Episode 135 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on November 23, 1988 and known in the English dub as Battle of the Eight, wraps up the preliminaries of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament and sets the quarterfinal bracket. The last spot comes down to a stout masked man and a clumsy-looking little fellow named Shen, and the outcome surprises everyone. Then the draw pits Tien straight away against Mercenary Tao, the brother of his old master.
Summary
Stretchers keep coming and going: plenty of competitors leave their bouts with Tao and Ma Junior in bad shape. Chiaotzu is loaded into an ambulance, and Bulma and Launch go with him to the hospital. Meanwhile Goku, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, the mysterious girl, Ma Junior and the cyborg assassin all win their blocks.
The final qualifying match pits the masked man against Shen, an odd character who nearly misses his own fight because the staff, after his trip to the bathroom, refuse to believe he is a contestant. In the ring Shen stumbles, swings at thin air and seems to have no idea how to fight. The masked man has the upper hand, until Shen spins around and his head catches his opponent's jaw, knocking him out cold. Under the mask is Yajirobe, the friend Goku met at Korin Tower, who slinks away in embarrassment, but with a nagging feeling: that little man is far stronger than he looks.
The eight finalists line up in front of the announcer, who turns pale at the sight of Krillin. He watched him die three years ago, and Krillin has to explain that he was brought back to life. The draw sets the matchups: Tao against Tien, Goku against the girl entered as "Anonymous", Krillin against Ma Junior and Shen against Yamcha.
The boys join Master Roshi and tell him about the assassin's return. Everyone is worried about Tien except Goku, who is sure his friend is stronger. The Crane Hermit shows up and urges Roshi to pull his students out; Roshi replies that they wear his uniform out of respect, but they are free fighters. As they settle into the front row, Goku and the others discover that they all trained with Korin and know about Senzu Beans, and that after those lessons each went his own way. Yajirobe, whom Krillin had invited, has not actually left and is watching Goku from a distance. In the ring, Tao promises Tien he will not kill him, only hurt him, and the match begins.
Our take
The episode belongs to Shen. His bout with Yajirobe is a little comedy of errors: viewers laugh at his clumsiness, yet the direction hints that there is more to him, and Yajirobe's hunch closes the loop. Anyone who knows the story is aware that Kami is inside that body, having come down in disguise to keep an eye on Ma Junior. Watched with that in mind, the fight is even funnier.
The draw, meanwhile, is built like a promise. Krillin against Ma Junior is the most ominous pairing, Goku against the mysterious girl the most intriguing, and Tien against Tao the most loaded with grudges. Tien's past at the Crane School comes back to haunt him just as he has chosen which side he is on.
The brief exchange between Master Roshi and the Crane Hermit is a nice touch too: two old rivals sparring with words while their students speak for them in the ring.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 168 from page 4 and the first ten pages of chapter 169 of Akira Toriyama's manga. It drew a 17.8% ratings share in Japan.
- It was written by Keiji Terui and directed by Mitsuo Hashimoto, with Mitsuo Shindō as animation supervisor.
- Chiaotzu being taken away by ambulance with Bulma and Launch, and the staff member who tries to keep Shen out of the hall, are anime-only.
- The announcer talks about the semifinals, but the eight qualifiers are actually heading into the quarterfinals.
Did you know? In the Funimation dub, Shen goes by the name Hero, which is why the dub's version of the bracket reads Yamcha against Hero.
Characters
- Goku
- Tien Shinhan
- Krillin
- Yamcha
- Master Roshi
- Shen
- Yajirobe
- Mercenary Tao
- The Crane Hermit
- Ma Junior (Piccolo Jr.)
- The mysterious girl