Dragon Ball Z Majin Buu Saga: Episodes 200-291

The Majin Buu Saga is the final arc of Dragon Ball Z: ninety-two episodes broadcast by Fuji TV between September 8, 1993 and January 31, 1996, adapting chapters 421-519 of the manga, right up to the end of Akira Toriyama's original story. It opens as a high-school comedy starring a costumed superhero and closes with the Earth destroyed, two fusions and a Spirit Bomb gathered from an entire planet. At its center is Majin Buu, the strangest and least predictable villain the series ever produced.

How the saga is divided

We treat it as a single block, from episode 200, which picks up seven years after the Cell Games, to episode 291, the last of Z. Other sources slice it differently: Italian Wikipedia follows three Japanese seasons (200-209, 210-250 and 251-291), and Spanish Wikipedia splits off the 25th Tournament (200-219). Below we use the sub-sagas from Funimation's English release: Great Saiyaman (200-209), World Tournament (210-219), Babidi (220-231), Majin Buu (232-253), Fusion (254-275) and Kid Buu (276-291). Before episode 200 come the five episodes of the Other World Tournament Saga, all invented for the anime.

In Dragon Ball Kai, the same story, released internationally as The Final Chapters, covers episodes 99-159 of the Japanese broadcast (99-167 in the international version).

Great Saiyaman: Gohan goes to high school (200-209)

Seven years have passed. Gohan is now a teenager, and Chi-Chi enrolls him at the high school in Satan City, renamed in honor of Mr. Satan, the man the whole world believes defeated Cell. One of his classmates is Satan's daughter Videl, who helps the police catch criminals and quickly grows suspicious of the new kid who moves a little too fast. To fight crime without being recognized, Gohan has Bulma design him a suit and becomes the Great Saiyaman, a superhero fond of ridiculous poses. Meanwhile, at home, there is Goten, the little brother born after Goku's death.

This is the lightest stretch of the saga. Videl uncovers Gohan's secret and blackmails him into entering the tournament and teaching her to fly. The biggest news, though, comes from the afterlife: Goku announces that he will return to Earth for one day to compete in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament.

The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament (210-219)

The tournament brings nearly everyone together: Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo (entered as Ma Junior), Krillin, Android 18, Gohan and Videl. In the junior division, Goten and Trunks, both Super Saiyans as children, face off in the final in front of a stunned crowd. Trunks wins, then knocks Mr. Satan out of the ring in the exhibition match reserved for the junior champion. Not satisfied, the two boys sneak into the adult bracket hidden inside a single costume as Mighty Mask.

There are also two mysterious strangers, Shin and Kibito. Piccolo, drawn against Shin, forfeits without throwing a punch: he has realized that Shin is the Supreme Kai, the god who stands above the Kais. Soon after, Spopovich beats Videl to a pulp, Gohan powers up at Kibito's request, and the two henchmen of the wizard Babidi steal his energy with a strange device. The title eventually goes to Mr. Satan, after Android 18 throws the final in exchange for cash.

Babidi, Dabura and Majin Vegeta (220-231)

The Supreme Kai explains the threat. Millions of years ago, the wizard Bibidi created a demon capable of destroying entire planets: Majin Buu. Bibidi was killed, but the ball in which the demon was sealed remained on Earth, and now his son Babidi wants to revive it with energy stolen from powerful fighters. At his side is Dabura, king of the Demon Realm, who kills Kibito and turns Krillin and Piccolo to stone. Aboard Babidi's spaceship, the heroes take on Pui Pui, Yakon and Dabura himself.

Then comes the bitterest twist. Vegeta lets Babidi into his mind, becomes Majin Vegeta and kills dozens of spectators at the tournament just to force Goku into a duel. It is the fight the two have been postponing since Namek, and it is their energy that completes Buu's revival.

Majin Buu: the pink demon (232-253)

Out of the shell comes a pink, chubby, childlike creature who refers to himself by name. The saga's first stroke of genius: the ultimate threat looks like a greedy kid. Buu turns Dabura into a cookie and eats him, flattens Gohan and the Supreme Kai and shrugs off everything thrown at him. Vegeta, himself again, hugs Trunks for the first time, knocks him out and blows himself up to stop Buu, who simply pulls himself back together.

So Goku plays his cards. He shows Buu Super Saiyan 3 to buy time and teaches Goten and Trunks the Fusion Dance, a technique he learned in the afterlife that merges two fighters of similar strength for thirty minutes. His time on Earth runs out and he returns to Other World. Gohan, believed dead, is on the Supreme Kai's world: he pulls out the legendary Z Sword and, when it snaps, frees the Elder Kai sealed inside, who offers to unlock his hidden potential. Meanwhile Buu kills Babidi, and the only person who manages to reach him is the least likely of all: Mr. Satan, who convinces him to stop killing.

