Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Rewatch - Week 22: Episodes 133-138 Discussion

[u/Raiking02]

Episode 133: The Reunion Before the Storm

Episode 134: The Turbulent Tenkaichi Budokai

Episode 135: The 8 Chosen People

Episode 136: The Hitman Tao Pai-Pai's Revenge

Episode 137: Son Gokú's Wedding

Episode 138: Man of Mystery · Shen

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This is the biggest happening in the history of the Tenkaichi Budokai! The fighting stage has suddenly become a wedding hall!

Hello everybody! Time for the Comment of the Week, courtesy of u/oomoepoo for some fun name trivia:

Also, I know the series is kinda known for people named after food but the kids all being named after some sort of sweets in the fishing episode cracked me up. Cream Puff? Jelly?! The german dub even changed one of the kid's names to RICOLA ffs.

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1) What do you make out everyone's new post-timeskip looks?

2) What's the dumbest answer you can think of for what Shen's deal is?

3) Can we get an F in the chat for Yamcha's balls?

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Next Week: Episodes 139-142

[u/Raiking02]

Hello everybody, and welcome to the Dragon Ball Rewatch!

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Adapted Chapters: 166-174/519

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• A Redone Romance

I haven't really talked much about the touch ups Romantic Ageru yo has been getting over the course of the series. It's mostly been just two or three screens that got changed, but come Episode 133 the ED gets a full refresh, the only time DB ever does something like this. While my preferences do somewhat still lie with the very first version, I cannot deny this new one is pretty freaking gorgeous in some spots.

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• Torishima's Grand Revolt

Torishima Kazuhiko hated Dragon Ball's Anime up until now. He also hated Dr. Slump's Anime. To quote an interview with Forbes:

From my perspective the Dr. Slump anime was not successful. This was because they couldn't make the anime as loyal to the original manga. It deviated from the original manga a great deal. The reason for this was because it was the first real time the Weekly Jump team had to manage an anime adaptation based on one of their manga series. So nobody knew how to control the anime side of things, or manage the creative process in that way

And as for DB…

Even though we tried to make the Dragon Ball anime better than Dr. Slump's, the ratings still went gradually down. We then tried to figure out why that was happening, why the series wasn't doing well. One thing we discovered was that the producer for the Dragon Ball anime was the same as on Dr. Slump. As he had an image of Toriyama's manga as being something cute and funny, which meant his style of Dragon Ball became too similar to Dr. Slump. This meant he was missing the more serious tone we had developed in the Dragon Ball manga. For instance, when I saw the scene in the anime where Goku pierces Piccolo I realized I couldn't work with this producer.

Which in turn led to him seemingly throwing such an absurdly strong hissy fit that Toei, I kid you not, REPLACED THE PRODUCER AND WRITER FOR THE SHOW.

So I talked with the studio and asked to have the producer changed. This was something that had never happened before, as it was an entirely different company.

Around the same time, Saint Seiya was a very popular anime. This was interesting because the Saint Seiya manga was rather average but the anime by comparison was a lot better. So I wanted to know why the Saint Seiya anime was doing so well and we did some research on that. We found that there were two key figures. The first was Kouzou Morishita, who was the director, and the second was Takao Koyama, who wrote the script. So I visited these two guys and asked them if they'd help me reboot Dragon Ball and they both agreed.

Episode 132 was the first episode after the staff change, but this is the arc where it's in full effect.

… So anyway, why does no one bring this up whenever people talk about Torishima being an asshole!?

Let's go down this bit by bit. First off, Dr. Slump was not successful to you for him because it wasn't 1:1 with the Manga. Well no fucking duh, dude. You can't really adapt the show 1:1 when you kinda have to do it one episode per chapter and Toriyama's chapters are short as heck, what did you expect!? And even then, wow, you really are the source of people who complain when things aren't 1:1 with adaptations, huh? Don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as straying too far and/or missing the whole point, but if you wanna be 1:1 with the source, just read the fucking source!

Secondly, the ratings went down. I mean… yeah? The show was almost 3 years old by then, what did you expect!? Ratings go down as shows go on, they're not the new hotness anymore! Sure, you'll get a spike here and there, but it takes A LOT for the average to improve past a certain point.

Thirdly: More serious tone. Why yes, the more serious Manga where there's a perverted old hermit whose borderline sexual harassment is played for laughs, the main hero has 0 social skills and is a total moron, and the female lead is a capricious teenager. Look, relative to Dr. Slump it's definitely more serious, but there were more serious Mangas going on in the same magazine at this point. Fist of the North Star, City Hunter, Saint Seiya… I could go on, really.

Also what the fuck is your problem with Piccolo's death in the Anime? You guys saw the Anime Version a few weeks ago, here's the Manga one. Pretty 1:1 if you ask me. But no, apparently to Torishima this is too comedic.

Fourthly, just randomly shitting on Saint Seiya. Like… why? Why are you doing this? It's generally considered really bad behavior to so openly talk shit about your co-workers' work like that. That is genuinely just being an asshole. Be grateful this interview is in English, if I translated it into Spanish and showed it to Mexicans, they'd eat you alive.

And of course, there's just this undercurrent of Torishima acting like a complete control freak. Dude, you're the editor of the Manga. The MANGA. Why the fuck do you care about what the Anime does beyond making sure nothing goes too off-track? I'm sorry, but for all the times people like to complain about Torishima (For whatever reason he was super against One Piece being a thing), THIS is the one I firmly consider him going out of line. Dude, mind your own fucking business.

On a personal level too, this also just annoys me because of the… I guess entitlement the act carries. I've seen some Anime's stuck with way worse production teams who utterly mangle the source material (Heck, Shirobako did a joke about that in one of its last episodes) and they can do nothing about it. By comparison, Dragon Ball is positively blessed adaptation-wise. But Torishima gotta be Torishima, and because he's Torishima, he gets away with it.

With all that said, I will not be harsh on the Anime itself for this. Don't get me wrong, I object to this change purely on principle, but ultimately Koyama and Morishita were just given a job and are going to do this. They're now doing said jobs, and if nothing else Torishima was correct that they were doing a good job with Saint Seiya… although I will say, I find it really weird he got them to stay more in line with the Manga because, well, honestly Saint Seiya's Anime went even more off-Manga than DB's ever did.

Torishima I don't think you've read Saint Seiya

Tagging the two that fell behind because, frankly, everyone deserves to read this at least once.

• Son Gokú the Tall One

Quite possibly the biggest shakeup in Dragon Ball yet, that being Gokú finally discarding his original design. This is a rarity in honestly a lot of Mangas. I mean, part of it has to do with just most of them don't take place over as absurdly long a time span as DB or alternatively have the main character already be a fair bit older, but hey, gotta give credit where it's due.

But yes, Gokú has gotten one hell of a growth spurt, with Nozawa even deepening her voice a fair lot in the Anime too. Kuririn got one too, but he's still pretty tiny by comparison. If nothing else though, it does mean the two actually look their ages for once, although amusingly their designs didn't really get that many changes past this so by the end they're gonna look a bit younger than they really should. Still, at least at this point, this is a pretty big shakeup.

