelming, especially when neither of them have ever seen Goku as angry as he is now. Nappa and Vegeta both respond with disbelief, but while Vegeta believes the evidence before his eyes in the end, Nappa dismisses the reading as some sort of error – there's no way that Kakarot could ever be strong enough to run circles around him. Except, that's exactly what's happened. Goku manages to get behind Nappa not once but twice in this chapter, and he's clearly just getting started. It's not just the characters who likely notice this all-new Goku either, as fans who have been reading from the very start are likely noticing a few changes in Goku's design as well. It's more noticeable in some panels than others, but Toriyama is drawing Goku a LOT more buff than ever before – he's come a long way from how he looked at the start of this arc or during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. Fans of Goku fan-service, buckle up – you're in for some real beefcake now. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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Synopsis: Nappa's deadly attack at Gohan is blocked by Piccolo, saving the young boy's life and surprising Nappa who thought for sure he'd just taken down the young boy. Gohan is even more surprised, as Piccolo tells him to run before collapsing on the ground before him, gravely injured. Gohan asks Piccolo why he saved him, and Piccolo again urges him to run, but Gohan refuses and pleads with Piccolo not to die as he's sure his father will be here soon to save them. Nappa curses Piccolo for making him kill them out of order, but he supposes it's all the same in the end. Rushing towards the battlefield, Goku can feel one of the powers he sensed getting smaller as they die. At Kami's sanctuary, Kami can feel his life force fading and says that Goku must not have made it in time. As Popo tries to help Kami, Kami says that at least he can die in peace now that Piccolo has finally surpassed him. Lying on the ground dying, Piccolo muses on how pathetic it is for the once great Demon King Piccolo to sacrifice himself to save a child, the child of his greatest enemy no less. He lays the blame for this upon both Goku and Gohan, claiming that their softness must have started to infect him. He can't find it in himself to truly be upset about it however, as he acknowledges that Gohan was the only person who ever tried to talk to him and treat him like anything other than a monster. Piccolo tells Gohan that the months he spent with him training weren't so bad, and as he takes his last breath, Piccolo tells Gohan not to die. Goku senses Piccolo's energy fade away, and at Kami's sanctuary, Kami himself disappears before Popo's eyes. Heartbroken by the death of his master, Gohan screams and aims an angry look at Nappa. As Vegeta's scouter registers Gohan's power reaching 2,800, confirming his suspicions that the Earthlings are able to vary their power greatly, and a watching Kuririn is likewise taken aback by Gohan's power, the young boy fires a powerful Masenko (Demon Flash) attack at Nappa. As the blast approaches him however, Nappa calmly punches it away much to Gohan's horror. Nappa wrings his hand and admits that it actually stung a bit, and Vegeta notes that Gohan's power has dropped back to normal after that attack. Spent, Gohan looks to Piccolo's body and apologizes as not only did he not avenge him, he's too low on energy to run now either. Kuririn curses his own inability to help as Nappa approaches Gohan, raising his foot above Gohan's body and saying that he can't wait to see Kakarot's face when he finds his son crushed to a pulp. Nappa slams his foot down, assuming that he's crushed and killed Gohan. To everyone's surprise however, the only thing beneath Nappa's foot is the ground. Looking to the side, Nappa is surprised to find Gohan floating on a strange yellow cloud, and Vegeta quickly notices someone floating in the sky above them. Gohan and Kuririn are overjoyed, and as Nappa looks on in confusion, Vegeta thinks that it's about time, as Goku floats to the ground, looking on at the scene in anger. Review: While this chapter features Goku's long-awaited return to the forefront of the story, don't mistake this chapter as being his story – it is very much Piccolo's. Piccolo as a character is someone we've known for some time now. He's the newest member of the fighting cast other than Gohan, but despite that, we've still been around the block with him a fair bit by now, and no character in the series has gone through as much change and growth as he has. Toriyama has long made use of redemption arcs to make a formerly bad character turn good – basically every single one of Goku's larger friend group is in that boat to some degree or another – but none of them had the origins that Piccolo did. Piccolo was literally introduces to us as the reincarnation of the biggest villain the series had ever seen up to that point. The second most evil person to turn good up to this point was Tenshinhan, and his greatest crime was aspiring to be an assassin and breaking people's legs – I'm not saying these aren't terrible things, but they pale in comparison to Piccolo's past. There's also the fact that Tenshinhan's change of heart was practically instantaneous, he already ditched his evil ways and joined our heroes in the very same arc that he was introduced in. Now compare that to the road that's lead us to Piccolo's redemption. The original Piccolo was introduced to us as essentially the devil, the biggest, most vile evil imaginable. Then we get his reborn son who, at first, seems to be just as much of a threat as he was, seemingly showing no change at all in terms of who he is at his core. But that's where things do deviate and start leading us to the Piccolo we have now. The original King Piccolo was as arrogant as he was evil, and truly thought himself the better of anyone that he would meet. His defeat resulting in the current Piccolo's birth however, humbles Piccolo against his will. Unlike his forefather, this Piccolo is forced to acknowledge that he might not be the strongest thing out there after all. Oh he still believes he is, but he's wary enough to be cautious of even those he deems his lesser (such as his being impressed by Kuririn, or even his acknowledgement of Chaozu in this arc), and definitely wise enough to be fearful of someone like Goku. The ultimate insult to Piccolo's pride and the nail being put in place for his development is definitely Goku choosing to spare his life after defeating him at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. This is something that Piccolo cannot understand, nor stomach. His greatest foe, his very reason for existing, chooses to spare him instead of finishing him off, or even sealing him away again like what was done to the previous Piccolo. Although Piccolo scoffs at Goku's choice as weakness when he leaves, it becomes abundantly clear by this point that it's stuck in his mind all this time. How could someone be so strong, like Goku is, and yet also be merciful, even to someone like Piccolo? It flies in the face of everything that Piccolo has seen and experienced. Enter Raditz, the threat of the Saiyans, and the kindness of a small child named Gohan. After spending the last so many years training to kill Goku, and no doubt ruminating on being spared by him, Piccolo has one hell of a day out of nowhere. He's humiliated by a higher power than his own once again, and is then forced to team up with his greatest rival. The worst part though comes when he finally achieves his goal of killing Goku – rather than feeling good about it or better about himself or anything like that, Piccolo seems to feel nothing. In fact, the threat of the Saiyans places an onus on Piccolo to actually NEED Goku to come back to life – after all, if the Earth is destroyed, Piccolo can't conquer it. This threat is enough to force Piccolo to train Goku's own son as well, due to his having