Fusion: Super Buu, Gotenks and Vegito (254-275)

When two criminals shoot the puppy Bee and Mr. Satan, Buu's rage splits off his evil half. The new, thin, gray Buu turns the original into chocolate, eats him and becomes Super Buu, then wipes out almost all of humanity with a single attack. Waiting for him at Kami's Lookout are Goten and Trunks, who fuse into Gotenks: a cocky, ferociously strong warrior who spits kamikaze ghosts and reaches Super Saiyan 3. Buu explodes and regenerates, absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo to steal their power and intellect, and soon swallows Gohan too, just back with the strength the Elder Kai awakened in him.

The Elder Kai then gives his own life to Goku and hands him the Potara earrings, which fuse two people permanently. Vegeta, sent back to Earth from the afterlife, reluctantly agrees, and Vegito is born. He dominates Buu like no one else, even letting himself be turned into a piece of candy without losing an ounce of strength. To free his friends he lets Buu absorb him on purpose, and inside the monster the fusion comes undone.

Kid Buu and the final Spirit Bomb (276-291)

Goku and Vegeta tear the prisoners' cocoons out of Buu's body, including the one holding the good, fat Buu. Without him, the monster reverts to his original form: Kid Buu, small, wordless and mindless, who destroys the Earth in an instant. The last fight takes place on the Supreme Kai's world. Vegeta admits for the first time that Goku is number one, the good Buu returns to protect Mr. Satan, and Porunga, summoned with Namek's Dragon Balls, restores the Earth and its people.

The final weapon is a Spirit Bomb that needs the energy of the whole planet. Humanity does not trust the mysterious voice from the sky until Mr. Satan, their hero, asks them himself: everyone raises their hands, and Goku, his strength restored by the last wish, erases Kid Buu while wishing him a better life next time. Ten years later, at the 28th tournament, Goku meets Uub, Buu's reincarnation, and leaves with him to train him. It is the final scene of Dragon Ball Z.

Main characters in this saga

The episodes

No.	Title	First aired (Japan)	Notes
200	Gohan Goes to High School	September 8, 1993	the seven-year time skip; Gohan starts high school
201	I am Saiyaman	September 15, 1993	the Great Saiyaman debuts; partly filler
202	Gohan's First Date	September 29, 1993	filler
203	Rescue Videl	October 20, 1993	filler
204	Blackmail	October 27, 1993	mostly filler; Videl learns the secret
205	I'll Fight Too!	November 3, 1993	Goku will return for one day
206	The Newest Super Saiyan	November 10, 1993	Goten is a Super Saiyan
207	Take Flight Videl	November 17, 1993	Videl learns to fly
208	Gather For the Tournament	November 24, 1993	Goku returns and meets Goten
209	Camera Shy	December 8, 1993
210	The World Tournament	December 15, 1993	the junior division begins
211	Trunks vs. Goten	December 22, 1993
212	Best of the Boys	January 12, 1994	Trunks wins the junior title
213	Big Trouble, Little Trunks	January 19, 1994
214	Who Will Fight Who?	January 26, 1994	Shin and Kibito; Mighty Mask
215	Forfeit of Piccolo!	February 2, 1994	Piccolo forfeits
216	A Dark and Secret Power	February 9, 1994
217	Videl is Crushed	February 16, 1994	Spopovich brutalizes Videl
218	Identities Revealed	February 23, 1994
219	Energy Drain	March 2, 1994	Gohan's energy is stolen
220	The Wizard's Curse	March 9, 1994	Babidi and Dabura
221	King of the Demons	March 16, 1994	Kibito killed; Krillin and Piccolo turned to stone
222	Vegeta Attacks	March 23, 1994
223	Next Up, Goku	April 13, 1994
224	Battle Supreme	April 20, 1994
225	Eighteen Unmasks	April 27, 1994
226	Pay to Win	May 4, 1994	Mr. Satan wins the tournament
227	Heart of a Villain	May 18, 1994
228	The Dark Prince Returns	May 25, 1994	Majin Vegeta is born
229	Vegeta's Pride	June 15, 1994
230	The Long Awaited Fight	June 22, 1994	Goku vs. Majin Vegeta
231	Magic Ball of Buu	June 29, 1994
232	Buu is Hatched	July 6, 1994	Majin Buu awakens
233	The Losses Begin	July 13, 1994
234	The Terror of Majin Buu	July 27, 1994
235	Meal Time	August 3, 1994	Dabura turned into a cookie
236	The Warrior's Decision	August 17, 1994
237	Final Atonement	August 24, 1994	Vegeta's sacrifice
238	Evil Lives On	August 31, 1994
239	Find the Dragon Balls	September 7, 1994	partly filler
240	Revival	September 21, 1994	Goku suggests the Fusion
241	Global Announcement	September 28, 1994
242	Learn to Fuse	October 12, 1994
243	The Z Sword	October 19, 1994	the Z Sword
244	Race to Capsule Corp	November 2, 1994
245	Super Saiyan 3?!	November 9, 1994	Super Saiyan 3
246	Buu's Mutiny	November 16, 1994	Buu kills Babidi
247	The Fusion Dance	November 23, 1994	Goku demonstrates the Fusion Dance
248	Goku's Time is Up	November 30, 1994
249	Return to Other World	December 7, 1994
250	Out From the Broken Sword	December 14, 1994	the Elder Kai is freed
251	Gotenks is Born	December 21, 1994	Gotenks is born
252	Unlikely Friendship	January 11, 1995	Mr. Satan and Buu become friends
253	I Kill No More	January 25, 1995
254	The Evil of Men	February 1, 1995	Buu splits in two
255	Buu Against Buu	February 8, 1995	Super Buu is born
256	Empty Planet	February 15, 1995	humanity is wiped out
257	Time Struggle	February 22, 1995
258	Super Moves of Gotenks	March 1, 1995
259	Trapped in Forever	March 8, 1995
260	Feeding Frenzy	March 15, 1995	Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks
261	Gotenks is Awesome	March 22, 1995
262	Unlucky Break	April 26, 1995
263	A Whole New Gohan	May 3, 1995	Gohan returns
264	Search for Survivors	May 17, 1995
265	Majin Buu Transforms	May 24, 1995	Buu absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo
266	The Elder Kai's Weapon	May 31, 1995	Goku is brought back to life
267	Ready to Fuse?	June 7, 1995	the Potara; Gohan is absorbed
268	Union of Rivals	June 28, 1995
269	Meet Vegito	July 5, 1995	Vegito is born; partly filler
270	Rip in the Universe	July 12, 1995	partly filler
271	Vegito...Downsized	July 19, 1995
272	The Incredible Fighting Candy	July 26, 1995	Vegito is absorbed
273	The Innards of Buu	August 2, 1995	partly filler
274	Mind Trap	August 9, 1995	partly filler
275	Deadly Vision	August 16, 1995
276	Evil Kid Buu!	August 23, 1995	Kid Buu emerges
277	End of Earth	September 6, 1995	Earth is destroyed
278	True Saiyans Fight Alone	September 13, 1995
279	Battle for the Universe Begins	September 20, 1995
280	Vegeta's Respect	October 18, 1995	Vegeta admits Goku is number one
281	Minute of Desperation	November 1, 1995
282	Old Buu Emerges	November 8, 1995	Mr. Satan steps in; the good Buu returns
283	Earth Reborn	November 15, 1995	Porunga's wishes
284	Call to Action	November 22, 1995
285	People of Earth Unite	November 29, 1995	Mr. Satan rallies the Earth
286	Spirit Bomb Triumphant	December 13, 1995	the Spirit Bomb destroys Kid Buu
287	Celebrations with Majin Buu	December 20, 1995	partly filler
288	He's Always Late	January 10, 1996	filler
289	Granddaughter Pan	January 17, 1996	ten years later; Pan
290	Buu's Reincarnation	January 24, 1996	Uub
291	Goku's Next Journey	January 31, 1996	Goku leaves with Uub; series finale

