Episode 15 of Dragon Ball GT, first broadcast in Japan on June 12, 1996 and titled Beginning of the End in Funimation's dub, steps away from big battles to focus on Pan. On a desert planet, tired of being treated as a burden, she wanders off alone and nearly pays for it. The one who saves her is Giru, the robot she has treated as a nuisance all along, while far away General Rilldo makes his debut.
Summary
With the Luud affair behind them, Giru's radar picks up another Black Star Dragon Ball on Rudeze, a planet buried in sand. On the way there, Trunks floats an idea that cuts Pan deeply: swing back to Earth, drop her off and bring Goten along instead. Goku has no objection. The heat hits them the moment they land, and a gigantic creature bursts out of the dunes. The two Saiyans dispatch it quickly, but the fight damages the ship and drains the water it needs to keep cool.
While Trunks gets to work on the repairs, Pan offers to help and is told to go play inside the ship. That is the last straw. She sets off across the desert on her own, determined to find the Dragon Ball and prove she is worth something. After some hesitation, Giru follows her.
The desert beats Pan long before any monster does. Dehydrated and worn down by the sun, she collapses just as another sand beast surfaces. Giru arrives in time and defends her as best he can. When she comes to, she learns that the little robot not only protected her but also found water and the five-star ball. Moved, she thanks him and apologizes for the way she has always treated him.
Goku and Trunks catch up and find an oasis nearby, with enough water to refill the tanks and even give Goku a bath. Trunks takes back his suggestion and admits that Pan is a full member of the team. Meanwhile, Dolltaki returns to report his failure with Luud, but instead of Dr. Myuu he is met by General Rilldo, who executes him on his master's orders.
Our take
After a long run of oddball planets and pantomime villains, GT stops to look at the dynamic between its three leads, starting with the most fragile one. Pan has been aboard in Goten's place since launch day, and here the show openly admits that the other two see her as a liability. Her walkout comes from a believable humiliation rather than a tantrum, and it is the first time the journey really costs her something.
The real star, though, is Giru. Introduced as comic relief and as the target of Pan's outbursts, the little robot earns his place in the group: he moves first, finds the water and the ball, and receives her apology. The scene works, which is exactly why the next episode stings so much. The script builds the bond between them just before putting it to the test.
There is an old-school flavor to the setting as well. Heat and thirst weigh more than the monsters do, a throwback to the early adventures of the original Dragon Ball, when a hostile landscape was enough to create tension. Then comes the closing scene, short and cold: Rilldo disposing of Dolltaki says in a few seconds that the carefree part of the trip is about to end.
Trivia
- Written by Toshinobu Ooi, storyboarded and directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, with Toshiyuki Kanno as animation director.
- It drew a 16.2% share in Japan, up from 15.2% for the previous episode.
- It marks the first appearance of General Rilldo, voiced in Japanese by Kiyoyuki Yanada.
- The Japanese credits call the sand creature Arijigoku-modoki, roughly "fake antlion," voiced by Tetsu Inada.
- When Funimation first aired GT, this whole stretch was skipped and summarized in the recap "A Grand Problem"; the episode reached American TV as one of "The Lost Episodes" on April 16, 2005.
Characters
- Goku, Pan and Trunks
- Giru
- Dolltaki
- General Rilldo and Dr. Myuu
- The sand creatures of Rudeze