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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 108 Review

Episode 108, "The Heinous Mage Babidi and the King of the Underworld Dabura’s Trap"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Kaioshin and Kibito are shocked that Babidi has the King of the Demon Realm, Dabura, under his thrall. Having outlived their purpose, Babidi and his henchman Pui Pui disposes of Spopovich and Yamu, respectively. Unknown to Goku and the group, Babidi and Dabura are aware of their presence, and after Babidi and Pui Pui enter the ship, Dabura attacks, killing Kibito. Then he transforms Kuririn and Piccolo into stone, which can only be undone with his death. Confident, the three Saiyans follow Dabura into the ship. A reluctant Kaioshin follows as well. They find themselves in a round room in the ship. Pui Pui is sent to fight them, and he explains that there are several levels on which they will face a different opponent before they can get to Babidi. Babidi adds Gohan’s stolen energy to the Buu egg and finds it was a lot more than he expected. Vegeta wins a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who fights Pui Pui. Pui Pui says that any energy used in fighting him will be collected for Buu, but Vegeta reasons he just won’t take any damage.
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 107 Review

Episode 107, "Secrets of the Terrible Majin; The Man Behind the Curtain Appears!!
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Vegeta is angered by Goku’s desire to follow Kaioshin, as he was anticipating their battle in the tournament, but Goku assures him they can find time to do it later. Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo fly off, leaving Gohan in Kibito’s hands. Kuririn follows suit after telling 18. Kibito uses healing powers to revive Gohan, who follows him off, along with Videl. Kaioshin and Kibito reveal that they came to Earth to prevent an evil magician, Babidi, from reviving his father’s powerful creation, a monster named Majin Buu, who can destroy planets and even kill gods. It’s explained that Spopovich and Yamu were collecting energy to help Babidi release Majin Buu from his containment, and thus their entering the tournament and ultimately targeting Gohan. Kaioshin and Kibito allowed this to happen so they can follow the enthralled minions back to their master and stop him. Gohan notices that Videl, having only learned to fly recently, is having difficulty keeping up. He advises her to return to the tournament grounds. She agrees and flies back, telling him she’ll be waiting for him. Gohan and Kibito pick up speed and meet up with the others. Yamu and Spopovich finally reach the area where Babidi’s base of operations is. A short, green man with a large head and a very tall red demon with yellow eyes emerge from the entrance.
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 106 Review

Episode 106, "Videl, Worn Ragged! Gohan’s Anger at its Limits!!"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Spopovich’s unrelenting assault on Videl continues, with her powerless to resist. Gohan seethes with anger over the merciless onslaught, transforming into a Super Saiyan. However, before he can interfere with the match, Spopovich’s companion to the tournament, Yamu, instructs him to finish the fight. Spopovich kicks Videl out of the ring and she loses. Goku retrieves some Senzu beans from Karin while Gohan takes Videl to the infirmary. Mr. Satan is dismayed that Videl is "dating" a "weak-looking boy" and doesn’t want her eating the offered Senzu. Videl eats the Senzu and recovers immediately. Gohan’s match with Kibito is next. Gohan’s classmates spot him without most of his disguise and figure Gohan simply entered the contest with Great Saiyaman’s name as a front. Kibito requests that Gohan transform again into a Super Saiyan. Kaioshin asks if Goku and the rest will allow them to use Gohan for something, with Piccolo revealing who he is. Gohan decides to go into his Super Saiyan 2 form, which astonishes the crowd, including Videl. Suddenly, Yamu and Spopovich fly into the ring and take hold of Gohan, who is doubly paralyzed by Kaioshin’s power, and steal energy from him. The pair then flee the arena and Kaioshin follows them, suggesting that Goku and his group do likewise. Goku finds the happenings interesting.
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 105 Review

