Episode 271 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on July 19, 1995 and titled Vegito... Downsized in Funimation's dub, is built around Vegito's paradox: the strongest fighter the series has ever shown cannot find a worthy opponent, so he starts playing with the one he has. Super Buu throws everything at him, including the techniques of the warriors he absorbed, before pulling out one last trick: a spell that turns the fusion of Goku and Vegeta into a piece of candy.
Summary
In the Other World, King Yemma and Fortuneteller Baba follow the battle on Earth. There, Super Buu attacks relentlessly and gets nowhere. He wraps his rubbery body around Vegito and tries to crush him, but his opponent breaks free. He follows up with a flurry of blows, and Vegito blocks every one using only his legs, arms folded, as if to underline how little effort this takes.
Buu turns to Gotenks' Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack. Vegito wipes out the first wave, but Buu spawns another that chases him through the cracks in the ground, and the ghosts even fire a Kamehameha and a Masenko, moves inherited from the fighters he absorbed. Vegito slips away with Instant Transmission and brushes the whole thing off as a kid's trick. On the Sacred World of the Kai, Kibito Kai and the Elder Kai do not share his good mood: they want him to finish the job instead of having fun.
Meanwhile in Heaven, Videl, Bulma, Chi-Chi and Dabura comb through the crowds of souls looking for Gohan. The search turns up nothing and the odds look slim, but Videl refuses to accept it: she is sure he is still alive and that they will never find him up there.
Back on Earth, Buu realizes he cannot win by trading blows. He changes tactics, taunting Vegito and daring him to finish him off while quietly closing the distance. Once they are close enough, he asks whether Vegito likes coffee candy and hits him with his magic beam. Vegito is turned into a tiny candy ball as the two Kais watch in horror.
Our take
The episode runs on a deliberate contrast. On one side is the most one-sided show of strength in the whole saga, with Vegito not even bothering to use his hands; on the other, his apparent defeat comes in the silliest way imaginable. It is the same magic Fat Buu used to turn people into sweets and eat them, an almost fairy-tale threat that here becomes the decisive weapon against a fighter of cosmic power. Toriyama never stopped being the author of Dr. Slump, and it shows.
It is also a sharp portrait of Vegito. His swagger comes from both halves: Goku's playfulness and Vegeta's arrogance add up to a fighter who underestimates his enemy exactly when he should be most careful. The Elder Kai acts as the audience's voice, and his irritation sets up the twist. Over the next two episodes it becomes clear that there is some calculation behind all that confidence.
The anime additions pad the runtime, but they are not pointless. Videl's search in Heaven adds a quiet bit of dramatic irony: she is right, Gohan is not dead. He is trapped inside Buu, and that is exactly where the story is about to take us.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 504 from page twelve to the end and the first eight pages of chapter 505. Written by Masashi Kubota and directed by Kazuhito Kikuchi, with Shingo Ishikawa as animation director.
- It drew a 14.9% share in Japan.
- King Yemma and Baba watching the fight, the Kais' commentary, the second wave of ghosts and the search for Gohan in Heaven are all anime additions.
- In the manga, Vegito destroys all the ghosts with a single attack.
- In the Funimation dub the ghosts and Vegito call the second beam a Galick Gun, even though Vegeta, its owner, was never absorbed.
Did you know? Vegito fending off Buu with only his legs, arms crossed, echoes Frieza on Namek, who fought Goku without using his hands.
Characters
- Vegito and Super Buu
- Kibito Kai and the Elder Kai
- King Yemma and Fortuneteller Baba
- Videl, Bulma, Chi-Chi and Dabura