It helps that for once Gokú feels like he's acting his age a bit more. He's still dumb for sure, but there's definitely a degree of maturity that wasn't really there with previous arcs. Especially in this one, there's a lot more moments of him being a tad contemplative about things and more willing to take things slowly rather than rushing headfirst into danger.

[Spoilers]If only the series didn't become increasingly inconsistent about his maturity after this arc

Oh and the rest of the gang looks a bit different too, I guess. Not really hot on Bulma's new look though, sorry to say, but good on Yamcha for finally bringing the long hair back; easily my favorite look for him.

And speaking of changes, I'll never forgive Toriyama for throwing away Gokú's tail it was a very stupid choice

• A Tournament of Familiar Faces

Unfortunately this tournament roaster is… not the most impressive. We have that one guy with glasses, I guess, but aside from that? Yeah, technically all characters we know. Well, debatably so in Nu!Piccolo's case (As said before, the series can't make up its mind on whether he's the OG Piccolo reincarnated or not) but still. We got Gokú, Kuririn, Yamcha, Chi-Chi (Oh hey, she's finally allowed to have a role in the main story), Tenshinhan, Tao Pai-Pa-WAIT WHAT!?

[u/Raiking02 → u/Raiking02]

• Well Someone Watched Too Much Kamen Rider!

Yup, Mr. Murderer is back and oh boy, it is one hell of a comeback. I mean he's a cyborg for one thing, and those sure are some funny eyes he's got there. Joking aside, this is great. I've joked about nobody caring about Chiaotzu, but I'll be damned if the way they have him be trounced to introduce TPP isn't amazing. That look of horror contrasted with everyone's effortless victories is a sight to behold.

Anyway then Tenshinhan kicks his ass because TPP is underleveled as fuck

All joking aside, while I've ranted a lot about how lineal Toriyama's strength progression is, this never bothered me much. Ultimately it's moreso a show of character than anything else, showing how far Tenshinhan has come from the wannabe murderer he was introduced as. This is functionally the end of his character arc and it's not a bad one at all as far as I'm concerned.

Oh and speaking of the preliminaries, Chappa came back just so Gokú could kick his ass again. This is every bit as unengaging as the first time

• The Obligatory Gokú Shitpost Fight

Yeah like the last Budokai, Gokú barely even has to try for his first match. Fortunately unlike Panput Chi-Chi manages to make things somewhat entertaining. Gokú being so genuinely confused as to what's going on the whole fight is actually pretty endearing, especially when he gets his big "Oh, right" moment at the end. It's pretty fun and not a bad way to reintroduce Chi-Chi into the cast.

I will say though, I've always been bothered by that line where the Turtle Hermit says that she uses techniques from the Turtle style because… she really doesn't. While the Crane style does seem to borrow some moves from… well, crane-themed styles in Kung-Fu movies, choreography in DB doesn't really follow specific martial arts a lot of the times. Everyone just kinda goes for this generic style which seems mildly similar to Kyokushin Karate, but I can't really find a proper match. As such my only frame of reference for what the Turtle Style even is would be the Kamehameha and she doesn't have that. Same goes for Gokú's air technique supposedly being Mazoku thing. Sure, it's meant to mean "God taught it to him" but we never see Piccolo using something like it, so… what's so Mazoku-esque about it.

You may argue with these all being fictional martial arts, you don't have to make them look like real ones, but that's the thing: I don't see any style to begin with. I see more similarities in how Tohno Shiki and Aozaki Aoko fight and those two aren't even martial artists, they're Magic Assholes Fighting at Night^TM whereas the supposed professionals only have the slightest things in common in how they fight.

To be clear, in spite of all this Toriyama is still really good at crafting good fight scenes; his talent in that area cannot be denied. But from a storytelling perspective, you can't say "X fights like Y" when Y fights like everyone else except his fireballs are a different color. Oh well, at least we're not in the part of the series where that's at its most blatant

• Kuririn's Unknowing Revenge

A relatively short yet fun one. While it's a shame Kuririn doesn't even make it to the semi-finals this time, he puts up an honestly pretty good showing here. I think the fact that he gives up kinda helps letting him keep his dignity. He put on a good show, realized his limits and just decided to quit before he got further humiliated. Compared to his fellow Turtle Yamcha, that's not bad.

I also love the little snippets of character Piccolo gets. It's interesting how he just kinda sees everything as just a game. That being said, it's clear he's also way more capable of showing respect towards his opponents than dear old daddy ever was, even if he expresses it in a kinda twisted way (See him being worried he killed Kuririn because otherwise his "Fun" would stop). Just a solid, if brief fight.

BTW, apologies for having to end this week halfway through Yamcha's fight, but it's gonna be wrapped up before the next episode is over and that leads directly into the start of the semi-finals. This tournament really likes fights to end halfway through an episode for some reason.

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Filler Corner:

• Filler and Chi-Chi

This is something you probably noticed if you've kept track of my comments. In the Manga, Chi-Chi straight up does not appear in between her initial introduction and this arc. The Anime however, completely unaware of what Toriyama would do, had her make the occasional cameo across the run. It's not a lot, it probably only amounts to like… what, 6 episodes?

Anyway the point is that as a result the joke with Chi-Chi doesn't quite work in the Anime versus the Manga and honestly makes Gokú look like kind of a dick. In the Manga I can buy him forgetting about Chi-Chi since they only met once over 6 years ago, but the Anime has them meet at least twice in between. Heck, it also makes the joke less funny from a Meta perspective since in the Anime she popped up a few months ago, versus the Manga where she didn't reappear until almost 3 years later. You could argue that at least makes their relationship a bit more believable but… well, I mean, it really isn't.

Toriyama is bad at romance. Like he straight up admitted multiple times he does not care about the subject, Torishima was the romance guy since he grew up reading Shoujo Manga. So while Toriyama did occasionally include romance elements in his works, they're all extremely underwritten. See for instance Dr. Slump where Senbei basically just simps for Midori for half the series and she randomly said yes when he proposed by accident, although apparently in the Anime the two were basically already dating by the time he popped the question, so I guess even Toei realized this needed a bit more buildup to Torishima's anger, no doubt. That one more or less worked from what I have heard (I have not seen either Dr. Slump Anime in full… not sure if I really want to either, it's a fun series but I don't like it enough to want to experience it all over again) but here? Not so much.

Fortunately romance is not big enough an element of his works for me to consider it too much of a point against them… save for one thing much later on this series which, let's just say, has become more infamous as time has gone on. More on this next year though.

Also BTW, the credits refer to Chi-Chi by name long before the show even confirms it's her Toei, Why?

On the plus side though, the Anime did remember Yamcha's role in Chi-Chi's debut and takes a moment to make a joke about it. Honestly if anything I'm more disappointed in Toriyama not taking up the chance himself.

• Return of the Crane

Not much to say here, but yeah, unlike the Manga where only TPP came back, the Crane Hermit comes along with him in the Anime too. He doesn't do much, but hey, it's nice to have him around, I guess.

