Episode 44 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on Christmas Eve 1986 and known in the English dub as Master Thief, Hasky, is a reunion. At Capsule Corporation Goku finally finds Bulma, meets her parents and, out in West City, sees Yamcha, Puar and Oolong again. The Japanese title, though, promises "tons of danger": the Red Ribbon Army has hired a professional to steal his Dragon Balls.
Summary
Bulma is not home: she is at school. She comes back soon after, having skipped class, and takes Goku and the officer to the garden, where her father, the president of Capsule Corporation, is. The scientist offers to fix the officer's motorbike, while Bulma takes Goku to her room to repair the radar. It does not take her long. She also notices that Goku has already found two Dragon Balls, and her mind starts working.
Bulma's mother brings drinks, and Goku learns that things between Bulma and Yamcha are rocky: the young man is surrounded by admirers, and she is jealous. To get back at him, Bulma decides to travel with Goku. There is one obstacle: she cannot ride the Flying Nimbus, which only carries the pure of heart. The answer is her latest invention, the Micro Band, a watch that shrinks her small enough to fit in a pocket. She demonstrates it, and her mother, walking in, nearly steps on her.
At Red Ribbon headquarters, meanwhile, there is a change of strategy. Since soldiers are not enough, command hires Hasky, a professional thief, to steal Goku's two balls. Helping her are the two crooks Goku flattened in an alley the day before.
Tiny Bulma rides inside Goku's shirt for a tour of the city. In the shopping district they run into Yamcha, Puar and Oolong, and Yamcha, unable to see her, makes some unflattering remarks about her. Bulma pops out and tears into him. Half reconciled, the group decides to visit the new amusement park that has just opened on top of a skyscraper. Goku senses someone watching them but pays it no mind. It is Hasky, ready to make her move.
Our take
After the long solo adventure it is a pleasure to see the gang back together, and the episode takes its time. The focus is Bulma, back with her whole personality: spoiled, impulsive, jealous and brilliant. The Micro Band is a typical Toriyama invention, absurd and very useful at once, and it neatly solves the problem of the cloud that will not carry her.
The rift with Yamcha is the start of an on-and-off relationship that will last years. Here it is played for comedy, but it lays the groundwork for one of the series' most debated couples, and Bulma's jab about finding a better boyfriend sounds almost prophetic today.
The Hasky material is all anime. The thief hired by the Red Ribbon Army is a functional addition, giving an antagonist to a manga chapter that otherwise has almost no action. The real joy of the episode, though, lies in the details: Capsule Corporation is full of animals, robots and hidden references.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 69 of Akira Toriyama's manga, with additions, and drew a 25.5% ratings share in Japan.
- Several cameos appear around Capsule Corporation: a Tori-Bot, the little robot Toriyama used as his self-portrait, and Akai Tomato, heroine of one of his short stories.
- The Blue Water dub went with a different title altogether: Commander Red Fights Back!
Did you know? In the Japanese version the drinks Bulma's mother offers Goku are alcoholic; the Funimation dub avoided mentioning it, and the Blue Water dub turned them into orange juice.