Episode 47 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on January 21, 1987 and known in the English dub as Kame House – Found!, brings Goku back to Kame House, where it all began. To reach the Dragon Ball on the seabed he needs Master Roshi's submarine, and the old hermit, naturally, wants something in return. Meanwhile General Blue tracks Goku's movements and discovers the island, convinced it is the enemy's secret base.
Summary
Goku and Bulma land at Kame House. Roshi is thrilled to see Bulma and much less so to part with his submarine, which in any case is not there: Krillin and Launch have taken it to go grocery shopping in town, where one of Launch's sneezes turns the shopping trip into chaos. They have to wait. Goku goes fishing with Turtle and meets his son, while Roshi plies Bulma with drinks for reasons of his own.
The deal comes quickly: the submarine in exchange for the Micro Band, the shrinking watch. Roshi's plan is simple and shameless. Pretending to watch TV, he shrinks himself and sneaks into the bathroom to spy on Bulma. It does not go as planned: he ends up in the bowl and gets flushed away.
At his base, meanwhile, General Blue follows the signal of Goku's Dragon Balls and threatens his men to bring him a full report within two hours. When the signal stops on a tiny island in the middle of the sea, he concludes it must be the boy's hideout and sends a scout. He vows he will not be the third unit wiped out by a child, and crushes a flower in his fist. At headquarters, Staff Officer Black suggests Goku may be working for someone else, but Commander Red angrily shuts him down.
Krillin and Launch return with the submarine. Looking at the map, Krillin notices the ball lies near the spot where, according to an old story, a pirate gang's treasure sank, and Roshi tells the legend. Goku, Bulma and Krillin set off: Roshi's craft is a plane that turns into a submarine, which Goku dubs an "airfish". Shortly after, Blue's scout spots the island. The general becomes convinced the old hermit is the scientist who built the boy's radar.
Our take
This is a homecoming episode, and that is mostly why it works. Seeing Roshi, Krillin and Launch again after so many episodes away is a joy, and Kame House is back to what it was: a chaotic, affectionate and slightly indecent place. Krillin joining the trip restores the series' best comic duo.
Roshi's Micro Band antics are the raciest of the period and very much of their time, but the toilet-flush comeuppance is funny enough to get them over the line. The plane that turns into a submarine is a small gem of Toriyama design.
General Blue, meanwhile, grows as a villain. The crushed flower and the decision to attack Kame House, mistaking it for an enemy base, set up the two-front clash of the following episodes.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 71 of Akira Toriyama's manga and drew a 29.5% ratings share in Japan, the highest of the entire Red Ribbon Army Saga.
- Turtle's son and the pirate legend told by Roshi are anime additions; the pirate captain in the story is a dead ringer for Bacterian, the smelly fighter from the tournament.
- From this episode on, the Japanese opening ends with a longer gong after the logo appears, a variant not kept in the Dragon Box release.
Did you know? In the Blue Water dub the title became Kame House Discovered!, while Funimation opted for the punchier Kame House – Found!
Characters
- Goku
- Bulma
- Master Roshi, Krillin and Launch
- Turtle and his son
- General Blue, Commander Red and Staff Officer Black