Episode 79 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on February 19, 2017 and titled The 9th Universe's Kicking Basil vs. the 7th Universe's Majin Buu!! in Funimation's dub, is the first bout of the exhibition staged for the two Zenos. Majin Buu, convinced it is all a game, takes on Basil, the youngest of Universe 9's three warriors. All it takes is one stray blast, the one that hurts Mr. Satan, to change everything.
Summary
Majin Buu seems helpless against Basil's speed, and Basil mocks him. Roh, Universe 9's Supreme Kai, proudly introduces his three fighters, the strongest in his universe: Basil is the youngest brother and a kicking specialist. But Buu gets back up laughing: he is having fun. Mr. Satan realizes the problem: he told Buu to "play," and Buu is doing exactly that. Goku notices something else: nobody can sense the Universe 9 warriors' energy, which makes it hard to tell how strong they are. Naturally, this thrills him.
Goku urges Basil to go all out, since at this level Buu is not having enough fun. Basil channels a fiery aura into his legs and unleashes the Shining Blaster, a barrage of energy kicks. When the smoke clears, Buu is still standing with a large hole in his stomach and finds the attack "a little" fun. But a blast has also hurt Mr. Satan, who tells him to forget about him and win before passing out. Buu vents steam from his head and swears revenge.
Hole healed, Buu deflects one of Basil's blasts toward Universe 11's seats, where a hooded figure cancels it and scolds Buu for disrespecting the gods: it is Top, a Universe 11 warrior, as Vados explains to a curious Champa. Still furious, Buu knocks Basil out of the ring, and Goku declares him the winner. But the Grand Minister clarifies that World Martial Arts Tournament rules do not apply: the fight goes on until Zeno is satisfied or one fighter cannot continue.
Basil climbs back into the ring and Roh tosses him a drug that makes him far more muscular. Beerus objects, but the Grand Minister overrules him: anything goes here. The new Basil overwhelms Buu with his Wolfgang Pressure and declares victory, but Buu stands up good as new: "You're strong. But I'm stronger!" His energy blast leaves Basil on his feet for a moment, then the wolf collapses. The two Zenos had a blast, the Grand Minister awards the win to Universe 7, and Buu rushes to heal Satan. In the stands, Bergamo gives his brother Lavender permission to kill his next opponent. Stepping into the ring to face him is Gohan.
Our take
It is a simple episode, almost all fighting, but it gives Majin Buu the role that suits him: an immensely powerful, childlike warrior who only gets serious when someone hurts his best friend. The bond between Buu and Mr. Satan remains one of the series' sweetest ideas, and here it drives the victory.
The tournament also starts showing its cynical side. The doping Roh is allowed, the "anything goes" rule, the threat of erasure if Zeno gets bored: the Tournament of Power will not be a celebration of martial arts, and these first bouts make that very clear.
Trivia
- Written by Atsuhiro Tomioka and directed by Hiroshi Aoyama and Akio Yamaguchi; it drew a 6.2% rating.
- Top, Goku's future opponent, makes his debut here, still hidden under a cloak.
- In Italy the episode aired after midnight, so its premiere date there falls on February 24, 2019.
- The ending theme is "An Evil Angel and Righteous Devil" by THE COLLECTORS, in use since episode 73.
Did you know? The three Universe 9 brothers are named after aromatic plants: Basil after basil, Lavender after lavender and Bergamo after bergamot.
Characters
- Majin Buu, Mr. Satan, Goku and Gohan
- Basil, Lavender and Bergamo
- Roh and the gods of Universe 9
- Beerus, Whis, Shin and Old Kai
- The Grand Minister, the two Zenos, Top, Champa and Vados