Dragon Ball Rewatch, Week 31 - DB episode 136-140

[Robo4900]

Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone between and beyond, and welcome to week 31 of the first Dragon Ball rewatch of the decade.
We're doing five episodes a week, and we'll be 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.

I'm quite far behind now, but the rewatch marches on!... I'm sure I'll catch up eventually.
But for those of you following along currently, we're about half-way through the 23rd Tenkaichi arc now!

Previous thread: Week 30 (DB 131-135)
Next thread: Week 32 (DB 141-145)

Anyway, without further ado...

Episode 136 - The Hitman Tao Pai-pai’s Counterattack
Dub title: Tien Shinhan vs. Mercenary Tao / Tao's Dirty Tricks
Originally aired 30th of November 1988
Episode director: Kazuhisa Takenōchi
Animation supervisor: Tomekichi Takeuchi

The match between Tenshinhan and Cyborg Tao Pai-pai begins!! Tao Pai-pai commences a preemptive attack, but Tenshinhan easily parries him. Tenshinhan’s ability is far above Tao Pai-pai’s!! With that, Tao Pai-pai willingly breaks the rules and attacks with a sword sheathed inside his arm. He furthermore tries to fire a Super Dodonpa! But Tenshinhan, angry at last, takes him out with a single punch!! Tenshinhan gives Tao Pai-pai to Tsuru-Sen’nin, who had been observing the match, and tells him to never show his face again.

Anime-only/filler content: Everything before the scene where Ten stikes Tao down in one hit, Ten forcing Tao to the edge of the arena, the Announcer trying to convince Tao to step down after using the knife, Kuririn attempting to praise Ten for his victory, Piccolo on the roof.

Episode 137 - Son Goku’s Marriage
Dub title: Anonymous Proposal / Goku Gets Married!
Originally aired 7th of December 1988
Episode director: Yoshihiro Ueda
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama

During the second match, the mystery girl battling Goku announces that Goku had in the past promised to marry her!! But even with that, Goku still can’t remember who she is. Hearing the girl say that she will tell him her identity if he wins against her, Goku blows her away with just the wind pressure from his fist! The girl’s identity is Gyūmaō’s daughter Chi-Chi, of all people!! Honoring his promise from long ago, Goku marries her right there. Continuing on, the third match begins, between Kuririn and Ma Junior! Kuririn fights bravely, using Bukūjutsu and other things that he learned on his own!!

Anime-only/filler content: Chichi talking about a house and kids after the match, the officials cleaning the arena.

Episode 138 - The Puzzling Man, Shen
Dub title: The Mysterious Hero / The Mysterious Shen
Originally aired 14th of December 1988
Episode director: Daisuke Nishio
Animation supervisor: Yukio Ebisawa

Beginning to be pushed back by Ma Junior, Kuririn fires a Kamehameha to turn things around!! But Kuririn sportsmanly admits his defeat after Ma Junior uses a Zanzōken to dodge his Kamehameha and knocks him into the arena. And thus the fourth match begins, between Yamcha and Shen! Yamcha comes at Shen, underestimating him, but his attacks are dodged and he takes damage. Furthermore, when he prompts Shen to attack, he gets hit with an intense blow! Shen’s true abilities are finally becoming clear!!

Anime-only/filler content: The characters being intimidated by Ma-Junior, Kuririn attacking Ma-Junior for laughing only to get his cape, Roshi's flashback to first meeting Kuririn.

Episode 139 - Another Fierce Fight! Goku vs Tenshinhan
Dub title: Rematch / Goku VS. Tien - The Rematch!
Originally aired 21st of December 1988
Episode director: Minoru Okazaki
Animation supervisor: Minoru Maeda

As Yamcha has a far harder fight than any but a few people expected, he ultimately ends up receiving tips on how to fight from his match opponent Shen. Even as he gets a direct hit with his Sokidan, which he fired as his trump card, he is defeated in a single blow during Shen’s counterattack! Yamcha meekly acknowledges his total defeat. The matches then move into the semi-finals, with Goku and Tenshinhan fighting!! Attacking at extremely high speeds, the two seem to vanish from the arena. It looks as if their abilities are even, but Goku isn’t breathing heavily at all!

Anime-only/filler content: The Dragon Ball Gang reacting to Yamucha's loss, their exchange before Ten and Goku's match.

