Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone between and beyond, and welcome to week 61 of the first Dragon Ball rewatch of the decade.
We're doing five episodes a week, and we're watching every single episode of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. All 508 episodes. Plus the TV specials and the movies.
I encourage you all to watch in Japanese with subtitles, especially if you have never done so before, but watch along in whichever way brings you the most joy.
The Return of Garlic Junior's Revenge!
The trivia this week is 99% KBABZ's, so if you find it interesting, be sure to let him know.
When I told him I'd be adding this message he asked me to add: "I WATCHED THIS GARBAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR YOU PEOPLE!"
Previous thread: Week 60 (DBZ 105-107, movie 5)
Next thread: Week 62 (DBZ 113-117)
Anyway, without further ado...
Episode 261 - Terrible Happenings in Heaven!! Garlic Jr. Becomes God?! (DBZ episode 108)
Dub title: The Heavens Tremble
Originally aired 18th of September 1991
Kai equivalent: None
Written by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Episode director: Yoshihiro Ueda
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama
After the battle with Freeza, Kuririn got a girlfriend named Maron, and the peaceful days continued. But Garlic Jr., who Goku and the others had sealed in the Dead Zone in the past, is revived! Attacking the Heavenly Realm with the Four Heavenly Kings, he seals God and Mister Popo into small bottles. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Chi-Chi, Gohan heads to Kame House with Kuririn and Maron. Garlic Jr. then pours the Aqua Mist down from the Heavenly Realm, which turns people into members of the Demon Clan.
Anime-only/filler content: All filler!
Episode 262 - Black Mist of Terror…!! Everyone Turns Demonic (DBZ episode 109)
Dub title: Black Fog of Terror
Originally aired 25th of September 1991
Kai equivalent: None
Written by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Episode director: Shigeyasu Yamauch
Animation supervisor: Kazuya Hisada
In addition to using the Dragon Balls to revive his father Garlic, Garlic Jr. plots to change people into Demon Clansmen and rule the entire world. Gohan, Hire Dragon, Kuririn, and Maron manage to not inhale the mist. But Bulma and the others at Kame House inhale it, becoming Demon Clansmen, and attack Gohan. Garlic Jr.’s Four Heavenly Kings appear there, and say that the Super Holy Water, which can erase the mist’s effect, is at the temple in the Heavenly Realm. The Four Heavenly Kings capture Gohan in a magical barrier, but Piccolo shows up there as well.
Anime-only/filler content: All filler!
Episode 263 - The Heavens Become the Battlefield!! Piccolo Becomes Devilish Again… (DBZ episode 110)
Dub title: Battle in Kami's Lookout
Originally aired 2nd of October 1991
Kai equivalent: None
Written by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Episode director: Mitsuo Hashimoto
Animation supervisor: Yukio Ebisawa
Garlic Jr.’s revival is due to Planet Makyō’s approach, which raised up his dormant power. What’s more, after 24 hours have passed, even drinking the Super Holy Water won’t restore anyone to normal. Piccolo battles the Four Heavenly Kings and orders Gohan to go to the Heavenly Realm, but he’s bitten by the Demon Clansman Yamcha and becomes one himself?! Gohan and Kuririn leave Maron at Karin Tower and head to the Heavenly Realm. Meanwhile, Vegeta is out in space, having followed Goku’s ki. Waiting for Gohan and Kuririn at the Heavenly Realm are the Four Heavenly Kings, together with Piccolo?!
Anime-only/filler content: All filler!
Episode 264 - A Direct Confrontation with Piccolo!! An Angry Masenkō in the Heavens (DBZ episode 111)
Dub title: Fight with Piccolo
Originally aired 9th of October 1991
Kai equivalent: None
Written by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Episode director: Kazuhito Kikuchi
Animation supervisor: Mitsuo Shindō
With God and Mister Popo as hostages, Gohan has a difficult fight. Having a grudge against Gohan, Garlic Jr. has the Four Heavenly Kings attack him together. As Kuririn shields Gohan, Zald’s beam hits him head-on, and Gohan’s anger explodes! Meanwhile, Karin has gone mushy at Maron’s sexiness. Sensing a Super Saiyan’s ki, Vegeta heads to a certain planet. While Goku is nowhere to be seen, the traces of an explosion of ki prove he was there, and Vegeta burns with fighting spirit. At the end of their death-match, Gohan wipes Tard and Zard out with a Masenkō.
Anime-only/filler content: All filler!
