The hundredth episode of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on July 24, 1991 and titled Gohan Returns in Funimation's dub, marks the milestone with a turning point. On Earth, Shenron grants the wish King Kai devised and brings Frieza's victims on Namek back to life, while on the dying planet the tyrant seems to get the better of Goku. The one who steps back into the fight, against all caution, is young Gohan.
Summary
Frieza charges headfirst into Goku's Kamehameha and pushes it back with all his fury, while the Saiyan powers it up again and again to hold him off. On Earth, Mr. Popo speaks the wish, and Shenron, with some difficulty, grants it: everyone killed by Frieza and his men on Namek will return to life.
On the battlefield, Frieza suddenly veers off, slips past the blast and slams into a distracted Goku, driving him deep into the ground, which erupts in a column of lava. Far away, Gohan can no longer sense his father. Bulma begs him to leave with her, but the boy turns back: if he can hold Frieza long enough, the tyrant will still be on Namek when it explodes.
In the Namekian villages, the dead wake up confused. Dende, Grand Elder Guru and even Vegeta, who climbs out of the grave Goku dug for him, are all alive again. With Guru restored, Porunga returns too, since he still had one wish left to grant. Krillin does not come back: Shenron had already revived him once.
Gohan reaches Frieza as he prepares to leave the planet. Full of confidence, the tyrant drops back to his base final form and dominates the boy with ease, then declares Goku dead. Gohan falters and tries to flee, but Frieza sees through his plan. Just then the boy senses his father's energy again. Heartened, he attacks with a barrage of punches and a Masenko that fails to leave a mark. Frieza powers back up to 100% to finish him, but Goku bursts out of the sea, his undershirt in tatters: he had hidden his energy to recover. He orders his son to leave and gets ready for the next round.
Our take
A hundred episodes is a milestone, and Toei marks it with an installment that sums up both the strengths and the weaknesses of this stretch of the show. The strength is Gohan. His decision to turn back, knowing he cannot win, is one of the moments where Goku's son shows the courage that will make him a lead years later. The Japanese title, "I'm Son Goku's son!", says as much.
The weakness is pacing. We are deep into Namek's famous "five minutes," announced by Frieza in episode 97 and stretching all the way to episode 106, and the Goku-Frieza duel that began in episode 87 is now on its fourteenth installment. The anime has to buy time on the manga, so it expands scenes: in the manga Frieza knocks Goku into the sea and the fight resumes almost at once, while here the Saiyan is buried underground in a lava blast, Gohan believes he is dead and returns to fight alone. Those are anime additions, as are the comments from Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, Yajirobe and Dr. Brief back on Earth.
At least this expansion has dramatic weight: it gives the boy a small heroic moment.
Trivia
- It adapts the first eleven pages of chapter 323. Written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa and directed by Jun'ichi Fujise from Mitsuo Hashimoto's storyboard, it drew a 19.8% share.
- The wish that revives Frieza's victims comes back in Dragon Ball GT, where it gives birth to one of the evil Shadow Dragons.
- In Japanese, Guru is now voiced by Masaharu Satō, and this is Kenji Utsumi's last time voicing Shenron in the Z anime.
- Some lines in Funimation's dub led viewers to think Goku had died and been revived by Shenron, which is impossible since he had already been wished back once. In the original he is only knocked out.
Characters
- Goku, Gohan and Frieza
- Bulma and an unconscious Piccolo
- Vegeta, Dende and Guru
- Mr. Popo, Shenron and Porunga
- King Kai
- Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, Yajirobe and Dr. Brief