Episode 161 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on October 21, 1992 and titled Vegeta Must Pay in Funimation's dub, hands Vegeta the bill. The prince let Cell become perfect to get a worthy opponent, and now he finds out the monster is merely playing with him. The one who sees it first is Krillin, who has just stared death in the face.
Summary
Krillin lies on the ground after Cell's kick, his bones shattered. While the monster gets used to his new body, Trunks feeds him a Senzu Bean and gets him back on his feet. Krillin is shaking, though: he has felt firsthand that Cell's strength is bottomless. And he has sensed something else, that Trunks is hiding power greater than his father's.
Vegeta, on the other hand, is not impressed by the new form at all. The two size each other up and trade smiles, and Android 16 calculates that the Saiyan still holds a slight edge. Vegeta opens with a flurry of punches, but Cell blocks every one without breaking a sweat. Then, without warning, he grabs him, pins him against a rock face and blows up the whole mountain. The prince realizes his enemy has become much faster, yet keeps insisting Cell cannot beat him.
Off to the side, Trunks tells Krillin what happened in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber: he trained until he surpassed his father, but he does not want Vegeta to know, because he wants to be accepted by him and not wound his pride. On Kami's Lookout, Tien judges the two fighters evenly matched, while Piccolo sees further: Vegeta has stopped thinking and his anger is making him sloppy. Bulma, as usual, complains that nobody tells her anything. Meanwhile, in the Chamber, Goku and Gohan spar as Super Saiyans.
The battle moves to a rocky plateau. Cell appears behind Vegeta, dodges every kick by hopping from spire to spire and even survives a trap of energy blasts raining down from above, complimenting him on the trick. Blinded by rage, Vegeta unleashes a storm of attacks that all miss. Android 16 admits they are all doomed. Finally the prince demands that Cell get serious, and when the monster blinks in behind him again, Vegeta lands his most powerful kick on his neck. Cell does not move an inch.
Our take
Chapter 383 is short and ruthless: Vegeta asks Cell to fight for real, kicks him and finds he cannot hurt him. The anime gets there gradually, with chases across the rocks and commentary from the Lookout, and the result is an episode that drags out the pleasure of watching the prince get his comeuppance. It half works. The step-by-step humiliation makes sense, but the added fighting is repetitive, and viewers already know where it is going.
The most interesting part is the conversation between Trunks and Krillin. Trunks is stronger than his father and holds back out of respect, not fear: the portrait of a son who grew up without Vegeta and still craves his approval. Krillin, by contrast, scolds him for waiting. It is a small exchange that gives the Saiyan family drama more weight than the fight itself.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 383 from page 2 to the end. Written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, directed by Jun'ichi Fujise with animation direction by Masayuki Uchiyama, it drew a 19.2% share.
- Piccolo and Tien's exchanges, Goku and Gohan sparring as Super Saiyans and most of the fighting between the first punch and the kick to the neck are anime additions.
- It is the first episode to use music from the movie Super Android 13!, released in Japanese theaters in the summer of 1992.
- The Japanese title calls him "Super Vegeta," the name the prince gave himself in episode 156 after leaving the Chamber.
- Funimation's English dub premiered on Cartoon Network on November 2, 2000.
Characters
- Vegeta, Cell, Trunks and Krillin
- Android 16
- Piccolo, Tien and Bulma on Kami's Lookout
- Goku and Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber