Synopsis: As Gohan and Vegeta continue fighting overhead, Kuririn asks Goku what he means by saying he'll “give him” the Genki Dama. Goku explains what the Genki Dama is and that he thinks it should be just enough to take Vegeta down now that he's weakened, and asks Kuririn to grab hold of his hand before Gohan gets killed. Kuririn holds Goku's hand and notices that Goku's arm is broken, but Goku pleads with him to hold on regardless as he transfers the Genki Dama's energy to Kuririn. Gohan and Vegeta's clash continues overhead while all of this is happening, and Kuririn is overwhelmed by the power he feels as the Genki Dama is transferred to him. Goku tells him to hold his palm up and concentrate until it forms a ball, telling Kuririn that it's up to him as Gohan couldn't handle power like this. Kuririn does as instructed and forms an energy ball above his hand, and Goku praises Kuririn for pulling it off. Goku tells Kuririn that he has to hit Vegeta with the attack the first time as he's too weak to make another one, and Kuririn tells Goku to leave it to him. In his fight with Vegeta, Gohan keeps coming up short, and he laments that even though his dad weakened him a lot, the Saiyan is still way too strong. Nearby, Kuririn leaps onto a tall rock pillar and watches the fight, waiting for his chance to throw the Genki Dama. Gohan and Vegeta exchange energy blasts, and while Gohan is just barely able to dodge Vegeta's attack, Vegeta is easily able to dodge Gohan's. Kuririn thinks Vegeta is too fast and wonders if he'll ever get a chance to hit him. A voice suddenly speaks to Kuririn, telling him not to aim with his eyes but to feel Vegeta's evil ki and to throw the Genki Dama at that. Kuririn is confused, and Kaio-sama explains who he is and tells Kuririn that the hope of the entire Earth rests in his hands. As Vegeta taunts Gohan, telling him that no matter how many lesser being challenge an elite such as himself it'll never make a difference, Kuririn tries to follow Kaio-sama's advice. Seeking to end the fight at last, Vegeta hurls a barrage of energy blasts at Gohan, who has to leap repeatedly backwards to avoid being caught in the assault. Kuririn closes his eyes to focus just as Gohan is thrown against a rock face by the blasts. Yajirobe notices the massive energy Kuririn has and wonders what he's up to. With Gohan downed, Vegeta rushes in for the kill, and Kuririn thinks he finally has a lock on Vegeta. Just as Kuririn prepares to throw the Genki Dama however, Yajirobe shouts at him to hurry up and throw it, causing Vegeta to notice him at last. Cursing Yajirobe, Kuririn throws the Genki Dama, and it hurtles towards Vegeta. Kuririn pleads with it to hit Vegeta...but Vegeta leaps up over the energy ball at the last second. Review: While Gohan gets all of the action with Vegeta in this chapter, I'd argue that the real focus of this chapter isn't on the fight at all – or rather, it's not about that part of the fight. While seeing Gohan rise to the occasion is a great moment, it's made very clear from the get go that this isn't his fight to win, he just has to keep Vegeta's attention away. Believe it or not, it's going to be Kuririn who's taking center role on taking the Saiyan down. This probably came as a bit of a surprise even for fans who read Dragon Ball from the beginning. Kuririn has never been the central focus of any fight before now, and nothing has ever really relied on him either. He's been a character free of any real narrative weight, and the one time a rather major plot point was appointed to him, it was at the expense of his own life – he died to inspire Goku to fight King Piccolo. Now however, the only hope our heroes have of winning the day actually rests on Kuririn's shoulders. This is quite the boost from his place within the franchise before now, and it's something that I think has been being built ever since the Saiyans arrived. Before this arc, Kuririn was probably the third strongest active hero at best, behind both Goku and Tenshinhan. With this arc though, while he's arguably slid down to fourth (behind Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan if we take his hidden powers into account), this puts him in a position as probably the strongest non-alien Earthling, a position he'll arguably hold for the rest of the series. A boost in power and in relevancy status bodes well for my favorite short fighter, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows just yet either. While Goku entrusts Kuririn with the Genki Dama and suggests only he can use it (though I think that has far more to do with Kuririn's advanced levels of training in comparison to Gohan than it does his power itself), he still has to hit Vegeta with it. Despite the beating Vegeta has taken so far too, the Saiyan is still way faster than everyone, and with only one chance to take him down, there's far more riding on Kuririn than he's used to. With some guiding words from Kaio-sama however, Kuririn rises to the occasion and... ...and Yajriobe mucks it up. I guess it was time for the pendulum to swing back towards Yajirobe being useless again after his saving throw a few chapters ago, but it couldn't have swung back at a worse time. With only one chance to take Vegeta down, the Genki Dama misses. But was that really the last hope left? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: The End of Vege-oh, wait, scratch that...
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September 2022
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