The twenty-fourth episode of Dragon Ball Super, broadcast in Japan on December 20, 2015, pits against each other two students who have spent months preparing: Goku, trained by Whis, and Frieza, who for the first time in his life has had to work hard. The duel starts out even, until Goku decides to play his best card: a new transformation, with blue hair.
Summary
Goku and Frieza start fighting and their auras make the ground shake. Gohan is stunned, and Krillin admits he feels real fear, different from what he felt during the battle with Beerus. Jaco wonders who the other man who came with Goku is; when Bulma explains that he is her husband Vegeta, prince of the Saiyans, he tries to flee, but she reminds him his duty is to protect Earth. Goten and Trunks fly toward the Lookout, where Dende is watching over Piccolo's body.
Frieza confesses he is almost grateful to Goku: the thirst for revenge pushed him to apply himself for the first time, even though having to work hard was a humiliation. Then he fires a sneak attack at Krillin, whom Goku barely saves, and later at Bulma, protected by Vegeta. Goku is furious: strong opponents usually thrill him, but Frieza only disgusts him. The fight is so fast that not even Gohan can follow it, while Jaco, thanks to his exceptional eyesight, does not miss a blow. A stray blast hits his ship, and all he manages to save is a photo of himself with his girlfriend, now burned right across her face.
Frieza threatens to destroy Namek as well after Earth, to prevent Piccolo's resurrection. Suddenly Vegeta attacks Goku: he is tired of watching him waste time. Frieza thinks the prince has come back to his side, and Tien fears the same, but Vegeta simply applauds the tyrant on his resurrection, for so long that it gets on his nerves. Then he tells him to stop existing: all that bragging about a bit of training sickens him, and if the two will not fight seriously he will beat them both.
Goku realizes he has to play his trump card. Frieza invites him to go first, and Goku transforms into a strange Super Saiyan with blue hair. Krillin can no longer sense his energy, Gohan thinks of the Super Saiyan God, Master Roshi senses an even higher level. In the afterlife, King Kai is amazed that Goku can become a god without help from other Saiyans. Goku explains that he is a "Saiyan who became a Super Saiyan with the power of a Super Saiyan God", and Frieza laughs: it sounds like a tongue twister. Now it is his turn to show the fruits of his training.
Our take
This is the episode of peak anticipation, and it handles it well. Vegeta's applause is a small masterpiece of sarcasm: in a few seconds it demolishes Frieza's newfound pride and reminds us the prince is the only one not afraid of him at all. Jaco, with his burned photo, also adds a comic note that does not clash.
The debut of the blue form, later named Super Saiyan Blue, is more understated than you might expect. The long, clumsy name Goku gives it, mocked by Frieza himself, is a very Dragon Ball touch of self-irony.
Trivia
- Written by Toshio Yoshitaka and directed by Hideki Hiroshima, with Yukihiro Kitano and Akira Kano as animation directors. It drew a 6.2% rating in Japan.
- In the anime the transformation is still called "Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan"; the name Super Saiyan Blue came later. You can find it on our Super Saiyan transformations page.
- It retells the middle part of the film Resurrection 'F'.