Episode 64 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on October 30, 2016 and titled Worship Me! Give Praise Unto Me! The Explosive Birth of a Merged Zamasu! in Funimation's dub, takes the saga to its highest point and, at the same time, to its most famous blunder. Trunks manages to seal Zamasu with the Evil Containment Wave, but the charm meant to lock the jar was left behind at Master Roshi's. The price of that oversight is enormous: Merged Zamasu is born.
Summary
Vegeta keeps pounding Goku Black, but he knows the impostor will not fall easily. Black realizes it was rage over Trunks' wounds that made Vegeta grow so fast and, though he considers it a mortal trick, channels his own anger the same way. He forms an energy scythe: Vegeta dodges the slash, which tears a rift in the sky leading to who knows what universe or era. Meanwhile Goku lands a punch on Zamasu, noting that immortality leaves him careless.
At the garage, Mai spots Zamasu through her binoculars, heading straight for them. The time machine is not ready and the jar has been glued back together: the Evil Containment Wave is all they have. From the edge of the rift, smoke takes the shape of Black clones that keep re-forming, stopping Goku and Vegeta from going after Zamasu; so much energy even scrambles Instant Transmission.
Trunks practices the pose without success. Bulma happens to have a video on her phone of Piccolo demonstrating the technique: she hands it over and goes out to buy time. Facing Zamasu, she flirts shamelessly, gets nothing but a look of contempt and is struck down just as Future Bulma was by Black. Trunks sees her fall, explodes with anger and unleashes a perfect Evil Containment Wave, trapping a stunned Zamasu in the jar with Mai's help. Bulma is not dead after all, though she got quite a scare.
All that remains is to put the charm on the lid. But the charm is still at Master Roshi's. The seal fails, and Zamasu bursts out, weakened but furious. Black senses his partner's energy dropping and teleports to him; with the clones and the rift gone, Goku can bring himself and Vegeta to Trunks as well. Zamasu warns Black not to underestimate mortals. Time to show their true divine power: as everyone watches in horror, the two use their Potara earrings and merge into a single being who proclaims himself "the supreme god Zamasu."
Our take
The forgotten charm has become a running joke among fans, and it is admittedly a convenient device. But the episode handles it well: Trunks' Evil Containment Wave is a genuine moment of triumph, fueled by fear for Bulma and by the anger he has carried for years. That is exactly why the fall that follows hurts.
Bulma flirting with a god to save her son is the series at its most classic, funny and brave at once. And the closing fusion raises the stakes credibly: two enemies already too strong become one, and the saga enters its final act.
Trivia
- Written by King Ryū and directed by Kōji Kawasaki, with storyboards by Kōhei Hatano; it drew a 5.6% rating.
- While practicing the technique, Trunks strikes some of the Ginyu Force's and Great Saiyaman's fighting poses.
- In the original Dragon Ball the Evil Containment Wave killed its user; here Trunks performs it with no ill effects.
- In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, a downloadable emote based on Merged Zamasu's pose borrows this episode's title, "Revere Him! Praise Him!"
Did you know? In episode 54 Gowasu had warned Zamasu that two Supreme Kais wearing Potara earrings can fuse forever into one being. That half-joking warning comes true here in the worst possible way.
Characters
- Goku, Vegeta and Future Trunks
- Goku Black, Future Zamasu and Merged Zamasu
- Bulma and Future Mai
- Gowasu and Shin