seen the boy's potential in the fight with Raditz. Piccolo's training of Gohan is far from altruistic at first, but over the time he spends with the boy, he notices how differently Gohan treats him. In truth, we haven't seen Piccolo around very many people, and it's pretty much just been our core cast of characters. That said however, he's been met with nothing but anger and/or fear from every person he's met in this life. Even Gohan is initially scared of him, partially due to him being scared of every thing but also due to his mother and grandfather having told him about how bad Piccolo is. That changes as the boy spends time with him though, and while there's certainly an argument to be made that it's a little unrealistic, or worse, Stockholm Syndrome-ish that Gohan ends up liking Piccolo, the boy does ultimately see that Piccolo isn't as bad as he's presenting himself to be, a fact bolstered further by the fact that Goku and Raditz both passed on to the afterlife rather than becoming lingering souls as those killed by demons do. And through Piccolo's own words, we see that Gohan is the first and only person who's ever bothered to actually have a conversation with Piccolo. It might seem a little strange to say, but Piccolo up until this point was a victim of circumstance. That doesn't necessarily absolve him of his crimes, but it does put him into a new perspective. He was trapped from birth into a revenge scheme that he had no choice of being a part of, and his very existence was cursed both by his own creator in the form of Kami, but also all of the people of the world who hated him simply for who he was. Now that Piccolo has seen that it doesn't have to be that way however, that even one person being kind to him is a person worth protecting, his change of heart has lead him to make the ultimate sacrifice for that person, even if it means putting them into a worse place overall by losing the Dragon Balls. Piccolo's change of heart might be somewhat abrupt and sudden in some ways, but all the clues leading to this have been seeded in since the start of the story arc, and it's a far more interesting character arc than any that Toriyama has done up til now. This chapter does give us more than Piccolo's death – there's Gohan's angry outburst showing that he truly has the power that Piccolo saw in him, and of course Goku's arrival on the battlefield signaling a turn in the tides – but I don't think either of those are anywhere near as important on a story level as Piccolo's choice in this chapter and what it means for him. Honestly, there are probably only two other characters with arcs anywhere near comparable to Piccolo's, but I'd personally say both fall short to his in some ways – Piccolo is Dragon Ball's greatest redemption story. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Goku, back in action! Synopsis: Piccolo and Gohan celebrate the fact that Goku is on his way at last, causing Nappa to look around in confusion for Kakarot. Realizing that these Earthlings must have the ability to sense energy without a scouter somehow, Vegeta grabs his own scouter and decides to check things out. Elsewhere, as Goku heads towards the battlefield, he can sense five powers in total – two big ones, two even bigger than those, and one smaller one. He realizes that's not near enough to account for all of his friends, and he hopes that nobody has died yet as he urges kinto'un to fly faster. Nappa asks Vegeta if it's true that Kakarot's on the way, and a shocked Vegeta reveals that whoever it is that coming should be there in about four minutes, and that they have a power level of 5,000. Nappa is completely surprised, thinking there's no way that can be right, but Vegeta wonders if 5,000 might not be just the tip of the iceberg given the Earthlings ability to hide their power. Piccolo taunts the Saiyans about being worried, and Vegeta yells for Nappa to kill Piccolo and Gohan immediately, as their powers alongside Kakarot's might actually prove to be a challenge. Nappa asks Vegeta how they'll find the Dragon Balls without the Namekian's help, and Vegeta confesses that before this he wasn't sure if he really believed in the Dragon Balls at all. If Kakarot really has returned to life however, he believes in them now, and says they'll just go to Namek after destroying the Earth as it very likely has Dragon Balls of it's own. Nappa still doesn't believe Kakarot's power can be anywhere close to 5,000, but he thinks this is as good an excuse as anything to finally start killing them. Gohan shouts for Piccolo to run away, saying that he'll hold the Saiyans off somehow as the Dragon Balls on Earth will disappear if he gets killed. Piccolo tells Gohan he doesn't think the boy can hold them on his own, as an injured Kuririn curses his own inability to move and help fight right now. Nappa laughs at Gohan's bravado and rushes at him, and as Piccolo rushes in to help him, Gohan's inner power ignites at last and he kicks Nappa hard in the face, sending him crashing into a nearby rock pillar. Piccolo is surprised by this, as is a watching Vegeta, but Nappa quickly recovers and lands in front of the pair once again. Somewhat more bloody and hurt than before, an enraged Nappa says that he's had enough. Gathering a large energy blast in hand, he fires the attack at Gohan, intending to kill him in one strike. As the lethal energy blast flies towards Gohan, Piccolo leaps in front of him at the last moment, taking the blast head-on and saving Gohan's life. Review: At the start of this chapter, things are finally starting to look less dire for our heroes. Goku's almost there, just four minutes away no less, and the best news of all? His power level, or at least what the scouter is able to detect at the outset, is high enough to cause some level of concern in the Saiyans, even Vegeta. There's also a quick, nice moment of Vegeta noticing that the Earth-based fighters have the ability to sense energy without the use of scouters – this will be important later on. I've also always found it interesting that Goku uses kinto'un to get to the battlefield, as well as urging it to fly faster here. Goku can fly now, and we've seen him make much more use of it in this arc already than he ever did previously, but he chooses not to fly by his own power to get to his friends. I've never been able to tell what the reasoning for this is – is he just conserving power for the upcoming fight as there's a good chance he'd going to need everything he has and then some? Or is he also still slower when flying under his own power than what kinto'un can fly him somewhere? Earlier, when he and Piccolo were flying to go face Raditz, he asked Piccolo if he thought he could keep up with the cloud, and Piccolo assured him he could (and he managed to do just that), but there's been a lot of training since then, with them both becoming far stronger than they were before, so...it's a bit of a quandary either way, honestly. Even if he's saving energy for the fight, the longer it takes him to get there the more likely the damage and death toll will be higher, so it's kind of a no-win situation either way. While Goku's impending arrival sparks hope initially however, it's also the trigger to start things moving in an even more dire direction than ever before. Faced with the prospect of fighting someone who could prove to be more than they expected to handle, Vegeta decides that they can't have the Earthlings ganging up on them now and orders Nappa to kill them quickly rather than keeping Piccolo alive to tell them about the Dragon Balls. This would be bad for our heroes as well, as without the Dragon Balls, they're not going to be able to bring anyone back – while Chaozu already can't be wished back, Yamcha and Tenshinhan at least can be. Keeping Piccolo alive quickly becomes Gohan's priority, and while nobody present (including Piccolo) really thinks he's up to that task, Gohan finally proves his worth. Granted, it's a small moment, but after seeing how much the story was building up Gohan and how much faith Piccolo put in him, seeing Gohan even for a moment live up to the expectations for him is a great moment nonetheless. That moment of actually potent defiance is all it takes to push Nappa over the edge however, and his next attack is aimed to kill the child for actually hurting him. It looks like a certainty that Gohan's about to die, but surprising everyone – even himself seemingly – Piccolo leaps in the way and takes the blast. There's a LOT to talk about with this moment to be honest, but I'm going to hold off until the following chapter as it will give us even more to go over in regards to Piccolo's character arc. