Episode 93 of Dragon Ball Z, first broadcast in Japan on May 29, 1991 and titled Keep the Chance Alive in Funimation's dub, is built entirely on waiting. Goku keeps his arms raised while the Spirit Bomb forms above him, and every passing second is a second in which Frieza might notice. When he does, it is Piccolo who steps in.
Summary
The Spirit Bomb grows, but painfully slowly: Goku is gathering energy not only from Namek but from the nearby planets too, and finishing it takes time. If Frieza figured out what was happening, it would all be over. For now the tyrant just watches the motionless Saiyan with curiosity, then loses patience and starts hitting him to force a reaction. Goku keeps his arms up and even laughs at Frieza's ignorance.
Not far away, Bulma, still holding the frog-bodied Captain Ginyu, reminisces aloud about how strong Goku already was as a child.
On King Kai's planet, Recoome, Burter, Jeice and Guldo test their techniques and are pleased to discover they are stronger than when they were alive. They wreck King Kai's belongings and rough up Bubbles and Gregory until the host himself comes out and orders them to leave. Recoome mocks him and King Kai challenges him to a fight, but at that very moment he senses that Goku is using the Spirit Bomb.
On Namek, Frieza decides to finish the Saiyan off. Piccolo, who has understood his friend's plan, has Gohan and Krillin transfer their remaining energy to him. Frieza is about to put a beam right between Goku's eyes when he notices the sphere's light reflected in the water and looks up at the sky. That is Piccolo's moment: a kick to the face sends the tyrant into the sea. Frieza resurfaces in a fury and sets his sights on the Namekian, while on King Kai's planet Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu decide to take on the Ginyu Force themselves.
Our take
This is the episode where the Spirit Bomb becomes a race against the clock, and that is where the anime finds its excuse to stretch. In the manga, chapter 315 rests on the tension of a charge that never seems to finish; the show dilutes it by adding energy drawn from neighboring planets, which the comic never mentions, and by cutting away to two invented subplots: Bulma chatting with the frog and the Ginyu Force trashing King Kai's planet. Both are confirmed filler, and the second carries on for two more episodes.
The result is an odd rhythm that swings between real suspense and comic sketches. The reflection in the water, though, is one of the finest details of the whole fight: Frieza cannot sense energy, and he discovers the threat only through a visual accident. Toriyama had planted that weakness episodes earlier, when Goku realized the tyrant could not track him without seeing him.
The real star, however, is Piccolo. The Japanese title speaks of his covering fire "at the cost of his life", and that is exactly what he does: he takes on everyone's energy knowing he cannot win, just to give Goku a few more seconds. It is the endpoint of a journey that began with Goku's sworn enemy: the man who once wanted him dead now risks his life to help him win.
Trivia
- It adapts chapter 315 of the manga. Written by Hiroshi Toda, directed by Kazuhito Kikuchi, with animation direction by Masahiro Shimanuki; 22.4% ratings share in Japan.
- In the English dub, Bulma claims Goku won every tournament he entered as a kid, which is not true: he finished second at the 21st and 22nd World Martial Arts Tournaments.
- In the Toonami preview, Frieza says a line that does not match what he says in the episode itself.
- Bulma's flashback of a young Goku training with Master Roshi is anime-only material.
Did you know? A few episodes earlier Piccolo had fused with Nail, the last surviving Namekian warrior: that union is part of why he can stand up to Frieza, even if only for a moment.