Episode 140 - True Strength
Dub title: Goku Gains Speed / Goku's Heavy Secret
Originally aired 11th of January 1989
Episode director: Osamu Kasai
Animation supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama

Tenshinhan begins to gradually overwhelm Goku with his improved speed. He says that although Goku can follow his movements with his eyes, his body can’t keep up. But Goku suddenly begins to remove his dōgi. The truth is that from the time of his training under God, he has been wearing 100 kilograms worth of weight underneath his dōgi! With his body having become lighter, Goku steals Tenshinhan’s belt with speed even Tenshinhan can’t see. Embarrassed, Tenshinhan says that with 12 eyes he will definitely be able to see, and begins to gather his ki!!

Anime-only/filler content: The opening bout where Ten and Goku slam into the arena walls, the flashback to Goku's weight training.

-

Interesting trivia:

• At the end of Episode 135, blue bars move in at the end to provide the first intentional widescreen crop in the anime (not counting the three movies). These don't appear when the shots are re-used at the start of 136.
• Cyborg Tao's eyes have knurling rings on them. Implying that to change focus he has to turn them manually.
• This is the second time in the series that a fighter has appeared in the Tournament to enact lethal revenge on a returning competitor for a past transgression has been disqualified for using a knife (the other is Man-Wolf). Both declare that they don't care about the match.
• The slash that Cyborg Tao gives Ten during their fight would remain as a scar across Ten's chest for all his future appearances. Perhaps in reflection of this, almost all of Ten's future outfits are a single-shoulder design that partially exposes the scar.
• Cyborg Tao's Super Dodon-pa is the first time cybernetics have been shown to interface with ki. The next time would be #19 and #20, who are able to absorb ki through their hands.
• Roshi commenting that Chichi's style is similar to the Kame School is somewhat odd, considering his training focuses entirely on strength and fundamentals rather than specific fighting moves and approaches.
• This is the last time the Crane Hermit would appear in the franchise, and Tao in the manga. In the anime, Cyborg Tao would appear again in the Cell Games filler and have to contend with Gohan.
• Joji Yanami temporarily stepped in as Roshi for episode 137. Kohei Miyauchi is still credited as Roshi, and no reason was ever given for why Yanami played the role this time.
  • Speculation: It's possible Miyauchi was unavailable on the recording day, so they arranged to have him ADR it later and have Yanami voice Roshi as a scratch track so the other actors have something to play off, then either it ended up that they didn't get time to ADR it, or they forgot, or it was just cheaper to not redo it.
• Chichi is the only competitor of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai who could be described as a "normal" fighter; everybody else is able to use ki in supernatural ways.
• Chichi being confident that she can defeat Goku in the ring makes more sense in the manga, where she hadn't actually seen Goku fight anybody. In the anime she saw Goku defend her home from the Red Ribbon Army and heard he Goku defeated Daimao, meaning that in the anime she believes she's stronger than somebody who can decimate entire cities.
• Outside of an anime-only flashback of Chichi sparring with Goten in the Buu arc, this is the only time Chichi is seen practicing martial arts in the series. Though, she does also employ some martial arts in Z movies 1 and 4.
• In the manga, Chichi was absent in the manga for 156 Chapters over three years, last seen in Chapter 15 and revealed in 171. In the anime however she had appeared numerous times, including the Colonel Silver filler saga, in Karin's past-viewing pot, and at the end of the Daimao arc, the last of which meant that she was only absent for 14 episodes, or four months.
• Because of the above, it can be debated that Toriyama may have thought to bring Chichi back into the manga after she re-appeared in the anime so many times. This is similar to the idea that Pilaf appearing in the Colonel Silver filler gave him the idea to have him return at the end of the RRA Arc and with Daimao. It's certainly true that the anime influenced Toriyama during the run (we know he put Burdock in the manga after he was in the anime, after he enjoyed the first Z TV special, and we know that after Masako Nozawa was cast as Goku, he wrote Goku's dialogue with her delivery in mind).
