Episode 38 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on April 10, 2016, finally brings Hit, Universe 6's legendary assassin, into the ring. Within minutes he takes Vegeta out without anyone being able to see his blows, forcing Goku to come up with something new to avoid the same fate.
Summary
Even though Hit hides his energy, Vegeta can tell he is strong and goes straight to Super Saiyan Blue. His opponent's compact, minimal stance leaves no openings. When Hit attacks, Vegeta thinks he can follow his speed, only to be knocked back: he never saw the punch. The pattern repeats. Vegeta sees every move Hit makes except the moment of impact, tries to put distance between them and is caught in a flash, even manages to grab his arm, but Hit dodges again and knocks him out with blows that are anything but light. Before walking away he checks with the referee: killing is not allowed, right?
Not even Jaco's amazing eyesight can follow Hit, who aims only at vital points. It is the Galactic King who offers an explanation: some beings are said to be able to "skip" time ahead by a tenth of a second, freezing it for everyone but themselves. Bulma demands that Jaco arrest him, since time manipulation is illegal, but the patrolman refuses outright. Whis is surprised that someone else can control time, and Beerus starts to worry. He asks Whis to give Goku a counter, but the angel would rather let him work it out, and sarcastically reminds him that they still have Monaka, "the strongest in Universe 7". Piccolo overhears and realizes Goku is their last hope.
Goku enters in his base form and says it openly: he is stalling to figure out how to beat Hit. He also learns his opponent is over a thousand years old, and from then on addresses him with the respect due to an elder. He takes a long beating, then, when Hit suggests he give up, blocks the next blow. He cannot see his opponent's movements: he predicts them, exploiting how short the skip is. Hit smiles. Now he can fight for real.
Our take
Hit is the best opponent of the saga, and this episode shows why right away. He does not shout, boast or transform: he simply strikes, with an economy of movement that contrasts with everything we have seen so far. The direction handles his technique well, showing what Vegeta can and cannot see, and makes the Time-Skip a puzzle before it becomes an explanation.
The second half is a small essay on Goku's intelligence. The Saiyan who stalls on purpose, admits he cannot see and solves the problem by calculation is the character at his best.
Trivia
- Written by Toshio Yoshitaka and directed by Kōhei Hatano, with animation direction by Naoki Tate, Yui Kinoshita and Tomoko Kusunoki.
- It drew a 5.8% rating in Japan.
- Hit compliments Vegeta: he is the first person ever to stay standing after taking so many of his blows.
- The matching part of Toyotarō's manga runs from chapter 12 into chapter 13.
- The Galactic King admits he only knows the technique from rumors, and would rather pretend he saw nothing than tangle with Hit.
Did you know? Before the Galactic King speaks up, Goku tries to guess the trick: does Hit turn invisible? Jaco replies that in that case they would at least see his clothes.