Titles are from Funimation's dub. Each episode page also gives the literal translation of the Japanese title.

Filler and differences from the manga

Here the anime runs close behind the manga, so true filler is scarce. Fully original are 202 (Gohan's first date, with a classmate named Angela), 203 (Videl and the Great Saiyaman against the gang that kidnaps the mayor), 204 (a baby dinosaur, Goten's friend, ends up in a circus) and 288, Bulma's party, which Goku shows up to late because he is watching over a dinosaur egg. Partly invented are 201; 239, where Videl and the others wrestle the last Dragon Ball from a monster on an island; the scenes inside Buu's body in 273-274, with illusions of Gohan and the others; and the opening of 287, with the good Buu foiling a robbery before the two Great Saiyamen arrive.

Our take

The Majin Buu Saga is the most divisive part of Dragon Ball Z, mostly because it hands the spotlight back to Goku after having moved him aside. Fans who saw Gohan as the chosen heir felt let down, with reason. The boy who beat Cell becomes a clumsy superhero, vanishes for about twenty episodes, comes back, dominates Buu for a handful of episodes and gets absorbed.

Yet it is also the most varied arc: school comedy, tournament and apocalypse, with a villain who changes shape and personality every ten episodes. Gotenks is an irresistible idea, enormous power with the maturity of two little kids, and Vegito remains the strongest and cockiest fighter ever seen in Z.

And this is Vegeta's saga. His return to villainy for one last duel, the hug for Trunks, the sacrifice and finally the admission that Goku is number one close the journey of a prince who first came to Earth to destroy it. The last decisive blow, meanwhile, belongs to Mr. Satan, the fraud, whose friendship with Buu and plea for the Spirit Bomb finally earn him the title of savior of the world.

The second half is painfully slow, and the battle with Kid Buu is stretched beyond reason. But the final episode, with Goku flying off with Uub for a new round of training, is the perfect ending for a character who never stopped looking for a stronger opponent. Dragon Ball GT would premiere a week later; the manga's story, however, ended right there, with that farewell.

Did you know? Read Bibidi, Babidi and Buu in a row and you get the magic words of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, the song from Disney's Cinderella.