Episode 265 - Restore Everyone’s Minds!! The Ultra Holy Water Resting in the Temple (DBZ episode 112)
Dub title: Call for Restoration
Originally aired 16th of October 1991
Kai equivalent: None
Written by: Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Episode director: Jun’ichi Fujise
Animation supervisor: Minoru Maeda
Piccolo attacks Gohan, and is more ferocious than even Gashew and Vinegar. Shielding Gohan from Piccolo’s attacks, Kuririn is bitten?! Gohan and Piccolo’s fierce battle continues on inside the temple. Piccolo splits into three people and attacks Gohan. Furthermore, Kuririn, now a Demon Clansman, attacks Gohan together with Piccolo. But all of a sudden Piccolo steals the small bottles with God and Mister Popo from Garlic Jr. Learning of Piccolo and Kuririn’s deception, Garlic Jr. is furious!
Anime-only/filler content: All filler!
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Interesting trivia:
- At this point in time in the manga, Goku attempts to fight #19 before suffering the effects of the Heart Virus, Vegeta appears and reveals that he can go Super Saiyan as well before destroying 19, forcing Dr. Gero to flee into the rocky mountains.
- Missed Trivia: Vegeta stealing a Capsule Corp. pod after hearing Goku is still alive only occurs in the anime (including Kai), to tie into various scenes in the Garlic Jr. Arc where he searches for Goku. In the manga, this never occurs and it's assumed Vegeta remains on Earth.
- Missed Trivia: DBZ movie 5 is the final movie in which Hire Dragon appears. He would appear three more times in the anime after this before vanishing after the time skip to Gohan's high school days, although Goten does meet a very similar dragon that reminds him of Hire Dragon, implying that the three met at some point after the Cell Games.
- The Garlic Jr. Arc is the only arc in the franchise's history (thus far at least) to be a direct continuation of one of the movies. Indeed, it even has the formula of "Title Villain and his Squad of 3/4" from the movies.
- It also features the second of only four cases of a main villain who returns to be a main villain again; it had previously happened with Piccolo, and would later happen with both Coola and Broly (though Broly did it twice).
- Garlic Jr. is the only one of the four to not be the major villain twice in a row.
- The Funimation dub of DBZ Episode 108 is the first to feature their second opening sequence, with a new instrumental Falcouner track. This intro primarily uses clips from the late Frieza Arc, including the "Ginyu at Kaio's" fights, the end of Goku's fight with Frieza and him climbing out of his ship, and various skirmishes from the Garlic Jr. Arc. Keeping with the tradition of every intro before it, this OP's footage would be quickly outdated just a few episodes in, what with it suggesting that Freeza, Tenshinhan and Yamucha are relevant fighters.
- Funimation also started adding a "Dragon Ball Z" logo to the bottom of their title cards starting from episode 108.
- In the Funimation dub, Garlic Jr. states that he was imprisoned in the Dead Zone for ten years. Unless time flows faster in the Dead Zone (like in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber), he's only actually been away for just under two years.
- Appropriately, the footage from DBZ movie 1 is the full-frame 4:3 version of the movie, unless you're watching Funimation's awful cropped releases.
- This is the third time the saber-toothed cat has shown up in the opening episode of an arc, after Episodes 1 of Dragon Ball and Z.
- This is also the fourth time the River Fish has made an appearance, and the fourth time it's died (while it's fate is unclear in Z movie 5, it's safe to assume Goku killed it after catching it). It previously appeared in Z movies 1 and 5, and Dragon Ball Episode 1.
- While the anime treats Kuririn's "panama" suit as some sort of reveal, he actually wore a dark blue version at the 21st Tournament, and he of course wore it when Tambourine killed him after the 22nd Tournament.
- Maron is possibly one of the most confusing characters in Dragon Ball because of her incredibly strong resemblance to Bulma, particularly at the start of the Android attacks. The only notable difference is that Maron's eyes are grey while Bulma's are blue (and that Maron's dumber than a sack of senzu beans). Bulma's exact hair colour has fluctuated in the anime somewhat, meaning she technically has had Maron's hair at certain points in time.
- The other notable Maron fact is her name: it's almost exactly the same name as Kuririn and Android 18's daughter, Marron. Marron is another word for Chestnut, and since Kuririn's name pun is derived from Kuri, the Japanese word for Chestnut, that means that all three characters use the name pun source! That in mind, it's hard to say if Kuririn's daughter Marron was a total co-incidence on Toriyama's part, or if he intentionally re-used the pun as a nod to Kuririn's first girlfriend in this filler arc, thus implying that he still pines for her on some level.
- Yep, it's hard to believe, but Gohan is FIVE at this point in time, as he states to Maron. Very mature-headed boy!
- The area Piccolo trains in bears a striking resemblance to the Yunzabit Highlands, which is where he and his other half (lol) first arrived on Earth. As well, his duplication technique was used in the Saiyan Arc Training filler, however there he made one clone, not three. This inspiration may be why Piccolo looks rather Saiyan Arc-ish in this fight sequence, having larger, rounder ears than in the rest of the arc.
