Synopsis: Raditz asks Goku and Piccolo how it feels to know despair, as the pair grapples with the idea of having to contend with two even more powerful foes even if they defeat the one in front of them. Piccolo asks Goku if the idea doesn't thrill him, and Goku confesses that even he's feeling terrified at the prospect – regardless however, he's still determined to get his son back. Raditz tells Goku that he put Gohan in the space pod to keep him quiet, and Goku floats up intot he air to check on him. He shouts to Gohan that he'll be saving him soon, but Raditz laughs and tells him not to get the boy's hopes up, as no 'dead daddy' will be saving him. Goku asks Piccolo if he's ready, and Piccolo retorts back by asking if they really have a choice. Goku and Piccolo rush Raditz, pummeling him with furious blows, and eventually trying to flank him from behind just as he did to them before. Raditz smirks however and kicks them both before flying away, forcing the pair to chase after him. Raditz dodges their newest attacks by flying even higher into the air, and as Goku and Piccolo pursue him, he fires a large energy blast at each of them. The pair barely have time to dodge, and they watch as large chunks of land explode from the blasts making contact. Goku lands on the ground and looks back up to the sky, but Raditz reappears behind him, kicking him to the ground. Raditz asks Goku if he believes him now that he far outclasses them, and Goku struggles back to his feet to ask Piccolo if he's okay. Goku is shocked when he sees that Piccolo had less luck dodging Raditz's blast, and is now down to one arm. Raditz laughs and says he'll be taking his head next. Piccolo asks Goku if he has any new secret technique to try, and Goku confesses that he's fresh out, prompting Piccolo to comment that they should both be thankful that he is not. Review: While we had a little bit of fighting last chapter, it basically existed to drive in all the more how much more powerful Raditz seems to be at the outset – the chapter itself was much more focused on the idea of power levels and how they seem to work, as well as teasing how misleading they can be in the long run as well. Here though, it gets going in earnest, and it definitely doesn't look to be going in our heroes favor. Well, our hero and his reluctant green sidekick – it can be easy to forget, especially for fans introduced in this era, that Piccolo is very much still a bad guy at this point. He really doesn't care one way or the other what happens to Goku outside of how it'll effect his own chances of making it out of this alive. It is interesting to note Goku's reaction to hearing that there are two more Saiyans out there even stronger than Raditz though, as it stands in stark contrast to how he usually reacts. Prior to this and even after this, Goku usually reacts with excitement at the idea of facing off with someone stronger than him. He loves the thrill of trying his hardest to win, and even if he doesn't, he looks forward to trying to reach that level of power himself some day. It's an integral part of his character and his outlook on life...except for seemingly this one instance. I'm not sure if this was Toriyama trying to evolve his character a bit, or if it was meant to be an outlier due to his son being held hostage at the time, or what exactly, but it's always seemed a bit odd to me. It does work well enough to express just how badly the odds are against them though, I'll give it that – when even Goku doesn't feel hopeful, you know things are getting bad. Once the fight gets going, there's not really a lot left for me to comment on, but oh man, do I love this fight. A lot of people like the fighting in this arc in general, and the final fight in it is often cited as the best fight in Dragon Ball period – hell, it's sometimes been cited as the best fight in anime period. I've already stated that Goku V.S. Piccolo is my own personal favorite however, and the fight with Raditz very much continues in that same tradition. The fisticuffs are fast but choreographed well, and you never know when someone's going to suddenly fly or launch a well timed energy attack rather than just channeling up a big named one – it's SO good. Oh yeah, and something I neglected to note before now, Raditz can fly. I'm so used to this concept myself that I forgot to note that this is actually the first time we see it treated fully as something that's practically a given for someone of a particular strength level, as prior to this it was seemingly exclusive to the Crane school, the demon clan, or people associated with one or the other. Guess flying's a lot easier to come across in space, who knew? By the chapter's end, Piccolo's down an arm – pretty sure it's the same arm too, he's really got to watch that thing – and the fight couldn't be going worse for the reluctant team. That said, it does look like Piccolo might just have a trick up his sleeve. Let's just hope it's not the sleeve on the arm he still has, because...well, you know. Until next time! Favorite Panel:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
Categories
All
|