Episode 146 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on February 22, 1989 and known in the English dub as Goku's Trap, reveals that Goku's innocent remark about giants was bait all along. The moment Piccolo Jr. reaches colossal size, Goku slips into his mouth and rescues Kami from the bottle. From there the final of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament becomes a straight duel again, and Goku shows that he has now surpassed even the guardian of the Earth.
Summary
Piccolo Jr. is as tall as a mountain, which is exactly what Goku was waiting for. With a single leap he dives into the demon's mouth, pummels his way down the throat and retrieves the bottle swallowed two episodes earlier. A stunned Piccolo spits him out, but it is too late: Goku tosses the bottle to Tien, who opens it and frees Kami. Realizing he has been played, Piccolo shrinks back to his normal size.
The duel resumes at a speed even Kami struggles to follow. The two trade blows in the air; to stop himself falling, Goku fires a Kamehameha from his feet and drives his opponent toward the ground, but Piccolo zaps him with a jolt from his antennae and knocks him down. When Piccolo Jr. is about to land a decisive punch, Kami steps in to block it and suggests they fight together. Goku flatly refuses: this is still the tournament final, and he wants to win it alone. He even lets Piccolo take the punch again. Watching him, Kami realizes Goku has surpassed him and leaves the ring.
Piccolo then fires an energy shot that chases its target wherever it goes. Goku dodges it again and again, then cleverly leads it straight back to its creator: Piccolo Jr., too startled to move, takes the hit and is wounded in the arm. As everyone looks on in disbelief, he tears off the damaged limb and grows a new one. Then, beside himself with rage, he starts gathering every ounce of his energy for a final attack, and Goku shouts to his friends to get away.
Our take
The title says it all: this is the episode of cunning. Goku is no longer the kid who won on strength and instinct alone, but a fighter who reads his opponent and exploits his arrogance. The giant gambit and the returned homing shot spring from the same idea: turning Piccolo's power against him.
The most meaningful scene, though, is Goku refusing Kami's help. It would be the safest option, but he rejects it on principle and out of pride: this fight is his. Kami's quiet realization that the boy has outgrown him is an unspoken passing of the torch, and it neatly caps the journey of growth that began three years earlier.
The arm regeneration, finally, is a genuinely unsettling moment that introduces an ability destined to become a trademark of Piccolo and his people.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 187 from page 11 plus chapters 188 and 189 of Akira Toriyama's manga. It drew an 18.1% ratings share in Japan.
- It was written by Keiji Terui and directed by Minoru Okazaki, with Minoru Maeda as animation supervisor.
- Goku punching the walls of Piccolo's throat is an anime addition.
- A couple of animation slips: after Piccolo mocks Yamcha, Krillin's ears briefly double in size, and Tien's scar looks twice as long right after the middle sequence.
- In the Funimation dub, Kami muses that Goku seems to get stronger every time he fights, an early nod to what would later become a defining Saiyan trait.
Did you know? When Piccolo Jr. is wounded in the arm, his blood is red. Only later, in Dragon Ball Z, does purple blood become a distinctive Namekian trait.
Characters
- Goku
- Piccolo (Ma Junior)
- Tien Shinhan
- Krillin
- Kami
- Yamcha, Master Roshi, Chi-Chi