Episode 281 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on November 1, 1995 and titled Minute of Desperation in Funimation's dub, asks Vegeta to do the hardest thing imaginable for someone like him: not win, but endure. Goku needs one minute to gather the energy for a final blow against Kid Buu, and the Saiyan prince offers to buy it with his own body. The minute comes and goes, and Goku's energy never arrives.
Summary
On the Sacred World of the Kai, the duel between Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Buu rages on. The monster fires a Kamehameha, Goku blocks it and answers with one of his own, strong enough to tear off one of his opponent's arms and a hand. It makes no difference: Buu regenerates from any wound, and Goku has to admit he cannot land a finishing blow.
When Vegeta joins him, Goku suggests they switch places soon. The prince refuses: he knows he stands no chance against this creature, and that only his rival can destroy it. Goku then explains that one uninterrupted minute would be enough to build up the power to wipe Buu out in a single shot. Vegeta decides to be his shield. Goku warns him that he is already dead, and if he is killed again he will cease to exist entirely. Vegeta's reply could not be more in character: if he cannot last one lousy minute, maybe he deserves to die.
The prince powers up to Super Saiyan 2 and charges in while Goku concentrates. A barrage of energy blasts obliterates the lower half of Buu's body, but the monster pulls himself back together behind Vegeta and smashes him into the ground. Vegeta also tries a Big Bang Attack, which Buu dodges by opening a hole in his own stomach. From there it becomes a cycle of falls: the prince hits the dirt and gets back up, again and again, to the point of surprising even his opponent. In the anime, knocked back to his base form, he transforms again and keeps fighting.
In the end his strength runs out completely. Buu stretches out an elastic arm, wraps it around his neck and starts choking him for fun. The minute is long gone, and Goku realizes something is wrong: his energy is not building up.
Our take
In the previous episode Vegeta admitted that Goku was number one; here he turns that admission into action. For the first time, his pride is measured not by winning but by staying on his feet. Every time Kid Buu knocks him down, his answer is neither a threat nor a boast. It is sheer stubbornness, and a willingness to play the supporting role without complaint.
The comparison with his first sacrifice is unavoidable. Against Fat Buu, Vegeta blew himself up to protect his family, knowing he would die. This time he risks something worse, the complete erasure of his soul, and he does it to buy time for someone else.
Yoshihiro Ueda's direction leans on repetition: falls, recoveries, Vegeta's face growing more battered. The "minute" of the title lasts far longer than sixty seconds on screen, but here the stretching makes sense: time that refuses to pass is how it feels to the one taking the beating. And the ending, with the energy that will not come, sets up the surprise of the next episode.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 510 from page ten to the end and the first ten pages of chapter 511. Written by Masashi Kubota and directed by Yoshihiro Ueda, with Kazuya Hisada as animation director.
- It earned a 15.2% share.
- In the manga, the fight between Goku and Kid Buu breaks off right after the Kamehameha; the anime extends it before Vegeta steps in.
- The spectators on Grand Kai's Planet and Vegeta's second transformation are also anime additions.
Characters
- Goku, Vegeta and Kid Buu
- The spectators on Grand Kai's Planet