Episode 91 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on May 21, 2017 and titled Which Universe Will Win Their Place? The Mighty Warriors Gradually Assemble! in Funimation's dub, is a grand tour of the competing universes. To entertain the bored Zenos, the Grand Minister shows them how preparations are going: some are training, some are recruiting old enemies, some are holding auditions. Everything seems set, until bad news arrives for Universe 7 at the very end.
Summary
At Zeno's palace the two kings tire of a hammer game, and the Grand Minister entertains them with a progress report. They are pleased to hear that Goku has gathered ten fighters. At Capsule Corporation the team discusses strategy with Universe 7's gods, while Vegeta has gone up to Dende's Lookout to lock himself in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, determined to be the last man standing. Old Kai offers to unlock Goku's potential as he did Gohan's, but the ritual takes more than twenty-four hours: Goku will train with Whis in the gravity room instead, at one point biting his hand.
Not every universe is doing well. In Universe 9, news of the possible erasure has sparked chaos: criminals try to flee and God of Destruction Sidra wipes them out, so the team still consists of just the three brothers. In Universe 6, Hit tracks down Frost, a fugitive slumped in an alley: the tyrant feigns surrender to strike by surprise, then agrees to compete, annoyed that he will have to give up his poison needles.
On Earth, Yamcha waits by the TV for an invitation that never comes. Master Roshi stops by for Puar: he wants him to turn into a beautiful woman so he can train himself out of his weakness for women. In Universe 11, Top and Dyspo wait for Kahseral, who is busy rescuing a cat from a tree. In Universe 2, at a tournament to choose the universe's idol warrior, slender Brianne de Chateau transforms into the plump Ribrianne and blasts her rivals away. In Universe 10, angel Cus has the ten fighters dance together to build team spirit, while Gowasu films it all.
Then the Grand Minister turns back to Universe 7. Gohan and Supreme Kai are debating whether to hold the center of the arena to avoid ring-outs when Bulma brings a message from Mr. Satan: Majin Buu has fallen asleep and will not wake up for two months. Goku rushes off to wake him, and a furious Beerus wants to follow.
Our take
The episode does what an ensemble saga needs to do before a battle: it introduces the opponents in a few strokes and gives each one a personality. Frost returns with his duplicity intact, Ribrianne promises a completely different comic register, and the Pride Troopers prove to be neighborhood heroes even in small things. Universe 10, with its dances and protein shakes, is presented as the most naive team of the bunch, and attentive viewers can already tell it will not last long.
The closing twist pays off the nap planted in episode 85. With Majin Buu out of the picture, the team loses one of its pillars hours before the start, and the search for a replacement will lead to the saga's most startling decision.
Trivia
- Written by Toshio Yoshitaka and directed by Kazuya Karasawa, with Yoshitaka Yashima as animation director. It drew a 5.4% TV rating in Japan.
- Goku's bite marks the first time Whis is shown feeling physical pain.
- In the manga, Buu's hibernation is discovered earlier, and Goku hears the news over a device on his way to see Piccolo.
- Goku's training with Whis and Vegeta's session in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber are anime additions.
Did you know? When he falls into a deep sleep, Majin Buu stays out for two whole months, whereas normally a nap of a few seconds is all he needs.
Characters
- Zeno, Future Zeno and the Grand Minister
- Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Whis, Beerus, Supreme Kai and Old Kai
- Mr. Popo, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar and Master Roshi
- Hit, Frost, Sidra, Top, Dyspo and Kahseral
- Brianne de Chateau, Gowasu, Cus and the Universe 10 fighters