Episode 26 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on November 8, 1989 and known in Funimation's dub as Nappa's Rampage, covers the three-hour truce granted by Vegeta. In the manga those hours pass without incident; the anime fills them with Gohan's crisis, a bored Nappa destroying everything in sight, and Goku's return to Earth.
Summary
The wait weighs on everyone. Nappa grumbles, while Vegeta explains that he wants to teach Goku a lesson personally for defying the Saiyans and killing Raditz. Gohan, eaten up with guilt for running away, apologizes to Piccolo, who treats him harshly: because of his fear, he says, Tien sacrificed himself for nothing. Krillin defends the boy, but Piccolo turns his back and orders him to go home.
Gohan trudges off, humiliated, until Nappa fires an energy blast at his feet and mocks him. The boy first stammers that he was only going to the bathroom, then finds the nerve to insult the giant, who flies into a rage while Vegeta laughs. Gohan stays.
A TV crew approaches to film the fight. With Vegeta's permission, Nappa chases their van all the way back to the reporters' camp and wipes it out: at Kame House, the screen goes black. Then, out at sea, he runs into the navy and air force sent to stop him and destroys them, having the time of his life. Before time runs out, he levels another city for good measure.
When the three hours are up, Nappa returns, tosses aside his damaged armor and gets ready to start again. Piccolo, meanwhile, has a plan: grab the Saiyan's tail and drain his strength, just as Goku did with Raditz. In the afterlife, Goku finally reaches King Yemma's palace. Kami is waiting and takes him back to Earth; Korin tosses him Senzu Beans and Goku boards the Flying Nimbus to save energy. The battlefield is still far away.
Our take
This is the most "anime" episode of the saga, for better and worse. Nappa's rampage against the TV crew, the fleet and the city does not exist in Toriyama's manga; Toei invented it to cover dead time and to remind viewers that these two are killers on a planetary scale. It works, even if it slows the pace just when tension is highest. Tellingly, Dragon Ball Kai, the 2009 recut, kept only the chase of the reporters.
The Gohan material is more successful. In the manga Piccolo scolds him once and that is that; here his harshness is longer and crueler, which makes what happens between Piccolo and the boy over the next two episodes hit harder. Gohan's insult to Nappa is the first sign that fear is giving way to something else.
The original title, with its "bullet-express Nimbus", promises Goku's arrival. In reality Goku only climbs onto the cloud at the very end, and the showdown is postponed yet again.
Trivia
- In the Japanese version, Gohan insults Nappa by saying his mother has an outie belly button. It is the only time the series ever mentions one of Nappa's parents; the English dubs simply have Gohan say he smells.
- Also in Japanese, Oolong at Kame House regrets not collecting more women's underwear before the end of the world; the English dub completely rewrites his exchange with Bulma.
- The line about Nappa promising not to break a sweat during his "fun" is a Funimation invention.
- It is the last scene Goku and Kami share on screen. The episode adapts parts of chapters 219 and 220 and drew a 20.2% ratings share.
Did you know? When Nappa destroys the last city, the anime reuses footage of East City's destruction: for a few seconds the Saiyan is again wearing intact armor and the scouter he had already taken off.