Episode 80 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on September 23, 1987 and known in the English dub as Goku vs. Sky Dragon, is the second filler of Goku's training journey and the closest the series gets to a classic kung fu movie. There are two rival schools, a sick master, a jealous son and a decisive bout in front of the king. Goku agrees to fight in place of Chin Taiken against the unbeaten Tenlong, and wins despite some very embarrassing sabotage.
Summary
The episode opens with a short prologue instead of the usual recap: in the pouring rain Goku hops up a mountain with a boulder on his back, then comes down it walking on his fingertips. His tail, meanwhile, has grown back. An old woman tells him about Chin Taiken, a martial arts master in the nearby town.
In town he finds Chin and his son Shōken accused of theft by a gang of thugs led by Shaolong. The master sends them packing, but he is ill and coughing. Shaolong's brother Tenlong arrives, scolds him and apologizes to everyone; in private, though, he vows that he will be the one to kill Chin the next day. Goku asks Chin for a sparring session, and they trade a single exchange before the cough stops the master. At the dojo Goku learns he was struck without even seeing it: it was the Gensei-ken, the Chin school's secret technique, which he compares to the Zanzōken. Chin explains that tomorrow is the imperial match, a bout before the king to decide who becomes the kingdom's martial arts instructor, and his opponent is Tenlong himself, master of the Hyōga school.
Goku goes to fetch medicine for Chin, promising to stay out of trouble before the match. On the way back a drunken Shaolong attacks him; Goku only dodges until the thug tumbles off a bridge. Then Tenlong pummels him, and Goku takes every blow without fighting back to keep his word. That night Shōken trains alone against a wooden dummy, dreaming of beating Tenlong.
In the morning Chin wants to forfeit, and Goku offers to fight in his place. The master accepts, telling his son that Goku is far stronger than he is. Stung, Shōken secretly slips a laxative pill into Goku's soup. Before King Wonton and Queen Harumaki the match starts evenly. Tenlong answers the Zanzōken with a spinning kick that strikes every afterimage, and that is exactly when the laxative kicks in. The referee refuses a time-out and Goku gets kicked around the ring. Shōken drops the medicine vial and his father understands. Gritting his teeth, Goku unleashes the Gensei-ken, knocks Tenlong out and sprints for the bathroom. Later the repentant brothers ask to become Chin's students, and Shōken sees Goku off with rice balls.
Our take
The episode lifts a template beloved by Hong Kong martial arts cinema and bends it to Dragon Ball's sense of humor. It works because every character has a clear motive: Chin his honor, Tenlong his ambition, Shōken his jealousy, which is the most human part of the story.
Also interesting is the Goku who lets himself be beaten on the bridge rather than break a promise. It is a new kind of discipline for him, and the first concrete sign of what Master Roshi wanted to teach him by sending him out into the world. The laxative gag is crude, in the series' long tradition of toilet humor, but the fight is animated with care.
It remains a filler with no impact on the plot, yet the miniature arena, the referee and the rules foreshadow the atmosphere of the World Martial Arts Tournament just a few episodes away.
Trivia
- The episode is entirely anime-original. It drew a 21.2% ratings share in Japan.
- The Funimation dub renames Chin Taiken "Master Chin", Tenlong "Sky Dragon" and Shaolong "Rising Dragon", and calls the Hyōga school the Panther-Fang School.
- A man in the crowd watching the opening brawl wears Yamcha's original outfit.
Did you know? As Goku walks down the mountain on his fingertips, the Power Pole on his back vanishes and reappears several times, a small animation slip.
Characters
- Goku
- Chin Taiken and his son Shōken
- Tenlong and his brother Shaolong
- King Wonton and Queen Harumaki