Episode 268 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on June 28, 1995 and titled Union of Rivals in Funimation's dub, is the story of pride finally bending. Goku has one spare Potara earring and only one possible partner, Vegeta, who wants nothing to do with fusing with his eternal rival. He changes his mind only when a furious Goku throws the truth in his face: Super Buu has killed Bulma and absorbed Trunks. From that reluctant yes, Vegito is born.
Summary
Super Buu gives Goku five seconds to find a partner. Goku pictures a fusion with Dende but rules it out, since Earth needs him for the Dragon Balls. That leaves Mr. Satan, a dispiriting prospect. Just as he is about to toss him the earring, Goku senses a familiar energy and teleports to it: Vegeta, just dropped off on Earth by Fortuneteller Baba. The old woman is stunned to find Goku alive, but he tells her to get away fast.
Goku explains the Potara to Vegeta and begs him to wear one on his right ear. The prince refuses. He has not forgotten their last duel, in which Goku kept Super Saiyan 3 hidden from him, one more humiliation on a long list. Goku protests that the form does not last long, but it makes no difference. Meanwhile Super Buu catches up with them and recognizes Vegeta as the Saiyan who blew himself up against him.
In the anime, the two take on the monster as Super Saiyans, each fighting on his own, and get crushed. Elsewhere, Dende heals Tien while Mr. Satan looks on with suspicion. On the Sacred World of the Kai, the Elder Kai and Kibito Kai cannot understand Vegeta's stubbornness.
That is when Goku loses his temper. He asks Vegeta whether he knows that Buu has killed everyone, Bulma included, and absorbed Piccolo, Gohan, Goten and Trunks. Vegeta falls silent, then asks for the earring. As he puts it on, with Buu charging an attack, Goku casually adds that the fusion will be permanent. Vegeta curses, but it is too late. Goku thanks him, the two fly at each other, and in a flash of light a new warrior appears.
Our take
Why does Vegeta say yes? Not to save the Earth, and not because Goku wins the argument. He says yes when the war becomes personal. Before blowing himself up against Fat Buu he had hugged Trunks for the first time; now he learns that sacrifice was for nothing, because Bulma is dead and his son is inside the monster. Faced with that, the pride that once made him let Babidi control him just to settle the score with Goku becomes a luxury he can no longer afford.
The anime makes the choice even more believable. In the manga, Vegeta gives in before Buu reaches them; here he fights the monster first and learns firsthand that he cannot win alone. And there is the other half of the title: Goku's rage. It is rare to see him angry at an ally, and it is that anger, not a speech, that finally shakes Vegeta.
Then comes the punchline. Goku keeps quiet about the fusion being permanent until the last second, exactly as the Elder Kai did with the two Kais. It is a joke, but it says a lot: Vegeta is giving up his own identity for good, and he does it anyway.
Trivia
- It adapts the whole of chapter 503. Written by Hiroshi Toda and directed by Osamu Kasai, with Kazuya Hisada as animation director.
- It drew a 17.2% share in Japan. It aired after a three-week break, since episode 267 had been broadcast on June 7.
- The imagined fusion with Dende, the two-on-one fight with Buu, Tien's healing and the Kais' commentary are all anime additions.
Did you know? The side matters. The Elder Kai told Goku to wear his Potara on the left ear and his partner to wear the other on the right, which is why Vegeta puts it on his right ear.