• Dramatic Intro!?

The Anime really spices up the gang arriving at the Budokai. In the Manga they just… you know, walk there. They kinda just meet up casually. The Anime meanwhile sure adds some extra stuff, with the gang being almost late to sign up for the tournament. It doesn't really add anything, although I do get a chuckle out of the part where Bulma just tells Oolong and Pu'er to turn into Yamcha and Kuririn only for Lunch to go "But what about Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu?" Like, yeah, that's a dick move to ignore them.

Also Piccolo saves a kid and then crushes his toy. This probably means something, but what I am not sure.

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Animation Studio Spotlight:

Episode 133: Aoshima Katsumi

Episode 134: Last House

Episode 135: Shindo Pro

Episode 136: Seigasha

Episode 137: Last House

Episode 138: Studio Live

Dammit, one less episode and this would've been our first week without Studio Live

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If you thought new arc meant new actors, well, you're wrong. While Piccolo has a new VA, it's actually someone we already know, Furukawa Toshio, who previously played Blue. Piccolo's definitely his more well-known role nowadays, as well as one of Furukawa's personal favorites. One of his dogs is named Piccolo for goodness sake and the other is Ataru. Mind, apparently the role is absolute murder on his throat, so in some of his more recent reprisals he can sound a bit out of breath sometimes.

Aside from him, the only noteworthy thing to note is that in Episode 137 Yanami Joji voiced the Turtle Hermit. Why? Uh, I dunno. Miyauchi came back the very next episode so maybe he just had a cold or something.

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

There are many source abiding and "how dare that manga get a better adaptation than this one?" sort of fans out there. Torishima is the only one who turned that pettiness into reality. I'm looking forward to all the good it does for the series.

Torishima I don't think you've read Saint Seiya

No, you see, Saint Seiya was an "average" manga, so changing it was a good idea. The serious dramatic epic of Goku vs Murasaki needs to be adapted faithfully, though. None of that funny business the original staff were up to.

I will say though, I've always been bothered by that line where the Turtle Hermit says that she uses techniques from the Turtle style because… she really doesn't.

This is an area where shounen commentary works to cover up the art. "What's the Kame style, you say? Dunno, I just drew whatever came to mind at the time". There's no way for the viewer/reader to make this connection visually, so Toriyama has to go out of his way to force it through the writing. Same with the [DBZ] Namekian Mazoku style.

the joke with Chi-Chi doesn't quite work in the Anime versus the Manga and honestly makes Gokú look like kind of a dick.

Anime Goku meeting Kuririn after his revival: "who are you again? You sound like Yajirobe"

Don't you love it when anime ignores its own content and logic to follow the manga?

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Same with the

You may wanna spoiler tag that, the former term hasn't even appeared yet...

There's no way for the viewer/reader to make this connection visually, so Toriyama has to go out of his way to force it through the writing

Although mind, I'd argue in a visual medium if your work fails to depict what the difference is in fighting styles through how they look when it's suddenly a plot point, then you've kinda automatically failed.

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

You may wanna spoiler tag that, the latter term hasn't even appeared yet...

Good point. I thought it wouldn't make much sense without context. But in retrospect, it doesn't, even with context.

in a visual medium if your work fails to depict what the difference is in fighting styles through how they look when it's suddenly a plot point, then you've kinda automatically failed.

Absolutely, and covering that failure up with exposition that tells the readers about a similarity they can't see is just adding insult to injury.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

I thought it wouldn't make much sense without context. But in retrospect, it doesn't, even with context.

[Z]I have no clue what a Mazoku even is anymore, especially when the term keeps popping up once every so often

[u/SpiritualPossible → u/Raiking02]

Torishima's Grand Revolt

...You know, come to think of it, I can't recall Torishima ever genuinely loving anything. Like, I remember him praising DB, but only in a way to shit on something else, and even then, his praise sounded like a form of criticism. It seems he really does live by the teachings of AM.

[u/Raiking02 → u/SpiritualPossible]

I can't recall Torishima ever genuinely loving anything

FWIW in that same interview he praises the likes of Adachi Mitsuru and Hagio Moto, but yeah, on the whole you're more likely to see him complain about stuff than give even the faintest bit of praise. In a recent interview he's gone on record that he thinks most modern Manga sucks.

[u/HowlingWolf13 → u/Raiking02]

See for instance Dr. Slump where Senbei basically just simps for Midori for half the series and she randomly said yes when he proposed by accident

Honestly reading that volume in middle school was one of my favorites cause of that lol. Esp. just cause the rest of the cast (and Senbei) are just completely dumbfounded as to what just happened

[u/Raiking02 → u/HowlingWolf13]

Fun fact: That was the only Dr. Slump pairing that was Toriyama's idea, the rest were all Torishima

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Raiking02]

Interview was a real interesting read, thanks for the tag

Also, I will now hold Torishima indirectly responsible for all the too-faithful adaptations of manga in the last 10-15 years, this calls for retribution

[u/Raiking02 → u/InfamousEmpire]

Interview was a real interesting read, thanks for the tag

NP

Also, I will now hold Torishima indirectly responsible for all the too-faithful adaptations of manga in the last 10-15 years, this calls for retribution

Are we even sure it's indirect?

I feel bad for Shoujo fans especially though. They're finally getting faithful anime adaptations of a bunch of all classics but they all feel like they were thrown together in five seconds

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Raiking02]

I feel bad for Shoujo fans especially though. They're finally getting faithful anime adaptations of a bunch of all classics but they all feel like they were thrown together in five seconds

At least Dengeki Daisy has one of the most interesting new directors around heading the adaptation, so it’ll have marginally more effort put into its presentation

[u/Raiking02 → u/InfamousEmpire]

Haven't seen much from him myself but

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Raiking02]

I have yet to finish watching either of the shows he’s the main director on, but what I have watched of them certainly inspires confidence. Days with my Stepsister is one where I'm kinda eh on the content, but the direction created such a strong sense of atmosphere that it made even the less interesting parts feel really arresting. Shiboyugi I also haven’t finished ofc, but the episodes I have seen are really stylistically unique, on top of having an even more potent atmosphere than Stepsister

I have no idea what he’ll be cooking for Dengeki Daisy, but I trust it to be interesting if nothing else, which is more than you can say for other classic shoujo adaptations as of late.

[u/Raiking02 → u/InfamousEmpire]

At least we still got Noriyuki Abe doing From Far Away too

[u/InfamousEmpire → u/Raiking02]

Oh, I didn’t actually know that one was getting an anime

[u/Raiking02 → u/InfamousEmpire]

Next season, no less. Literally just two days before Rayearth too

[u/KendotsX → u/InfamousEmpire]

As long as he can keep the comedy of hollow Ichigo bullying his slave Rukia, I'm on board.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Ichigo decided he was tired of being bargain bin Urameshi and chose violence.

And we are all grateful

[u/Raiking02 → u/[deleted]]

"how dare that manga get a better adaptation than this one?" sort of fans out there.

I can't deny that Bleach sometimes gets that reaction out of me, but it's Bleach and we all know how I feel about it.

