Episode 81 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on March 6, 1991 and titled Déjà vu in Funimation's dub, is devoted entirely to the duel between Piccolo and Frieza. The Namekian walks in with a confidence that unsettles even his friends, and for the first time since landing on Namek, the tyrant meets someone who can look him in the eye.
Summary
Piccolo and Frieza clash and seem evenly matched. Piccolo lands a few solid hits; Frieza answers by ramming him into a cliff and pounding him with energy blasts, but the Namekian climbs out of the rubble without a scratch. Krillin cannot hide his unease at such swagger, while Gohan is the only one who truly believes in his mentor.
Vegeta, afraid of ending up in either fighter's crosshairs, tries to slip away, but Frieza catches him and smashes him into the rocks. Then he resumes the fight with Piccolo, who dodges everything and taunts him: even transformed, and even using both hands, Frieza cannot keep up. When Frieza grabs him, Nail's consciousness rises to the surface and speaks in his own voice: he is the warrior Frieza fought earlier, now part of Piccolo and far stronger. The tyrant is shaken, and Dende, who had already sensed something familiar in the fighting style, is overjoyed to learn that Nail lives on inside Piccolo.
Turning down Gohan and Krillin's offers of help, Piccolo powers up to his maximum and unleashes a furious assault. Frieza answers with a massive energy wave, which Piccolo deflects straight back into him. Gohan, Krillin and Vegeta think it is over, but when the smoke clears Frieza is still there: he blocked at the last instant. Meanwhile, aboard the ship, Goku recognizes Piccolo's energy, and on King Kai's planet Tien and Yamcha cheer him on.
Our take
It is a pure fight episode, but its real subject is trust. Piccolo has never been this sure of himself, and the show plays on that: those who know him less are worried, while Gohan, who learned to fight from him, has no doubts at all. The master-student bond born during the Saiyan Saga finds a lovely echo here.
Having Nail speak through Piccolo is an anime invention, and it works: for Frieza it is like facing a ghost, and for the audience it confirms that the Namekian warrior's sacrifice was not in vain. In the manga, Frieza never learns about the merger.
The ending, though, hammers home the saga's lesson: even the combined strength of two Namekians is not enough. The balance holds, but you can feel that Frieza still has something to show.
Other anime additions include Vegeta's escape attempt, the commentary from King Kai's planet and Goku identifying Piccolo's energy on the spot, whereas in the manga he only recognizes it once he arrives.
Trivia
- Written by Takao Koyama and directed by Yoshihiro Ueda, with Masahiro Shimanuki as animation supervisor.
- It adapts the end of chapter 300, with a 21.4% ratings share.
- The Funimation title Déjà vu refers to Nail fighting Frieza all over again, this time from inside Piccolo's body.
- Here too, half of the Japanese next-episode preview was given over to a ticket lottery for the movie Lord Slug.
Did you know? After eight episodes shot on 35mm film, the series returns to its usual 16mm stock with this episode.