Episode 33 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on February 28, 2016, opens the inter-universal tournament with two matches for Goku. The first, against the unflappable Botamo, is settled with brains. The second pits him against Frost, Universe 6's version of Frieza, who presents himself as a hero of peace. It ends in a defeat nobody saw coming.
Summary
At first Goku is sluggish: he overate on the trip. After a few warm-up stretches he starts landing blows on Botamo, but the bear does not even flinch, not even at a Kamehameha. Jaco suggests he is sending the damage into another dimension, before admitting that is only a guess. Vegeta yells at Goku to use his head, and Goku does: he grabs Botamo by the legs and hurls him out of the ring. Champa throws a tantrum, and Vados calms him down by reminding him they still have four fighters.
The next opponent is Frost, who looks just like Frieza but is courteous, kind and eager for a clean fight. Goku quickly realizes he is gauging his strength and asks him to get serious. Frost announces his final form, but what he actually takes is an "Assault Form" much like Frieza's third form. Meanwhile the referee lists his credentials: he leads a peacekeeping force, helps children in war zones and has won the Universal Peace Prize three times. Champa recruited him by promising support for his missions. In the stands, Bulma and the others no longer know whom to cheer for.
Goku turns Super Saiyan, stunning Champa and Cabba, who have never seen anything like it. Frost moves to his true final form, which he says he rarely uses because it once made him kill a criminal by accident. The Super Saiyan still takes control, and Goku, unwilling to hurt a good man, suggests he surrender. Frost refuses: he has to win for the children. Just when his chances look hopeless, Goku staggers as if exhausted. Frost seizes the moment and knocks him out of bounds. Universe 6 wins the match.
Our take
The episode plays nicely with viewer expectations. Frost is designed to be everything Frieza is not, with a list of good deeds so long it becomes suspicious, and the show knows it: Goku's sudden collapse is a discreetly planted clue that will only be explained next time.
The Botamo match is less memorable, but it usefully reminds us that the tournament has rules, and that winning can simply mean pushing your opponent off the stage. This is the Goku of the old tournaments, more clever than mighty, and it is a pleasure to see him again.
Trivia
- Written by King Ryū and directed by Hideki Hiroshima, with storyboards by Yoshitaka Yashima and animation direction by Seizo Toma and Yukihiro Kitano.
- It drew a 5.7% rating in Japan.
- When Goku remarks that Frost sounds like Frieza, he is right: in Japanese both are voiced by Ryūsei Nakao. In Funimation's dub, Frost is played by Greg Ayres, brother of Frieza's voice actor Chris Ayres.
- The matching part of Toyotarō's manga runs from chapter 8 to chapter 10.
- Champa asks Cabba whether Saiyans can transform; the boy says he has never even heard of it.
Did you know? The Japanese title is about Goku rather than Frost: "Be amazed, Universe 6! This is the Super Saiyan Son Goku!" The Italian broadcast, by contrast, titled the episode after the new villain.