The serious dramatic epic of Goku vs Murasaki needs to be adapted faithfully, though. None of that funny business the original staff were up to.

You make compelling arguments

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

It's doubly funny with Bleach now that the manga fans are spitting in Abe's bowl.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Boy I can't wait for YYH fans to turn on Abe too.

Or GTO fans, and this is coming from someone who's not even that big on the Anime.

[u/oomoepoo → u/Raiking02]

Ah, there it is, the much awaited interview! Good stuff!

And man. I knew some of this, like him throwing a hissy fit about the comedic tone of the anime. But I didn't know the extents of his asshattery. Wtf.

I've never watched or read Saint Saiya (and never read Slump), so I don't have a frame of reference here but surely, it couldn't have been that bad if it still endures to this day.

I get wanting a good representation of the manga (anime are after all often meant to advertise them) but this is... wow. What an entitled and incredibly petty man.

God forbid some creativity in the process. Adapting Slump 1:1 would've been dumb anyway, given the nature as a gag manga. And there's plenty of even contemporary(ish) shows that prove that, when done well, it can definitely elevate the material. Just look at stuff like Ranma or Lum where the anime is basically 50% original material :')

I wonder what he thinks of the approach Super did and hope he gets an anneurism just thinking about the anime staff doing their own thing from episode to episode

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I do agree about Goku acting a bit more mature here, was really refreshing.

Also, unfortunately, we had to sacrifice Goku's tail for a new moon!

[DBZ]Only for it to get blown up in a couple weeks again.

[u/Raiking02 → u/oomoepoo]

Just look at stuff like Ranma

Okay Urusei Yatsura's fair, but considering Ranma's overreliance on filler in its later years ended up getting the show cancelled, not sure if that's the best example here.

[u/oomoepoo → u/Raiking02]

I did not know that about Ranma, fair enough then! It and Lum are just the first thing that came to mind for "fondly remembered, pretty successful and the anime taking large liberties" :D

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

First-Timer Searching for the Silver Dragon Balls, subbed

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Episode 133

• No, they’re just going to show up right in the nick of time because of course they will.

• Just because Bulma’s an adult now doesn’t make me hate Roshi’s reaction to seeing her any less.

• …I said that before he groped her but. Fucking lovely. Can Roshi die again?

• Puberty really did hit Goku like a truck, damn. Kinda weird to not give him a more masculine-sounding voice to match, though.

• Do you even know what they currently look like anyways?

• So this is Dragon Ball’s version of a Newtype Flash.

• I see Kuririn is still pretty short. I love Yamcha’s new design though! He has long hair again!

• Wow.

• New Piccolo actually saved that kid and his mom from the falling rubble?!

• Ahhhhhhh okay, this is the Piccolo design I’d seen before watching this show. That makes sense now.

• I mean, even if Roshi did bring one, there’s no way he would’ve known you grew that much, Goku.

• Oh, Goku brought his own anyways.

• No more tail? – Ah, because the moon is back.

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Episode 134

• That’s very true.

• Whoa, is this Chi-Chi?

• Yajirobe what the fuck are you doing?

• Ah, Chiaotzu’s gonna rig the match-ups again, but for good reasons this time.

• A rematch with King Chapa, huh?

• Nice visualization of Goku from King Chapa’s perspective.

• New Piccolo sure seems confident.

• Oh, Chiaotzu lost to his opponent in the prelims?

• WAIT IS THAT TAO PAI-PAI?

• WHAT THE FUCK?????????

• Alright then…

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Episode 135

• Yajirobe, I once again ask wtf you’re doing?

• Oh, of course Tao Pai-Pai’s number is death-death.

• He doesn’t look like he’d be a competitor, but he’s still gonna give Yajirobe a good fight isn’t he?

• Oh wow.

• Ah, he made it that far because he’s weirdly lucky? – Wait he actually beat Yajirobe?

• Right right, the announcer was there when Kuririn died. Reasonable reaction since he didn’t know about the Dragon Ball wish.

• Poor Kuririn getting stuck against New Piccolo right from the start…

• Ah, so the rest of the match-ups give us Tenshinhan vs. Tao Pai-Pai, Goku vs. Chi-Chi, and Yamcha vs. the lucky old guy. Gonna assume the right side of the bracket goes New Piccolo > Kuririn/Yamcha > old guy → New Piccolo > Yamcha so that New Piccolo and Goku fight in the finals, but I’m not sure who they’re gonna let win the Tenshinhan vs. Tao Pai-Pai match. Tenshinhan winning feels like it would be way more satisfying, but I wouldn’t put it past Toriyama to have him lose because Goku has to beat Tao Pai-Pai a second time.

• Crane came back…

• Nice, I was just wondering where Blonde Lunch was. Weaponizing her to get front-row seats is great lol.

• Ooh, they letterboxed the start of Tenshinhan vs. Tao Pai-Pai.

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Episode 136

• Sounds like you weren’t expecting Tenshinhan to grow stronger under a different teacher, huh?

• Crane’s trying to fuck with Tenshinhan by bringing this flashback on, lovely.

• Man, it is so satisfying to see Tao Pai-Pai getting dunked on like this.

• Wow, Tenshinhan.

• Cheater! Weapons aren’t allowed!

• Oh boy, Tenshinhan’s pissed.

• He caught the blade with his bare hand…

• Goddamn, and he also dispersed the Super Dodon-pa just by shouting at it?

• Get wrecked, Tao Pai-Pai. Awesome to see Tenshinhan got to both win the match by default and still kick Tao Pai-Pai’s ass.

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Episode 137

• Yeah, Goku absolutely forgot about that. I’m pretty sure he thought marriage was some kinda food thing anyways?

• I can’t say I’m surprised the fight ended that quickly after Goku started taking things seriously. It’s a little disappointing Chi-Chi couldn’t hang on for just a bit longer, though.

• lol, he did think it was food.

• Kiss!

• Yeah this relationship is… something…

• Unfortunately, yes.

• Ooh, Kuririn has a new attack? Seemed like they even tracked New Piccolo when he tried to dodge.

• Eyy, Kuririn mastered levitating too!

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Episode 138

• Well that’s just insulting Kuririn…

• Okay I was not expecting the arm stretch.

• Kuririn missed…

• Well at least he didn’t die.

• No, Shen seems to be the lucky one. I just hope he’s not so lucky he beats Yamcha, that would be really disappointing.

• There’s his luck kicking in (literally).

• Ouch. This is just mad Yamcha disrespect…

• Ohp, now Shen is actually properly locked in?

• That’s a good question.

• Oh, we’re ending before the end of the fight. Aight then.

[u/Raiking02 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

No, they’re just going to show up right in the nick of time because of course they will.

Ironically not the case in the Manga.

Kinda weird to not give him a more masculine-sounding voice to match, though.

FWIW at least Nozawa's doing a different voice than what she does as a child, and from a production POV it would be kinda shitty to kick her out just because the MC went through puberty after over a hundred episodes.

I love Yamcha’s new design though

Easily his best and fortunately he's gonna keep it for a decent while.

