Episode 42 of Dragon Ball GT, first broadcast in Japan on April 16, 1997 after a break of more than a month and titled A Dangerous Union in Funimation's dub, kicks the Super 17 Saga into gear. A black hole tears open in the sky and links Earth to Hell, releasing every villain the heroes ever defeated. Behind it is an unlikely alliance between Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu, who lure Goku into the afterlife to lock him in.
Summary
The family is at the dinner table at Goku's house when Trunks staggers in, battered, and collapses after saying Android 17 attacked him. Outside, a black void has opened in the sky. King Kai warns Goku that Earth and Hell are being fused together. On a mountain, meanwhile, Android 17 hears a voice in his head: there are two of him, separated by space and time, and soon they will be reunited.
In Hell we learn who is pulling the strings. Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu have joined forces and built a second Android 17, a twin of the one living on Earth; through a tiny device slipped through the rift, Gero controls the original as well. Their goal is revenge on Goku. When Trunks comes around, he delivers the message 17 left him: Goku must come down to Hell, or the villains will overrun Earth.
The threat is already real. TV shows cities under attack by a crowd of familiar faces: Red Ribbon soldiers, Frieza's men, Raditz, Cooler, King Cold, General Rilldo, Pui Pui, Yakon and Android 19. Goku decides to go alone, partly because he is curious whether Cell and Frieza have grown stronger; Pan wants to come, but Bulma talks her out of it. On Earth, Goten dispatches Pui Pui, gets blindsided by Yakon and is rescued by Trunks, and together the boys destroy Android 19. Pan, for her part, routs the Red Ribbon troops chasing Mr. Satan.
In Hell, Goku is greeted by the two scientists, who set their new Android 17 on him. Goku proves stronger, but that was the point: the doctors escape to Earth through the rift and seal it behind them. Goku is stuck in the afterlife, face to face with Cell and Frieza. On Earth the hole disappears, but Mr. Satan is sure Goku will find a way back.
Our take
The Japanese title, "Die, Goku!!", promises fireworks, and the episode is indeed a treat for long-time fans: in a few minutes it parades villains from every era, from the Red Ribbon Army of the original Dragon Ball to Babidi's henchmen. It is pure fan service, but it also does real narrative work, showing at a glance how far the new generation has come, with Goten and Trunks swatting away once-fearsome foes and Pan scattering an entire army.
The more interesting part happens behind the scenes. Dr. Gero was killed by Android 17 himself in Dragon Ball Z, and seeing him in control of his creation again, now partnered with Dr. Myuu, settles a score left open for years. The two scientists are the real engine of this saga.
Goku walking into an obvious trap just to find strong opponents is true to character, even if viewers see it coming a mile away.
Trivia
- Written by Atsushi Maekawa and directed by Kazuhito Kikuchi, with Tadayoshi Yamamuro as animation director.
- It debuts the new ending theme, Shizuka Kudō's "Blue Velvet," sung in English by Brina Palencia; it runs until episode 50.
- The TV special A Hero's Legacy aired between episodes 41 and 42, on March 26, 1997.
- It marks Cooler's first appearance in the TV anime; until then he had only been seen in two Dragon Ball Z movies.
- In the Japanese version, Trunks says he recognized Android 17 because his energy felt like Android 18's.