Episode 48 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on January 28, 1987 and known in the English dub as Deep Blue Sea, is where General Blue goes on the offensive. The Japanese title says it plainly: "General Blue begins the attack". While Goku, Bulma and Krillin search the seabed for the Dragon Ball, the army moves on two fronts, and for the first time the underwater trip turns into a hunt.
Summary
At headquarters, between chess moves with Staff Officer Black, Commander Red locates the nearest Dragon Balls and gives Blue the go-ahead. The general, who had been watching Goku through binoculars, reflexively strikes a soldier who came up behind him, then reads the order and summons his men.
The plan has two parts. Blue himself will lead the first squad after Goku at sea; the second, under the heavyset Captain Dark, will attack Kame House, which Blue believes is the enemy base, convinced the old man living there is the scientist behind the radar. Before leaving, the general advises the captain to lose a few pounds, then harangues the troops and crushes a flower in front of them: failure, he makes clear, is not an option. The base empties in moments, through hangars and docks.
At Kame House, meanwhile, Roshi tries using the Micro Band to spy on Launch, but she sucks him up with the vacuum cleaner while cleaning the bathroom.
At sea, Krillin steers the submarine to the spot shown on the radar. Goku goes out to search the seabed but finds nothing; Bulma deduces the ball must have ended up in an underwater cave. As Krillin noses into the opening, Blue's submarine spots them and fires torpedoes, which explode against the rocks. Goku blurts out that it must be the Red Ribbon Army, which has been after him for a while. Bulma and Krillin are terrified: why didn't he say so before? Simple, Goku replies: nobody asked.
Krillin maneuvers between the rocks as the torpedoes miss again. Blue, furious, has the weapons officer executed. In the end the kids' submarine slips into a tunnel too narrow for its pursuers, and there is celebration on board. But Blue does not give up: he has a mini-submarine readied and decides to lead the chase himself.
Our take
After a comedy episode at Kame House, the action returns, and the change of register is sharp. General Blue is the first Red Ribbon officer who actually plans: he splits his forces, anticipates his opponent's moves and leads from the front. The anime adds details that sharpen his cruelty, from the soldier struck by reflex to the gunner executed after a miss, making him a far more credible enemy than his predecessors.
The undersea chase is staged like a small war movie, with torpedoes, sonar and ever narrower tunnels. It is also a nice moment for Krillin, who at the helm proves he can be useful without throwing a punch.
The best line is Goku's: the Red Ribbon Army has been after him for a while, but he never mentioned it because nobody asked. It is the perfect portrait of the hero, who treats danger as just another part of his day.
Trivia
- The episode adapts the first thirteen pages of chapter 72 of Akira Toriyama's manga and drew a 27.1% ratings share in Japan.
- In the Japanese version, the Red Ribbon Army theme song debuts as an insert track while the soldiers split into two squads; the English dubs did not use it.
- Bulma's quip about getting out and pushing, in the English dub, is a nod to Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back.
Did you know? The chess game between Red and Black, Blue's speech to the troops and Roshi getting vacuumed up are all anime additions: in the manga this stretch is much leaner.
Characters
- Goku
- Bulma and Krillin
- General Blue and Captain Dark
- Commander Red and Staff Officer Black
- Master Roshi and Launch