Episode 33 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on January 24, 1990 and known in Funimation's dub as Hero in the Shadows, hands the fight to everyone else while Goku is trapped in the Great Ape's fist. Krillin and Gohan try to cut Vegeta's tail, an unlikely Yajirobe pulls it off, and in the end Gohan finds himself alone against the Saiyan prince.
Summary
Hidden among the rocks, Yajirobe watches Vegeta crush Goku and convinces himself that staying out of it is the wise choice. Gohan and Krillin reach the scene and immediately understand what is happening. They land and stumble right into Yajirobe's hiding place, and he fills them in.
Krillin has an idea: cut off the Great Ape's tail to turn him back to normal. Gohan draws Vegeta's attention while Krillin throws a Destructo Disc from behind, but the prince sees it coming and dodges. It looks hopeless, until Yajirobe suddenly bursts out and severs the tail with one stroke of his sword. Vegeta reverts to his normal form, angrier than ever.
One kick takes Krillin out of the fight; then Vegeta turns on Gohan, headbutts him and throws him down next to his father. At Kame House, meanwhile, Chi-Chi seems to have lost all hope, then suddenly jumps to her feet and starts cheering for her son, roughing up Oolong in the process.
Wounded and terrified, Gohan is about to give up. Goku, lying helpless on the ground, talks to him: he reminds him how much Piccolo believed in him and that he gave his life to protect him. When Vegeta starts beating his father again, it is too much for Gohan. The boy gathers all his energy and takes the prince head-on, and this time he holds his own. While the two fight, Goku calls Krillin over and passes him what is left of the Spirit Bomb. Krillin shapes it into a ball of light. It is Goku's last remaining energy, and there is no room for a miss.
Our take
Funimation's title captures the spirit of the episode: the unexpected hero is Yajirobe, the lazy, hungry samurai who has kept his distance all saga long. His sword stroke is as decisive as any special technique, and it confirms one of Toriyama's rules: in Dragon Ball, even minor characters get their moment.
The real center, though, is Gohan. After running from Nappa and losing Piccolo, here the boy fights by choice, driven by his father's words and the memory of his mentor. It is the handover the saga has been building since the very first episode: Gohan is no longer just the son who needs protecting.
The anime makes Yajirobe even more cowardly than in the manga: before coming back to cut the tail, he drives off in his hover car, then has second thoughts. Chi-Chi's cheering at Kame House is also anime-only.
Trivia
- Krillin's Destructo Disc, dodged by Vegeta, ends up slicing through the rock Gohan is standing on.
- In the earlier Ocean/Saban edit, episodes 33 and 34 were merged into one, Stop Vegeta Now!.
- It adapts chapters 235 and 236 and the start of 237, with a 20.5% ratings share. It was written by Keiji Terui and directed by Mitsuo Hashimoto.
Did you know? The Japanese title uses the word "sokojikara", the strength hidden deep inside a person: the same latent power in Gohan that Raditz and Piccolo had sensed from the very first episodes.