In episode 10 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on April 30, 1986, Emperor Pilaf finally makes his move. With a carefully planned ambush, his henchmen steal Bulma's case holding six Dragon Balls, and the hunt turns into a raid on the little blue tyrant's castle, full of traps and doors that slam shut behind you.
Summary
As Oolong drives toward the last ball, Bulma reveals her wish: the perfect boyfriend. Oolong thinks it is ridiculous and the two bicker, unaware of a vulture-shaped robot circling overhead. Back at the castle, Pilaf threatens to drop Mai into a cage of alligators unless she finishes her radar right now. She manages it, and the spy robot returns with intel on Goku's group.
Shu strikes in a battle robot, blows up the car and runs off with Bulma's case, which holds the Dragon Balls. Goku chases him on the Flying Nimbus but only finds the abandoned robot: Shu and Mai have already flown off in a plane. Convinced he has beaten the thief, Goku lectures the empty robot and tips it over with a poke.
Bulma is in despair until she realizes Goku still has the Four-Star Ball, his grandfather's keepsake. Without it, Pilaf cannot make his wish to rule the world. The catch is that her capsules were in the case too, so the group is stranded. Yamcha and Puar decide to step in and "happen" to offer a ride. Bulma jumps into the car and flirts with Yamcha, who nearly drives off the road from embarrassment.
At the castle, Pilaf celebrates, then discovers he only has six balls. His radar, though, shows the seventh heading straight for him; Pilaf realizes his enemies must have a radar too and prepares a welcome. Goku and the others enter the dark building: bats, a spider that turns out to be a camera, and a trap of pillars shooting out of the walls, from which Yamcha rescues Bulma. Following a trail of arrows, they reach a dead end, and a wall drops behind them, sealing them in.
Our take
The episode wraps up a long chase that began with Pilaf's first appearance and brings every character to the same place. It moves like a small heist movie: ambush, getaway, pursuit, and finally the break-in at the villain's lair. The castle's tricks belong more to a haunted house than a fortress, and that is the charm. Pilaf is a cartoon villain, vain and childish, and his traps match him.
The best material is at the castle. The gags between Pilaf, Mai and Shu, from the alligators to the miscounted Dragon Balls, show a trio the franchise would keep bringing back for decades. On the heroes' side, the car ride with Yamcha builds his relationship with Bulma in a light way, paying off at the end of the saga.
Goku stays a bit in the background, but the empty robot scene sums up his naivety: he thinks he has won and comes back pleased with himself, without the balls. It is the kind of simple comedy that still works today.
The episode also reshuffles the alliances. Yamcha, who wanted to rob the group not long ago, ends up as their driver and saves Bulma from the castle's pillars. His goal has not changed, since he still wants the dragon to cure his fear of girls, but the line between rival and travel companion keeps getting thinner.
Trivia
- In the manga, Pilaf, Mai and Shu make their debut in chapter 18, the very chapter adapted here; the anime had introduced them as early as episode 1.
- Together with episode 11, it is the only one of episodes 8 to 13 adapted from a single manga chapter.
- The Japanese title shortens "Dragon Ball" to "D.B.", though it is still read in full.