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The Change in Piccolo, Revisited Synopsis: As Piccolo falls to the ground unconscious after the failed attack on Nappa, the brutish Saiyan is disappointed that not even the strongest fighter standing against him can take more than one blow from him. Turning to Kuririn and Gohan next, Nappa decides to attack Gohan first, telling him that he expects a good fight since he has Saiyan blood in him, even if it does come from a coward like Kakarot. Nappa viciously kicks Gohan into the air before swiping him into a nearby rock pillar. As Gohan struggles back to his feet, Nappa praises him and tells him to fight and die like a true Saiyan.
As Nappa tries to rush in to attack Gohan again, Kuririn gets the drop on him, knocking the Saiyan back with a quick punch. As he flies towards Nappa for another however, he barely manages to dodge Nappa's retaliatory punch, and backflips away, annoying Nappa but causing Vegeta to praise him as being nimble if nothing else. Nappa angrily charges at Kuririn, who quickly thrusts a palm into the air above his head and forms a large energy disc. Kuririn throws the Kienzan (Circle of Ki) attack at Nappa, who taunts him and prepares to take the attack head on. Vegeta yells at Nappa to dodge however, and Nappa tilts his head out of the way just in time, and the Kienzan is shown flying past him and cutting the top off of an entire mountain. As Nappa's cheek is also shown to have been cut by Kuririn's Kienzan, Vegeta curses his fellow Saiyan for not using his head. An enraged Nappa throws an energy blast at Kuririn in retaliation, and though Kuririn is able to dodge the blast, the resulting explosion it causes catches him and injures him. Still in the midair, Kuririn is about to receive a second direct blast from Nappa, when the Saiyan himself receives a powerful blast to the small of his back from an awakened Piccolo. Nappa is outraged and can't believe that Piccolo is tougher than he looks, causing Vegeta to laugh at him as Piccolo warns them both that the Earth won't go down so easily. Nappa angrily tells Piccolo that he only took it easy on him because they need him to tell them about the Dragon Balls, but Piccolo's attention is quickly diverted away from his opponent. Piccolo says he can sense a tremendous energy approaching them, a power that Gohan can also feel and says feels familiar. Vegeta notices this reaction from the two of them, and although Nappa says he's getting tired of their tricks, Piccolo is certain – Goku is on his way at last. Review: With Piccolo down and out, Nappa specifically turns his attention to the next in line, poor little Gohan. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think Nappa was trying to take them down in order of perceived power at this point – granted, he attacked Tenshinhan first earlier, and the only reason he took Piccolo down first this time was due to Piccolo being the one closest to him, so it's probably just a coincidence. Either way, Nappa definitely seems to enjoy the pain he's causing, so I can imagine him enjoying the fear he's putting into Kuririn by leaving him for last. While Vegeta as a character will later go on to definitely make 'Saiyan Pride' a whole thing (and believe me, we WILL be talking about that later), Nappa seems to have his own weird version of it as well. He certainly seems to expect something of a fight out of Gohan based purely on his Saiyan heritage, even though he hasn't seen the kid do a single thing yet and he doesn't think much of Kakarot for his Saiyan blood either. Gohan for his part does get back up after the initial attack, but it's hard to say for sure if he's fully broken out of his shell and planning to fight back just yet or not. You know who is planning to fight back and has had more than enough of this shit though? Kuririn! We've seen him flip back and forth between anger and fear throughout the course of this fight, and while some would probably call that unbalanced, I'd say it makes sense in the scope of the situation he's stuck in. Also, my boy gets not one but TWO unique new attacks this arc, and this one even gets a name! The Kienzan is definitely one of the more unique energy attacks in the series, right up there with the Mankankosappo or Sokidan, in that there's more to it's workings than just 'firing a laser' as it were. In effect, it seems to be far more effective than the Mankankosappo too – the Kienzan seemingly takes almost no time to charge, and it's capable of hurting opponents far stronger than it's user. It's made pretty evident that, if Nappa hadn't dodged, Kuririn would have just taken him out of the equation by cutting him in half. The Kienzan's potency has also lead to a lot of debate in the fandom about how there's a clearly easy-win combo that the characters don't take advantage of – blind the opponent with a Taiyoken, then throw a Kienzan at them to cut them in half, and done. Realistically I can see how you'd think this would come up at least once, but overall I think this is another issue where people are looking for realistic decisions that wouldn't work towards making an interesting story. If that was how they solved every problem, then this would be a boring as hell series to read, don't you think? I've said it before, and I'll say it again – entertainment shouldn't always be held to the whims of practicality, not if the story will result as a consequence of doing so. Kuririn's attack manages to do just enough in the end though, as his annoyance of Nappa distracted the big brute just long enough for Piccolo to get back on his feet and to land a powerful attack of his own on him. All of these flies buzzing around and biting at Nappa is great fun for a watching Vegeta, but it's definitely starting to get on the bigger Saiyan's nerves more than it's actually doing lasting damage to him. Nappa being far stronger than them is still very much an insurmountable problem for our heroes. Just as things are looking to get really bad again however, our heroes can finally feel Goku's power and know that he's back on Earth. Help is on the way at last, but the question still remains – will it be enough? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Vegeta scoffs over having lost three hours waiting in vain for Kakarot to show up, deciding that he must be a coward as well as a traitor. Gohan insists that his father isn't a coward, but even Kuririn is starting to wonder where he is at this point. As Nappa prepares to fight again, Kuririn wonders if they're all going to die, but Piccolo says he has a plan, one that's a long shot and they only have one chance to get it right. He tells Kuririn to distract Nappa while he goes for his tail, and tells Gohan that he can't freeze up this time and will have to attack the Saiyan once Piccolo has him subdued. Gohan agrees, and Piccolo reminds him that he's even stronger than his master is when he puts his mind to it.
