The eighth episode of Dragon Ball Super, broadcast in Japan on August 30, 2015, wraps up Bulma's party with three twists in a row. An enraged Vegeta gives Beerus more trouble than anyone has so far; the fate of the planet comes down to a game of rock-paper-scissors; and when all seems lost, Goku shows up to ask the god for one last chance.
Summary
Blinded by rage, Vegeta rushes Beerus with a flurry of punches. The god blocks them all, but the prince catches him off guard and sends him flying off the ship. The fight continues over the sea, blow for blow; Vegeta even lands a Galick Gun, without leaving a scratch. Beerus concludes that Vegeta cannot be the Super Saiyan God, though he admits fighting him was more fun than fighting the Saiyan on King Kai's planet. He is about to destroy Earth when he hesitates: it would be a shame to lose a planet with such good food. Bulma assures him there is plenty more to eat, and the god decides to give them a chance.
As the Pilaf Gang rows away in a dinghy fished out of the trash, Beerus picks his opponent: Oolong. Convinced the pink pig is the same species as Majin Buu, the pudding thief, he challenges him to rock-paper-scissors. If Oolong wins, the god will leave Earth alone. After much coaxing, the pig agrees. The first round is a tie, scissors against scissors; Beerus accuses him of cheating, but Oolong points out that a cheater would not end up tying. Another round, scissors and scissors again. Bulma promises him anything he wants if he wins, and Oolong throws scissors a third time. Beerus throws rock. Puar scolds Oolong, and the god rises into the air to charge a massive energy sphere.
At the last moment a voice asks him to wait: it is Goku. He wishes Bulma a happy birthday, apologizes for not bringing a present and infuriates her by asking how old she is. Then he asks Beerus to hold off on the destruction long enough to solve the mystery of the Super Saiyan God. The god agrees, but warns him: this is the last chance, and if it fails he will wipe out Earth and the entire solar system. Goku asks Bulma to use the bingo Dragon Balls, and Vegeta realizes his rival has been there for a while, watching everything. Bulma agrees, as long as Goku teaches that brute a lesson. Goku explains that she is talking about the strongest God of Destruction in the universe, and she is stunned.
Our take
Rock-paper-scissors is the episode's most famous scene, and TV changes it from the film in a curious way. In the movie it was a battle of wits: Yamcha told Oolong to throw paper, sure the god would throw rock, but Beerus had overheard. Here the strategy is gone and all that is left is Oolong throwing scissors three times running. Simpler, perhaps less clever, but true to the character.
The more interesting exchange is another one. When Beerus says Vegeta entertained him more than Goku did, the show hints, without spelling it out, that rage over Bulma briefly pushed the prince past his rival. It is a small detail, but for Vegeta it means the world.
Trivia
- Written by Toshio Yoshitaka and directed by Kōhei Hatano, with Akira Kano and Masahiro Shimanuki as animation directors. It drew a 6.2% rating in Japan.
- Beerus says it has been a long time since he fought at 10% of his strength. The line echoes the film Battle of Gods, where Whis notes that the god used 70% against Goku.
- In the film, Master Roshi said outright that rage made Vegeta stronger than Goku; on TV only Beerus' hints remain.
- The scissors joke echoes a habit of Toriyama's, who in Dr. Slump and elsewhere poked fun at crabs and other animals that could only throw scissors.