Synopsis: Goku, Yamcha, and Kuririn head back to the others to tell them how they did and what's been going on. Roshi is sorry to hear about Chaozu's loss, but even more concerned when he hears that it's Taopaipai he lost to. Roshi thinks that Tenshinhan matching up with Taopaipai is cause for concern, especially as Taopaipai will know Tenshinhan's moves well, but Goku isn't worried, saying that Taopaipai's no match for Tenshinhan. Suddenly, Tsuru-sennin appears and says that they'll regret remarks like that soon enough, and he tells the Turtle students that they should flee while they still can. Roshi sets him straight, saying that Tenshinhan never joined the Kame school, and that the others have all graduated from it as well. Tsuru-sennin asks why they're still wearing his mark then, and Roshi says they all chose to do so for themselves, with Kuririn saying that Tsuru-sennin wouldn't understand respect since he's not worth any. Tsuru-sennin smirks and leaves, telling them to enjoy that respect while they can, as the much stronger Taopaipai will soon deal with them all. Bulma scowls at the old man as he leaves, saying that he's just as big a jerk as ever, but Goku still isn't worried at all. An announcement calls for all contestants to assemble at once, and Roshi encourages his former students to do their best, but to know when the withdraw if they need to. As they head off, Roshi chuckles to himself and says that this time he'll just sit back and enjoy the tournament, confusing Bulma. The group soon runs into a crowd and finds they can't get any closer to the ring. As Roshi wonders what they should do, Bulma pulls out a thistle and tickles Lunch's nose with it, forcing her to sneeze. The blonde Lunch fires her guns and clears the way for them all to get good seats ringside. As they walk back, Kuririn asks Goku if Taopaipai really isn't a big deal now if he was so strong before, and Goku says it's because Tenshinhan himself is much stronger than before. Kuririn still isn't sure about this, but Goku distracts them by offering them a senzu. He starts to explain to them about the bean, but Kuririn and Yamcha laugh and reveal they already know about them, and even have some of their own. They explain that both them, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu all went and trained at Karin tower before setting off on their own to continue their training, and Goku is impressed that they all went through the same thing he did. Kuririn says they invited that Yajirobe guy as well, but it seems he didn't show up. Goku says Yajirobe hates things like this anyway, but a scoffing Yajirobe hides behind a bush, saying that he did come, he just lost, that's all. The tournament announcer proclaims the start of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, and asks the first two contestants to step into the ring. Goku wishes Tenshinhan luck as he leaves, and Taopaipai “consoles” him as well, saying that he doesn't have to worry about dying just yet. Taopaipai plans instead to beat both Tenshinhan and later Goku only half to death, and then after he's won the tournament, he'll kill them at his own leisure. Tenshinhan's friends cheer him on, and Taopaipai asks him if he's ready, and Tenshinhan agrees. Tsuru-sennin smirks, thinking he's about to see glorious revenge, but as Taopaipai rushes Tenshinhan, the younger fighter quickly reacts, dodging and chopping Taopaipai in the neck, sending him sprawling to the ground. Goku smirks as everyone else is shocked, and Taopaipai gets back onto his feet, angry but praising Tenshinhan for having improved some since he's been away. Tenshinhan says he'll forgive Taopaipai for what he did to Chaozu, and begs him to leave. Taopaipai is taken aback, and Tenshinhan disappears before his eyes, reappearing behind him. Tenshinhan begs with him to leave once more, saying that he's become far stronger than Taopaipai imagines. Review: The fighting might not start until towards the end of this chapter, but even before that, this one's all about the Crane school and what's become of it. Back when they were first introduced as a rival school for Roshi's Kame school, it seemed like something that was going to be long-lasting to some degree. As things went on however, Tenshinhan and Chaozu both underwent a change of heart, and the Crane school was, in effect, dissolved right then and there. Tenshinhan and Chaozu both still fight with that style, and as Roshi points out, they never actually join the Kame school – but let's be honest, they may as well have just by joining the group as a whole. And as things stand now, the Kame school is effectively no longer a thing either. Goku, Kuririn, and Yamcha are still wearing their gi, but they've all officially graduated from Roshi's tutelage, leaving him without any students that he's actively training. As such, the era of martial arts schooling and the rivalries between those school, as short lived as it was, seem to be over for them. So of course, leave it to two old assholes like Tsuru-sennin and Taopaipai to not leave things be, and to try and bring back up that old drama again. Taopaipai at least has ample reason to be angry at Goku, but the drama against Tenshinhan is all about him and his brother's outrage at being told how awful their teachings were and their former students wanting nothing to do with them anymore. Just as in real life, it's often the awful people who don't realize that they're the real problem whenever something makes them angry, and they love to take it out on those they believe have slighted them. Of course, it's easier for us as readers and for the former Turtle school characters to write them off, but for Tenshinhan and Chaozu, it's understandably harder. They have a history with the pair of them, and although their paths may have separated now, for better or worse, they're still responsible for making the two of them who they are today. Although their ties aren't ones of blood, I'm sure most of us with family that we've disagreed with to the point of no return can feel a little bit of what they might be going through right now. It isn't easy. This fact is further reflected once we get to the actual fight, if you even want to call it that, as Tenshinhan is immediately shown to be far superior to his former teacher. One could argue that all that build-up of Taopaipai being a threat was wasted, but I think there's more to it than just a fight honestly. And it has been highlighted constantly throughout this chapter by Goku not being worried in the least, and even outright saying that Tenshinhan was the stronger of the two, so the idea that this was going to be a quick, easy fight, has alread been teased. We'll have to wait until the next chapter for the outcome of the fight, but there were a couple of other moments in this chapter I wanted to touch on first. We're once again treated to a somewhat good use of Lunch as a joke, but admittedly? It's not as good as it was before, even now, because it's the same joke we've seen before. There's nothing new to it, it's just Lunch being Lunch. That said, if you are a fan of her or these jokes, you should probably enjoy them while you can. There's also a quick moment revealing that Goku's friends did indeed go and train at Karin's, before venturing out into the world and doing training of their own, effectively making their training path almost identical to what Goku's was leading up to the 22nd Budokai. One could argue that that should leave them far weaker than what Goku was after such training, but let's not forget that when Goku did it, he did all of it alone. At least for the Karin training, the group likely had each other to train against (though how that works with the training we saw before, I'm not sure), and as the series goes on, we'll see it make no qualms about solo training being vastly inferior to training with a good sparring partner, so it's really not that ludicrous that they'd be far more caught up than you'd think. That said, do you think Yajirobe actually trained with Karin at any point in those three years as well? He almost had to, you'd think, right? I can just imagine Karin forcing it on him by tricking him to fall off the tower, or bribing him with food, or something. Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The falling threat of Taopaipai.
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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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