Episode 99 of Dragon Ball Super, first broadcast in Japan on July 16, 2017 and titled Show Them! Krillin's Underlying Strength! in Funimation's dub, is Krillin's moment of glory. After the shock of Universe 9's erasure, the Earthling takes part in three eliminations in a matter of minutes, one of them alongside his wife, Android 18. Then, right in the middle of celebrating, he makes the tournament's most classic mistake.
Summary
Everyone is stunned into silence. Goku recalls that this is the second time he has seen Zeno erase a universe, after Future Trunks's, and repeats that winning is the only way to survive; Vegeta swears he will be the last one standing. In the stands, Anat, Supreme Kai of Universe 1, notes that without Goku's proposal the weak universes would have disappeared anyway. Frieza muses that one day he will rule over even the two kings, while Android 17 reminds his sister of their edge: energy that never runs out.
The battle resumes. Vegeta targets Hit, but Botamo blocks his way; Vegeta ties his rubbery body in knots and is about to hurl him out when Magetta steps in. This time Universe 6 has learned its lesson: Botamo climbs onto Magetta's shoulders and covers his ears, so Vegeta's insults no longer work. Meanwhile, Gohan's group takes out Jium, Universe 10's winged fighter, with three Destructo Discs from Krillin and a Kamehameha from Master Roshi.
Android 18 pummels Universe 4's Shosa and thinks she has killed him, but the wolf was playing dead and catches her off guard, sending her toward the edge. Krillin grabs her in midair and propels them both back onto the arena with an energy blast. Together they use the technique they practiced in training, an energy ball they pass back and forth as it grows faster and bigger, and knock Shosa out. Then comes Majora, also from Universe 4: Krillin hands 18 the sunglasses he swiped from Roshi and uses Solar Flare x100, but his opponent is blind and tracks people by smell.
Krillin keeps his cool: he takes off a shoe and throws it in Majora's face. The stench knocks out Majora's sense of smell, and a Kamehameha sends him flying. Android 18, unimpressed by the method, promises to wash his shoes when they get home. But while Krillin celebrates, Frost appears out of nowhere, knocks him off the ring and runs away. Krillin ends up in the stands, scolded by Beerus. Forty-three minutes remain.
Our take
This is the episode Krillin's fans had been waiting years for, and the series gives him his due: brains, experience and a dash of comedy. The smelly shoe against Majora is a solution worthy of the original Dragon Ball, when fights were won through cunning, and the combo with Android 18 shows a couple in sync on the battlefield too.
His elimination at Frost's hands is cruel but entirely in keeping with the tournament: whoever drops their guard is done, no matter how well they fought a moment earlier. It is also a clever reminder that Universe 6's tyrant is a predator who picks the easiest prey.
Trivia
- Written by Toshio Yoshitaka and directed by Takahiro Imamura, with Paul Añonuevo, Eugene Ayson and Osamu Ishikawa as animation directors. It drew a 4.3% TV rating in Japan.
- In the manga, Krillin is eliminated without accomplishing anything; Jium falls to Android 17 and Shosa to Kale.
- In the manga, Vegeta never confronts anyone from Universe 6.
- Toei's simulcast title was Show Them! Krillin's True Power!!
Did you know? The stench trick against a smell-reliant opponent flips Krillin's famous bout with Bacterian at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, when it was Krillin who suffered from the stink.
Characters
- Krillin, Android 18, Android 17, Goku, Vegeta and Frieza
- Gohan, Piccolo, Tien and Master Roshi
- Shosa and Majora of Universe 4
- Botamo, Magetta, Hit and Frost of Universe 6
- Jium, Anat, Mohito, Beerus, Champa and Vados