Episode 84 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on April 2, 2017 and titled Goku the Talent Scout Recruit Krillin and Android 18 in Funimation's dub, is Krillin's comeback. Goku and Gohan set out to recruit him and Android 18, but first they want to know whether their old friend can still keep up. The answer comes in two sparring matches in which Earth's most famous police officer proves that experience can count as much as raw power.
Summary
Krillin is swamped with police work, from robberies to arrests to traffic duty, when Goku and Gohan drag him home to tell him about the Tournament of Power. With rules that forbid killing and reward pushing opponents off the ring, Krillin thinks he can handle it, and Android 18 encourages him. She, however, says no: she does not work for free, and she has Marron to look after. Suspicious of the pair's insistence, she asks whether this really is just a friendly tournament; Goku, who has agreed with Gohan to keep quiet about the erasure, makes up a prize of ten million zeni. Later, without thinking, he says a hundred million.
Gohan, though, has doubts about Krillin and suggests a test match on the seaside rocks under tournament rules. Krillin reminds him it is not a fight to the death, then unveils a powered-up Solar Flare: the Solar Flare x100 blinds even with closed eyes and stops the target from sensing energy. Disoriented, Gohan ends up in the water. Ring out.
Now Goku wants a turn. They move to the roof of one of Mr. Satan's skyscrapers, in the rain, and Krillin remembers facing Goku as kids at the World Martial Arts Tournament. He unleashes a volley of Destructo Discs, fakes another Solar Flare and meanwhile springs the real trap: four small discs have sliced through a corner of the building, which collapses under Goku's feet. The Saiyan goes Super Saiyan Blue and the Kamehameha clash turns against Krillin, until Android 18 steps in and deflects the blast. The tournament will be a free-for-all, and sometimes you have to work together.
Goku calls it off, satisfied. He realizes he had not truly understood what kind of contest awaits them, and hails Krillin as his best friend. Android 18 reveals that 17 works at a wildlife reserve but does not know where; Krillin suggests asking Dende. Thirty-eight hours remain until the tournament.
Our take
Krillin is the character who paid the highest price for the Saiyans' exponential growth, reduced for years to a bystander. Here the anime gives him back his dignity without cheating: he does not suddenly become as strong as Goku, but wins with his head. The Solar Flare x100 and the skyscraper trick are clever solutions, and the memory of the old tournament in the rain gives the bout the flavor of a lifelong friendship.
Android 18's intervention is the most useful lesson ahead of the tournament: on a ring with eighty fighters, nobody will fight alone. Goku's lies about the prize, meanwhile, are yet another sign that his recruiting methods are a little too casual, and the bill will come due soon.
Trivia
- Written by King Ryū and directed by Kazuya Karasawa, with Yoshitaka Yashima as animation director. It drew a 5.5% TV rating in Japan.
- Goku's made-up prize would work out to a million zeni for each of the ten team members.
- The rooftop bout takes place with the permission of Mr. Satan, who owns the building.
- Toei's simulcast title was Son Goku the Recruiter Invites Krillin and No. 18.
Did you know? The flashback to their childhood is no throwaway: Goku and Krillin had already faced each other in the semifinals of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, back when both were Master Roshi's students.