• Had Chichi's full absense been reflected in the anime, she would have been gone 129 episodes (three short of Super's entire run), or two and a half years.
  • On a related note; this should have been said last week, but we reached Super's episode count as of DB episode 131, and surpassed it as of 132.
  • 131 episodes into DBZ, Vegeta had just turned Super Saiyan, defeated #19, then he and Piccolo fought #20, and Trunks burst in to tell them that #19 and #20 aren't the ones he fought in the future.
• In the manga, Goku's flashback to the scene at Mount Frypan takes the form of two panels from Chapter 15 around Goku's head. The anime re-uses this scene wholesale, as well as the pat-pat scene on Kinto'Un.
• In the Funimation dub, the dialogue with Chichi at Mount Frypan was not translated correctly to reflect Goku thinking that having a wedding meant something to eat. This was addressed in Goku's parting dialogue to her in the Colonel Silver filler arc ("What about the wedding?!" "I'll have some of that later!"). However in the flashback to the Frypan scene, Funimation used the original VO from that episode rather than translating it correctly. Schemmel's dialogue in the ring is translated more appropriately anyway, which means Goku says "I remember now! I DID say it!!" when he technically never did.
  • In fact, all three English dubs of episode 8 get that dialogue wrong. Though Blue Water's dub of episode 137 corrects the dialogue in the flashback.
• Funimation's dialogue of the moment where Shen reveals that he's God possessing a normal man was particularly mis-handled. Instead of Goku realizing that it's actually God, he realizes that God is an alien. This of course contradicts that nobody knows where God/Daimao actually came from, which wouldn't be revealed to them and the audience until the Saiyan Arc.
  • Ironically, in the manga Yamcha jokingly suggests that Shen is an alien, similar to Oolong making that comment about Goku in the 21st TB.
  • Coincidentally, when Toriyama introduced God and his connection to Daimao, he had already decided that they had extra-terrestial origins (as reflected in a later scene), but decided not to immediately reveal it. This is one of the few confirmed instances of Toriyama planning ahead, Oda style.
• In the anime, after Goku and Chichi return inside, she talks to Yamucha about how he had confessed his love to her. This incredible reflection of continuity of course did not appear in the manga.
• Kuririn not realizing Ma-Junior can fly may be because he never saw Daimao do it in the previous arc, on account of being dead and all.
• Kuririn is the first protagonist to be revealed to know how to fly. Tenshinhan and Chaiotzu knew how to do it in the 22nd TB, however they were antagonists at the time.
• Oh, look, Ma-Junior used the afterimage technique. So much for last week's trivia!
• Kuririn is only the third contestant to forfeit a match, after Giran against Goku and Jackie Chun against Tenshinhan.
• Yamucha's match against Shen makes it the third time in a row for him to be quite handily knocked out in the quarter-finals to somebody who would go on to face Goku in the final match (if you consider the link between God and Ma-Junior, of course).
• Yamcha's So-ki-dan is the first time he's been shown using a ki attack.
• Episode 139 is the last time Yamucha uses a Roga Fufu-Ken/Wolf Fang Fist in the original run.
• The opening bout in the Goku vs Tenshinhan fight is technically filler. However it destroys part of the arena wall, meaning this added detail had to be reflected in the next seven episodes until Ma-Junior flattens the island completely.
  • This also means that, in the anime, all three classic Tournaments have part of the wall destroyed. In addition to the aforementioned instance from this tournament, Goku destroys it to test out his tail's strength in the 21st, and Ten hits Goku into it in their finals match in the 22nd. Similarly, every Tournament (manga or anime) damages the arena tiling in some way, usually multiple times.
• The last episode of this week is the first episode from 1989, the year Harmony Gold would begin their ill-fated attempt to bring Dragon Ball to the west, the year the Dragon Ball anime would be rebranded to Dragon Ball Z, and the last year until 1996 that only one Dragon Ball movie would release.
• At this point in the manga, Piccolo fires the Makankosappo to kill Raditz and Goku, takes Gohan to train for the arrival of the two Saiyans, and Goku begins his journey down the Serpentine Road to train with Kaio.

