Episode 148 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on March 8, 1989 and known in the English dub as The Victor, settles the final of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament and, with it, the part of the series drawn from the manga. With his arms and legs out of action, Goku finds one last trick to beat Piccolo Jr. The Japanese title says it all: "I did it! The strongest man on Earth."
Summary
The final looks decided. Piccolo Jr. has wrecked both of Goku's arms and his legs, and the boy, weak from blood loss, can barely twitch. The demon rises into the air above the ring, just as his father did in the previous battle, to finish him off. Kami realizes time is running out and begs Tien Shinhan to kill him, since his death would take Piccolo down too. Goku shouts at him to stop: he still believes he can win without anyone having to die.
Piccolo Jr. fires a devastating energy blast. When the smoke clears there is no trace of Goku, Chi-Chi breaks down in tears, and the demon, certain of victory, starts threatening everyone present. But Goku was not vaporized. At the last moment he escaped the blast by flying, and now he hurls himself at the exhausted Piccolo, slamming into him with his whole body. Piccolo Jr. drops outside the ring, and the announcer declares the winner: Goku is the champion of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.
His friends rush over. Yajirobe, who had been hiding, produces the Senzu Beans and Goku is back on his feet in an instant. Kami approaches the fallen demon to finish him, even if it means dying himself, but Goku stops him: without Kami the Dragon Balls would vanish. Then he does something that leaves everyone speechless. He gives Piccolo a Senzu Bean too. Healed, the demon scorns him for being soft, swears he will have his revenge and flies off.
Chiaotzu arrives to reunite with Tien, while Chi-Chi throws her arms around Goku in front of everybody, much to his embarrassment. Finally Kami offers the boy his post as Earth's guardian. Goku says no without a second thought, calls the Flying Nimbus and takes off with his bride-to-be.
Our take
This is the last episode adapted from the manga, and it shows. Takao Koyama's script and Osamu Kasai's direction add nothing superfluous: the whole finale rests on the image of a Goku who cannot lift a finger and wins anyway, with an idea rather than brute strength. The decisive blow is almost comic, a full-body dive, and that is exactly why it works. Dragon Ball has never rewarded only the strongest fighter, but the most stubborn one.
The Senzu given to Piccolo is the scene that lingers. His friends think he has lost his mind; for Goku it is simple logic, because if the demon dies, Kami dies, and without Kami there are no Dragon Balls. But there is something else too, the thrill of keeping an opponent worthy of him. That gesture plants the seeds of one of the saga's finest relationships, one that Dragon Ball Z will turn from sworn enmity into alliance.
Turning down Kami's job, finally, is pure Goku. He is offered the role of the planet's protector and would rather fly away with Chi-Chi to eat and train.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 192 from page 7, plus chapters 193 and 194 of Akira Toriyama's manga. It drew a 19.0% ratings share in Japan.
- Written by Takao Koyama, directed by Osamu Kasai, with animation direction by Katsumi Aoshima.
- It is the last episode of the original series based on the manga: the five that follow, 149 to 153, form an anime-original story.
- In the manga, Master Roshi addresses the readers directly to tell them the story is not over yet; the anime handles the moment more quietly.
Did you know? In the English dub, when Yamcha sarcastically suggests that Goku and Piccolo might as well become best friends, he is closer to the truth than he knows: the two will be forced to team up in the very first arc of the sequel.
Characters
- Goku
- Piccolo (Piccolo Jr.)
- Kami
- Chi-Chi
- Tien Shinhan
- Krillin
- Yamcha
- Master Roshi
- Yajirobe
- Chiaotzu