Episode 29 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on December 6, 1989 and known in Funimation's dub as Lesson Number One, is Goku's triumph over Nappa. One blow for each fallen friend, then the Kaio-ken used in battle for the first time. And finally the scene that tells us everything about Vegeta: the prince disposes of his own partner because he is no longer useful.
Summary
Nappa will not give up. He attacks again and again, but Goku dodges with minimal effort, scatters one of his energy blasts with a mere shout and lands blow after blow, each one dedicated to a friend: Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo. The Saiyan is on the verge of losing control until Vegeta orders him to calm down: angry, he has no chance at all.
Nappa then gathers all his strength and fires his most powerful attack from his mouth, but Goku cancels it out with a Kamehameha. Vegeta realizes it is pointless and orders Nappa to stand down. Blinded by humiliation, the giant goes after Gohan and Krillin instead. Goku sees he will not reach him in time and turns to the Kaio-ken: in a flash he intercepts him, breaks his back and throws him at Vegeta's feet.
Krillin cheers, but Goku explains that the technique puts enormous strain on his body, which is why he held off using it. He then tells Vegeta to leave Earth and take Nappa for treatment. Nappa, unable to move, begs his partner for help. Vegeta takes his hand, tosses him into the air and disintegrates him with an energy blast. A Saiyan who can no longer fight, he says, is of no use to him.
Before the final showdown, Krillin suggests that Goku take the fight somewhere else so the bodies of their friends are not damaged in case they can be revived. Goku does not see how, with Kami dead and the Dragon Balls gone, but Krillin promises to explain later. Gohan and Krillin are told to head back to Kame House.
Our take
This is an episode of pure payoff, built to reward viewers for all the losses of the previous weeks. Goku does not fight in blind rage: he fights coolly, and every blow has a recipient. It is the moment King Kai's training becomes visible, first through sheer technical superiority, then through the Kaio-ken.
Nappa's execution is the real portrait of Vegeta. Until now he was the calmer of the two, the one who thought things through; now we discover that calm is pure contempt. He gets rid of his partner with an almost theatrical gesture, and Goku understands who he is dealing with. It is the best possible setup for the duel in the next two episodes.
The anime adds a flashback to King Kai's planet in which the master explains the risks of the Kaio-ken to Goku; in the manga, Goku explains it himself to Krillin and Gohan. At Kame House, meanwhile, the others follow the battle through Fortuneteller Baba's crystal ball.
Trivia
- In the Japanese version, Nappa reveals that Vegeta was named after the Saiyan home planet, and Goku promises to take Gohan fishing once the battle is over. The English dubs replace both lines.
- In Funimation's dub, Krillin warns Goku that grabbing Vegeta's tail will not work; in the Japanese version, as in the manga, he suggests moving the fight elsewhere.
- With a 24.8% ratings share, it is the most-watched episode of the Saiyan Saga in Japan. It adapts parts of chapters 225 and 227 and all of chapter 226.
Did you know? In the Japanese version, the sequence of blows dedicated to the fallen begins in the previous episode with the punch to the stomach for Chiaotzu and ends here with the kick for Piccolo.