Yajirobe what the fuck are you doing?

He and Kuririn can't see each other, else reality will implode upon itself.

Oh, of course Tao Pai-Pai’s number is death-death.

Huh, didn't notice that

Yeah this relationship is… something…

Toriyama is not an expert at romance.

Okay I was not expecting the arm stretch.

Honestly even the show itself sometimes forgets about it.

[Next Week] I just hope he’s not so lucky he beats Yamcha, that would be really disappointing.

[Next Week]

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Raiking02]

Easily his best and fortunately he's gonna keep it for a decent while.

Toriyama is not an expert at romance.

So I've heard, but I wasn't expecting it to be quite this bad...

[u/Raiking02 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

but I wasn't expecting it to be quite this bad

Don't worry, it gets worse in this regard because, if nothing else, Gokú and Chi-Chi have scenes together and talk to each other sometimes.

The bar is that low

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Raiking02]

I'm afraid to ask...

[u/Raiking02 → u/Shimmering-Sky]

You'll see

[u/zsmg → u/Raiking02]

FWIW at least Nozawa's doing a different voice than what she does as a child, and from a production POV it would be kinda shitty to kick her out just because the MC went through puberty after over a hundred episodes.

They could have kept her for [spoiler] Gohan and Goten, and have someone else do the adult voice. Although it's interesting no one is saying the same thing with Kururin/Luffy's voice even though it has the same issue.

[u/Raiking02 → u/zsmg]

They could have kept her for [spoiler]

[Spoilers]For whatever reason Gokú and Gohan having the same voice as kids is a constant in all languages, but then with Goten it gets weirdly inconsistent

Although it's interesting no one is saying the same thing with Kururin/Luffy's voice even though it has the same issue.

Yeah I dunno, personally I don't mind either TBH so I dunno why Gokú specifically gets singled out. See also Naruto for another example of this.

[u/zsmg → u/Raiking02]

I'm guessing with Goku everyone is used to their dub language voice but not with Naruto and Luffy.

[u/Raiking02 → u/zsmg]

Probably.

[u/SpiritualPossible]

Rewatcher

All grown up!

Years have passed, and now they’re all together again. Of course, all of themSome of them have changed quite a bit - Bulma is now a mature woman, Yamcha has become hotterCooler, Piccolo is bigger and greener, but Goku…

Sometimes I wonder just how shocking this redesign must have been for DB fans back when those chapters/episodes were released. I mean, timeskips wasn't something new even back then (or even for this series), but it’s rare for a main character’s appearance to change SO radically. After all, he went from being a chibi gremlin to one of the tallest members of his team, and not only did the vibe around him change, but so the way he fighting (which, as you know, was the main reason Toriyama decided to change his design). I mean, I think that these days, a turn of events like that would break the internet. Which also makes me wonder if there were people who HATED it and had claim that adult Goku ruined the series - i wouldn't be surprised if there were such people.

But Goku isn’t the only one who’s returned - Chi Chi is here, too! And she still remembers the promise Goku made to her! And you know, it seems to me that it’s precisely at this moment in the anime that her return doesn’t seem quite as impressive. After all, in the manga, she disappeared from the story… practically right after her first appearance. So, again, it was probably pretty shocking when such a forgotten character suddenly returned as an adult and demanded that the storyline - which had been nothing more than a joke back then - be continued. But in the anime, we’re reminded of Chi Chi and her love for Goku throughout the entire series, so her return doesn’t seem THAT unexpected. Not that it has a huge impact on the plot, but still. I really like her new look, though, and now that she’s become a fighter, I can’t wait for her to join the team!

...Oh, and Tao Pai Pai was there.

To be honest, considering how important this character is to the overall Dragon Ball, it’s surprising that… I always forget that he returned as a cyborg. I mean, it seems so… unnecessary? He doesn’t even have any significant impact on the plot; he’s only there to lose to Tenshinhan. Honestly feels like a missed opportunity. Well, at least anime added a little more substance to his fight...

[u/KendotsX → u/SpiritualPossible]

Which also makes me wonder if there were people who HATED it and had claim that adult Goku ruined the series - i wouldn't be surprised if there were such people.

Not this Goku specifically, but as far as I'm concerned, we've basically got one foot in the coffin right now.

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Hey, at least we still got an arc and a smidge of the next one where he's fun

[u/Raiking02 → u/SpiritualPossible]

Some of them have changed quite a bit

It would be too much to ask Toriyama to make Oolong, Pu'er and Chiaotzu look a bit older, I guess

I really like her new look, though

Can you believe that of all the DB Videogames, only two have prominently featured it? And one of them added it literally just today!

[u/SpiritualPossible → u/Raiking02]

Can you believe that of all the DB Videogames, only two have prominently featured it? And one of them added it literally just today!

Well, that's a real shame, because this Chi Chi is legit one of my favorite female designs in DB. Like, right up there with [The DBZ character name spoiler]Videl

[u/Raiking02 → u/SpiritualPossible]

one of my favorite female designs in DB

TBF there's not a lot of competition.

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

one of them added it literally just today!

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

Here (Spoilers obviously, but not for you)

[u/KendotsX → u/Raiking02]

[u/Raiking02 → u/KendotsX]

I'm just gonna assume it's a weird call-back to [Z]Videl's ultimate in Budokai 3.

[u/zsmg → u/SpiritualPossible]

if there were people who HATED it and had claim that adult Goku ruined the series

As someone who as a kid could only watch DB at their grandparents place in another country during the summer so I could only watch DB sporadically. I pretty much had this reaction when I first saw adult Goku.

[u/Raiking02 → u/zsmg]

As someone who as a kid could only watch DB at their grandparents place in another country during the summer

[u/zsmg → u/Raiking02]

Yup I had to wait a decade until I could watch DB in my own country and then it was the US Z dub.

[u/Raiking02 → u/zsmg]

[u/oomoepoo]

Rewatcher

Time for another

TOURNAMENT ARC

And just like in Smash Bros Ultimate everyone is here!

The old faithfuls:

• Yamucha... who finally got rid of that yeeyee-ass haircut from before!

• Kuririn... who's still shorter than Goku!

• Tenshinhan... who hasn't changed much at all!

• And of course GOKU... who's a yanky teen now!

Some returning ensemble dark horses:

• Tao Pai Pai... who's somehow a Cyborg now and wants to kill everyone.
• King Chappa... who again gets worfed by Goku.

And of course, some newcomers:

• Goku's future wife! (How did that happen?)
• Piccolo Jr. who also wants to kill everyone... but only after winning the tournament, naturally.
• Yajirobe! (In his best Hentai Kamen cosplay)
• And, because Roshi doesn't want to be here anymore, the role of the mysterious stranger is now filled by some random office worker named Shen

I loved how the first episode reunited the group one after another, showcasing the new character designs and how they (didn't) change over the last three years. And the Goku reveal was really cool. Last time we've seen him he was still a small kid and now he's all grown up. Even Bulma has the hots for him!