Episode summaries, airdates, and titles courtesy of Kanzenshuu's episode guide. Filler breakdowns and Dragon Ball logo provided, and trivia co-written, by KBABZ.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

The scene in episdoe 137 where Chi-Chi reveals her identity to Goku and his following through on the unwitting promise he'd made to her way back in ep 8 in the 2001 dub feels like they were attempting to make him appears less clueless when compared to the Japanese version. The rewrites with all of the "my heart tells me" poetry stuff appears to have been done on the part of the DB dub's script writers to have him not seem as oblivious and lacking of understanding in regard to what marriage is even though that's completely opposite of how the original is. It's something that Goku would never actually say himself, because that just isn't a part of his character. Simply put, these sort of things were done back then because changes such as this were so numerous in the dub that i guess the writers couldn't help but alter it to something else in their own personal interpretation.

[KBABZ]

Personally I kinda like it because, flimsy and out of nowhere as it is, it does give Goku SOME emotional justification for marrying her outside of "just becuz".

[MasenkoHA]

It’s funny to me that the first/only tournament Goku wins everyone else does worse.

Kuririn- Semi finalist at the 21st and 22nd TB but only a quarter finalist in the 23rd

Yamucha- Loses in the quarter finals in all 3 but at least loses to the winner of the tournament for the 21st and 22nd. Here he loses in the semi finalist to the guy who lost to the runner up

Chaozu- Quarter finalist at the 22nd. Knocked Out in the prelims here

Tenshinhan- Winner at the 22nd. Semi finalist at the 22nd



Goku and Tenshinhan’s rematch is pretty much Tenshinhan’s swan song. He’ll never really be this prominent again. He’s been outclassed by Goku. He’ll quickly be usurped by Piccolo as Goku’s main rival. Piccolo will be spared from a similar fate by being Gohan’s mentor but Toriyama pretty much lost interest in Tenshinhan after this

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Personally I kinda like it because, flimsy and out of nowhere as it is, it does give Goku SOME emotional justification for marrying her outside of "just becuz".

Now that i think about it that is true, even if that bit is something he'd never actually say in the original version.

[MasenkoHA]

His justification was “a promise is a promise” not really “just cuz”

[ArmenianPepsi]

The scene in episdoe 137 where Chi-Chi reveals her identity to Goku and his following through on the unwitting promise he'd made to her way back in ep 8 in the 2001 dub feels like they were attempting to make him appears less clueless when compared to the Japanese version. The rewrites with all of the "my heart tells me" poetry stuff appears to have been done on the part of the DB dub's script writers to have him not seem as oblivious and lacking of understanding in regard to what marriage is even though that's completely opposite of how the original is. It's something that Goku would never actually say himself, because that just isn't a part of his character. Simply put, these sort of things were done back then because changes such as this were so numerous in the dub that i guess the writers couldn't help but alter it to something else in their own personal interpretation.

I was about to bring that up. It sounds real sweet and all, but as you said, Goku isn't the kind of guy who would say something so poetic, or perhaps "Sophisticated" would be a better word. When he goes on professing his love for Chi Chi in the dub, it's like a totally different character is on screen for a moment.

[Robo4900]

The scene in episdoe 137 where Chi-Chi reveals her identity to Goku and his following through on the unwitting promise he'd made to her way back in ep 8 in the 2001 dub feels like they were attempting to make him appears less clueless when compared to the Japanese version. The rewrites with all of the "my heart tells me" poetry stuff appears to have been done on the part of the DB dub's script writers to have him not seem as oblivious and lacking of understanding in regard to what marriage is even though that's completely opposite of how the original is. It's something that Goku would never actually say himself, because that just isn't a part of his character. Simply put, these sort of things were done back then because changes such as this were so numerous in the dub that i guess the writers couldn't help but alter it to something else in their own personal interpretation.

Yep. It's really terrible. I'm glad the Blue Water dub's script had none of these issues. Now, if only I could watch that dub through some method other than some glitchy, unwatchable, old, bootleg TV recordings. -_-

Goku and Tenshinhan’s rematch is pretty much Tenshinhan’s swan song. He’ll never really be this prominent again. He’s been outclassed by Goku. He’ll quickly be usurped by Piccolo as Goku’s main rival. Piccolo will be spared from a similar fate by being Gohan’s mentor but Toriyama pretty much lost interest in Tenshinhan after this

Yeah. It's quite sad, really. Toriyama just didn't have anything interesting to do with him after this.
This tournament is also the end of Yamucha doing much of any consequence too. Toriyama even had him and Bulma break up in the next arc he wrote, though he did ultimately decide not to completely leave him out of the story. (Which is better than I can say for Lunch )

[ArmenianPepsi]

Goku and Tenshinhan’s rematch is pretty much Tenshinhan’s swan song. He’ll never really be this prominent again. He’s been outclassed by Goku. He’ll quickly be usurped by Piccolo as Goku’s main rival. Piccolo will be spared from a similar fate by being Gohan’s mentor but Toriyama pretty much lost interest in Tenshinhan after this

I think overall he was sent off on a better note than Yamcha. Both of them after this point are nothing more than fodder for the villains to bully, but at least his character wasn't assassinated like Yamcha's.

In the Cell arc after recovering from his impaling by Dr Gero, he suddenly turns a 180, and is written like a real wimp and does not return to actually fight. On top of that we are to believe that he cheated on Bulma, and that's how she got interested in Vegeta. Despite many times before in the story Bulma is the one who would be more likely to ever do such a thing, as she gawks over General Blue, Zarbon before he transforms, Goku when she first sees him all grown up, etc. Never once is Yamcha shown to be looking at other girls on purpose, nor is it even implied that he had eyes for any other woman besides Bulma.