Episode 105, "What’s the Matter, Piccolo?! An Unexpected Conclusion to the First Round"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: The matches for the first round of the Tenkaichi Budoukai are decided. First up is Kuririn against a giant man named Punta, who he defeats in a single punch to the gut. Piccolo gets in the ring with the mysterious "Shin", but cannot bring himself to fight him. He gives up the match, much to everyone’s surprise. Videl’s match with the hulking Spopovich begins next, with Videl confident that her new skill and new ability will mean a victory. Piccolo inquires if "Shin" is really the Dai Kaio, but his attendant Kibito reveals that he is actually a being called Kaioshin, above Kaios. Kaioshin tells Piccolo not to tell anyone. Meanwhile, Spopovich proves to be inhumanely resilient and extremely brutal. Videl goes at him at full force, almost seeming to break his neck, but he recovers. It also appears he can fly, and Goku comments that he doesn’t sense any life in him. Videl is determined to continue the fight. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 104 Review

Episode 104, "A Troubling Premonition… The Appearance of a Mysterious Warrior!!"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Mr. Satan realizes he will be humiliated if he fights Trunks in the exhibition match awarded to the Junior Division Champion. He attempts to fake an injury, then decides instead to make it look like he’s lost on purpose to look like a good sport. He invites Trunks to give him a playful "tap" to start the match, which sends Mr. Satan flying into a brick wall. However, the World Champion recovers and laughs it off, playing it up for the crowd, even though he’s genuinely in pain. The act goes over well and the crowd is convinced. The fighters eligible for the regular division gather, and Kuririn is concerned that there aren’t any worth opponents outside his group of friends. However, there are a few interesting characters in the mix, including two mysterious men clearly not from Earth, two pale men with strange marks on their heads, and a disguised Goten and Trunks, playing a fighter they knocked out so they can compete with the adults. Drawing numbers for the matches, it’s decided that Goku will fight Vegeta in the first round. read more

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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 103 Review

Episode 103, "Everyone is Shocked! Goten and Trunks’ Super Battle!!"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Gohan and Videl are stuck behind waiting for new punching test machines while Goku and the others move ahead to watch the Junior Division of the Budoukai. Goten and Trunks easily work their way through the competition, much to the exasperation of a mother whose two sons are unlikely enough to face them in the competition. Naturally, the two young half-Saiyans make it to the final match, but have trouble keeping to the agreement made about not becoming Super Saiyans. Ultimately, Trunks manages to get a victory by ring-out. Mr. Satan frets about facing the Junior Champion Trunks in the exhibition match awarded to him.
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 102 Review

Episode 102, "The Dragon Team, All Assembled! Son Goku has Returned!!"
 

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Videl’s ability to fly improves drastically after some practicing. Days pass and Goku’s friends and family gather to meet him at the Tenkaichi Budoukai. When Goku appears before them, he’s surprised to finally meet his youngest son, Goten, who looks identical to him. Trunks and Goten are both disappointed that they can only enter a children’s division of the tournament. Goku and friends try to hold back when registering on the punch test machines, but have trouble. Vegeta doesn’t bother, however, entirely destroying one.
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The Debate That Got Me Ejected From Kanzenshuu Forums: Is Gohan Out Of Character In The Cell Games?

 "I don’t need this shit."

 

PART I: The Preamble
 

I’ve been a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise off and on since about the time Dragon Ball Z first broadcast in syndication in September of 1996. I didn’t immediately latch onto the show. It took a while. A friend of mine, Jon Oakes, who I used to play SNES with at his house (I had a Sega Genesis, and we alternated homes for playing), introduced me to the series, and I didn’t quite latch onto it until I started watching it on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. When I started branching out into different types and titles of anime, I kept pushing the DB franchise back, exploring the more complex and compelling narratives of shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, and Cowboy Bebop. And after all, I would argue, the English version of Dragon Ball Z was so poorly done it was impossible to stomach the show except with subtitles, and I didn’t even have a DVD player until around 2001. By then, I looked at my DB fandom as an object of nostalgia at best and embarrassingly poor childhood taste at worst. read more

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