At Kami's sanctuary, Kami finally senses Goku's energy quickly approaching Enma's, and teleports to the check-in station to pick him up, with Kaio-sama himself marveling at how quickly Goku has made it back. Kami meets up with Goku and grabs hold of him before teleporting him back to the sanctuary, leaving Enma to be impressed that Goku actually made it back from Kaio-sama's after all. Goku tells Kami and Popo that the training went well, and immediately leaps off of the sanctuary. As he falls down through the sky, Karin spots Goku and tosses him the last two senzu beans he has, and Goku eats one to replenish his energy before calling for kinto-un and heading in the direction he can sense various large energy sources from. Kuririn rushes Nappa, causing the large Saiyan to assume he wants to die first, though Vegeta thinks the Earthlings must have some sort of plan. Kuririn flings his arms out as if he's going to grapple with Nappa, but instead fires an energy blast into the ground just before he reaches Nappa, rocketing himself into the air and causing Nappa to look upward in confusion. Seizing the moment, Piccolo quickly rushes behind Nappa and grabs his tail, yelling for Gohan to attack. Gohan complies and runs towards Nappa to attack, but Nappa calls them all fools before slamming his elbow hard into Piccolo's skull, knocking him out cold. As Gohan and Kuririn watch in horror, Nappa tells Piccolo not to die yet as they still have to ask him about the Dragon Balls. Vegeta laughs and says they were stupid to think that Saiyans of their caliber hadn't made efforts to do away with such an obvious weakness. Review: Three hours wasn't quite enough time for Goku to show up on the battlefield apparently, but just as things start to look really bad for our heroes, it's shown to be just enough for him to have made it back to Earth! While things are still looking really bad, this is definitely a needed moment of hope with how dire things have been for the past so many chapters. Seeing how quickly Goku made it back also does wonders to really reinforce how much stronger he's gotten since the first time he ran the Serpent Road as well, just as Kaio-sama said it would. Speaking of quick movement though, Kami really does sort of just teleport to Enma's and back again, doesn't he...huh. I honestly forget that that's how it's shown half the time. Given a later technique we'll learn about, two of them actually, it's a little curious to see how this is treated as just a regular thing Kami can do here. Must be one of the perks of being God, I suppose. I also like the quick scene of Karin tossing Goku two senzu beans, in particular Goku eating one of them himself. It's a nice, quick acknowledgement of the fact that Goku wouldn't be anywhere near at his best at this point without it. Don't forget, the first time Goku ran Serpent Road, it may have taken six months or so but he was dead and could make due without eating (reluctantly anyway). This time though, while Goku made it back in about two days time, that's two days of constant, high-speed flying and running while alive, and without ever getting to eat. That would be strenuous for anyone, and perhaps all the more so for someone as hungry as Goku is known to be. Eating a senzu definitely puts him back in a place where he can actually come for the Saiyans with everything that he has. While that's all really good for our heroes however, they aren't aware of it yet, and unfortunately on the field of battle, things just got that much worse in Goku's absence. I guess I shouldn't really say Piccolo's plan was a bad one – it's basically a more nuanced version of his previous plan to catch Nappa off-guard, and a Saiyan's tail being their weakness is definitely something of a known quantity. That said, it does feel pretty foolish for none of them to think about even stronger Saiyans than Raditz potentially having taken care of that weakness. I guess it's forgivable enough that neither Gohan nor Piccolo would have thought of this given that they're relatively new to the concept of dealing with Saiyan tails (Gohan had one, but he's never had to deal with it being grabbed), but Kuririn himself literally fell victim to this very same trick once before himself. You'd think it would have occurred to him to mention that Goku once overcame that same weakness, especially since he likewise doesn't know that Raditz HADN'T overcome said weakness, unless Piccolo explained that part to him as well. Poor, inadequate, Raditz... Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Piccolo, Kuririn, and Gohan fret over Nappa's indestructability, with Kuririn mourning the loss of three of their friends already. Kuririn screams for Goku to hurry up and come back and help them, catching Vegeta's attention. Just who is this 'Goku' they keep calling for, he wonders. Nappa smirks and says that it's the last three's turn now, though he says he'll leave Piccolo alive to tell them about the Dragon Balls. Kuririn nervously jokes that Piccolo's lucky since they seem to think he's the only one that knows about the balls, but Piccolo says it's only a short reprieve as the Saiyans plan to kill them all anyway. Still, Kuririn is glad to have Piccolo on their side even if it's only temporary, and asks Piccolo how much confidence he has that they'll win this, to which Piccolo confesses that he has none, as he never dreamed they'd be this powerful. At Kami's sanctuary, Kami and Popo wonder where Goku is, as Kami can sense that he and Piccolo have little time left to live. Piccolo suggests that they fight Nappa on the ground as the Saiyan seems to have the advantage in the air, though Nappa thinks it won't make any difference. As Piccolo and Kuririn land and Nappa begins to come for them, Vegeta suddenly yells for Nappa to stop. Nappa asks him why, and Vegeta says there's something he wants to ask the Earthlings. He asks if this 'Son Goku' they keep mentioning is Kakarot, and Kuririn says that it is. Vegeta realizes they must have brought Kakarot back to life with the Dragon Balls, but wonders what good it will do as Kakarot wasn't even able to take on Raditz alone before. Piccolo tells them that Goku is a bad one to underestimate, and when Nappa laughs and says Kakarot is probably too scared to show up, Gohan insists that his father isn't a coward and is coming to beat them both up. Vegeta laughs at their faith, and says that they'll wait three hours for Kakarot to show up. Nappa disagrees with this idea and starts to attack again, causing Vegeta to demand that he listen to him, resulting in Nappa freezing again in fear. Reluctantly, Nappa agrees to wait the three hours. As the two groups split up, Gohan apologizes to Piccolo for failing to attack Nappa earlier, saying that he got scared. Piccolo tells him to leave then and curses his own foolishness for expecting better. Kuririn tries to defend Gohan by saying that it's his first fight, but Piccolo is already lost in his own thoughts, thinking about how scared of Vegeta that Nappa was. If Vegeta is really that much stronger than the Saiyan they already can't beat, then all hope really is lost... Over with the Saiyans, Nappa asks Vegeta why they're waiting for Kakarot. Vegeta explains that Kakarot is a traitor to their race, so he wants him to suffer and watch his remaining friends die before his very eyes – that is, if he even shows up in three hours time. Nappa praises Vegeta's plan now that he understands it, and says Vegeta can have Kakarot if he still gets to kill the other three, which Vegeta allows but reminds Nappa that they need the Namekian to talk first. Kuririn wonders what's taking Goku so long, and suggests that maybe they should just run away until he shows up, but Piccolo says that the Saiyans already plan to kill everyone on the planet anyway, so it's the choice between dying running or standing and fighting. Kuririn pleads with Goku to hurry up and be stronger than the Saiyans, as Goku is shown to still be rushing down the Serpent Road. Three hours pass, and Goku still hasn't shown up, and Vegeta says it seems they've all been stood up. Review: While the three fighters left defending the Earth are very likely the strongest ones (save for Goku who's still running late), Nappa's seeming invulnerability definitely poses a problem for them