That was a tough pill for me to swallow when I first watched through DBZ. I have accepted it, but that doesn't mean I can't complain about it, Yamcha was so cool

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

The scene in episdoe 137 where Chi-Chi reveals her identity to Goku and his following through on the unwitting promise he'd made to her way back in ep 8 in the 2001 dub feels like they were attempting to make him appears less clueless when compared to the Japanese version. The rewrites with all of the "my heart tells me" poetry stuff appears to have been done on the part of the DB dub's script writers to have him not seem as oblivious and lacking of understanding in regard to what marriage is even though that's completely opposite of how the original is. It's something that Goku would never actually say himself, because that just isn't a part of his character. Simply put, these sort of things were done back then because changes such as this were so numerous in the dub that i guess the writers couldn't help but alter it to something else in their own personal interpretation.

I was about to bring that up. It sounds real sweet and all, but as you said, Goku isn't the kind of guy who would say something so poetic, or perhaps "Sophisticated" would be a better word. When he goes on professing his love for Chi Chi in the dub, it's like a totally different character is on screen for a moment.

Indeed, watching that part dubbed and then the Japanese version is just total night and day. It completely changes the entire meaning of the scene. On the one hand i sort of get what they were trying to do here with this rewrite, though at the same time it was completely made up and portrays Goku saying things that the character we know him to be in the original would never actually say.

When i was first rewatching through OG DB a while back in Japanese, it surely was jarring to see just how completely different the dialogue is between the two versions. That had to be one of if not the biggest rewrites of the dub, mostly in terms of portraying Goku in an entirety different way from how he actually is.

[MasenkoHA]

To be fair, Toei themselves played up Goku’s marriage to Chi Chi as more sincere than in the manga. Him dreaming about Gohan and Chi Chi and worrying about them specifically in the Princess Snake episodes comes to mind.


Like Goku the Super Hero, Funimation took something that Toei did that wasn’t in the manga and played it up times 11

Also something funny in the dub when they’re talking about Goku’s weighted clothes in his fight with Tien they refer to it in kilos. This is interesting because pretty much in all other instances Funimation insist on the characters using the imperial system despite how little sense that actually makes. Even in Kai it’s still the 1,000,000 mile snake way. I don’t recall the episode being that well translated (iirc Sean Michael Teague was the sole credited writer for the last 20 or so episodes and his episodes tend to be pretty off) so that was interesting.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

To be fair, Toei themselves played up Goku’s marriage to Chi Chi as more sincere than in the manga. Him dreaming about Gohan and Chi Chi and worrying about them specifically in the Princess Snake episodes comes to mind.


Like Goku the Super Hero, Funimation took something that Toei did that wasn’t in the manga and played it up times 11

Also something funny in the dub when they’re talking about Goku’s weighted clothes in his fight with Tien they refer to it in kilos. This is interesting because pretty much in all other instances Funimation insist on the characters using the imperial system despite how little sense that actually makes. Even in Kai it’s still the 1,000,000 mile snake way. I don’t recall the episode being that well translated (iirc Sean Michael Teague was the sole credited writer for the last 20 or so episodes and his episodes tend to be pretty off) so that was interesting.

Yeah, Toei already had diverged from the manga on that front. FUNi just did it even more so with their script rewriting.

[MyVisionity]

Episode 136

Nice visuals in this Takeuchi episode. Cyborg Taopaipai is an awesome design and the action looks great.

I recall hearing that going for the eyes as Paipai did with Ten is something that was considered dishonorable among martial artists in ancient China, so that's a nice touch.

Super Dodonpa looks good and Tenshinhan's kiai shout followed by finishing strike was badass.

Episode 137

I'm a fan of Chichi so this one is fun. Good use of character history here. I like that moment between Chichi, Yamcha, and Bulma. Great writing for Chichi overall. I'm glad that the anime ignored her previous filler appearances.

Kuririn shows how skilled he is right off the bat. I've always liked Ma Junior's voice. Toshio Furukawa has great range going from General Blue to Piccolo like that.

Episode 138

Kuririn continues to show why he's such a great martial artist and character. I think that the respect Kuririn earns from Piccolo in this fight is the beginning of their relationship moving forward into Z.

Episode 139

Another good-looking battle between Yamcha and Shen. The Sōkidan was always one of my favorite techniques as a kid. Great animation in this episode.

Episode 140

Tenshinhan versus Goku fights are always top-notch. Tenshinhan was a smart addition to this series.

Roshi commenting that Chichi's style is similar to the Kame School is somewhat odd, considering his training focuses entirely on strength and fundamentals rather than specific fighting moves and approaches.

I figure Roshi would still be able to perceive whether a fighter had undergone Kame-style training by seeing them fight. Not so much based on specific fighting techniques, but on the fighter's physicality and movements. We saw how Roshi's training shaped Goku and Kuririn's abilities in the 21st Budoukai. I imagine it would be similar for all of his students.

[KBABZ]

Roshi commenting that Chichi's style is similar to the Kame School is somewhat odd, considering his training focuses entirely on strength and fundamentals rather than specific fighting moves and approaches.

I figure Roshi would still be able to perceive whether a fighter had undergone Kame-style training by seeing them fight. Not so much based on specific fighting techniques, but on the fighter's physicality and movements. We saw how Roshi's training shaped Goku and Kuririn's abilities in the 21st Budoukai. I imagine it would be similar for all of his students.

I wrote this trivia entry and personally I disagree. We know Roshi didn't teach them anything like this, it was mostly delivering milk with heavy turtle shells on their backs rather than specific moves and techniques (which Roshi was vehemently against). In my opinion something like that shouldn't show up in the way they fight; they would still retain the styles taught to them in the past. So Gohan for Goku, Orin Temple for Krillin and Ox-King for Chi-Chi. Two of those trained with Roshi, yes, but again his "style" shouldn't come through unless they were copying the way he fights on the side.

[MyVisionity]

Roshi commenting that Chichi's style is similar to the Kame School is somewhat odd, considering his training focuses entirely on strength and fundamentals rather than specific fighting moves and approaches.

I figure Roshi would still be able to perceive whether a fighter had undergone Kame-style training by seeing them fight. Not so much based on specific fighting techniques, but on the fighter's physicality and movements. We saw how Roshi's training shaped Goku and Kuririn's abilities in the 21st Budoukai. I imagine it would be similar for all of his students.

I wrote this trivia entry and personally I disagree. We know Roshi didn't teach them anything like this, it was mostly delivering milk with heavy turtle shells on their backs rather than specific moves and techniques (which Roshi was vehemently against). In my opinion something like that shouldn't show up in the way they fight; they would still retain the styles taught to them in the past. So Gohan for Goku, Orin Temple for Krillin and Ox-King for Chi-Chi. Two of those trained with Roshi, yes, but again his "style" shouldn't come through unless they were copying the way he fights on the side.

The milk delivery, turtle shells, and everything else would all naturally shape the fighter's physical abilities. We saw what happened once Goku and Kuririn took off the shells. They were able to jump hundreds of feet into the air. Their kicks and punches were powered up as well. If the effects of their training manifested to a certain degree, the same would go for Chichi.

I would think that Roshi, being the martial arts master that he is, would be able to recognize these effects. Especially of the very school that he himself created.

[KBABZ]

The milk delivery, turtle shells, and everything else would all naturally shape the fighter's physical abilities. We saw what happened once Goku and Kuririn took off the shells. They were able to jump hundreds of feet into the air. Their kicks and punches were powered up as well. If the effects of their training manifested to a certain degree, the same would go for Chichi.

I would think that Roshi, being the martial arts master that he is, would be able to recognize these effects. Especially of the very school that he himself created.

Again I personally disagree. His training does not teach martial arts in the expected way of specific moves, stances and what have you. My interpretation was that it focused much more on improving core skills like strength and stamina, but leaving it open-ended so that his students could apply these improvements into their own, existing fighting styles.

[Robo4900]

On the off chance anyone reads these threads who haven't started watching DB, despite us being near the start of Z now, there's another rewatch being hosted over on /r/dragonball, starting from the beginning of DB. Same pace as us (5 episodes a week), starting tomorrow. Though their placement of the movies is a bit different (for some reason, the 10th anniversary movie is on the end of DB), and they're not watching GT (the utter cowards! ).

I'll be heading over there each week to repost the filler breakdowns and trivia KBABZ and I assembled from when we were there in our rewatch.

(Also, yes, I'm still behind on my viewing of this rewatch, but I doubt I'll ever fall far behind enough to watch along with theirs. I'm just a couple of weeks out from where we are atm. )

[ArmenianPepsi]

On the off chance anyone reads these threads who haven't started watching DB, despite us being near the start of Z now, there's another rewatch being hosted over on /r/dragonball, starting from the beginning of DB. Same pace as us (5 episodes a week), starting tomorrow. Though their placement of the movies is a bit different (for some reason, the 10th anniversary movie is on the end of DB), and they're not watching GT (the utter cowards! ).

