Synopsis: Raditz and Piccolo watch in shock as Gohan bursts free of Raditz's space pod and lands on the ground before the Saiyan warrior. Goku can't believe what he's seeing either, and tries to tell his son to run away. Raditz checks his scouter in horror, discovering that it's reading Gohan's power level as 1,307! Gohan loudly yells at Raditz for hurting his father, before throwing himself at his uncle and landing a powerful headbutt to the chest that cracks Raditz's armor and winds him. As Raditz stumbles backwards, Gohan lands on the ground and seemingly comes out of his angry state. Goku is baffled, but as Gohan gets back up and tries to walk over to him, Goku tells him again to run as Raditz approaches. Raditz's scouter now tells him that Gohan's power is back to 1, and he guesses that Gohan's power must change depending on his emotions. He angrily swats the child away, knocking him out cold. Goku begs Raditz to let him go saying that he's only a child, but Raditz scoffs, saying 'that child' has a higher power level than Goku's own, and thinks it's a shame that he'll never learn how to use it. He tells Goku not to worry however, as he'll soon meet his son again in Hell. Before Raditz can kill Gohan, Goku springs back up and grabs Raditz from behind, holding him in place. Goku yells for Piccolo to use the Mankankosappo again, and Piccolo says that he's been charging it but still needs more time. When he asks Goku why he didn't grab Raditz's tail again, Goku says that Raditz could simply cut it off, shocking Raditz that he'd guess that. Raditz tries to break free of Goku's hold but finds that he took more damage from Gohan's attack than he thought. He instead tries to reason with Goku, saying that if he gets killed in this position than so will Goku, but Goku says that's a trade he's willing to make. Raditz thinks his brother is insane, but Piccolo laughs, thinking that if killing Raditz also means killing Goku, then this is all the better for him, though he knows Goku's friends will probably just use the Dragon Balls to bring him back again. Raditz pleads with his brother, vowing once again that he'll leave the planet, but Goku says he won't be falling for that a second time. He urges Piccolo to do it, and as Piccolo finally charges enough energy, he fires his second Mankankosappo, this one hitting it's target, and impaling both Raditz and Goku through their chests. Review: As much as I opined about the Scouter being faulty and the power levels it reads being misleading, I've really got to hand it to Raditz's scouter – it's actually been pretty accurate, at least as far as the devices go, and it even picked up on Gohan's innate power before anyone else did. This power, in particular Gohan's potential with it, has long been the subject of debates in the fandom, but I'll hold off on touching much on that until we get further in. For now, I'll just say that this is Toriyama's way of introducing a new character who can at least be somewhat on par with the strongest of our heroes right from the get go, without requiring much in terms of growth or introduction. He's Goku's son, so he's logically going to be pretty strong, but Toriyama gifts him with strength beyond even that, and boom – instant super warrior! That said, it's not something that is fully under control just yet (give the kid a break, he's four), so it doesn't feel completely like a sure thing in their favor either. Even this first instance of his angry power juxtaposes itself in that fashion, as Gohan's attack isn't what ultimately fells Raditz here, he just catches him off guard and does enough damage so that a weakened Goku can hold him in place. One new element introduced in this go-around however is that Goku flat-out states that he's willing to die if that's what it takes to defeat Raditz, something that could perhaps have been inferred prior but was never outright stated. Goku's willingness to die probably shouldn't come off as too surprising, but what does come off as surprising is the fact that he seemingly does. Longtime fans know what's happening next, but for fans reading this when it first came out, the chapter ends with Raditz and Goku both impaled by the Mankankosappo, and while we don't know for a fact Goku's dying from this injury just yet, it seems pretty evident that that's the case, and I can only imagine the shock that went through the fandom at this point. Would the series really kill off it's main character so suddenly and after all this time? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
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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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