Episode 256 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on February 15, 1995, is fully titled A No-Timeout Catastrophe!! Earth's Humanity Exterminated and was renamed Empty Planet in Funimation's dub. It is one of the bleakest half hours in the series. Super Buu lands on Kami's Lookout demanding the opponent he was promised, and Piccolo, desperate to buy time for Goten and Trunks, hands him nearly every human being on Earth instead.
Summary
Super Buu touches down on the Lookout and wants to see his challenger right away. He brings up the fight Goku promised him, talking as if he were still the good-natured Buu from before. Piccolo points out that one of the two agreed days still remains, but the monster has no patience left. Cornered, the Namekian plays the only card he has: he reminds Buu that he swore to wipe out the Earthlings and suggests he take care of that while he waits.
While Buu strolls along the edge of the Lookout, Piccolo quietly tells Krillin to wake Goten and Trunks and get them into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train. Chi-Chi, convinced that Buu has taken Gohan from her, charges at him with a broom, and Piccolo stops her just in time.
Then Buu raises one arm. A storm of energy blasts pours out of his hand, scatters across the planet and hunts down every human still alive, wherever they are hiding. Within moments Earth is empty. The only survivors are Tien and Chiaotzu, who manage to dodge, Mr. Satan and the dog Bee, whom Buu regards as friends, and the people on the Lookout. On the Supreme Kai's world, Goku senses that something is wrong, and the Supreme Kai confirms that Earth's population has been wiped out.
Piccolo silently vows that everyone will be brought back with the Dragon Balls, then asks Buu for one more hour. The monster refuses until Videl taunts him, asking whether he is scared. Buu is about to kill her when Piccolo reveals that she is Mr. Satan's daughter, and the demon backs down. One problem remains: Buu has no idea how long an hour is. Piccolo conjures an hourglass and tells him to wait until all the sand has run through.
Meanwhile, Elder Kai carries on with his endless ritual over Gohan while reading manga. The young man finally loses his temper, and in that instant realizes that his power has already grown. The ritual is the real thing after all.
Our take
It is hard to think of another Dragon Ball Z episode where humanity is erased this casually. Super Buu's genocide has nothing epic about it: one raised arm, a wave of lights, and Earth goes dark. That coldness is exactly what makes it stick. A villain who was playing house with Mr. Satan a few episodes ago now wipes out humanity to pass the time.
The most interesting figure, though, is Piccolo. His bargain is monstrous and he knows it: he sacrifices humanity because the Dragon Balls can undo it, while losing the boys could not be undone. This is the strategist we saw during the Cell arc, carrying a far heavier moral weight. The fact that Super Buu remembers Goku's promise as if it were his own is a subtle touch, too: traces of the Majin Buu we knew still live inside this body.
The Gohan interlude lightens the mood at just the right moment. While Earth dies, its last hope rests on an ancient god who would rather be reading comics.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 487 and the first five pages of chapter 488. Written by Hiroshi Toda and directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, with Yukio Ebisawa as animation director.
- It drew a 22.2% ratings share in Japan.
- Chi-Chi trying to hit Buu with a broom is an anime addition.
Did you know? Besides Tien and Chiaotzu, Yajirobe and Korin also escape the attack: they live directly beneath the Lookout and are never targeted.