Episode 62 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on May 13, 1987 and known in the English dub as Sacred Water, wraps up Goku's training atop Korin Tower with one of the series' most famous lessons. After days of chasing, Goku finally drinks the Sacred Water, or Super Holy Water, and discovers that it was never what made him strong. The Japanese title plays on exactly that doubt: will it really work?
Summary
Goku keeps chasing Korin with no success. He even tries the Afterimage Technique he learned at the World Martial Arts Tournament, but the cat does not fall for it. The next morning at breakfast Korin offers him a single bean, a Senzu Bean, and Goku complains about the meager portion. Then the cat tosses the Four-Star Ball off the tower, mistaking it for garbage. Goku dives after it, finds it at the foot of the tower, where Upa is doing chores without noticing him, and races back up. He is so fast that Upa, seeing something streak upwards, rules out that it could be him. Korin, pretending to be asleep, does the math: the first climb took a whole day, the round trip just three hours.
That night Korin snores and the bottle is within reach, but Goku holds back: taking it like that would be unfair. The cat, who was awake, appreciates his honesty and thinks the boy is far better than Roshi. The second day goes by with more attempts; at night Goku watches Kame House reflected in the water, then mimics the sleeping Korin's every movement and breath. Far from the tower, meanwhile, Mercenary Tao realizes that Goku must have survived.
On the third day Goku anticipates the cat's moves by reading his breathing and grabs the bottle. He drinks, waits, and feels nothing. Korin explains that it is ordinary water: what made him stronger was the effort to win it. Climbing up and down built his strength and stamina, reading his opponent sharpened his mind, and keeping pace with the cat made him faster. Goku understands why his teacher was so stubborn, warms up and heads down to the Sacred Land. Watching him go, Korin predicts great things for him.
In town, Tao's new outfit is ready. When the tailor asks to be paid, the assassin offers to kill someone for free instead; when the tailor declines, Tao kills him. Then he throws a pillar, jumps on it and sets off after Goku.
Our take
The water reveal is one of the moments where Dragon Ball best spells out its philosophy: there are no shortcuts, and strength comes from hard work. Korin never quite lies; he said from the start that the water exists only if you believe it does, and his riddle finds its answer here. It is an Akira Toriyama idea that will come back often, in different forms, throughout the series.
The anime smartly adds the night scene in which Goku refuses to steal the bottle. It does not change the plot, but it shows why Korin respects him and makes the victory feel earned. The contrast with Tao, who pays his tailor with death, could not be sharper.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 89 and the first three pages of chapter 90 of the manga. It drew a 27.6% ratings share in Japan.
- In the anime Goku gets the Senzu Bean at breakfast; in the manga Korin gives it to him before revealing that Roshi needed three years. The Dragon Ball being thrown off the tower also happens at a different point.
- The second day of attempts, with Goku watching Kame House and copying Korin in his sleep, is anime-only.
Did you know? In the manga Korin openly praises Goku for his three-hour second climb; in the anime he keeps it to himself and pretends to be asleep when Goku returns.
Characters
- Goku
- Korin
- Upa
- Mercenary Tao