Episode 251 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on December 21, 1994, is fully titled Birth of a Fused Superhuman!! His Name is Gotenks and was called Gotenks is Born in Funimation's dub. Goten and Trunks finally pull off the Fusion Dance, but only after two hilarious failures. The warrior born on the third try, Gotenks, is as reckless as he is strong: he immediately flies off to challenge Majin Buu and comes back battered.
Summary
On Kami's Lookout, Piccolo decides it is time for a dress rehearsal. Goten and Trunks are to perform the Fusion Dance at their normal strength, without going Super Saiyan. The first attempt is a mess. One pose is ever so slightly out of sync, and the flash of light produces a pudgy kid who runs out of breath after a few steps. They have to wait half an hour for the fusion to wear off, and neither boy remembers a thing about it.
The second attempt goes even worse: this time out comes a scrawny, bony creature who looks like a worn-out old man. Piccolo is starting to have serious doubts, but on the third try the boys focus, nail every movement and Gotenks is born. The plan is to wait for the fusion to expire and then try again as Super Saiyans, but the new fighter will have none of it. Convinced he can beat Buu right now, he takes off, deaf to his teacher's warnings.
Meanwhile, on the Sacred World of the Kai, Goku, Supreme Kai and Kibito are still waiting while Elder Kai carries on with his endless ritual to draw out Gohan's hidden potential.
Gotenks finds Majin Buu terrorizing ships and small towns and taunts him with all the swagger of a little kid. His first blows land, but the monster regenerates effortlessly and strikes back, flattening the boy with embarrassing ease. When the army tries to bomb him, he shields himself with a barrier and wipes out the fleet. Gotenks has just enough energy left to drag himself back to the Lookout, where Piccolo gives him a furious dressing-down for ignoring orders.
Our take
The two failed fusions are pure Toriyama: a technique set up as the ultimate weapon against the deadliest villain of the saga is introduced first and foremost as a gag. It works because it teaches viewers the rules without a lecture. The dance has to be perfect, and one finger out of place gives you something ridiculous. That lesson matters again later in the saga, when it is Goku's turn to look for a fusion partner.
The real heart of the episode, though, is Gotenks's personality. He is not just the sum of two kids' power; he is the sum of their arrogance. Trunks and Goten were cheeky enough on their own. Together they become a fighter who wants to win right away, alone, without waiting for anyone. It is exactly the flaw that will torment Piccolo over the next few episodes, and it is what makes Gotenks one of the most beloved and most exasperating characters in the series.
In the manga, the trip to fight Buu lasts a single panel: Gotenks leaves and is immediately back, beaten up, for an instant punchline. The anime shows the fight instead, losing some of the comic timing but reminding us how far out of reach Buu still is.
Trivia
- It adapts the first thirteen pages of chapter 480. Written by Masashi Kubota and directed by Takahiro Imamura, with Shingo Ishikawa as animation director.
- It drew a 20.0% share and was the last episode to air in 1994; the series returned on January 11, 1995.
- It features the first fusion in the series that does not involve Namekians.
- In the manga, Krillin jokes during the third attempt that the panels look photocopied. The gag is not in the anime.
- During a card game on the Lookout, Master Roshi's jack shows Goten and Trunks, a small visual hint of the fusion to come.
Characters
- Goten, Trunks and Gotenks
- Piccolo, Krillin and Master Roshi
- Majin Buu
- Goku, Gohan, Supreme Kai, Kibito and Elder Kai