Episode 97 of Dragon Ball, first broadcast in Japan on January 20, 1988 and known in the English dub as Final Match: Goku vs. Tien, opens the final of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament: Goku against Tien Shinhan, the Turtle School against the Crane School. The first half is the build-up, with a packed arena and a Tien plagued by doubt; the second is an opening round that immediately puts Goku in serious trouble.
Summary
It is the morning of the final and the arena is overflowing. At the hotel Roshi is watching an aerobics tape, Bulma and Launch bring Goku his freshly washed gi, and a sneeze turns Launch blonde, after which she drags the old man away from the TV. At the arena Oolong has turned into a giant monster to hold front-row seats and scares off anyone who comes near, until an even bigger monster shows up: it's Puar, who had the same idea. Soon after, Yamcha appears too, having snuck out of the hospital with his leg in a cast: he isn't going to miss this final.
In his room Tien meditates, floating in midair. Roshi's words keep coming back to him, but in the end he forces himself to honor Tao's memory. In the stands, meanwhile, the Crane Hermit and Roshi bicker telepathically over who cheated more, with a disguise or with his teachings.
The announcer introduces the finalists and the fight takes off at full speed. Goku grabs Tien's leg with his tail, spins around and punches him in the face. Tien flies up, Goku jumps after him, but a Dodon Ray slams him back down and drives him through the tiles of the ring.
Goku climbs out of the rubble and goes back to the technique that had surprised Krillin: he moves so fast he seems to vanish. This time it doesn't work. Tien's three eyes track his every move, and at the right moment a blow sends him crashing into the arena wall. Tien pins him there and pounds him without giving him a moment to breathe.
Our take
The episode takes its time, but it does so smartly. The side scenes, from Roshi's aerobics tape to Oolong's and Puar's monsters, are filler, yet they capture the feeling of a big event: everyone wants to be there, even Yamcha with a broken leg. The contrast with Tien's meditation is deliberate: he is the only one in the whole tournament who experiences the final as a dilemma.
The fight, then, establishes the pecking order right away. The technique that ended the semifinal, the one the crowd couldn't even see, is useless against Tien. It is the first time in the tournament that Goku faces someone who can read his game, and the final promises to be long and hard.
Trivia
- The episode adapts the last page of chapter 127 and chapter 128 of the manga. It drew a 20.0% ratings share in Japan.
- In the manga the whole tournament takes place in one day and Yamcha never leaves the hospital: he, Bulma, Launch and Puar follow the final on the radio.
- The aerobics tape, Oolong's and Puar's monsters, Tien's meditation and the telepathic argument between the two old masters are also anime-only.
- When Goku looks out of the window, the sign over the stadium entrance reads "WELLCOME", with one L too many.
Did you know? The Japanese title plays on the tournament's name: Budō Tenka'ichi means "number one in the world in martial arts", which is exactly the title at stake.
Characters
- Goku
- Tien Shinhan
- Master Roshi
- The Crane Hermit
- Yamcha
- Oolong
- Puar