Episode 48 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on May 16, 1990 and titled The Hunted in Funimation's uncut 2005 dub (Escape from Dodoria in the Ocean/Saban version), is one of the harshest in the saga. Dodoria tears apart the Namekian warriors, then kills little Cargo and the elder Moori in front of Gohan and Krillin. When Dende is next, Gohan can no longer stay hidden: this is the moment the boy stops watching and starts fighting.
Summary
Frieza stops Dodoria from going after Moori: the three young warriors come first. Dodoria punches straight through one of them from behind and drops another with a mouth blast. The third gives him more trouble and engulfs him in a huge explosion, but Dodoria climbs out of the crater unhurt and crushes him against a cliff with a headbutt.
Frieza urges Moori to give up. The old man hands over the Six-Star Ball on condition that the invaders leave him and the children in peace, but the tyrant, annoyed about the destroyed scouters, now wants the location of the other villages. Moori refuses even after an elbow to the face: he does not believe Frieza will keep his word, and Frieza admits he is right. So he orders them all killed. Moori tells his sons to run, but one of Dodoria's blasts hits Cargo in the back and kills him instantly. While Dende weeps over his brother, Dodoria bewilders Moori with his speed and snaps his neck.
When Dodoria raises his hand over Dende, Gohan screams for it to stop, leaps from the cliff and kicks him through a house. Krillin follows a moment later, grabs Dende and yells at Gohan to come with him. Frieza asks Zarbon to remind him about those two and sends Dodoria after them. When Zarbon offers to help, Frieza blows apart a cliff just by blinking, to show there is nothing to worry about.
Out in space, Goku trains and takes a barbell to the face. The chase grows desperate: Dodoria fires volleys of energy, Krillin drops Dende and Gohan catches him just in time. Finally Krillin turns and uses the Solar Flare. Blinded, Dodoria loses track of them, and the three hide in a small cave. Krillin explains he picked up the technique from Tien, but their pursuer keeps circling overhead.
Our take
The anime makes a deliberate, debatable choice here. In the manga it is Frieza who kills Cargo, but Toei moves that death onto Dodoria as well, to make him even more hateful right before his clash with Vegeta. It works, though it robs Frieza of a gesture that said a lot about his offhand cruelty. In exchange, he gets the cliff destroyed with a glance, a spectacular way of showing that he plays in another league.
The heart of the episode is Gohan. The boy who cried in front of the enemy during the Saiyan Saga now throws himself, alone, at one of Frieza's lieutenants without a second thought. His power is still tied to rage, and will be for a long time, but the impulse comes from a compassion that is entirely his own. Krillin, more cautious, is the big brother cleaning up the mess: the Solar Flare is a tribute to Tien and proof that he can use his head too.
Trivia
- Written by Keiji Terui and directed by Minoru Okazaki. It adapts chapter 254 from page four, chapter 255 and the start of 256, with a 21.2% ratings share.
- Frieza destroying the cliff is anime-only; in the manga there is instead a panel of him wondering who the two Earthlings are. Goku's barbell accidents and the part of the chase where Krillin drops Dende are also additions.
- In the manga Frieza closes his eyes in mock reassurance when Moori begs for the children; in the anime he keeps them open.
Did you know? During the chase Krillin nearly lets Dende fall to his death, but later the series shows that the young Namekian can fly just fine.