Episode 141 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on January 18, 1989 and known in the English dub as The Four Faces of Tien, settles the semifinal between Goku and Tien at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. To keep up with a Goku freed from his weights, Tien plays the flashiest card in his deck and multiplies into four bodies, twelve eyes trained on his opponent. But Goku has learned to see beyond sight.
Summary
Tien gathers his energy, his body flares up like a flame, and suddenly there are two Tiens, then four: the Multi-Form, or Shishin no Ken. The crowd cannot believe it. In the anime the four pile onto Goku straight away, and he finds himself fighting four against one until he hits the floor. When he breaks free with a burst of speed and kicks them all at once, the Tiens take up positions at the four corners of the ring and hit him with a simultaneous energy attack. A crater opens in the middle of the arena.
But Goku is not there: he has leapt high into the air. Knowing he cannot dodge up there, the four fire beams from their third eyes, and Goku crashes back onto the ring head first. He looks out cold, yet he gets up as if nothing happened, leaving Master Roshi marveling at his toughness. In fact, Goku announces that he has spotted two weaknesses in the technique. At ringside, Piccolo Jr. mutters that he has found a weakness of his own: Goku's.
The four Tiens repeat the attack to prove him wrong, but Goku answers with the Solar Flare. The first flaw is Tien's eyesight itself: the more eyes you have, the more eyes can be blinded. While his opponents stumble around, Goku calls out their positions without looking, showing that he can sense their energy. Then he explains the second flaw: by splitting into four, Tien has also split his strength four ways. Point proven, he plows through them one after another and knocks all four out of the ring.
Goku is the first finalist. Tien accepts defeat without complaint and admits that his pride and overconfidence did him in. Now the only question is who will be waiting for Goku in the final: Piccolo Jr. or the mysterious Shen.
Our take
The Multi-Form is one of the most striking techniques of the original series, and the way Goku dismantles it is pure Akira Toriyama: no brute force, just observation. Every advantage of the technique turns into a liability, and the logic reaches the viewer with total clarity.
There is a nice irony in the choice of the Solar Flare, too, a move long associated with Tien himself. Goku beats his friend with his own weapons and walks him through it step by step, almost like a master with a student. It is the clearest measure of how much his training with Kami has changed him.
Piccolo Jr.'s remark about Goku's weakness, finally, casts a shadow over the final. While the crowd celebrates, the real opponent is taking notes.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 178 from page 4 and chapter 179 of the manga. It drew a 17.4% ratings share in Japan.
- The manga has no hand-to-hand fight between Goku and the four Tiens: as soon as he splits, Tien moves straight to the corners of the ring.
- In the Funimation dub the narrator promises Goku against Piccolo Jr. "next time", but the following episode is actually Piccolo Jr.'s semifinal against Shen.
Did you know? Goku had reached the final at both previous tournaments and lost both times: at the 21st to Jackie Chun, Master Roshi in disguise, and at the 22nd to Tien himself. Beating his friend in the semifinal is already a measure of revenge.