Episode 21 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on September 27, 1989 and known in Funimation's dub as Counting Down, wraps up the training on King Kai's planet and starts the countdown. Shenron brings Goku back to life, but his teacher realizes too late that he made a mistake: the trip back down Snake Way takes time. The next day, the Saiyans land.
Summary
It is the last day of training. Goku now catches Bubbles and hits Gregory in the blink of an eye, and in front of King Kai he tests the two techniques he has learned: the Kaio-ken, which multiplies his strength and speed for a few moments, and the Spirit Bomb, a sphere made of energy lent by every living thing around him.
It is time to go back. Through King Kai, Goku speaks telepathically to Master Roshi and asks him to summon Shenron and revive him. At Kame House, Roshi, Bulma, Oolong and Puar call the dragon. Oolong tries asking for the Saiyans to be defeated, but Shenron explains he cannot: those enemies are stronger than Kami, his creator, and no wish can exceed the power of the one who made him. So the wish is the planned one: Goku returns to life and the halo over his head disappears.
King Kai gives him a new gi. In the Japanese version Goku is pleased to see the Turtle School symbol on his chest, until he discovers King Kai's symbol on his back. Just as they say goodbye, the North Kai realizes he never accounted for the time needed to run back along Snake Way: Goku will arrive at least a day after the Saiyans. He sets off at full speed.
The next morning, at 11:43, two space pods crash into the heart of a city. As a crowd of onlookers gathers around the craters, Vegeta and Nappa step out. All over the world, Earth's fighters sense their presence.
Our take
The episode works as a hinge. The first half closes the afterlife chapter with a recap of Goku's progress that even includes new animation of his Kaio-ken training, a rarity in Dragon Ball Z. The second half opens the most anticipated battle of the saga.
The Shenron scene sets a rule that matters for the rest of the series: the dragon cannot do anything beyond his creator's power. That is why Earth cannot simply wish the Saiyans away, and it is a limit that will come up again when other Dragon Balls and other dragons enter the story. Toriyama closes off a narrative shortcut that would have drained all the tension.
King Kai's mistake, on the other hand, is an elegant device. Goku is ready, but he is far away: for several episodes viewers know he is coming and watch him race, while his friends fight without him. Much of the suspense in the episodes ahead comes from this.
In the anime, the Saiyans' arrival is also longer than in the manga: the little girl asking her father to go and eat and the stunned passers-by around the pods are Toei additions, and they make what happens next even crueler.
Trivia
- The calendar next to the Kame House toilet shows 1989, the year the episode aired.
- It is the first episode to use music from the first Dragon Ball Z movie, Dead Zone (1989), and the one where Vegeta's and Nappa's color schemes are corrected from their earlier appearances.
- In Funimation's English dub, the gi scene is reversed: Goku says he wants King Kai's symbol and will wear it with pride.
- The episode adapts chapter 212 and the start of 213, with an 18.6% ratings share in Japan.
Did you know? Shenron never says he cannot kill. He says he cannot grant a wish that exceeds Kami's power. Vegeta and Nappa are simply out of his league.
Characters
- Goku
- King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory
- Master Roshi, Bulma, Oolong and Puar
- Shenron
- Vegeta and Nappa