Synopsis: Kaio-sama asks Goku how long he has to train with him, and Goku explains that he's not sure how long he was running down the Serpent Road – he just knows he has to get back to Earth before the two Saiyans on their way get there. Kaio-sama knows of the Saiyans and thinks Goku definitely has a big problem on his hands, and uses his antennae to detect when the Saiyans should be reaching Earth. Kaio-sama thinks they have about 158 days before that happens, which Goku worries won't be enough. Kaio-sama assures him that should be plenty of time however, claiming that over a hundred days of training with him is equivalent to a few thousand years of training on Earth.
Goku is excited at this prospect, but Kaio-sama cautions him that even after this training, there's still no guarantee he'll win against the Saiyans – after all, the Saiyans on their way to Earth are both even stronger than Kaio-sama himself is, so for Goku to stand any chance, he's going to have to surpass his newest master. To start Goku's training, Kaio-sama calls back over his pet monkey Bubbles and instructs Goku to get used to the intense gravity of the planet first by chasing and catching Bubbles. Goku tries to chase the monkey but still struggles to even move, so he stops first to remove the weighted clothing he usually wears, surprising Kaio-sama further that he's been able to do as well as he has while wearing such things. Goku does a bit better chasing Bubbles once he's lighter, but still can't seem to catch the monkey. He tells Kaio-sama he's not sure he'll ever be able to do it, so Kaio-sama tells him to go home then. Goku asks if he can get something to eat as he hasn't eaten in six months, so Kaio-sama agrees to get him some food though he's surprised a dead man can be hungry in the first place. Goku eats all of the food brought to him despite saying it doesn't taste great, insulting Kaio-sama, before asking the god if he doesn't get bored on a small planet like this. Kaio-sama chastises Goku, explaining all of the things that a sophisticated mind such as his own can enjoy on even a planet this size, including his latest hobby of driving. With his stomach now full, Goku gets back to trying to catch Bubbles, but this time Kaio-sama instructs him to put the weighted clothing back on first. Goku objects that he can barely move with them on due to the gravity, but Kaio-sama says it'll make his training that much more potent, while also explaining that the gravity of the Saiyan home world is about the same as this. Kaio-sama asks if Goku can even comprehend what the Saiyans are really like as a result, but Goku assures him that he can given that he's a Saiyan as well, surprising Kaio-sama. Back on Earth, night falls and Piccolo and Gohan stop training for the day, with the young boy sporting a swollen eye. Piccolo says that at least he's not a crybaby anymore, and Gohan laughs weakly. Gohan asks Piccolo if it's true that he fought his dad once before, and Piccolo says he's going to fight him again once the matter of the Saiyans is taken care of. Gohan says that his dad always used to say that this Piccolo wasn't nearly as bad as the previous one, and Gohan thinks that his dad was right, though he knows his mom and grandpa are still scared of him. Annoyed by this, Piccolo tells Gohan to go to sleep, and as the boy rests, Piccolo scowls at what he's just been told. Forty days pass, and Goku finally manages to catch Bubbles back on Kaio-sama's planet. Kaio-sama is surprised that Goku pulled it off so fast, and wonders if he might be the one who can master the Kaio-ken, a devastatingly powerful technique that Kaio-sama created but couldn't master himself. Kaio-sama hypes Goku up and asks him if he's ready for real training now, before suggesting that they have some tea first. On Earth, Kami tells Kuririn, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu, and Yajirobe that they've surpassed him now, and instructs them all to go continue their training on their own down on the Earth. Elsewhere, Gohan and Piccolo continue their training as well, with Piccolo noting that Gohan is finally starting to gain some control over his power. On Kaio-sama's planet, Kaio-sama knocks Goku away, telling him to try even harder. Back on Earth again, at Kame House, Baba tells Roshi and Bulma that not even she can predict the future this time. As everyone's training continues and the Earth's future hangs in the balance, the two Saiyans grow closer and closer to the Earth. Review: With this chapter, we finally start to see what exactly Goku's training with Kaio-sama is going to entail, at least in terms of the sort of things he's going to have to do. First and foremost, he's going to have to get used to a much more intense gravity level than the one he's used to back on Earth. This fits right in line with what we've already seen him do with Kami's training, or at least found out about after the fact, with the weighted clothing. Really, this feels like both a much more drastically over-the-top version of that already crazy notion, mixed with the idea of getting used to the thinner air, something that Goku already had to do with both Karin and Kami's training. It's the kind of crazy thing that absolutely wouldn't work in real life, but makes perfect sense as a method to get stronger in a series like this one. A lot of Kaio-sama's training seems to be directly inspired by Goku's training with Kami in fact. I don't know whether or not Toriyama saw or heard about any of the anime filler showing Goku's training, but 'catch the monkey to get used to high gravity' definitely feels at home beside the likes of 'dodge lightning while wearing a crown that makes you a lightning rod'. There's also the fact that Goku now has to get far stronger than his master if he's going to stand a chance in the coming fight, something that was heavily implied during the training for the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai but is stated outright here. Sadly we never do get to see Kaio-sama fight, but based on what we have here, I'm guessing he falls somewhere between Raditz and Nappa in terms of strength, and that's not too shabby for a chubby little catfish guy honestly. And can I just say again that I love the stupid humor with this character? The part of him mentioning all of the things he can enjoy while on his tiny planet is great, and honestly I think it gets even better with knowledge we'd only have later via the new age of Dragon Ball material, because now it comes off like a coping mechanism. It's so good. This chapter also gives us a nice moment with Piccolo and Gohan, with the latter almost seeming to offend the former's sensibilities by suggesting he's 'not that bad after all'. It's interesting to find out that Goku has talked to his son about Piccolo at all honestly, much less that he's seemingly praised him as not seeming to be nearly as bad a guy as King Piccolo before him. It definitely puts Piccolo in a light that I don't think he was prepared to be seen in – he still views Goku as an obstacle that he has to overcome, so to find out that Goku seemingly just looks at him as a great rival is definitely disquieting for him. This coupled with Piccolo's displeasure with how he needed Goku's help to win a fight, his uneasiness at having killed Goku in such a manner, and the uncomfortable feeling of his own demise potentially not being far off, all mix together to weigh quite heavily on the villain's mind. This is definitely the first time we've ever seen a character go through a process like this. Every other 'villain to friend' story we've had before this were either characters who were rough around the edges but not really evil, or their change happened extremely quickly. Tenshinhan definitely had some growing pains in the anime, but in the manga he basically turns over a new leaf almost immediately. With Piccolo though, it's definitely a slower process. As the chapter draws to a close, we see everyone's training continuing but getting to a point of wrapping up as well. The Earthlings have all learned all that they can from Kami, and even sport weighted clothing of their own now to boot. Gohan is finally starting to get a hang of using some of that immense hidden power within himself. And although Goku is shown to get blasted away by Kaio-sama – in what is again sadly the closest we've ever seen to Kaio-sama fighting – Kaio-sama considers him a candidate to learn a technique that not even HE can use...which honestly does sort-of bring into question how he came up with it in the first place and how he knows it's even viable at all. That said though, it certainly dangles a big carrot above the audience's head – just what is the 'Kaio-ken', and will it actually be something helpful for Goku? There's only a little more time to find out too, as those pesky Saiyans just keep getting closer...and closer...and closer... 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
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