Episode 101 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on February 17, 1988 and known in the English dub as The Fallen, closes the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament Saga with a double ending. First comes the wild conclusion of the Goku vs. Tien Shinhan final, decided by a split second; then, just when it seems time to celebrate, a twist that changes the tone of the series: Krillin is murdered. It is the gateway to the King Piccolo Saga.
Summary
The ring no longer exists, and everyone is looking for Goku. They find him high in the sky: he dodged the Tri-Beam by jumping at the very last moment. Tien flies up to him and explains that he never meant to hit him, only to knock him out of the ring. Now it's simple: Tien can fly, Goku can't, and whoever touches the ground first loses.
Goku doesn't give up. He fires a Kamehameha behind him, uses it as a thruster and hurls himself at Tien, headbutting him in the stomach. The two plummet together, both drained. Goku seems set to win, but on the way down he clips a car and touches the ground an instant before his opponent. The announcer declares Tien the winner.
The crowd floods to the landing spot and lifts both fighters onto their shoulders. Roshi telepathically points out to Tien the difference between being feared and being cheered; the two finalists shake hands and Yamcha starts the applause. Later Tien offers Goku half the prize money, convinced that Goku is the real winner, but Goku turns it down: he wouldn't know what to spend it on. Tien apologizes to Yamcha for breaking his leg, then, with Chiaotzu, politely declines Roshi's invitation to join him, and treats everyone to dinner.
Before they eat, Goku realizes he left his Power Pole and his grandfather's Four-Star Ball at the arena. Krillin offers to go get them. For a moment Goku holds him back with a strange sense of unease, then lets him go. At the table he can't touch his food: he waits for his friend, until he has a vision of Krillin screaming. He races to the arena and finds him dead. Beside him lies the announcer, injured: a monster killed Krillin and stole the Dragon Ball and the list of tournament entrants.
Our take
The final ends on a brilliant idea: after all that power, the title is decided by a car. It is an almost comic epilogue, and it works precisely because neither fighter really loses. Tien wins the tournament, Goku wins his opponent's respect, and the handshake in front of the crowd seals the start of a friendship.
Then the blow lands. Krillin's death is one of the most shocking moments of the original series, because it comes without warning, in the middle of a celebration. The anime builds it patiently, with Goku's foreboding and the dinner nobody touches, and it changes the register of Dragon Ball for good: from here on, lives are at stake. The next episode reveals that King Piccolo is behind the murder.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 133 from page eight and chapter 134 of the manga. It drew a 19.1% ratings share in Japan.
- In the manga the group is still at the tournament grounds when they hear Krillin scream; the dinner, Goku's foreboding and his vision are anime additions.
- The crowd carrying the finalists in triumph and the handshake aren't in the manga either.
- It is the first time the series shows one of its main characters dead. Krillin will die again later on.
Did you know? In Funimation's breakdown, this episode closes the "Tien Shinhan Saga": eighteen episodes, from 84 to 101.
Characters
- Goku
- Tien Shinhan
- Krillin
- Master Roshi
- Yamcha
- Chiaotzu