- This scene is the first time God has been depicted off of his Lookout since the 23rd Tournament, and only the second time we've seen him leave it
- God states that Piccolo hasn't changed at all. Unless he's saying since Piccolo died to Nappa, this is very much not the case, as God and Mr. Popo had a long conversation early in the Saiyan Arc about how he HAD changed. In fact this idea contradicts what God is here to talk about: God had to expel his evil in order to take up the seat of God in the first place, meaning Piccolo is a very poor choice for it.
- Gasshu's hairstyle is incredibly similar to that of Super Saiyan Goku, except white. This could arguably make it the earliest Super Saiyan recolour on record (discounting the original of course, adding the blonde hair from what was seen in Lord Slug).
- In the Funimation dub, the Four Monarchs are named The Spice Boys. While this is a reference to the Spice Girls, it's still somewhat appropriate as they're all named after spices and condiments: Gasshu (Spice), Zald (Salt), Vinega(r) and Tard (Mustard). These names keep the name pun line from Garlic Jr.'s crew in the original movie, being Jinja (Ginger), Nikki (Cinnamon) and Sansho (Sansho).
- In a continuity nod, the armour worn by the Four Monarchs share design traits with Garlic Jr.'s three henchmen from the original movie, implying they were also from Planet Makyo.
- Episode 108 is the first time we've seen Mr. Popo actually deploy his flying carpet. In the early Namek Arc, he was only seen already riding it.
- Yes, really, everyone just laughs off Roshi's attempt to pass off his pafu pafu request as a light-hearted joke and not an attempt at sexual assault.
- Chichi orders Gohan to study until evening. However, it's sunset when she says that, meaning it's already evening!
- This also presents a continuity problem: it's daytime in all scenes after Gohan leaves Mount Paozu, which implies that he's been flying on Icarus all night and through the next morning!
- In the first-person shot of God returning to the Lookout, the Nyoi-bo is missing from it. This would also occur in the opening shot of the Lookout in Episode 109.
- In the shot of Garlic Jr. trapping God, he shouts despite his mouth never opening.
- The wide shot of Gohan flying away on Hire Dragon is very similar to the shot from Episode 1 of Dragon Ball that pans up to Gohan's Hut as Goku rolls along on the log. However here it's been replaced with Goku's House. In Episode 1 of Z, Goku's House was next to the hut. Luckily, it'll be back in Episode 109.
- Episode 109 reveals that Goku's House has a hangar with a plane in it, since of course there's no way for them to easily store large vehicles (-_-).
- In Episode 108, Garlic Jr. states that the Aquamist contains the esscence of evil in the hearts of men. Given that it affects animals and turns the pure-hearted Chichi evil, it can be assumed that it adds evil to those who inhale it, rather than awaken evil that was already there.
- The saxophone cue used when Roshi optically gropes Maron's body is the same one used all the way back in the original Dragon Ball for Roshi doing the same to Launch. It was last used in Episode 14 of Z when Princess Snake first emerges.
- KBABZ side-note: how the HECK is Maron's swimsuit okay for kids television?!
- Robo side-note: In fairness, it's arguably not as bad as the extensive panning shots up, down, and around Bulma while she's in the shower in DB episode 6.
- KBABZ side-note: MARON IS WEARING THAT FOR AN ENTIRE EPISODE.
- Robo side-note: ... Fair point.
- The Funimation TV dub apparently edited Maron's swimsuit to be less revealing.
- While talking to Chichi and not bothering to remember her son's name, Maron refers to Gohan as "Rice". Gohan is another word for rice, more often used to refer to dinner.
- Chichi flipping her lid at Maron has her surrounded by a Kaio-Ken-like aura, which makes sense as she's a former martial artist. This also helps justify Kuririn's line later where Chichi is the only person Goku fears and thus she's the most powerful woman in the universe (which of course is the same joke Roshi makes at the end of the Namek arc)
- Roshi also finally gets to observe Chichi's chichis in this scene, which is something he commented on way back when he first met her as a twelve year-old in the Pilaf Arc (yes, Dragon Ball is disgusting about this).
- Chichi refers to Maron as a devil woman just before getting hit by the Aquamist, which turns her into one herself.
- Somehow the evil Dragon Team turned on the radio before Gohan and co. went ashore, for some reason.
- The title of Episode 110 says "Piccolo Becomes Devilish Again...". Despite this, in the Android Arc Piccolo still states he intends for world domination and is up to his old evil ways.
- Ignoring the crazy co-incidence that planet Makyo, which only appears once every 5,000 years, appeared to free Garlic Jr. only two years after he was trapped in the Dead Zone, it shouldn't have been able to free him, as the Dead Zone is technically it's own sub-space and not near Earth, let alone anywhere else in the universe.
- Planet Makyo's addition to Garlic Jr.'s backstory means that both major demon clans (Daimao and Makyans) have extra-terrestrial origins. The only ones that don't are the ones in the Demon World filler, and possibly the ghouls from the Sleeping Princess movie if you count those as a demon clan.