all. After two all out attacks from both Chaozu and Tenshinhan, the big brute only has a few bruises and cuts, barely even enough to actually piss him off. It's the exact sort of dire straits that forced Piccolo and Goku to team up against Raditz, and now it's pushed Piccolo to work alongside Kuririn instead – a pretty funny turn of events in-of-itself, given their own fight at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, and the slight respect that Kuririn earned from Piccolo that day. That said however, things are looking even more dire than that, as Kami seems to get the feeling that Piccolo is due to die any time now. Not only would this severely nerf our characters fighting chances, it also takes the Dragon Balls out of the equation. While Chaozu is already dead for good due to having been wished back once before, losing the Dragon Balls would mean losing the ability to bring Yamcha or Tenshinhan back to life either, not to mention anyone else that might end up dying before this fight is through. Piccolo dying would definitely push the story into the worst case scenario immediately. Which is where the three hour reprieve Vegeta gives them may just come in handy for the characters. Vegeta's offer doesn't come from a good place, he just wants to make Goku suffer for choosing Earth over returning to his Saiyan brethren, but three hours for Goku to get there and help is still three hours they didn't have before. This brief respite does more narratively than just giving Goku more time to arrive as well: it gives the characters a moment to touch base and realize just how truly bad the situation is, as Piccolo notices at last that it's been the shorter Vegeta giving the larger Nappa orders this whole time. He sees Nappa freeze up when Vegeta yells, which means he's afraid of him. Given all that Nappa can do, this absolutely builds Vegeta up as one hell of a threat, better than him being active in the series right now could ever do. It's an interesting tactic, one that Toriyama briefly used with King Piccolo, but here it comes into full form. He'll be making even greater use of this trick in a coming arc as well. For now though, it paints a big picture of just how screwed the Earth is if Goku doesn't show up soon, and if he's not even more unbelievably improved than the rest of our heroes are. When the three hours pass however, Goku still hasn't quite made it back yet, and if Kami's uneasy feeling is correct, Piccolo and he aren't long for this world... Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Goku hurries back down the Serpent Road as quickly as he can to reach Earth and help his friends. On Earth, having survived Chaozu's suicide attack with barely even a scratch, Nappa announces his intention to finish off Tenshinhan before moving on to Gohan, promising them all that they'll get their turn soon enough. Tenshinhan struggles with the realization that Chaozu can never come back to life due to having already been wished back once before, and vows to make Nappa pay, though Nappa promises him he'll see his friend again in Hell soon enough. Piccolo discusses a plan of attack with Kuririn, which is overheard by Vegeta. Rather than warn Nappa however, Vegeta mockingly wishes them luck. Piccolo tells him that he hopes to see Vegeta's face when Goku gets here, and Vegeta wonders if this 'Son Goku' is their secret weapon. Nappa launches himself at Tenshinhan, and wasting no time, Piccolo and Kuririn move quickly into the air. As Nappa approaches Tenshinhan who is preparing his own attack, Piccolo catches Nappa off-guard and knocks him away, towards a waiting Kuririn who likewise sends him flying down towards another spot on the ground. Piccolo shouts for Gohan to fire an attack at Nappa as they'd planned, but he spots Gohan trembling, too scared to attack the Saiyan. Piccolo curses his student's cowardice, and Kuririn says they'll have to do it themselves, and the two fire their own energy attacks at Nappa. Nappa recovers just in time to dodge Piccolo and Kuririn's attacks, laughing and asking them if they thought they'd actually get away with pulling something like that. Nappa vows to kill them both now, but as the Saiyan is distracted, Tenshinhan takes this opportunity to attack. Promising to the fallen Chaozu that they'll never be apart, Tenshinhan pours all of his energy into a potent, final Kikoho hitting Nappa full-force with his angry attack. Looking upward at their opponent after the attack lands, the Earthlings are horrified to see that even this still barely managed to do more than scuff the mighty Saiyan, and Nappa laughs and tells them not to scare him like that. Feeling like he's failed, Tenshinhan falls over and dies, with Vegeta praising him as having fought like a man, but also mocking him for dying like a dog. Faced with despair unlike any he's ever felt before, Kuririn screams to the sky for Goku to hurry and come back to them. Review: It's interesting how differently it feels to see Goku traveling Serpent Road now compared to how it felt earlier in the story. When there wasn't much of anything going on, it felt like it dragged, even when we only occasionally saw him on the road. Now that everything is going wrong though, seeing him on the road greatly heightens the tension, leaving you with a feeling of 'Oh c'mon, people are dying Goku, hurry! Hurry!'. It's an excellent showcase of how the same sort of scene can change depending on what's happening elsewhere in the story. And things are indeed dire back on Earth, probably far more so than Goku's already worrying about. Chaozu's final attack didn't do anything to Nappa, and if anything, it's just urged Nappa on to kill the rest of them at his leisure now. Piccolo is smart enough to realize they're going to need a plan of attack to deal with Nappa now, which is where we get a rather interesting moment. Vegeta overhears Piccolo's plan, and rather than warn Nappa or be at all worried about what they might have in store for them afterwards...Vegeta encourages them to try it. This is the first hint, at least that our heroes get to see, that Vegeta is 100% the one in charge, but it shows more than that as well. It shows that he's so confident in their strength in comparison to the Earthlings, both Nappa's and his own, that he's not a bit worried that their plan will actually work, he just thinks it'll be fun to see them try. And at the tail end of that moment, there's Vegeta's reaction to hearing Goku's name. He doesn't know who that is and seemingly wonders of it's their secret weapon – ironically he's right, but the more interesting part is seeing Vegeta slowly connect the dots that there's still someone else out there coming to fight them before this is all said and done. I'd have to flip back to the chapter with Raditz's death to be sure, but it looks like Raditz's transmission never included mention of Goku by his new name, so Nappa and Vegeta both seem to only know him as Kakarot and to assume that he's still dead. Piccolo's plan to attack Nappa is a fairly simple one, but against a fighter that seems to be all brute strength without thinking, that's all one might need, at least in theory. As with any plan however, it comes down to how well or not it's executed, and unfortunately, Gohan proves to be the weak link in the chain. It can be a little disappointing to see Gohan falter at such an important moment like this, especially when we've seen how far he's come since our first introduction to him. That said, it's important to remember that he's a kid – he can't be any older than FIVE now that roughly a year has passed since Raditz. He's a five year old that left a pampered, sheltered life, saw his father die, was whisked away and abandoned in the wilderness for months, was trained by a 'demon' that doesn't seem to care about him in any real way, and now he's been brought to a battlefield where he's now witnessed three more people die. It's a wonder the poor kid doesn't need therapy, but on top of all of that, he's now asked to fight back against the man directly responsible for two of the deaths he's just witnessed? There are adults who would freeze up in a situation like that – it makes sense that poor little Gohan can't cope with all of this. Even if Piccolo and Kuririn's attacks had landed, or even if Gohan hadn't failed to pitch in, I don't think this would have been enough to take Nappa down either though, as there's at least a decent chance that Tenshinhan's final attack is stronger than what they were firing at that time, and it hits head-on. We've previously had the Kikoho described as a technique that can drain the life of it's user, and chances are we've only ever seen Tenshinhan firing it in a more held-back manner. Here though, Tenshinhan pours everything he has left into it in the hopes of finishing the job that Chaozu started...but it fails. Nappa is just too strong, and not even everything Tenshinhan has to give can do more than scrape and bruise him. As yet another character that we've come to know and love falls to the wayside, we all feel Kuririn's scream innately. Goku, please hurry and get here! Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: Fully charged and ready for battle now, Nappa looks over the Earthlings and tries to decide who to kill first. As he charges in, Nappa heads towards Tenshinhan, and although Piccolo warns him to dodge, Tenshinhan tries to block Nappa's punch with his forearm...and his forearm is punched clean off. Tenshinhan screams in pain as Chaozu is horrified, and Vegeta chuckles as he realizes just how breakable these Earthlings really are. Nappa prepares to finish Tenshinhan off with another strike, but Tenshinhan leaps into the air, preparing to fire an attack of his own. Before he can however, Nappa flies into the air above him, kicking him hard back down to the ground. Tenshinhan tries to struggle back up to his feet but can't, and Nappa laughs at how stubborn he is. Outraged, Kuririn starts to run over to Tenshinhan to help him up, and Piccolo tries to stop him. Spotting this, Nappa laughs and swipes his fingers through the air, causing an explosion that rips the ground apart between Kuririn and Tenshinhan. As Kuririn and Piccolo notice how deep the hole is – so deep that they can't see the bottom – Kuririn notices that Chaozu is nowhere to be found, worrying that he was caught in that blast. As everyone looks around for Chaozu, Vegeta shouts to Nappa to look behind him, but Chaozu manages to fly up behind Nappa and grab his back before the large Saiyan can stop him. Nappa struggles to try and grab Chaozu but can't quite reach him, and Tenshinhan yells for his friend to get out of there. Chaozu contacts Tenshinhan telepathically however, telling him goodbye and to save himself. Without another word, Chaozu blows himself up much like the Saibamen did with Yamcha. Everyone is amazed that Chaozu would go that far, and even Piccolo says that Chaozu has won his respect. Tenshinhan mourns his friend, but the moment quickly passes, as the smoke clears and Nappa is shown to barely have taken any damage at all. Laughing, Nappa asks if they've started to get it now. Review: I think it's safe to say that the situation against the Saiyans has escalated quickly, no matter how you slice it, right? Our heroes did their absolute best to prepare for these guys, and by and large it looks like everyone got themselves to a level stronger than Raditz (with the only potential exceptions there being Chaozu and Yajirobe I'd wager). Hell, look no further than Kuririn for a perfect example of how much they've all improved. Before their training, Kuririn was slapped away by Raditz with no effort whatsoever by his tail. Now? Now Kuririn can blow away three Raditz-level opponents at once, and would have taken four if one Saibamen hadn't been able to dodge. It winded him for a moment, but he had energy to spare as well – two of the blasts from that attack hit the Saiyans as well don't forget, and Kuririn is still here kicking. And that's to say nothing of the other characters' efforts, particularly the two that we have every reason to assume are even stronger than that – if Kuririn can beat multiple Raditz level opponents, what the hell can we expect Piccolo and Gohan to be capable of? Unfortunately for our heroes, all of that effort is very quickly being shown up. What has it gotten them so far? A dead friend, and an opponent so much stronger than they expected that it's laughable, with another opponent waiting in the wings that they can assume is even stronger than that. And make no mistake, Nappa's power is IMMENSELY more potent than they feared, as poor Tenshinhan is the first to discover. I've always found Nappa's attack on Tenshinhan here to be even more brutal than it looks at first glance. I'm no expert on how these sort of things would work, but here's how my logic follows – Nappa PUNCHES his arm off. He doesn't swipe it off, with an open hand, where you could maybe assume the ki around his hand cut it off. No cutting. Only PUNCHING. He PUNCHES an arm OFF. How in the hell does that even work? It's insanely mind-boggling and horrifying all at once. It's made all the more effective when you remember Tenshinhan's placement in the power rankings prior to this arc, where he was probably the third strongest person on Earth after Goku and Piccolo, not counting non-combatants like Kami and Popo. There's reason to suspect that he's fallen behind Kuririn by this point, but even so, Tenshinhan is absolutely no slacker, and he's not a weakling – but against Nappa, it's still not enough. And speaking of Kuririn, you can tell how much he's bonded with everyone, because while his reaction to Tenshinhan's near death isn't quite as volatile as seeing Yamcha die was, he's still absolutely pissed at what he's witnessing. Nappa's attack to keep him away from his prey however shows, once again, how perilous the situation is. Nappa could probably kill any one of them instantly if he pleased, but he's enjoying playing with his food first. And then we come to Chaozu and his biggest moment, arguably his only big moment in the series period. I've made no secret that I'm not a big fan of Chaozu, that as a character he has never lived up to his potential. That hasn't changed moving into this arc either. Tenshinhan told him to stay out of the fight even after all the training he did, suggesting that Chaozu hasn't improved quite as much as everyone else has. We also see that his psychic powers aren't going to be any help either, which is pretty disappointing given it's his own angle into being different than how everyone else fights – if those aren't getting an upgrade, then the writing is on the wall: Chaozu's not getting an upgrade either. I've also said that the only reason Chaozu doesn't get made fun of as much as Yamcha or Kuririn is because he gets less plot focus than either of them, and I think that holds true. His moment here would be just as meme-able as Yamcha's death pose and the crater, but because Chaozu has far less character or relevance, his moment ends up not having near the lasting effect or the ability to stick in readers' memories quite the same way. All of that said however? I think we should give Chaozu at least the respect he's due for his decision in this chapter. I think he knows he's the weakest link of the group (at least of the group that showed up to fight anyway). We have no way of knowing how he would've fared against one of the Saibamen, but there's definitely no way he's standing a chance against Nappa. And he's in the same boat as Kuririn – he's died once before, so if he dies again? There's no way for him to get brought back to life. Faced with insurmountable odds and his death being permanent this time, what does Chaozu do? He leaps onto the opponent's back in a moment of distraction, and BLOWS HIMSELF UP. He uses every ounce of his energy to try to take out one of their foes, or at the very least to hurt him, so that maybe Tenshinhan will have a chance to escape and live. If that's not worthy of at least a moment of respect, than I don't know what is. Hell, even Piccolo of all people has to hand it to him here. Chaozu might not be a good character. He certainly might not be anyone's favorite. But what he absolutely is is a goddamn hero. Unfortunately however...it's still not enough. His suicide attack doesn't do more than kick up dust around the big brute that is Nappa, and now our heroes are down two fighters and a third is gravely injured. At this point, there's really no way to sugarcoat it – despite everyone's best efforts, they were absolutely not prepared for the Saiyans. