Episode 197 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on August 18, 1993 and titled Water Fight in Funimation's dub, is devoted entirely to the quarterfinals of the Other World Tournament. Goku is in real trouble against an opponent who turns the ring into a giant tank of water, while Pikkon and Olibu deliver the most spectacular fight of the arc so far.
Summary
The announcer runs through the eight remaining fighters: Froug and Torbie from the South Galaxy, Arqua from the East, Olibu and Goku from the North, and Maraikoh, Tapkar and Pikkon from the West. The Kais seize the chance to needle each other about the standings.
The first match is over in a flash. Tapkar races around the ring so fast that even Goku is impressed, circling Torbie nonstop, and just as he moves in to strike he runs out of breath. He forfeits. In the second, Froug puffs himself up like a balloon until he is bigger than the ring and shoves Maraikoh to the edge, but his opponent hoists him up and hurls him out.
Then it is Goku against Arqua, an East Galaxy fighter who looks shy and awkward. Goku goes on the attack and seems to have it easy, until Arqua, urged on by his Kai, unleashes his technique: he wraps the entire ring in a huge cube of water. Underwater, everything changes. Arqua swims at blinding speed and strikes from every side, while Goku can neither breathe nor move properly. King Kai shouts that it is cheating, but the other Kais disagree and the match goes on. Just when he seems finished, Goku blinds his opponent with the Solar Flare, bursts out of the water and fires a Kamehameha at the ring: the blast kicks up a wave that sweeps Arqua out of bounds.
East Kai is furious and sentences all her fighters to ten thousand laps around the planet. Goku, though, goes over to congratulate Arqua: had he stayed trapped a little longer, he would have lost. The young fighter beams with pride, at least until his Kai sends him off running.
The last quarterfinal is Pikkon against Olibu. When the gong sounds, the two stand still and silent while their Kais trade insults. Pikkon strikes first and nearly floors his opponent with a shout alone. Then the battle takes to the air among the asteroids, a blur of energy blasts and afterimages so fast that even Goku struggles to follow. In the end Pikkon knocks Olibu out of the ring. The loser offers his hand with a smile, and the West Galaxy fighter, for once, smiles back. At ringside Goku is shaking, not with fear but with excitement.
Our take
The episode works because it balances gags and tension with real skill. The minor bouts are one-minute sketches, but the Arqua fight is a little lesson in combat: Goku loses as long as he fights on his opponent's terms and wins the moment he drags him out of his element. It is the strategic Goku of the Cell Games in a lighter key, and his gesture toward the defeated fighter says more about the character than any victory.
Pikkon versus Olibu, meanwhile, is the tournament's real benchmark. Two fighters who barely speak, fight clean and respect each other: after so many loud villains, it feels like a return to the martial arts spirit of early Dragon Ball Z. It also sets up the final: if Olibu, a legend of Earth, is not enough, nobody but Goku can stop Pikkon.
Trivia
- It is a fully anime-original episode, written by Aya Matsui and directed by Daisuke Nishio, with Masayuki Uchiyama as animation director. It drew a 19.7% share.
- Two of the eight quarterfinalists do not match the winners shown in the previous round, and the episode never explains why.
- Arqua's name comes from aqua, water.
- Olibu is voiced by Masaharu Satō, who would later become Master Roshi's main Japanese voice.
- The tournament rules forbid dirty tricks, and in the Japanese version attacks to the eyes are explicitly banned, yet nobody objects to Goku's Solar Flare.
Characters
- Goku, Arqua, Pikkon and Olibu
- Tapkar, Torbie, Froug and Maraikoh
- King Kai, East Kai, West Kai and South Kai
- The Grand Kai and the announcer