I'll be heading over there each week to repost the filler breakdowns and trivia KBABZ and I assembled from when we were there in our rewatch.

(Also, yes, I'm still behind on my viewing of this rewatch, but I doubt I'll ever fall far behind enough to watch along with theirs. I'm just a couple of weeks out from where we are atm. )

I commend you for your dedication Robo, for real it's out of this world.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Got around to finishing these episodes quicker than expected this week, all in all a couple good matches, definitely a good place for OG Dragon Ball to reach its climax.

Episode 136 - The Hitman Tao Pai-pai’s Counterattack

In this episode we get a very tense fight between Tien and Tao Pai Pai. Naturally because the latter is mechanically enhanced it seemed inevitable there would be some unlawful behaviour.

The droning Kikuchi track played at the beginning emphasize this uncertainty, and as Tien and Tao continue to stand off, confusing the audience expecting a fight, even frustrating the announcer this feeling of apprehension in the arena grows. Master Crane's act of taunting Tien and the flashback to Tien being beaten by Tao on a rainy, stormy day adds to the suspense. As the flashback ends with Tao stomping on Tien and the episode cuts forward to Tao launching an attack on Tien the sense of danger and Tien's vulnerability escalates. Tien however demonstrates his expertise by showing good defensive tactics, warning Tao not to continue the fight and isn't phased by the dirty tricks Tao later shows.

Having seen Tien's redemption by this point seeing him managing to break off the sharp knife Tao morphed his mechanical hand into and being unharmed by the Dodonpa that shocked even the audience was very satisfying. Tien's choice to help Tao out of the arena grounds, which shows his merciful side compliments this quite well.

While this episode is largely serious the Yajirobe scenes with him sitting down eating food and walking through the crowd carrying it in his hands adds some humour to remind the audience this series remains comedic at heart. To a lesser extent we also have the new girl's frustration with Goku, which will of course be the proposal that Goku thinks so little of.

This conflict between the two characters leads us perfectly into the next episode.

Episode 137 - Son Goku’s Marriage

The first half of this episode is quite slapstick and wacky, and the latter naturally gets very serious because of the main villain being the opposing force. The charm of the humour in the first half is partly due to no one knowing why the mysterious girl was so frustrated with Goku, even though some of them have good reason to know who she is.

The fight between Goku and Chi-Chi is short, but entertaining for what it is with the speed both characters show, and demonstrating that Chi-Chi is a formidable fighter in her own right. Apart from that the rest of the fight involves gags such as the shock when the girl publicly announces her desire to be Goku's bride, and Goku asking Kuririn what a bride was. This revelation makes it undeniable based on Goku's journey thus far because the only girl that was so clear in her intentions was Chi-Chi, amusingly Oolong managed to catch on and had a good moment teasing the other clueless characters.

The flashbacks to all the times Chi-Chi hinted at wanting to be Goku's wife and Goku's confusion over the purpose of them living together and Chi-Chi's gestures were also very charming. The running gag about Yamcha being unfaithful by contrast was a bit exhausted by this point.

Once the fight between Kuririn and Piccolo Jr begins the episode takes a drastic turn in tone. In this fight there is more fast paced action, which included clever use of quick strikes and ki blasts from both Kuririn and Piccolo Jr. As the excitement was building Kuririn's act of levitating above the arena to avoid ringout was very satisfying, and left a lot to look forward to in the next episode.

Episode 138 - The Puzzling Man, Shen

The appeal of this episode largely lies in the unique strategy used in the two fights that take place. In Kuririn and Piccolo Jr's fight there are great scenes with the latter using his cape to blindfold and block punches from the former. In Yamcha and Shen's fight the former is initially deceived by the latter's clumsiness and animalistic demeanour, which also amuses the audience. The sense of the unknown surrounding both Kuririn and Yamcha's respective opponents also added a wonderful sense of mystery.

Tien sensing Piccolo Jr's spiritual energy and the dark clouds with thunder hovering over him were enjoyable moments that adds to the sense of danger. This sense of danger is exemplified by the sequence of attacks from Piccolo Jr, such as the arm stretching to pull and push Kuririn and dodging his Kamehame Ha with an Afterimage that convinced Kuririn he can't win. In light of this Piccolo Jr is clearly emphasized as a force to be reckoned with.