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The losses just keep on coming... Synopsis: Enraged by the death of Yamcha and the mocking of his passing at the hands of the Saiyans, Kuririn fires a large two-handed energy blast heading towards the Saiyans and Saibamen. Kuririn's friends leap out of the way and shield themselves, with Piccolo noting that while the attack is powerful, it's slow moving, basically giving anyone the chance to dodge if needed, as the Saibamen are already doing. At the last second before it hits however, Kuririn smirks, and alters the blast's trajectory, whipping it into the air above the enemies, and splitting it into six different energy blasts aimed at each one of their opponents. The blast hits five out of it's six marks, incinerating three of the Saibamen and hitting hard against the two Saiyans.
As the dust clears, Tenshinhan and Chaozu congratulate a panting Kuririn, who notes that one of them got away. As Gohan also marvels at Kuririn's attack, the surviving Saibamen suddenly leaps out and attacks him. Before it can get to Gohan however, Piccolo grabs it by the arm, striking it in the gut before hurling it into the air and finishing it off with an energy beam fired from his mouth. Kuririn and Tenshinhan are amazed at Piccolo's reaction speed and power, with Tenshinhan thinking they should enjoy him being on their side while it lasts. Gohan tries to thank Piccolo, but Gohan tells him not to misunderstand and think that he saved him – he just needed the exercise before the real fight begins. Emerging from the dust cloud next, Vegeta laughs and says that he hopes it will be a great battle. Seeing that both Saiyans survived without so much as a scratch, the Earthlings are horrified to realize just how tough these two Saiyans really are. Nappa asks to take on all five of them at once, and Vegeta obliges, with Nappa thanking him for letting him have all the fun. As Nappa's power rises, the Earth itself begins to shake, as everyone is horrified to realize just how powerful he is, with Chaozu even noting that his psychic powers don't seem to be affecting him at all. Nappa grins maliciously at them as his energy sparks, and Piccolo says for everyone to brace themselves. Review: This is another one of those chapters that eats up a pretty good chunk of it's pages to show only a few events rather than covering a bunch of ground, but as a result? My boy Kuririn gets a pretty good showing here. Not only does he get to once again reinforce how human and personable of a character he is, more so than really any of the other characters we routinely see, but he also gets to show off a neat new attack. The attack doesn't really have a name (at least not in-series – I'm sure guidebooks and games have given it an assortment of titles), and it's likely more of a generic energy blast combined with newer abilities like controlling an energy attacks trajectory after firing it (something we've already seen Goku do in the past), but in effect it definitely gets the job done for the most part. Only one of the Saibamen manages to dodge it, and the ones that it did hit got killed in one shot – move over Tenshinhan, this is way cooler than what you just did in your own fight. Actually, this coupled with other things coming up might actually go a long way towards suggesting that Kuririn has already surpassed Tenshinhan and may be the strongest non-alien fighter on Earth at this point. You love to see it, at least if you're a fanboy like I am. I also don't think we can really hold it against him that the attack did nothing to the Saiyans, because c'mon – did anyone really think it would, or that it would end the fight right then and there? Didn't think so. Piccolo saving Gohan is a nice moment as well, especially with him trying to explain it away as him just wanting to keep their forces (especially since they're already down a man) at their best for the fight still to come. Due to my knowledge of where everything goes, it's kind of hard for me to really judge how this moment would have hit for fans that don't already know the future direction for characters. It's definitely something I can't help but be curious about. The group realizing just how horrifying the Saiyans are in comparison to the Saibamen is a moment that both feels needed and unneeded all at once. Part of this can be explained away by all of them save for Piccolo and Gohan already experiencing that via the time travel filler at Kami's sanctuary, but even without that, there's the Saibamen's power levels themselves. Them being as strong as Raditz was and the two Saiyans referring to that level as 'weak' should have already cleared it up pretty well how far into a different league Nappa and Vegeta are, but I guess actively seeing them tank an attack that just killed Raditz-level opponents just grinds it in all the more brutally. Honestly though, I'd say Nappa's power shaking the entire Earth itself is more than ample enough to get that idea across...though that in of itself is a little weird. Remember, the Saiyans seem to look at changing your power level as something that is an alien concept to them. They know Namekians can do it, and they've surmised the Earthlings can do it to. The Saiyans don't “power up”. But if Nappa yelling, growing stronger, and causing the planet to shake with his power rising isn't “powering up”, then I don't know what is. It's one of those elements that I don't think Toriyama ever explained in a satisfactory way, at all, and it's a shame that it's as jarring as it is, because otherwise, this is a perfectly terrifying moment to leave the chapter hanging on. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Synopsis: As the Saibamen that Tenshinhan took down struggles to get back to it's feet, Nappa is in disbelief that one of their creatures could get beaten – after all, these Saibamen are all supposed to have a power level of 1,200, equal to Raditz himself. Vegeta thinks this simply means that the man before them has a higher power than that, something Nappa can't believe is possible based on their scouter readings from before. The Saibamen finally stands back up and Chaozu shouts to warn him, but Vegeta simply points two fingers at the creature and blows it up mercilessly. Nappa asks Vegeta why he killed it, and Vegeta says that it had already been beaten, and warns the other Saibamen not to underestimate their opponent and end up the same way. The Earthlings are horrified at the brutal nature of their opponent, while Piccolo is astonished at how strong he seems to be. Vegeta tells whoever's next to step up, and Kuririn starts to move forward but is stopped by Yamcha. Kuririn tries to argue, but Yamcha points out that Kuririn has already been brought back to life once before, meaning he doesn't get another chance, so he asks Kuririn to leave it to him. Another Saibamen steps forward as well, and the two clash, instantly moving quicker than the eye can see. When Gohan mentions that he can't see them, Piccolo chastises him and tells him to follow their movements by feeling their ki, not by using his eyes. Yamcha and the Saibamen continue to exchange blows, with the creature eventually moving in to grab Yamcha. Seeing this, Yamcha smirks and moves quickly behind the creature, and firing a