Episode 118 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on December 3, 2017, is the most melancholy of the tournament. Two universes vanish at the same moment, and with Universe 6 go Cabba, Caulifla, Kale and Champa, Beerus's twin brother.
Summary
In Universe 2, the population, following the tournament thanks to a broadcast arranged by their Angel, panics at Ribrianne's defeat. She asks everyone to keep cheering. On the stage, Zirloin, Zarbuto and Rabanra gang up three-on-one on an exhausted Goku. Champa realizes his universe is in the same boat: with only two fighters left, he cannot even hope to win on numbers.
From the stands, Caulifla threatens to beat up Saonel and Pilina if they lose. Her yelling works, but there is more to it: Gohan and Piccolo feel the two Namekians growing stronger and faster. Piccolo figures out why: before the tournament, many of Universe 6's Namekians fused with them, and the pair have been fighting cautiously until all that stored power stabilized. Gohan draws a practical conclusion: with that much vitality there is no risk of killing them, so he can hit at full power while Piccolo charges a Special Beam Cannon.
Meanwhile, the love of Universe 2's people transforms Zirloin and his teammates, complete with costumes matching Ribrianne's. Together they unleash their universe's legendary technique, the Pretty Black Hole: a huge black heart that swallows every attack and crushes Goku, Android 17 and Android 18 down toward the bottom of the arena, even blocking teleportation. Goku acknowledges them as warriors of love, but for him fighting spirit matters more: in Super Saiyan Blue he fires a Kamehameha that bursts the heart and knocks all three out. At the same instant, Piccolo's beam pierces Saonel and Pilina, and Gohan's Kamehameha pushes them off the stage.
Frieza notes that Goku did not use Ultra Instinct this time, and Whis suspects it will take ever greater pressure to bring it back. The Grand Minister announces the defeat of Universes 2 and 6. Ribrianne leads her team in one last, smiling message of love; Vados bids Champa a tearful farewell; Caulifla chases Saonel and Pilina to keep her promise; Cabba wishes his master Vegeta good luck. Champa sticks his tongue out at Beerus before vanishing, and his brother wishes he had said something instead. Vegeta warns Catopesra that he is now in a truly bad mood. Thirteen minutes remain.
Our take
The tournament had already wiped out Universe 9, but this time it hurts. Universe 6 is the one we know best, from the first tournament between universes, and the farewell is written with small, well-chosen gestures: Vados's tears, Caulifla still thinking about a fight to the very end, Champa choosing a raspberry over a goodbye. Beerus feigns indifference, but his final line betrays the opposite.
On the action side, the episode is well balanced, with two parallel fights ending at the same instant. The Namekian assimilation explains Saonel and Pilina's resilience, and Gohan's ruthless logic, "they are tough enough that I can hit them at full power", shows how far he has come from the boy he once was.
Trivia
- Written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi and directed by Masato Mitsuka, with Naoki Tate, Joey Calangian and Noel Añonuevo as animation directors. It drew a 4.6% rating in Japan.
- The weight of the Pretty Black Hole is compared in the episode to the gravity room at Bulma's house, and found to be even heavier.
- In the manga, Universes 2 and 6 are erased at different times, and Saonel, Pilina and Universe 2's trio are eliminated by Kale.
Characters
- Goku, Android 17, Android 18, Gohan and Piccolo
- Zirloin, Zarbuto, Rabanra, Ribrianne and the Universe 2 gods
- Saonel, Pilina, Champa, Vados, Caulifla, Kale, Cabba and Hit
- Vegeta, Catopesra and Frieza
- Beerus, Whis, the Grand Minister and the two Zenos