Episode 149 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on July 22, 1992 and titled He's Here in Funimation's dub, pushes the clash between Piccolo and Android 17 to its breaking point. The two are evenly matched, but the Android has an edge the Namekian cannot close: he never gets tired. And just as the battle seems to reach its decisive moment, Cell shows up.
Summary
Piccolo and Android 17 trade brutal blows without either giving an inch. Android 16 and Android 18 watch from the sidelines, convinced the whole fight is pointless, while 17 cannot figure out where his opponent's new strength comes from, unaware of the fusion with Kami.
At Kame House, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha are following the fighters' energy from afar when they sense a third, enormous power closing in fast. On Kami's Lookout, Goku and Gohan wait for Vegeta and Trunks to come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Gohan asks his father whether Piccolo can win; Goku senses his friend starting to struggle, but once again keeps his son from leaving.
At Capsule Corporation, Bulma works nonstop on Dr. Gero's blueprints while Dr. Brief tries in vain to stop baby Trunks from crying. At last the device is ready: a remote that shuts down all of an Android's circuits so it can be destroyed. Bulma takes her son and flies off toward Kame House.
On the island, the fight escalates until a volcano erupts. The two chase each other underwater, smash one another into the rocks, and eventually the island itself collapses into the sea. The longer it goes on, the clearer the gap becomes: 17's energy never drops, while Piccolo's keeps fading. The two pause and stare each other down. Then Piccolo turns his head and goes pale. Standing on a cliff is Cell, far stronger than before. The Androids do not recognize him and look at him with disdain. He thanks Piccolo for finding them on his behalf: this is the day he has been waiting for.
Our take
The episode adapts a single manga chapter, and it shows: the anime stretches the duel with the volcano, the underwater brawl and a long Capsule Corporation interlude. Still, it holds up, because the tension rests on a clear idea. Piccolo is as strong as 17, but the Android has unlimited energy and the Namekian does not. In the long run, a draw is a defeat waiting to happen.
The closing twist completes what the previous episode set up. The Androids give off no energy, so Cell cannot track them on his own, but by sensing a single power, Piccolo's, he deduces that the opponent must be one of them. His thanks are a cruel joke: the warrior trying to protect Earth has served as his guide.
Look at 17 and 18 too. Their bored superiority, so far the most entertaining thing about them, becomes their weakness here: they have no idea who Cell is or what he wants from them, and they underestimate him.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 368. Written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa and directed by Daisuke Nishio, it drew a 20.0% share.
- The volcano eruption, the underwater fight, Gohan's question about Piccolo's chances and the scenes with Bulma and Dr. Brief are anime additions.
- Dragon Ball Kai compresses the whole Imperfect Cell stretch, episodes 140-152, into eight episodes (68-75).
- In Italy it premiered on Italia 1 on September 21, 2000.
Did you know? In the edited English TV version, lines were added during the long silent stare between Piccolo and 17. The two talk about Goku, about their programming and duty, and even about a grudging liking for each other, none of which is in the original.