Episode 36 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on March 27, 2016, is devoted entirely to the duel between Vegeta and Magetta. The Universe 6 robot, who looked like a minor opponent, turns the arena into a furnace, and the Saiyan prince needs brute force and an unexpected weapon to come out on top.
Summary
Vegeta stops moving and struggles to breathe: Magetta's heat, trapped by the new barrier, has made the air scorching and thin. Champa insists the dome circulates enough air, but it is not enough. Vegeta decides to finish quickly. Magetta pelts him with lava, then an explosion sends him to within inches of the barrier. The referee rules it legal: it was not a weapon, just one of Magetta's farts catching fire. Beerus suspects Champa of bribing the referee; Whis assures him the man's rulings are always fair.
Goku studies the opponent as if it were his turn: lava at range, an iron body up close, heat and barrier closing off every escape. Vegeta loses patience and charges a big attack. His energy clashes with the lava and the explosion knocks him out of the ring, one foot touching the ground. Silence. The referee checks: the foot is resting on a broken-off piece of the arena, so Vegeta is still in. This time it is Champa who protests. Who hired that idiot? You did, Vados replies.
Furious at being saved by a technicality, Vegeta asks the referee whether all he has to do is avoid touching the barrier. Told yes, he unleashes his full aura and shatters it. Shards stick in everything, including the ground around Monaka, who stays perfectly still and impresses Goku no end. With the barrier gone the heat dissipates, Vegeta can breathe again, and a Final Flash drives Magetta toward the edge. When Vegeta yells "you're finished, you hunk of junk", the robot gives way and flies out of bounds. Soon he is seen sobbing: Whis explains that Metalmen are extremely sensitive and cannot fight once insulted. Next up is Cabba.
Our take
The Magetta match is one of the lightest of the tournament, and the episode knows it. The gags about the referee, flammable farts and shards landing around the motionless Monaka keep things moving, and the final solution, a robot beaten more by an insult than by an energy wave, is pure Toriyama-style humor.
It is a pity the script stretches the middle section a little too long. The best moment remains Goku's analysis, watching the opponent with a martial artist's eye and reminding us how much more interesting the show is when fights are problems to be solved.
Trivia
- Written by Makoto Koyama and directed by Ken'ichi Takeshita, with storyboards by Hiroyuki Kakudō and animation direction by Masahiro Shimanuki.
- It drew a 5.4% rating in Japan.
- Goku notes that both he and Vegeta could have ended their matches sooner, but are saving their strength for Hit.
- Beerus scolds Whis for keeping the Metalmen's weakness to himself; Goku points out that knowing it would have made for a boring fight.
- The matching part of Toyotarō's manga is chapter 11.
Did you know? The attack Vegeta uses to push through the lava, just before he nearly lands out of bounds, appears to be the Galick Gun, the technique he used against Goku in their very first battle.
Characters
- Vegeta, Goku, Beerus, Whis and Monaka
- Magetta, Champa, Vados and Cabba