Synopsis: Tenshinhan says that his defection has allowed him to feel more free than before, able to focus merely on fighting and defeating Goku rather than killing him for the sake of vengeance or rivalry between their schools. Goku lauds him for becoming a good guy, a sentiment that Roshi agrees with from the sidelines, but Tenshinhan reiterates that his defection also means he can't afford to lose now that he's given up everything. He warns Goku that his next attack will end the match for sure. As Chaozu worries that Tenshinhan is going to use “that” move, Goku prepares himself as Tenshinhan holds his arms out by his sides and focuses his energy. Roshi wonders what the young man is up to, as the announcer notes that whatever Tenshinhan is doing seems to be very painful. Chaozu happily says that Tenshinhan isn't preparing the Kikoho at all, but rather the Shiyo-ken (Fist of Four Arms), and much to everyone's surprise, an extra pair of arms suddenly sprouts from Tenshinhan's back. Tenshinhan laughs and tells Goku the fight is over now, while Goku watches in shock at what an amazing move he just witnessed. Tenshinhan rushes Goku, and though Goku blocks his first blows, the second pair of arms are easily able to slam Goku over the head and onto the ring's floor. Goku immediately leaps back up and away, but Tenshinhan gives him no time to rest, rushing back in and forcing Goku onto the defensive. He eventually manages to grab Goku by each limb, holding him up above his head and slamming Goku's gut down onto his head. Goku is winded and Tenshinhan laughs, saying Goku doesn't have a leg to stand on now. Goku chuckles however, and smacks Tenshinhan hard in the face with his tail, forcing him to drop him. Goku says he still has a tail to stand on, and Tenshinhan curses and says he forgot about that. Not wanting to be outdone, Goku boasts that if Tenshinhan can have four arms, than he can have eight, and promptly appears to grow an extra six arms to everyone's amazement. Roshi chuckles however and says it's not that Goku has actually grown more arms like Tenshinhan has, but rather that he's moving his arms so fast that it appears he has eight of them now. Goku rushes back towards Tenshinhan and quickly overwhelms him with the speed of his blows, knocking his opponent away from him and showing that four arms still won't be enough to put him down. Tenshinhan still can't believe Goku is pressing him back, but realizes that every time he goes head to head against him, he ends up at a disadvantage. He praises Goku for his skill at such a young age, and reverts back to his normal two-armed self. He warns Goku however that his next move won't just end the match – it'll kill Goku if he tries to take it head on. He pleads with Goku to dodge the move as he really doesn't want to kill him now, and Kuririn wonders why Tenshinhan would ask his opponent not to get hit by his own attack. Roshi starts to worry, and Chaozu shouts out that it really must be the Kikoho (Ki Blast Cannon) this time, pleading with Tenshinhan not to go through with it. Roshi is likewise horrified, and also tells Tenshinhan not to do it, asking him if he wants to die himself. Goku is confused by what's going on, as Roshi explains to Kuririn that the Kikoho is a move of huge destructive force, many times more powerful than even the Kamehameha. It's power is so intense in fact that it drains it's user's life force, so that fighters who have used the move have often died, and even those that have survived have shortened their overall lifespan. Roshi curses Tsuru-sennin for teaching Tenshinhan such a move as Chaozu continues to plead with Tenshinhan, but Tenshinhan assures him he won't use the move at full force. As Tenshinhan floats back into the sky, he again warns Goku to dodge the Kikoho. As the announcer says he doesn't quite know what's happening now, Goku proclaims that he won't run away no matter what, with Roshi shouting to him not to be stubborn and dodge. In the air, Tenshinhan prepares to fire the Kikoho. Review: So, this chapter is a little bit weird when you stop and think about it. As of the end of the previous chapter, Chaozu is already thinking that Tenshinhan is about to use “that” move, something that he previously wondered earlier in the tournament as well. It's been hinted for a while now that Tenshinhan has some sort of ultimate gamble, a move that he's holding back from using for some reason. And here it seems like he's finally about to use said move...only for us to get some sort of other move instead. Narratively speaking, it puts whatever move is used as a stop-gap at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of impressing us. The move is already NOT his most powerful technique, so we're going to be left instead wanting to see what that ultimate technique really is. As such, there's an onus put upon this penultimate move to be something impressive, something that leaves us going “oh man, if that's just his SECOND best move, then his BEST move must be something wild!”. ...Instead his second-best move is the ability to grow an extra pair of arms. To be fair, this is a pretty off-the-wall technique, and it's certainly a unique and impressive sight compared to anything we've seen before and almost anything else we're going to see after as well. In those terms, it's certainly a more stand-out move than what's about to follow it, as that's going to largely be the same sort of attack as the Kamehameha or the Dodonpa, just on a larger scale. That said? It still somehow ends up feeling really, really lackluster. It doesn't help either that the move will never come up ever again after this point, leaving it to feel like a really absurd footnote in Tenshinhan's history. I'm not really sure what could have been done to make this move stand out more either, it's already an extra freakin' pair of arms jutting out of his back. What also hurts the Shiyo-ken is how easily Goku overcomes it. He just...moves his arms really fast. Something we've already seen him do with his entire body multiple times now. For a fight that's largely been entertaining at every turn, this part of it just feels really underwhelming no matter how you slice it. I guess if I had to give it one bit of praise, it does allow us to see Goku using his tail in combat for exactly one attack, so I mean, that's cool – but it's not enough to save it. No, it's once Tenshinhan is ready to use his REAL final attack that things start to get interesting. Tenshinhan warns Goku that this move will kill him without a doubt, and since he doesn't want to be a killer anymore, he pleads with Goku repeatedly to dodge it. Roshi and Tenshinhan both plead with Goku to dodge it. Roshi and Chaozu both plead with Tenshinhan not to even use it. We haven't even seen the Kikoho in action yet, but everything about the reaction of the characters who know what it is and what it can do are screaming at us that this is going to be a really big deal when we see it. This can't help but get us hyped up, but after the last move was a bit of a dud, you can't help but wonder if it really will be THAT big of a deal. ...Wait, was that the whole point of the Shiyo-ken? To get us off guard so that we'll be even more impressed when the Kikoho is actually something cool? If that's the case, Toriyama, you stupid genius you! Until next time! Favorite Panel:
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