Episode 221 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on March 16, 1994 and titled King of the Demons in Funimation's dub, is where the Majin Buu Saga finally bares its teeth. Its Japanese title translates literally as "The Awaiting Trap!! A Challenge from the Demon Realm". In a matter of seconds Dabura, king of the Demon Realm, kills Kibito and turns Krillin and Piccolo to stone, leaving the Saiyans no choice but to walk into Babidi's spaceship, where an opponent waits on every level.
Summary
Outside the ship, Babidi and Dabura chuckle over the fate of Spopovich and Yamu while Goku's group watches from behind the rocks. The wizard knows he is being watched and decides to lure the fighters inside to harvest their energy, picking off the weaker ones along the way. Dabura streaks up to the cliff and blasts Kibito at point-blank range, wiping him out. Goku and Vegeta lash out on instinct but cannot touch him; the demon then spits on Krillin and Piccolo, who harden into statues within moments, and calmly flies back to the ship.
The Supreme Kai warns that a single knock would shatter them, and then nothing could bring them back. The only way to restore them is to defeat Dabura. Goku and Gohan head straight for the entrance, Vegeta follows, and the Supreme Kai, certain this is a trap, reluctantly brings up the rear. Back at the tournament, the crowd is fuming over the delay while Goten and Trunks, still disguised as Mighty Mask, bicker about what is going on.
Inside, the hatch seals behind them. Vegeta wants to blow the place apart, but the Supreme Kai stops him: a strong enough shock could wake Majin Buu. Meanwhile Babidi pours the energy stolen from Gohan at the tournament into the sphere that holds the monster, and is startled to see it fill almost halfway.
At the first stage Pui Pui appears and explains the rules: one opponent per level, each one to be beaten before going deeper. While the Supreme Kai and Pui Pui himself look on in disbelief, Goku, Gohan and Vegeta settle who fights first with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Vegeta wins and squares off against Babidi's warrior.
Our take
The episode runs on a sharp contrast. The first half is among the bleakest stretches of the series: Kibito dies without knowing what hit him, and the stone spit removes two veterans in a single gesture. The second half is almost a sitcom, with three Saiyans playing for their turn like schoolkids while the highest god in the universe trembles beside them. The danger is real, but Goku and his friends have seen too much to take it seriously, and we end up sharing the Supreme Kai's unease.
It also sets up the structure for the episodes to come. A ship built in floors, one enemy per stage, energy siphoned with every injury: it is a video-game device that gives the arc a clear rhythm and explains why the heroes cannot simply level the ship. The anime adds Goku and Vegeta swinging at Dabura after Kibito's death, where in the manga they stand frozen. It makes them more human, but it softens some of the chill the original pages carried.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 447 from page ten, all of chapter 448 and the first six pages of chapter 449. Written by Hiroshi Toda and directed by Kazuhito Kikuchi, with Yūji Hakamada as animation director.
- It drew a 20.3% share in Japan.
- Goku and Vegeta's attack on Dabura and Goten and Trunks arguing at the stadium are anime additions.
- In Dragon Ball Kai, Dabura's attack and the descent into the ship share an episode with Babidi's execution of Spopovich and Yamu.
Did you know? The Supreme Kai explains that the stone curse only breaks when its caster dies. Krillin and Piccolo do return to normal later in the saga, when Dabura falls, and not at the hands of the Saiyans.