quick Kamehameha that blasts his opponent into the ground. Nappa can't believe another of their Saibamen has been beaten, and as Yamcha lands on the ground, he says that these Saibamen aren't as tough as they seem and that he can probably clean up the other four by himself. As the downed Saibamen's hand is shown twitching however, Vegeta smirks and says that it's the Earthlings' turn to underestimate their opponent this time. Before Yamcha can react, the Saibamen leaps up and grabs him, pinning his arms against his body, and blows itself up, resulting in a large explosion. As the dust clears, everyone is horrified at the sight before them – pieces of Saibamen falling to the ground, and Yamcha's corpse lying in a crater. Vegeta laughs, and Kuririn rushes forward to check on his friend, but it's already too late. Kuririn says that Yamcha must have known that something like this would happen and that's why he wouldn't let Kuririn fight next, and begins to break down, trying to figure out how he's going to tell Bulma and Puar about this. Nappa scoffs at their Saibamen for having to settle for a draw, and Vegeta tells Kuririn to get the 'trash' off the battle field. An outraged Kuririn tells Vegeta to shut his mouth and warns everyone else to stay back. Saying that this is what he's been training for, Kuririn gathers energy in both of his hands before firing an energy beam at their opponents. Review: And we've hit it at last... There are certain moments in Dragon Ball that, for various reasons, have transcended the fandom to the level that people outside of it will somewhat recognize if shown, or will at least have heard of if they see a meme or something referencing it. Sometimes, these scenes are well known because they're big, iconic moments for a character. Scenes that make the character memorable in a grand way, and remain popular years after the scenes were first depicted. And then there are moments that aren't a character's finest moment, and never-the-less become an unfortunately memorable part of a character's history, to the point that they will never, EVER live those moments down. And in this chapter, Yamcha's downfall all but fully hits it's zenith. Before I talk more about that moment however, there's at least a few other noteworthy scenes I'd like to talk about first. The first of these is the reveal that each of these Saibamen have a power level that's supposed to equal Raditz's perfectly. Just in case you thought only Yamcha was getting smacked down further in this chapter, nope, his Saiyan counterpart of fan derision also had to get some disrespect as well. The other Saiyans have been referring to him as nothing but a weakling for some time now, but given how strong they are, you could just take that as a sign of their own strength in comparison. Now however, we find out that they can just GROW more Raditz-level creatures in a matter of seconds. That's just disrespectful to the dead, no wonder the poor guy doesn't get referenced much further than this point. And then there's Vegeta's cold and brutal nature. We've already seen how cruel these Saiyans are via Raditz, and it's been even further reinforced by some filler moments in the anime as well. That said, they've all had...I don't want to say forgivable qualities, but they've had certain nuances to them to make them less like cold killing machines and nothing else. Raditz didn't seem to actually care about his brother or nephew per say, but he did offer Goku multiple chances to join him and didn't seem all that inclined to kill his nephew either – well, not at first anyway. Nappa likewise is already being portrayed as somewhat of a dolt, and he also had that moment where his idea for a wish was bringing Raditz back. He doesn't seem to have particularly liked Raditz or anything, but he did seem to think that they'd be bringing him back to life – that at least shows SOME level of care for his fellow Saiyans, which makes sense given how few of them left there are. He also seems almost as shocked by Vegeta's actions as the heroes do at times. Vegeta however is just plain cold. He doesn't want to bring Raditz back, and never says anything resembling a kind word in his memory. He also blows up a Saibamen the moment it fails to kill Tenshinhan as he ordered it too, and threatens to do the same to the rest. If we're taking the filler into account, he also blew up a whole planet just because it was worthless to him. If the Saiyans are like demons, Vegeta is almost like the devil incarnate – a villain that even the other villains are scared of. It certainly helps make him seem even more imposing, and I can't help but think that Toriyama must have thought so too, because that element finds it's way into another villain in the future of the series as well, though with a bit of a twist. Which brings us to Yamcha's sad demise in this chapter. After Tenshinhan managed to win one his fight against the Saibamen, you'd have reason to believe that any of our heroes are probably capable of beating the Saibamen now (though let's not forget that prior to this arc, Tenshinhan was seemingly the third strongest of Earth's front line fighters). And in truth, Yamcha DOES win his fight, as the Saibamen only manages to beat him by getting a cheap shot in that also takes it's own life – even Nappa acknowledges this as a draw rather than a loss. Unfortunately however, the Saibamen are not only the bad guys, they're characters that have only just appeared and don't even talk. Yamcha is a character we've had since the very beginning of the series. This is his first time really being on the front line in a battle against an evil force, and it doesn't go that well. What I think ultimately hurts Yamcha however and makes this moment so darkly memorable for a lot of people though is once again the fact that a lot of people in the US started with Dragon Ball Z. As a result, they didn't get any of the original Yamcha material, and were introduced to him as a 'showboating womanizer (at least according to his ex) who talks big only to die immediately'. Basically it makes it look like Yamcha's even less effective than he is, because they've never seen what he's actually capable of as a fighter. It's a little ironic to think about – by only knowing the character from 'Z', you'd think he was nothing; knowing the character's back history however, you know he can fight, but you also know that this is basically par for the course. Toriyama just really can't give the poor guy a break. I mentioned after Yamcha's fight with Tenshinhan that he only really had a few more memorable moments in the series and that none of them were good – well, this is moment number one, and it's definitely the most talked about one. Honestly though, I think the next moment in line is going to be even worse for him as a character. That said, I do have to note that Kuririn might be giving Yamcha just a little too much credit as well – I don't know that I buy that Yamcha knew something bad like this was going to happen. He did say that Kuririn had already been wished back, which is true, but Yamcha IS a cocky guy (even people that like the character would agree with that assessment), and I think that may have been more his way of arguing to fight next. It's not like he tells Kuririn to leave, or expresses that kind of concern for Chaozu or anything. No, I think this is more Kuririn trying to cope with and rationalize the death of a close friend before his very eyes, a friend that he had JUST been talking to moments before. It's definitely clear that they've bonded quite a bit since their time training together before the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, because Kuririn is just NOT having Vegeta's talking down towards Yamcha's death. My favorite little chestnut is ANGY, guys. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: KURIRIN. IS. PISSED! |
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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