The tenth episode of Dragon Ball Super, broadcast in Japan on September 13, 2015, opens the duel between Super Saiyan God Goku and Beerus, which will run for five episodes. It is a cautious start: Goku first has to learn to move with a power he does not understand, and the God of Destruction is in no hurry to get serious.
Summary
Goku and Beerus take to the sky for their rematch. Gohan is worried because he can no longer sense his father's energy, but Whis reassures him: it means Goku has truly become a god. On King Kai's planet, meanwhile, the Elder Kai complains telepathically about this turn of events: if Beerus fought at full strength, the whole universe would be in danger. King Kai is more optimistic, doubting that a Super Saiyan God will be enough to make the god try.
Above the sea, Goku struggles for control: his new body does not respond the way he wants. To get a feel for it he fires a Kamehameha, which raises huge waves and rocks the cruise ship; Piccolo yells at him to remember they are right below. A little more at ease, Goku goes on the attack, but none of his punches land and Beerus knocks him into the sea.
On the ship nobody knows if he is still alive, since nobody can sense his energy. Luckily Goku rockets back out of the water and the fight moves off into the distance. Bulma and the others pile into an airship to follow the battle, while Dr. Brief and a few guests stay on board. Pilaf, Shu and Mai come up on deck just as the airship leaves and fear they have arrived after the party, with no Dragon Balls and no food. Whis takes care of it: he has already ordered second helpings.
In the sky, Goku gets used to his divine form and starts landing blows on Beerus. The god is pleased: at last the fight is fun. But neither of them is giving it their all yet. Back on the ship, the Pilaf Gang falls asleep with full stomachs.
Our take
The episode's problem is obvious: it is the first of five, and the saga's most anticipated fight starts with the handbrake on. Between Goku's warm-up, the reactions on the ship and the Pilaf gag, actual action takes up only a small part of the runtime.
There is still an interesting idea, one the film barely touched: Super Saiyan God is not just stronger, it is something different. Goku has to relearn his own body like a beginner, and his friends cannot even tell whether he is alive. It is an effective way to convey the gap between the mortal level and the divine one, which will be the theme of all of Super.
Trivia
- Written by Makoto Koyama and directed by Nozomu Shishido, with Osamu Ishikawa as animation director. It drew a 5.1% rating in Japan.
- Whis specifies that the Super Saiyan God is not a god in the same sense as Beerus or the Supreme Kais, but has reached an equivalent divine level, dōtō no kami in Japanese.
- The fight between Goku and Beerus runs from episode 10 to 14: it is the longest battle of the saga and one of the longest in the entire series.
- It borrows scenes from chapter 4 of Toyotarō's manga and from the middle part of the film Battle of Gods.