Episode 25 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on November 1, 1989 and titled Sacrifice in Funimation's dub, closes Tien's tragedy. With one arm and a broken heart over Chiaotzu, the three-eyed fighter burns his own life in a final Tri-Beam. Nappa stays on his feet, but Vegeta, intrigued by Goku's name, calls a halt and grants a three-hour truce.
Summary
On Snake Way, Goku senses that things are going badly on Earth. On the battlefield, Tien hurls himself at Nappa to avenge Chiaotzu, but with only one arm he stands no chance and the Saiyan batters him. Krillin wants to step in, but Piccolo holds him back: better to wait for Nappa to drop his guard. When Vegeta laughs at the plan, Piccolo replies that he will stop smiling once Goku arrives.
As Nappa dives to finish Tien off, Piccolo and Krillin hit him with a surprise attack and knock him down. Gohan is supposed to complete the assault, but the memory of Tien's arm freezes him and the boy runs off to hide. Piccolo and Krillin then split into multiple copies, but each copy has only a fraction of the original's strength and Nappa overwhelms them.
On the ground, Tien sees Chiaotzu apologizing for having failed. He thinks back on their time together, gets up and gathers all his remaining energy into a one-handed Tri-Beam. The blast hits Nappa square on and wrecks his armor, but it does not stop him. Tien collapses and dies. At the Lookout, Kami tells Mr. Popo he can feel his end approaching, and with it Piccolo's.
In despair, Krillin shouts Goku's name. Vegeta's ears prick up and he asks whether that is Kakarot. He laughs at the idea that a fighter who struggled with Raditz could threaten them, but decides to give him three hours to show up. Nappa tries to resume the attack anyway, but one angry outburst from Vegeta stops him dead. The Earthlings realize the prince is far stronger than his partner.
Our take
Tien is one of the characters Dragon Ball Z sacrifices to show how high the bar has risen, and his death has a dignity Yamcha's lacked. He does not fall through carelessness: he chooses to burn everything, knowing it might not be enough. The Tri-Beam, a technique that eats into the user's own life force, had already been established as a desperate move, and here we see its full price.
The episode is also about Gohan's crisis. The boy's flight is not cheap cowardice: he is a five-year-old in the first real fight of his life, and he has just watched a friend get maimed. It is the lowest point of his journey in this saga, and it sets up his comeback.
Much of what we see was added or rearranged by Toei. The exchange of blows between Tien and Nappa before the surprise attack, Piccolo and Krillin's multiplication technique and Chiaotzu's vision are not in the manga, while Kami's premonition is moved earlier than in the comic. The episode was directed by series director Daisuke Nishio himself.
Trivia
- This is Tien's first death in the series.
- Tien's flashback shows Chiaotzu out of chronological order: first unconscious at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, then revived after the King Piccolo arc, which actually came earlier.
- Funimation titled this episode Sacrifice, the same title it gave a Cell Saga episode. In the earlier Ocean/Saban edit, episodes 25 and 26 were merged into one, Tien Goes All Out!!.
- It adapts chapter 218 and part of 219, with a 19.1% ratings share in Japan.
Did you know? Vegeta knows Goku was revived because he overheard, through the scouter, Raditz's dying moments and the talk of the Dragon Balls. That is why the Saiyans came to Earth in the first place.
Characters
- Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu (vision)
- Krillin, Piccolo and Gohan
- Nappa and Vegeta
- Kami and Mr. Popo
- Goku