Episode 144 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on February 8, 1989 and known in the English dub as Super Kamehameha, is where the final of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament really catches fire. Goku and Piccolo Jr. stop feeling each other out and go all in, but Goku is fighting with one hand tied behind his back: landing a killing blow on the demon would also kill Kami. Then Krillin finds a way out, and Goku unleashes the Super Kamehameha for the first time.
Summary
The announcer counts, but Piccolo is not fooled: in the original Japanese he knows perfectly well that Goku is faking and tells him to get up. Goku climbs out of the crater with a grin, barely scratched, and simply pulls off the shredded top of his gi. The two pause, gather their energy, and the air around the ring crackles with sparks. Then they slam into each other.
The exchange is lightning fast. Piccolo fires beams from his eyes, stretches his arms to shove Goku out of the ring, catches him off guard and hurls him into a wall; Goku answers by vanishing and reappearing behind him with a crushing blow. Furious that he cannot pull ahead, Piccolo Jr. rises into the sky and prepares a blast big enough to wipe out the whole arena, spectators included. Goku sees the danger and leaps up to draw the attack onto himself: the wave shoots past him and slams into the mountains on the horizon, erasing several peaks.
Now it is Goku's turn. He announces a Super Kamehameha, but Master Roshi stops him: killing Piccolo Jr. would also kill Kami, still trapped inside him. Goku hesitates, and Piccolo pounces on it. Mocking Goku's soft heart, the demon charges another blast aimed at the crowd, and panic breaks out in the stands. It is Krillin who breaks the deadlock: if Kami dies, they can bring him back with the Dragon Balls, just as they did for Krillin himself. Goku needs no further encouragement and fires the Super Kamehameha, which overwhelms Piccolo's wave, a good chunk of the arena and the demon himself.
Our take
After two episodes of setup this is pure combat, and Daisuke Nishio's direction treats it accordingly: pauses charged with electricity, sudden bursts of speed, blows that move mountains. The deflected wave flattening peaks on the horizon nicely conveys how far the scale has jumped since earlier tournaments. These fighters are now a threat to the landscape.
The real engine of the episode, though, is moral. Goku could win, but not at that price, and Piccolo exploits his hesitation with pure cynicism by targeting innocent bystanders. Krillin's solution is logical and liberating, even if attentive viewers may feel a chill: the link between the Dragon Balls and Kami will surface later and change the stakes considerably.
The Super Kamehameha itself is a symbolic moment. Master Roshi's signature move, learned when Goku was a small boy, becomes something that belongs to Goku alone.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 183 from page 12, chapter 184 and the first thirteen pages of chapter 185 of Akira Toriyama's manga. It drew an 18.1% ratings share in Japan.
- It was written by Toshiki Inoue and directed by Daisuke Nishio, with Masayuki Uchiyama as animation supervisor.
- Anime-only additions include Roshi's and Chi-Chi's comments when Goku gets up, the sparks surrounding both fighters before they clash, the stretching-arms sequence right after the eye beams, and the crowd panicking during Piccolo's final charge.
- The dubs differ on Launch's reaction. In Japanese she curses Piccolo but grudgingly admits he has style, to the discomfort of Bulma, Oolong and Puar; the Funimation dub instead has her mock him as secretly afraid of Goku.
Did you know? Krillin's reasoning rests on a false premise: the Dragon Balls are Kami's creation, and if he died they would turn into ordinary stones. Nobody watching knows that yet.