Episode 71 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on July 22, 1987 and known in the English dub as Deadly Battle, settles the second match of Baba's challenge with one of the most shameless gags in the whole series. Yamcha can't hit an opponent he can't see, so Krillin cooks up a plan as absurd as it is effective. And when Master Roshi arrives at the palace, a family secret nobody saw coming spills out.
Summary
Goku flies off in search of Roshi and Bulma and finds them aboard a plane with Oolong and Launch. He scoops the two of them onto the Flying Nimbus with zero ceremony and races off, leaving the aircraft to fend for itself. Luckily, blonde Launch grabs the controls just in time.
On the stage, meanwhile, Yamcha has found a way to cope with the invisible man: he closes his eyes and fights by ear, tracking his footsteps. It works until Baba starts belting out a song in a dreadful voice, drowning out every sound. Krillin and the others then try to distract the opponent by loudly cheering him on, but the invisible man catches on, goes quiet and resumes pounding Yamcha.
Goku lands with the reinforcements. Krillin parks Roshi and Bulma in just the right spot, then yanks down Bulma's top. The old master unleashes a spectacular nosebleed, and the spray of blood drenches the invisible man, who now has a clearly visible outline. Yamcha doesn't waste the chance: he hammers him with the Wolf Fang Fist and forces him to surrender.
Roshi and Baba greet each other, and the truth comes out: the seer is Roshi's older sister. He even tries to borrow money from her, only to be reminded that he never paid back the last loan. Goku peppers her with questions, eventually asking how old she is, which sends her into a rage.
For the third match, Baba leads everyone up a long staircase to an arena with a less than inviting name: the Devil's Toilet. First, though, she takes Goku aside into a private room, where the invisible man serves him a meal. It's a test: stone blocks come crashing down from the ceiling, but Goku dodges every one and sends one flying back at the invisible man. Baba realizes this boy is anything but ordinary and starts thinking about recruiting him as one of her fighters.
Our take
Krillin's plan is pure Toriyama: crude, lightning-quick and logical in its own way. He uses Roshi's best-known weakness to solve a combat problem, turning a running gag into a weapon. The scene lands differently today, and the censorship it has picked up over the years proves it, but it remains one of the most remembered moments of the original series.
What's more interesting on a rewatch is the rest of the episode. The reveal that Baba is Roshi's sister suddenly gives both characters depth: their bickering over an unpaid loan sketches a long family history in a few seconds. Even the test in the private room, invented by the anime, makes sense: Baba senses Goku's potential, and viewers can tell the challenge is about to shift gears.
Yamcha, finally, gets a moment of glory. After so many embarrassments, he wins here with his signature move, even if he needed a decisive assist. It will be his only win of the saga.
Trivia
- The episode adapts chapter 100 of the manga from page 7 onward and the first five pages of chapter 101. It drew a 24.3% ratings share in Japan.
- Anime-only material includes Goku's trip to fetch Roshi and Bulma, the near-crash of Oolong and Launch's plane, Baba's extended singing and the trap room. The conversation between Goku, Roshi and Baba is also much longer than in the manga, where Baba never learns on-panel that Goku is her brother's student.
- In the manga Bulma's chest is shown in full. The anime cuts the shot short, and Viz's American edition of the manga went as far as drawing her a bra. We cover this on our censorship and localization page.
- The climb to the Devil's Toilet, barely touched on in the manga, gets several shots of its own in the anime.
Did you know? In the Japanese version, right after asking Baba her age, Goku asks whether she has a "wiener", mistaking her for a man. The English dub replaced the line with a second question about her age.
Characters
- Yamcha
- Sukē, the invisible man (See-Through)
- Krillin
- Master Roshi
- Bulma
- Fortuneteller Baba
- Goku