Goku showing his loyalty and being proud for Kuririn by carrying him out of the arena, and the flashbacks to Kuririn's training were also nice touches that presented him in a good light, and was rewarding after all the time this series has given him. The fight between Yamcha and Shen has a lot more comedy, particularly with the latter's falls, use of his head and the latter's initial amusement and later empathy once he shows when he is in pain, which he wouldn't have foreseen when their match kicked off. Once Yamcha and Shen are in the midst of battle the latter's attacks and defenses come off quite surprising, including when the former uses his signature Wolf Fang Fist to no success.

As the episode ends with Yamcha looking up at Shen the mystery surrounding Shen escalates going into the next episode.

Episode 139 - Another Fierce Fight! Goku vs Tenshinhan

Similar to the last episode there is a split between the fight at the beginning and the later fight, and while it may not offer as much in terms of surprise it continues a pattern of deepening the mysteries. The most prominent mystery is surrounding Shen's identity, which his uncanny advantage over Yamcha only feeds into.

The look of helplessness as Yamcha ends up on his knee, and the sore spots on his face and his back as Shen easily cripples him emphasize this drastic gap in strength between the two. While Yamcha is largely the underdog in this episode the debut of his Sokidan technique is a welcome surprise throughout it all, and the shock of his friends compliments this well. The Sokidan's usage allows Yamcha to gain a brief upper hand, although it wasn't enough as Shen manages another attack on him that leads to a ringout.

The next fight is more balanced and the outcome seems more unpredictable, especially given the disappearing acts from both Goku and Tien. The sounds of punches and kicks resounding throughout the arena was quite enjoyable and added to the thrill aspect. The juxtaposition between Chi-Chi not being able to follow both fighters' movements while Kuririn and Yamcha could see was interesting as it demonstrates the dedication the latter two have to martial arts and foreshadows the former's retirement from fighting to focus on other things, such as motherhood.

Goku and Tien show their passion for the sport as they reappear and are shown locked in conflict and later stare down. The audience is apprehensive, but this only adds excitement for the upcoming episode.

Episode 140 - True Strength

As Goku and Tien's fight continues this episode shows more competent combat between the two, both on the ground and in the air, which reminds the audience of the increased scale of these battles.

Goku's act of sensing Tien was used to great effect offering some payoff to what him learning these skills through hardship on Kami's lookout. Interestingly Goku, like his friend Kuririn in his match narrowly escapes a ringout, although by different means, this time by spinning around. Another nod is given to Goku's training when he takes a moment to remove his vest and boots so Tien and Kuririn could see how heavy they were.

The flashbacks to Goku's training with similar obstructions to his movement were a nice touch that added some intrigue once Goku removed his vest, wristbands and boots so the audience and indeed Tien could wonder how fast he will now be. The intrigue while short lived because of Goku deciding to show off still added to the excitement.

The excitement lends itself to some comedy when Tien acts cocky thinking he knows where Goku will be only for Goku to remove his sash and humiliate him twice in front of the audience, and to a lesser extent Lunch blushing and stopping Oolong from laughing out of embarassment was a nice nod to her desire to be with Tien. Nonetheless Tien clearly has a lot to offer as he retains his confidence, and the shot of a thunder and lightning storm over a canyon metaphorically emphasizes the possibility anything could change at any moment, so as the episode ends the fight has no less momentum than when it begun.

[Robo4900]

Something I forgot in trivia:

When Goku asks what a bride is, Kuririn gives Goku a fairly straight explanation in Japanese, "You moron! Making a girl your bride means you're going to marry her!" In Funi's dub, that line begins "Roughly translated, it means your life is over!!", basically positing that Kuririn is strictly anti-marriage (I didn't find the exact line, but I recall watching the Funi dub of this episode at one point, and Kuririn saying something like "Don't do it!" at one point), as opposed to the original, where the thing that's making him upset is that he can't believe Goku got a girl like Chichi, seemingly by complete accident (Blue Water's line here was "You goof! A bride is a girl you're supposed to marry, Goku!"). Another example of this change in Kuririn's attitude is his Japanese line right after Chichi kisses Goku on the cheek, "This isn't fair! This isn't fair! This isn't fair, Goku!" becomes "Goku, have you lost all your senses?! What are you doing?!" Again, Blue Water has none of that, and instead accurately renders Kuririn's jealousy, with him angrily saying to himself "I can't stand it, it's so unfair! Goku is so lucky!!"