Episode 74 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on January 15, 2017 and titled For My Beloved Ones! The Indomitable Great Saiyaman!! in Funimation's dub, wraps up the Great Saiyaman two-parter. The title sums up the heart of the episode: Gohan, cornered by blackmail and a giant monster, fights in front of his wife and daughter and draws strength from their cheers.
Summary
Gohan dodges Jaco's cannon and reveals who he is. The Galactic Patrolman explains Watagash: a mental parasite that fuses with its host and powers it up, more so the more evil the host is. It has already destroyed an entire civilization. Jaco wants to keep the investigation quiet and, in exchange for Gohan's silence, promises not to tell his wife about his "date" with Cocoa. Gohan denies it and escorts her home to rehearse lines.
It is all Barry Kahn's scheme: he wants photos of Gohan at Cocoa's place to stir up a scandal, revenge for being upstaged on set. Cocoa, whose career is slipping, is threatened into cooperating. But Gohan's kind words change her mind: she keeps the curtains closed and, up on the roof, warns him not to leave through the front door and suddenly kisses him. Gohan flies off, flustered. Barry, lurking elsewhere, photographs the kiss and sees Gohan fly: now he knows who Saiyaman is.
At dawn Barry shows up with the photos, but Videl knows her husband too well to believe them. Barry threatens to expose Saiyaman's identity and Gohan throws him out. Outside, seething with rage, Barry is possessed by Watagash: he knocks Gohan out, kidnaps Pan and challenges him at the TV station. In front of the cameras he turns into a blue ape and then into a skyscraper-sized monster, while Videl carries Pan to safety and the film's director arrives to shoot everything.
Jaco wants to blast the monster with his cannon, but Gohan stops him: Barry would die, and Pan must not see that. For a while Gohan seems to be losing, but Videl, standing next to Cocoa, is calm: he would never lose in front of his daughter. At Videl and Pan's cheers, Gohan goes Super Saiyan with his helmet on, the director dubs him "Super Great Saiyaman," and his beam brings the monster down without killing Barry. Jaco seals Watagash away. The movie hits theaters with the real battle as its climax; Barry keeps Gohan's secret, since Cocoa could reveal who the monster was. Goku falls asleep in the cinema. And Jaco, stopping for a celebratory bowl of ramen, leaves Watagash unattended once again.
Our take
This is the episode that gives Gohan what fans had been asking for: a clean victory born from love for his family rather than comparison with his father. Videl never doubting him for a second, neither in front of the photos nor in front of the monster, is the best portrait of the couple in all of Super.
The tone stays comic, with a Godzilla-style monster among Tokyo-like buildings and a director who never stops rolling. But behind the parody lies a serious idea: the ridiculous hero is also a father who cannot lose in front of his daughter.
Trivia
- Written by King Ryū and directed by Masanori Satō; it drew a 5.8% rating.
- It is the first episode of the series to show a kiss on the lips.
- It is the first time the Great Saiyaman turns Super Saiyan while keeping his helmet on.
- The battle's backdrop includes a tower resembling Tokyo Tower and a building reminiscent of the Fuji TV headquarters.
Did you know? Goku falls asleep at the movie theater: he loves fighting, he explains, but watching other people fight bores him.