Episode 223 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on April 13, 1994 and titled Next Up, Goku in Funimation's dub, pits Goku against an opponent who feeds on his very strength. The monster Yakon eats the light of a Super Saiyan; rather than hold back, Goku decides to give him more than he can swallow. And for a split second he hints at something beyond Super Saiyan.
Summary
Outside the ship, Krillin and Piccolo are still stone, while inside, Majin Buu's sphere sits half full. Yakon, a green giant with scythe-like claws, steps out to face Goku, who needles him without ceremony. The Supreme Kai warns that he is one of the most feared creatures in the universe, but in the opening exchange Goku dodges everything and the monster only manages to tear a strip from his gi. Babidi decides to help: with a spell he transports everyone to Yakon's home world, a planet at the far edge of the universe that light never reaches.
In the pitch dark Goku stumbles over a rock, while Yakon can see him perfectly. Goku, however, senses his opponent's energy and evades the attacks, then finds a more direct way to light the place up: he turns Super Saiyan. Babidi's meter reads 3,000 kili; Dabura notes that 300 is enough to destroy a planet and that Yakon has a mere 800.
Yakon opens his jaws and inhales the golden glow until Goku drops back to his base form: the monster eats light and turns it into energy. Gohan begs his father not to transform again, but Goku has an idea. He powers up once more and keeps pushing his aura out while Yakon gulps it down; Vegeta tells the fretting Supreme Kai that Goku knows exactly what he is doing, and Babidi complains that the energy is filling his monster's belly instead of the sphere. Finally Goku unleashes one last surge, with a glimpse of Super Saiyan 2, and Yakon swells until he explodes. Vegeta quietly realizes that his rival has also broken through the Super Saiyan barrier, probably training in the afterlife.
Back at the tournament, Goten and Trunks gorge themselves at the canteen, only to remember that the junior prize has not been handed over yet and they have no money. They try to sneak out and crash straight into the Ox-King and Chi-Chi. Inside the ship, Dabura announces that he will take the third stage himself.
Our take
The Yakon fight is short, but it is one of the saga's neat little tactical gems. Goku does not win with brute force, because brute force is exactly what his enemy eats: he wins by turning his opponent's gift into a weakness. This is the resourceful Goku of the original Dragon Ball, the one who settled bouts with a clever idea rather than a bigger beam, and it is good to see him again. The setting helps too: fighting in darkness strips away spectacle and pushes the direction toward silhouettes, sound and ki sensing.
The real weight of the episode is in the reactions. In the Japanese version Vegeta senses that Goku has crossed a new threshold, and Babidi, as in the manga, observes that Yakon ballooned far too suddenly for simple overeating. The English dub drops the wizard's doubt, which is a pity: it is the first hint of Super Saiyan 3, and the first sign that the rivalry between the two Saiyans is about to flare up again.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 450 from page six and all of chapter 451. Written by Hiroshi Toda and directed by Yoshihiro Ueda, with Masayuki Uchiyama as animation director.
- It drew a 22.7% share in Japan, airing three weeks after episode 222 (March 23).
- Goku tripping in the dark, Dabura's comment about 300 kili and all the tournament scenes are anime additions.
- The Funimation recap at the start reuses footage from this very episode, including the door that appears after Yakon explodes.
- In Dragon Ball Kai, this fight shares an episode with Vegeta's win over Pui Pui.