Synopsis: Gohan and Kuririn are still flying back to Kame House when they suddenly spot a bright spot in the sky behind them, almost like a star. Immediately following that, they sense a massive surge of energy as if someone's power just exploded, with both of them soon realizing that it doesn't feel like Goku's, meaning it must be Vegeta's. Realizing that his dad is in trouble, Gohan starts to fly back towards the battlefield even as Kuririn tries to reason with him. Gohan says he knows there's probably nothing he can do but he has to go, and Kuririn says he must be crazy...but so is he, as he turns back as well. Goku watches Vegeta in horror as the Saiyan finishes his transformation into a gigantic Oozaru. Vegeta asks Goku what he thinks of this, and Goku can remember having heard of gigantic ape-like monsters like this before. Vegeta explains that Saiyans with tails are at their most powerful during the full moon due to this transformation, prompting Goku to think. He first remembers Grandpa Gohan warning him not to go outside on full moon nights due to these monsters, and then remembers Kami offering to remove his tail permanently, saying that it must 'get in the way'. Goku realizes at last that he must have been capable of turning into an Oozaru as well, meaning he was the one that destroyed the buildings at the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai...and that he was the one who killed his grandfather. Goku apologizes to Grandpa Gohan and vows to beg for his forgiveness when he meets him in the other world, as he's not at all confident he's going to be able to save the Earth from the Oozaru Vegeta. As Yajirobe looks at the Oozaru form of Vegeta in horror, realizing that it must be the Saiyan due to it still wearing the armor, Goku thinks that even if he can't win, he can give Vegeta one heck of a parting gift – the Genki Dama! Before Goku can do anything however, Vegeta punches at him with a massive fist, destroying the rock Goku was on as Goku dodges out of the way. Vegeta kicks Goku next, knocking him down to the ground. As Vegeta tries to punch him again, Goku activates the Kaio-ken out of desperation and flies up out of the way, only to get smacked away and sent flying through the air by a swipe of Vegeta's tail. Vegeta tells Goku not to die until he can kill him properly, and Goku can't believe that Vegeta is this fast while being so gigantic. Realizing that he needs to buy time to gather energy for his attack, Goku quickly realizes he only has one chance. As Vegeta lunges forward, Goku tells his friend Tenshinhan in the afterlife that he's borrowing his move, and blinds Vegeta with a Taiyo-ken. With the gigantic Oozaru Vegeta blinded, Goku flies away to a nearby pillar of rock and begins gathering energy for the Genki Dama, begging the Earth, the ocean, and every living being on it to give him a little bit of their energy. As Goku raises his hands into the air to receive the energy, Vegeta peers at him as he tries to clear his vision, swearing to kill Goku. Review: For the first time in a while, this chapter checks in on what Gohan and Kuririn are doing while Goku's trying his best against Vegeta. All things told, they really haven't had much time to do anything though – this battlefield is seemingly a good ways away from Kame House, and Goku's not been fighting that long. Based on their distance from the fake moon power ball, they definitely don't seem to have gotten all that far away in the grand scheme of things. This works out pretty good in their favor though as, sensing that things aren't going well, they decide to turn around and head back. That's all we get of them in this chapter, but it certainly puts them down as far more heroic than poor, cowardly Yajirobe at least. This is especially nice to see for Gohan, as it further demonstrates a change in him since losing Piccolo. We'll have more on that soon enough though. The bigger revelation this chapter comes with Goku. Faced for the very first time with an Oozaru, Goku immediately thinks back to the monsters that his grandpa warned him come out on the full moon. Vegeta explains that this is just something that Saiyans with tails can do, and that makes Goku look back on past comments made to him and make a horrifying realization about himself. We don't see it, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he also remembers additional moments, like the first encounter with Pilaf and even the way his friends questioned him about Gohan's tail and if he'd ever seen the full moon. The chapter and as a result the series itself doesn't linger on this revelation for long – partially because it's not in Goku's nature, and partially because it's not in the nature of the series itself either – but it is clear that it DOES bother Goku. And why wouldn't it, he just found out that he killed his grandfather, the man who raised him after finding him in the woods. I wouldn't at all be surprised if Goku also flashed back to the time he met Grandpa Gohan again at Baba's and wondered why Gohan didn't tell him the truth then. If this were a more realistic series or a more realistic character, this would absolutely be the kind of thing that would weigh heavily on Goku's mind and heart for the rest of his life. But this is Dragon Ball, and this is Goku, so...basically, it's not really going to come up again after this. I'm of two minds about this, honestly. Part of Dragon Ball's charm is it's simplicity – it's a series where, no matter how dire things get, our heroes and villains are named after food groups and other puns. Goku himself is also a character that, while he can get serious when there's need for it, largely exists as a laidback guy who just enjoys all of the food and fighting he can find in life. Going too far in a grim direction could make the series lose the very thing that makes it this series in the first place – and yes, there's definitely room to argue that later story arcs tread that line VERY carefully. At the same time though, finding out that you're the reason your grandparent died, and not in some convoluted way but were straight up the person that killed them, SHOULD be a bigger deal than this. It should absolutely be something that we see Goku deal with in some manner at some point, and the fact that we never do is a little bit disconcerting. I guess basically for me it boils down to this: if Toriyama was going to have Goku finally make this revelation, then he really should have committed to it fully and figured out some way to make dealing with that work with Goku's character. Since he didn't, maybe it would have been better if Goku didn't realize it at all, and just continued to labor under the illusion that some other kind of giant ape monster killed Grandpa Gohan. Toriyama effectively tries to have his cake and eat it too here, and frankly, I'm the guy that's slapping the plate out of his hands on this one. Now that said, I DO like that the Oozaru transformation comes back up here. It's a big part of what makes the Saiyans actually feel alien in some way, and the series has always used them to bring a sense of power and drama to the field before. Seeing Goku actually be on the receiving end of one instead of becoming one himself feels like things are coming full circle, and also serves as another way that Goku is defying his Saiyan nature here. It's also the first time we're really seeing an Oozaru in real combat, and that's also a real treat to see. Unfortunately, this does also start the trend of final villains transforming however...but we'll talk more about that later on. Vegeta's Oozaru state immediately proves to be more than Goku can handle, likely more than he could handle even if he hadn't already wrecked his body for that matter too. He was already thinking that the other technique he learned from Kaio-sama, the Genki Dama, might be his only hope against the previous Vegeta, and now that he's faced with a much, much stronger version of the Saiyan, things couldn't possibly be any more grim than they are right now. Goku has to buy time to prepare the technique however – a plot point lifted right from Piccolo's Mankankosappo – and he chooses to do so by also borrowing a move from Tenshinhan's book. It's kind of funny, especially if you go by the anime, as people start using flight and even the Taiyo-ken all over the place. I hate to say it, but Tsuru-sennin's teaching might actually have a bigger lasting impact than we thought... Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Goku, without a leg to stand on...!
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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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