Episode 12, "True Strength"
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Vegeta displays great power as he continues to fight Tamagami Number Two, so Neva uses an ability to make the latter stronger. The fight continues underwater, Majin Duu demands chocolate to continue fighting Tamagami Number One, which is delivered by Kuu. With renewed vigor, Duu defeats the Tamagami. However, the final test is that of mathematics, which Duu needs the help of Kuu to beat, finally gaining the Dragon Ball. Cornered in the water, Vegeta powers up to the third level of Super Saiyan, beating Tamagami Number Two. He also manages to guess the answer to the final quiz, too, gaining the Dragon Ball. King Gomah watches all this on monitors, greatly dissatisfied.
Comments:
Vegeta got his flowers in this episode, finally going Super Saiyan 3 in his fight with Tamagami Number Two and then easily beating him. And in an incredibly rich and satisfyingly animated sequence that includes the ocean parting like Moses was there, something that happens in DB on occasion, but is always cool when it happens.It was a visual and audio treat seeing Vegeta get the better of the kraken and then take out the Tamagami even though Neva helped him with a power up. It was about time Vegeta did something noteworthy in this series (if only Piccolo would get his chance) and it made this an unforgettable episode. He even managed to solve the word problem, albeit with own logic (and apparently the Tamagami's). You rarely get Vegeta stretching his rational muscle. He's not exactly a meathead, but he does prefer to use force. This showed off Vegeta's intelligence, too, which was nice.
Even more incredibly, not only did Majin Duu beat Tamagami Number One (with the help of chocolate), but with the help of Kuu, conquered the mathematics puzzle that even Arinsu couldn't overcome. The two misfit Majins make for a great team, which fuels the speculation that they'll fuse at some point. Personally I hope any fusion is temporary, because I like their individual personalities a lot. Duu is certainly more Buu-like, using his weird body to its full advantage by shifting his form and weight around, whereas Kuu is... well, he's Kuu. He's just really offbeat and quirky. I like it. And I like how they work off each other so well. I doubt Arinsu notices, or even cares, about things like that. But she has a Dragon Ball now, so who knows what he's going to do next? Probably something involving Glorio.
Neva is a curious sort. After hearing that the Saiyans enjoy fighting last time, he powers up Tamagami Number Two here to make him a fiercer opponent for Vegeta. He doesn't seem particularly put out by Number Two's defeat, either, saying that it's the way things should be. I wonder if he's being intentionally playful or he has some interior motive in mind. Like I speculated, Neva seems to really desire that the Namekians return to their ancient home world. Maybe he intends to use the Dragon Balls to restore it back to its former glory. I still don't trust him.
Glorio Watch: Speaking of not trusting characters, did Glorio deliberately disconnect that cable in the plane? He seems a little weird about Panzy fixing it. I think he's stalling, either to help Arinsu, or because he doesn't want them to encounter her and lose the trust of his new friends. Either way, the group is on its way, so we'll have to see what he does next.
I really wonder what King Gomah is planning on doing about the Dragon Balls being collected now? He seems extremely angry about it, even threatening to do something, but we don't know what it'll be yet. I'm guessing that, because he plans on using Dende to make new Dragon Balls for him so he can get that special third eye thing, perhaps he has a way to accelerate those plans. Right now he's discovered that not only are invaders after him, but Arinsu has betrayed him, so he's really up against the wall here. So far he's been more of a Pilaf-level threat, but he is said to be a powerful Majin in his own right, so perhaps there's more to him than meets the eye.
Next time, it looks like Arinsu is up to something and Goku and Vegeta have to deal with some time-padding threats.
