Episode 257 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on February 22, 1995, carries the full title The Special Training is a Success!! You're Finished Now, Majin Buu and was called Time Struggle in Funimation's dub. It is the episode of the long wait in front of the hourglass. Super Buu cannot sit still, kills Chi-Chi along the way and finally demands his challenger. Piccolo leads him into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where Goten and Trunks fuse into Gotenks and the fight begins.
Summary
On the Lookout, everyone is watching Super Buu, who is watching the sand run down. Chi-Chi walks up to him, slaps him and berates him for killing her eldest son, unaware that Gohan is alive and training on the Supreme Kai's world. Buu's answer is instant: a beam turns her into an egg, and he crushes it under his foot.
Goten bursts into tears. Piccolo promises him that his mother and brother will be wished back with the Dragon Balls once Buu is beaten, and Trunks comforts his friend by reminding him that he has just lost someone too. Grief turns into resolve: once inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, while Trunks looks around for something to eat, Goten throws himself into training to avenge his mother, and Trunks soon joins him.
Outside, Buu's patience runs out long before the sand does. He smashes the hourglass, blasts a hole in the floor near Piccolo's feet and demands to be taken to his opponent at once. Piccolo complies, but deliberately takes the longest route, as Dende quickly notices, while the others follow at a distance. On the way, Piccolo contacts the boys telepathically: he and Buu will arrive in a minute, which means six hours inside the Chamber. Goten complains that he is thirsty, and Piccolo tells them both to rest.
When Buu and Piccolo arrive, Goten and Trunks are already in position for the Fusion Dance. Buu has no intention of waiting and sucker-punches Trunks before they can finish. Trunks gets back up and informs him that the fight will start when they say so. On the second try the fusion works: Gotenks is born, without even bothering to go Super Saiyan. The little warrior rains punches on Buu's face, and Buu does not feel a thing.
Our take
The episode runs on two clocks, and that is its best idea. Outside the Chamber every minute counts, because every grain of sand brings the end of the world closer; inside, the same minutes stretch into hours of training. Piccolo taking the scenic route, like an adult walking a cranky child around the block, is a small gesture that says a lot about how much he is willing to give for those two boys.
Chi-Chi's death is brutal and almost grotesque, but it works. It is the first time we see her die, and the maternal fury that drives her to slap a monster who just erased humanity is perfectly in character. Above all, it gives Goten a personal stake: for once, fusion is not a game between kids but a way to make up for a loss.
The ending, with Gotenks's fists bouncing harmlessly off Buu, sets up the next episode nicely. We know fusion is the trump card, but we also understand it is going to take a lot more than this.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 488 from page five to the end, plus chapter 489. The script is by Atsushi Maekawa.
- It drew a 22.0% ratings share, just under the 22.2% of the previous episode.
- In the Ocean Group dub, this is Laara Sadiq's last episode as Chi-Chi; Nicole Oliver takes over the role from Meet Vegito onward.
Did you know? Back in the Cell arc, Goku explained that only two people can enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber at a time. Here, Goten, Trunks, Piccolo and Super Buu are all inside at once.
Characters
- Super Buu, Goten, Trunks, Gotenks and Piccolo
- Chi-Chi, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi and Dende