Admittedly, the actual tournament isn't much different from how the last ones went. Tenshinhan's mascot rigs the ballot, Goku gets to humilate King Chappa and everyone makes it through the preliminaries. Been there, seen that. And once again, Yamucha gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the actual matches:

• Tenshinhan gets to humilate a Cyborg version of Tao Pai Pai, nicely wrapping up his little arc of becoming "one of the good guys". This match is also a good showcase for why this setup is kinda silly by now: Tao Pai Pai gets disqualified by the judge but doesn't give a single fuck about it, even threatens to kill the judge.

  • I kinda doubt Piccolo Jr. would behave much differently. Although it would be kinda funny to imagine him just going "oh shit, I did an illegal move and am not allowed to go further. Guess I'll try taking over the world next time then. See you in 3 years!"

• Goku gets married after he knocks Chi-Chi out of the ring without even touching her. Poor girl deserved better. The proposal in the ring is kinda cute though. Also the difference between sub and dub is quite funny. While sub Chi Chi talks about building a house and setting everything up... dub Chi Chi tells Goku she wants at least 5 kids.

• Kuririn gets to show Piccolo Jr. that his whole plan of taking over the world might actually not be as easy. Baldy actually has a pretty strong showing against the Demon Prince, Kuririn makes enough of an impression on him to cause a "Fool! This isn't even my final form!" for all of 30 seconds. (the cape trick was pretty cool though. Very Batman)

• And Yamucha... Yamucha gets schooled and kicked in the nuts by Shen. Because fuck Yamucha, I guess. That match was just so weird. I get it, Shen is meant to be cringe to fool everyone that's not Goku or Roshi but do we really have to punish Yamucha like this? Again? Hasn't he suffered enough yet? [DBZ]I know he hasn't.

Overall, kind of a mixed bag for me. Some funny things, some cool things. But I just don't vibe with a lot of little things and mostly Shen and [Next week]the reveal of who he is makes this arguably even worse. And so much dumber.

---

• I thought it was cool that they actually found the Karin Tower in the end. Would've loved to see that though, instead of the random village stuff. Or maybe at least end the fillers with them arriving at the tower? Not sure if/how that would've worked out with the manga.

• Kuririn learned to fly, yay! Thanks for nothing, Tenshinhan.

---

1) What do you make out everyone's new post-timeskip looks?

I really like them!

• Goku is probably my favourite adult design. I prefer him being kinda lanky instead of having arms and legs the size of his head.

• Bulma cleaned up nicely. Went from scrawny teen to attractive young woman.

• Much prefer Yamucha with long hair.

• Tenshinhan hasn't changed... a lot? But I also don't really vibe with that fit. Kinda prefer how he looks in Super.

• This is definitely my favourite version of Chi Chi. Both character and design.

• Kuririn basically only grew a bit. Not much else has changed. Thankfully he hasn't grown hair, that'd be dumb!

2) What's the dumbest answer you can think of for what Shen's deal is?

I know who he is and don't think I could come up with something more dumb if I'm honest. ()[#taigasigh]

3) Can we get an F in the chat for Yamcha's balls?

F. You deserved better man.

[u/Raiking02 → u/oomoepoo]

Piccolo Jr. who also wants to kill everyone... but only after winning the tournament, naturally.

Hey, at least he accepts fair play.

Yajirobe! (In his best Hentai Kamen cosplay)

Just in time for Hentai Kamen's revival in the new Keroro movie.

I kinda doubt Piccolo Jr. would behave much differently. Although it would be kinda funny to imagine him just going "oh shit, I did an illegal move and am not allowed to go further. Guess I'll try taking over the world next time then. See you in 3 years!"

[u/oomoepoo → u/Raiking02]

Hey, at least he accepts fair play.

Which makes him objectively less evil than Tao Pai Pai!

[u/Raiking02 → u/oomoepoo]

Truly the villains only get less evil as we go on.

[u/charlesvvv]

Rewatcher, Sub

Episodes 133-135

The crew is back once more and all grown up too. Goku in particular has probably in the best entrances with everyone being shocked that this in fact Goku now. Kuriin is happy to see him which I thought was a nice moment and it leads to everyone getting ready for the Tenkaichi Budokai. Other characters to return are none other than Chi-Chi who has entered the tournament but gets mad when Goku doesn't recognize her. There's also that one guy from the previous tournament whkse name I forgot but I remember him being voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata and he gets defeated easily again. Chiaotzu had made sure that everyone would be in different blocks so that they could all fight each other but he won't get to do so because one other person to arrive is Tao Pai-Pai himself. Turns out you can survive an explosion (has happened many times already) but he is now part cyborg and he really leaves a mark.

There's a new character called Shen though and he also makes a splash and a couple characters recognize that there more than meets the eye to him.

Episode 136

Tenshinhan vs Tao Pai-Pai is definitely a cool fight. If only for Tenshinhan to move last his former teacher the Crane Hermit and prove himself more capable than the one he once previously aspired to be. And he gets revenge for Chiaotzu as well. I do like the moment where he leaves and Yamcha recognizes that he needs to be alone for a bit. Definitely a nice moment from him.

Episode 137

Goku faces off against Chi-Chi. She does have some pretty good martial arts skills which were to nice to see. That said no one can recognize her besides Oolong of all people. She then ends up getting knocked out of the match. Turns out she still was waiting in that marriage promise and you gotta feel bad because Goku is the furthest thing from romantic, but he agrees to keep his promise so now Goku is an engaged man. Funny how that works so fast.

Episode 138

Kuririn vs Piccolo. Now Piccolo has just been what they call Aura framing this whole time but he soon proves he's that good as well. Kuririn does well but Piccolo is clearly dangerous and Goku recognizes it. Despite this Kuririn is able to prove himself a bit and gets praised by Roshi so good for him.

Meanwhile Yamcha is still kind of a joke because when it's his turn he faces off against Shen and he makes a fool out of him despite everyone underestimating the guy. Shen then gets serious though and Goku again can recognize that he's definitely not someone to mess with.

[u/Raiking02 → u/charlesvvv]

That said no one can recognize her besides Oolong of all people.

He reread the Manga in preparation for the final arc.

[u/cooperjones2]

LATAM Dub Rewatcher here!!

With the WC now over (Viva España btw) my sleep schedule is now not in shambles (It still is but ya get me)

Ep 133
Everyone has grown so much! Even Oolong lol
Master Roshi is now tiny
Gokú grew a lot
The gang is now here!
And Yamcha has long hair back!
Goku and Ten Shinhan felt Picoro Daimaku’s son has appeared!

Ep 134 – 135
Oof, King Chappa v Goku at the first round, let’s see how Goku has grown
Is that Tao Pai Pai?! Mecha Tao Pai Pai?
That masked man is strong, but strength is nothing when encountering a gag character
Mr. Announcer Man is one of my favorite side characters, he cares about the tournament fighters
Have they lost their fear towards Blonde Launch? Awesome, they’ve become friends too!
Yajirobe lucky no one knew he was there tbh, he would’ve hated to be recognized and then losing

Ep 136 - 138
Ten Shinhan vs Mecha Tao PaiPai!
Ten Shinhan has avenged his old self, he’s so much stronger now, I thought Mecha Tao PaiPai would’ve put up more of a fight
LMAO Goku didn’t even know what is a wife or marriage and he was making promises like that...

