Synopsis: Yamcha is happy to see that Bulma and Roshi have arrived, but Bulma is annoyed that they're all fighting instead of asking her where the last Dragon Ball is, prompting Kuririn to explain exactly what's going on. Once they're filled in, Roshi comments that his sister is as greedy as ever, surprising everyone. Baba says her brother doesn't seem to have changed a bit either based on his perverted outburst earlier. Kuririn says that if Baba is Roshi's sister than couldn't he ask her to help them out for his sake, but Baba scoffs and says she only lives for two things: money, and fights. Yamcha proclaims that he's okay with this as it gives him a chance to train and fight more, and Baba praises him for being so bold before announcing they'll be changing arenas now. She starts to lead them inside, and Roshi asks her how much money she has now, only for her to refuse to answer him. Bulma introduces herself to Upa, but Kuririn cautions him that she's a bad influence, with Bulma saying he has no room to talk. Once inside, Baba says they'll be fighting in the Devil's Cesspool next, and Yamcha asks Roshi if he has any advice, with Roshi telling him simply not to die. Baba sends Yamcha in through a door, before leading everyone else further upstairs to a viewing area. Stepping into the arena, Yamcha is surprised to see the true appearance of the Devil's Cesspool – a pair of giant statues of demons sitting on toilets (complete with a toilet paper roll on the wall), with their tongues extending out from their mouths and meeting in the middle. Baba says that they'll be fighting on top of the tongues now, and that both Yamcha and her fighter should be careful not to fall into the bubbling acid below – she drops a steak into it as an example, and its instantly dissolved. Baba says that this is their last chance to call off the match, but Yamcha nervously claims he lives for battle. Impressed by his spirit, Baba calls out her third fighter – Mummy Man! Yamcha remarks about the theme going on here with Baba's fighters, and thinks that the mummy looks like the type of fighter who bowls opponents over by pure strength, so he should be alright if he uses the narrow field to his advantage and fights with speed. He rushes at Mummy Man, only to be caught by surprise when the Mummy rushes at him with equal or greater speed. Mummy Man leaps into the air and lands behind Yamcha, attacking him with a series of vicious strikes, causing an onlooking Roshi to comment that the mummy is incredibly fast. To his surprise however, Goku doesn't think he's moving that fast at all. With a quick chop to the neck, Mummy Man knocks Yamcha off of the tongues, shocking everyone as he almost falls into the acid below. Yamcha barely manages to hold onto the edge, and as Baba laughs, Mummy Man tells him to climb back up – it's no fun if the match ends this quickly. Review: This is another of those chapters that both feels like it has a fair bit going on it it, but also not at the same time. We get a good couple of reveals – well, one reveal at least, and one tease of upcoming events – and as such, the chapter is more focused on setting the stage for the following chapters of the arc than it is doing great things within it's own page count. In all fairness though, that's fine really. We just had a successful Yamcha fight with the previous chapter, and as a fan who knows well where the character and the series overall are going? It'd be foolish to really hope for much more than that. The big reveal of the chapter of course is that Baba is Roshi's sister, which certainly explains some things like how he knew about her (though it's not impossible for him to have just heard about her, even being a hermit), and why he recommended they go see her. It's funny though, because outside of this confirmation and their brief interactions here? We'll barely ever see them together ever again. Baba doesn't seem to get the same invites to hang out that the rest of the gang gets, and there will barely ever be a reminder of their relationship, so it's almost like Toriyama just threw this connection out on a whim. Bulma does have a quip about what their parents must have been like, which is a pretty fun thing to think about, especially considering how wacky her own parents are. The real star of this chapter if you ask me is the new locale for this and the next two fights as well – the Devil's Cesspool is hilariously entertaining to look at, and I'm disappointed it's not a stage in more series fighting games. Actually...I don't think it's in ANY games that I'm aware of. What the hell, Bandai Namco – give me a Devil's Cesspool stage in FighterZ or something! You can't tell me it doesn't get much more unique than fighting on top of the tongue-kissing tongues of two demons on their toilets. ...Actually, this presents a lot of questions about who, how, and why these statues were made, presumably at Baba's request no less, so...maybe we should leave sleeping dogs to lie after all. Then there's the reveal of Mummy Man, and three fighters in, it's really not that surprising to see him pop out at all – even Yamcha's getting wise to the gimmick now, which is actually kind of funny as this is sort of the end of the gimmick. The next two fighters don't really fit the theme in the same way (though they do fit the general horror vibe, they lack the Universal monsters theme that was going on with the first three). I'd rank where I'd put Mummy Man in terms of interest compared to the previous two, but we're not quite through with him yet, so I'll hold off on that for the moment. The most interesting part of the chapter has to be the tease right at the end of it with Goku not thinking Mummy Man is that fast at all, despite him wiping the floor with Yamcha who is known to be a speedy fighter himself, and even Roshi being impressed by the mummy. Longtime fans will probably recognize this as being a very similar turn of events as something that happens way later in the DBZ era...but more on that once that 'twist' is revealed. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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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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