- In the close-up of Yamucha, Bulma and Chichi on the roof, Yamucha has longer, pointy fingernails, possibly to look a bit more devilish.
- When Piccolo says "Go ahead and try", his upper teeth are incorrectly shaded grey.
- This episode marks the second and third time Kuririn has been kicked through Kame House, after Raditz did it to him the first time in Z Episode 1.
- In the shot of Hire Dragon carrying Maron away, Maron's swimsuit is not a thong.
- Garlic Jr. using the pot to observe current events is very similar to the pots of past, present and future in Karin's Tower, itself also filler.
- While it's never explained, it's possible that Piccolo was unaffected by being bitten due to him already being of a Demon Clan. Presumably he got the idea to fake it simply by overhearing Gasshu talking about the conversion, although how he faked the pink eyes is a mystery for the ages.
- All of the Litts in the scene with Vegeta are wearing the exact same body armor.
- Vegeta's Saiyan Armour is the same one he wore on Namek, yet it doesn't have the holes over the gut and left breast from his fight with Freeza.
- Episode 110 marks the first time anyone has flown directly to the top of Karin's Tower, which completely trivializes the point of climbing it. Kuririn and Gohan then fly the rest of the way to God's Lookout, the first time anyone has done that too!
- Episode 110 repeats the same mistake as 108: by having the scene at Karin's Tower at sunset, it implies that it took them all night and all morning to fly up to God's Lookout, where it's back to daytime again. It repeats this mistake several more times, but after the strip poker scene, it has a direct pan up from Karin's Tower at night to the Lookout at day. While this implies that it's always daytime at the Lookout, this contradicts the Goku's Doll filler from Dragon Ball where Goku fought it at dawn.
- Nyoi-bo is STILL missing from the wide-shots of God's Lookout.
- As Maron points out, it's a mystery why Karin has clothes for her, let alone in Maron's exact size.
- This is also the only time Karin or Yajirobe express any attraction towards a woman or their, ahem, assets.
- The throne that Garlic Jr. erects before Gohan fights Zald and Tard is the same one he same one he used in his castle from Z movie 1. Despite this, he switches to a completely different throne in the next episode when the fight goes inside the main Lookout building.
- After Kuririn faints, Gohan powers up using the exact same sound effects associated with turning Super Saiyan, despite not actually doing so.
- Vegeta remarks that only Super Saiyan Goku could have cut away the ground like he did on the rock planet. However this is something Vegeta himself did back on Earth when he had only 6% the strength of Super Saiyan Goku.
- Gohan killing Zald and Tard mark his first two confirmed, unambiguous kills. He and Kuririn kicked the two Freeza Soldiers into the water when they first arrived on Namek, however it's unclear if they were kills or not (for what it's worth, those two never appeared again).
- Much like the episode where Goku goes Super Saiyan, the fight between Gohan and Piccolo doesn't actually occur until the last few seconds of the episode before it finishes. The title also implies that Gohan uses the Masenko on Piccolo, when he instead uses it on Zald and Tard.
- As per usual for the anime, Gohan is seemingly unable to sense Piccolo's ki through smoke.
- It's unknown how Garlic Jr. actually knows that Piccolo trained Gohan, as that happeneed after he was imprisoned in the Dead Zone.
- The three seeing pots from the filler scene in the Red Ribbon Arc make a return as a makeshift table used for all the clothes Yajirobe has lost playing strip poker. Maron says she's won 22 times, which is KBABZ's favourite number (no, this isn't the reason why).
- The absence of Nyoi-bo may finally be explained by the fact that Karin manually removed it, so that he could later offer it up as a wager in the game of strip poker. While we never see the results of this round of strip poker, if Maron won then she is technically the owner of it in the anime timeline! The Nyoi-bo does appear in later wide shots of the Lookout, implying that she finally lost, the round was never played, or it was left there despite her owning it.
- The interior of the main building in the lookout is much vaster on the inside than it appears on the outside. While this is similar to the Room of Spirit and Time introduced later on, this spacious interior is contradicted by scenes in the Android and Boo Arcs.
- The fruit that Garlic Jr. eats while Gohan is fighting Kuririn and Piccolo are the same alcoholic fruit Gohan ate in Z movie 1. Garlic Jr. can really hold his liquer, as he eats one whole in seconds and doesn't get drunk despite being SMALLER than Gohan!
- Similar to Piccolo, it's unknown how Kuririn was able to fake the pink eyes required of the Aquamist corruption. His fake corruption is alluded to however in that he has no bite marks on his body like Piccolo did.
- Strangely, Piccolo displays the ability to self-heal to remove the bite holes in his neck. Previously he only demonstrated the ability to regrow limbs, which is a bit different.