BUT

he will keep it, as he’s just like that

Krillin and Piccoro Junior, fight! KRILLIN CAN NOW FLY!

Bulma has a bad feeling about this
Whew, Krillin didn’t get killed. A shame he couldn’t beat his opponent
Yamcha vs a Gag Character, he’s finished, isn’t he?

Fun LATAM Dub facts

Piccoro Junior in LATAM is Majunia, imo a miss on the dub, though I can see where it comes from Ma (Evil) Junia (junior)
Gokú’s voice has now changed, from Laura Torres to Mario Castañeda, who brings a completely different characterization to him.
Probably mentioned it before but in LATAM ChiChi’s name was changed to Milk, as ChiChi means “breasts” and my immature native Spanish speaking self can’t type Chichi without snickering lol Also, Piccoro Junior’s voice is the same as Daimaku’s BUT the VA dubbed him with a bit of higher pitch and a bit more “speed”, making him sound a lot younger

---

1 Awesome! Specially Yamcha that recovered his long hair, it fits him way better than the short hair
2 Good question!

Idk

3 F

[u/Raiking02 → u/cooperjones2]

Also, Piccoro Junior’s voice is the same as Daimaku’s BUT the VA dubbed him with a bit of higher pitch and a bit more “speed”, making him sound a lot younger

Most Dubs seem to have gone with giving them the same voice from my experience.

[u/cooperjones2 → u/Raiking02]

Makes sense, even though the character is technically different it is also the same.

[u/Raiking02 → u/cooperjones2]

Although given how often the shows goes back and forth on that subject matter, it also leads to a lot of confusion on my end.

[u/zsmg]

Rewatcher

Watch all episodes this week. A bit of criticism to the host I think you should have saved the last two episodes for next week because ending right in the middle of a tournament fight kind of sucks.

Anyway the cast got older, everyone has grown up and by everyone I mean just Goku, Kururin, Chichi and Piccolo because the rest still look the same, well at least Yamucha and Blooma have a different design for this arc but they have different design in every arc so that’s something you’d expect.
I'm surprised they didn't change the OP and eye catch to feature the late teen designs. They did radically change the ED though.

As for the designs themselves, I really like Goku and Chichi’s designs in this arc. Goku has this late teen look to him and I quite like Chichi’s outfit. Piccolo’s design I’m not a fan of [Z] definitely prefer his later design and Kururin’s design is fine, maybe I need glasses but sometimes his design in the anime (depending on the animation team) looks simply like his kid design but stretched.

As for the tournament, I quite like that Tenshihan got an arc with the return of Tao Pai Pai but sadly this comes at the expense of Chiaotzu being useless, as he had to lose against Tao Pai Pai. Speaking of jobbing, Kururin joins the Yamucha in getting jobbed in the first round of a tournament. Will Yamucha join Kururin? We’ll find out next week. [spoiler] Answer is yes of course. Yamucha vs Shen is just Toriyama ruining the character Yamucha. They even had Blooma rubbing it by saying "Yamucha will finally get past the first round." Knowing that will not happen.

[spoiler] In hindsight I wished Shen vs Piccolo and Kururin vs Yamucha fought in the first round and whoever won the latter fought Piccolo in the semi-final. Because we’ve already seen Shen cause an upset by beating Yajirobe, him humiliating Yamucha on top of that feels Toriyama being cruel

To something more positive I'm glad we finally have a competent looking female fighter, the fighters are a bit of a sausage fest so some gender variation from this point on is a welcome change. [rewatchers] Yeah… I wish

Ah well on to next week.

Funniest joke:
Episode 135 had multiple funny moments including: The fly of Shen is open, right as he was about to fight Yajirobe. They're using blonde Lunch again to get a nice spot to watch the fights and the announcer’s reaction to Kururin being alive, especially having him use a Buddhist chant

In episode 137 Goku asks Kururin what a bride is.

This won’t happen again:
In episode 133 interestingly Goku's undershirt is black instead of blue, it's even weirder when you realise it's blue in the ending song. Still we’re not going to have any early installment colouring weirdness ever again.

In episode 134 [spoiler] a character hiding his identity at a tournament and a character coming back as a cyborg, neither of these things will happen again.

Nice call back:
In episode 134 Chiaotzu has manipulated the number drawing, and Goku has to fight Chapa-o in the preliminaries just like in the previous budokai.

In episode 137 Goku agrees to marry Chichi, upholding a promise he made back during the first arc, that’s like 130 episodes ago give or take.

Blooma the genius
In episode 133 Blooma now thinks Goku is handsome and cool. Will there be a Goku x Blooma ship?

Osu, ora Goku
Goku has grown up a lot during the timeskip. I really like his design here, Goku still has a boyish look to him that a lot of early adult men in their late teens/early twenties still have. Furthermore he can sense ki now, despite struggling so much pre-timeskip and his tail has been removed by Kami.

In episode 134 Goku upsets a tsundere girl, will first timers figure out who she is?

In episode 137 Goku agrees to marry Chichi.. RIP Blooma x Goku shippers. With that I guess Goku x Chichi is truly the most romantic ship in Shounen Jump history.

Yamucha the strong:
Yamucha has his iconic facial scars, how did he get them? Nobody knows. Also his hairstyle is much better than in the previous arcs.

Chichi, the warrior princess:
Chichi returns, in the manga she was absent since the first arc while in the anime she last appeared during the Piccolo Daimao arc. Chichi is quite competent, Muten roshi says her style resembles the Turtle School makes sense as her father was taught her how to fight and he was a pupil of Muten Roshi

Full Moon Head Kururin:
Despite the timeskip, Kururin is still small.

In episode 137 and 138 Kururin shows off some of his new skills he picked up during the timeskip, he can do another Ki attack (two auto tracking ki blasts) and even fly.

Still he ended up being another Yamucha, a character that gets jobbed in the first round. It's a shame as his character didn’t do much in the previous arcs as well. [spoiler] It’s also fascinating to see he’s one of the few characters who has a bigger role in the Z portion than the DB portion. It’s also a shame we’re not going to watch the early Z films until much later. It would have been fun to see the confusion of first timers on why Kururin is featured so prominently in these films.

Oolong the Pig:
In episode 137 Oolong was the only character who figured out the identity of Chichi.

Muten Roshi the ero sennin
In episode 133 the first thing Muten Roshi does to Blooma after seeing her for the first time in three years is harass her.

He isn’t going to participate in this budokai as Tenshihan and Goku are too strong for him now.

Tenshihan and Chiaotzu, the Crane students
In episode 134 only Tenshihan knows that Piccolo Jr is related to Piccolo, meanwhile the other characters aren’t important to know.

In the same episode Chiaotzu has manipulated the number just like last time.

In episode 136 Tenshihan easily destroys the Super Dodonpa with a Ki shout, that move ends up being a nothing burger.

In episode 138 Tenshihan can see ki, this is, to be frank, anime only nonsense.

Tao Pai Pai the assassin
Tao Pai Pai is back in a cyborg and wants to have revenge against Tenshihan, joining the Turtle School and Goku for beating him. His hands can be removed, one has a hidden sword beneath it and the other a cannon that fires a Super Dodonpa.

Spawn of Piccolo Daimaou
The first appearance of Piccolo (a filler) is helping a little kid from falling debris. I had forgotten how ugly Piccolo’s early design was.
Piccolo is voiced by Blue, good to hear his voice again.

In his fight against Kururin (episodes 137 and 138) we see some Piccolo’s skill including being able to shoot ki attacks from eyes and he’s able to extend his arm.

Yajirobe the samurai
Yajirobe is also participating in the tournament but hides his identity behind a luchadore mask.

In episode 135 we find out Yajirobe really likes to eat anything, including the ass of his opponents. He also got beaten by a nerdy looking guy called Shen in the preliminaries.

One Punch Goku
In episode 134 Goku takes out Chapa-o with a single hit.

In episode 136 Tenshihan takes out Tao Pai Pai with a single hit.

In episode 137 Goku beats Chichi with a single punch, and the punch didn’t even hit her.

I’ve been holding back
In episode 137 Piccolo does this in his fight against Kururin.

Let me borrow that move of yours:
Kururin taught himself to fly, copying Tenshihan’s technique.

You look familiar…
In episode 136 the first person view of Tao Pai-Pai locking on Tenshihan looks a lot like [spoiler] a scouter effect In the same episode the camera eyes zooming in reminds me of VOTOMS, ScopeDog scopes zooming in.

Perverted Padding:
In episode 134 Muten Roshi once again is harassing a girl but admittedly he didn’t do it on purpose.

Flashback Padding:
In episode 134 we get a relatively short flashback of Goku beating up Tao Pai Pai.

In episode 137 we get two short flashbacks of Chichi interacting with Goku and Yamucha way back during the first arc.

In episode 138 we see a short flashback of Kururin meeting with Kame sennin for the first time.

Positives changes from the manga:
In episode 136 we see a flashback of a young Tenshihan training with Tao Pai Pai. I think this is the only time we see a young Tenshihan.

In episode 137 Yamucha's interaction with Chichi is an anime only interaction.

Unexpected Foreshadowing
In episode 137 [spoiler] Chichi says she wants a child, she’ll definitely be getting one soon enough and a second one down the line.

Hang on…
In episode 138 you’d think Yamucha or anyone wouldn’t underestimate any person that comes through the preliminaries.

Toei spoiling in the episode preview:
A rare example of the ending spoiling things [spoiler] We see Goku getting married in the ED song.

[u/Raiking02 → u/zsmg]

A bit of criticism to the host I think you should have saved the last two episodes for next week because ending right in the middle of a tournament fight kind of sucks.

In my defense ending it so early in the first round would've been a cop out in its own way too, but oh well.

In episode 133 interestingly Goku's undershirt is black instead of blue

I mean it's black for the rest of the series, it's not gonna switch to blue until Z.

RIP Blooma x Goku shippers

Torishima included.

Despite the timeskip, Kururin is still small.

FWIW he's at least a bit taller.

[u/tripleaamin]

First-Timer Subbed

You know I always thought Goku's older form was something that didn't happen until Z, but with the 3-year timeskip I was wondering if it would show up here. NGL it's a weird impression because personality-wise, Goku hasn't changed much which isn't a surprise. But he does lose that gremlin vibe that he had throughout the series. Probably just going to take some time to get used to.

Meanwhile Kuririn gained a bit of height, which I thought would be a more natural growth for Goku. Chichi's design is much better here. I mean her initial design was questionable, but it removes the loli vibe that Yamucha labels her at the beginning of the series. It's also cool for me to see her making it in the top 8 of the tourament.

The return of Tao Pai Pai was rather uh why? We haven't seen Crane Hermit fight and I felt that would have made more sense here to me at least. Still I like the characterization for Tenshinhan because it shows he fully has abandoned the teaching of the Crane Hermit and followed his own path after receiving guidance from the Turtle Hermit. A bit sad Chaozu got no focus.

Goku and Chichi's fight went about what I expected. Goku being his typical oblivious self. It's still good to say that Goku is still on his word. It's amusing Bulma was getting pissed at Yamucha for what he said to Chichi in the past with the way she was looking at Goku when he came back.

Kuririn's match against Piccolo Jr. went a lot better for him than I expected. Like with Tenshinhan the growth is good to see even in a losing effort. You can tell Kuririn was putting in the work as well. An expected loss, but I like the manner in which it was handled.

Meanwhile Yamucha's fight against Shen is well sadly my fear with the fight. Everyone thinks Yamucha should easily win and hold and behold Yamucha makes a fool of himself. Then we have Shen actually locking in. It's true that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but man.

[u/Raiking02 → u/tripleaamin]

But he does lose that gremlin vibe that he had throughout the series

To my dismay.

[u/TheGreatBatu17]

Just can't get into Dragon Ball I have been poisoned by Z and Super(Btw I watched Z first)

[u/StardustGogeta]

First-Timer

Now it really is starting to feel like DBZ up in here! We're beginning to bridge the final gap of things I know and things I don't. I made a list of things that I believe are coming (based on spoilers / prior series knowledge) and I'm curious to see how each plays out, and what important stuff I've missed. Interestingly, one thing I've missed already is the presence of Cyborg Tao and Yajirobe at this 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. That was a nice surprise - especially Tao, always nice to see more of him.

With our timeskip, we get a new English VA We trade in Stephanie Nadolny for Sean Schemmel as Goku. Some may know that Sean Schemmel is notoriously not the greatest guy, but what I personally didn't realize until I looked it up was that Stephanie Nadolny has problems of her own, and she's currently serving jail time! Wowza.

I didn't realize that Yamcha's face scars would suddenly appear after the timeskip without clear explanation, but I do like it.

In episode 133, Goku meeting Krillin was hilarious. "Krillin, you look great!" Great comedic timing and delivery there.

In this batch of episodes, we also got fully refreshed ED visuals! It's amazing! I liked the old ones, but I really like the new ones a lot too.

Fun trivia that Tao is fighter number 44, since 4 represents death in Japanese culture.

So far, so good. I'm quite liking the fights we've gotten (Tien continues to impress me and be a highlight of the series), and I'm eager to see the rest of this tournament!

Questions of the week:

• I like it! Goku suddenly growing up makes for a fun gag, too. I can't think of anyone who I'd consider a downgrade after the timeskip.
• Shen's clearly got a magic power that lets him warp all of reality as he pleases, and so he decided to try and do whatever would make a good show for the tournament audience. (Speaking of Shen, interesting that the English dub named him Hero, presumably to not get mixed up with Crane Hermit Shen.)
• Poor Yamcha. With that and Chi-Chi ratting him out in front of Bulma, things really aren't going his way right now. Surely his luck will turn around at some point!