Freiza has returned for the Dragon Balls, but the discovery of two stranded Saiyans results in an explosive encounter for Goku and Vegeta.
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Dragon Ball Super has finally come to an end, as the Tournament of Power reaches its climax with Universe 7's last stand against Jiren.
At the end of the previous episode, 17 and Frieza were revealed to have both survived 17's explosion, though they don't seem to have much left in them. Weakened and exhausted from fighting Goku, Jiren quickly takes a fall at 17 and Frieza's hands, with Frieza gloating over him. Toppo, however, calls out to Jiren, inspiring him to keep fighting to protect their universe, and he leaps back into the fray. Jiren launches a massive energy blast, and though the duo holds it at bay, the sheer effort causes Frieza's golden form to dissipate. As the two struggle, Goku somehow manages to return to his feet and helps push back the energy, though his half-closed eye shows he is struggling. The group decides to have Goku and Frieza run in to take Jiren on in close combat, while 17 stays behind to provide cover fire. Goku and Frieza trade blows with Jiren, occasionally taking the upper hand or being knocked around, and Jiren's attempts to bypass them and beat 17 are thwarted. Goku and Frieza work surprisingly well together, showcasing numerous classic skills in tandem with one another to slam Jiren, using the terrain to their advantage. Jiren manages to keep up, however, consistently dodging and attacking the combination attack, and the tournament comes to an end with a multi-knockout. Though I won't say who wins, longtime fans will will definitely guess how things will go, but with a possibly less considered twist. The winner gets their wish from the Super Dragon Balls, and those left learn of a twist to the wish they weren't aware of before. There is definitely a bittersweet feeling to this episode, especially for a fan like me who had long wanted a DBZ sequel and was ecstatic to see DBS. Although it is sad to see it go, there's joy in how everything ended, and news has already come out of a new Dragon Ball movie coming in a few months. Though little information has come out for the film, we have seen Goku facing a mysterious figure, now equipped again with his famous power pole. This is definitely an interesting development, as Goku hasn't used the power pole since his childhood days in Dragon Ball. Back then, he had to use it to reach Kami's Lookout, by placing it in a hole on top of Korin's Tower and extending it as far as it could go. Despite how long he's been without it, Goku is a master with this weapon, and it will be interesting to see how he uses it now that he's advanced so far. Getting back on topic with the series ending, I have to admit I was somewhat surprised by the turn of events, not always in a good way. At the previous episode's end, Goku's body was ravaged as a result of achieving Ultra Instinct multiple times, leaving him immobilized. I was glad to see this happen, as it made the most sense for some kind of penalty to come with this power. Though a known trope in Shonen manga, it can be boring when the hero push himself too hard and never feel the repercussions. This seemed to be how things ended up with this episode as Goku throws himself back into the fray, somehow managing to not just stand, but help fend off Jiren. This wasn't too much of a distraction, however, because it was definitely more interesting to watch how surprisingly well he fought alongside Frieza. The two even fight well enough to protect 17 as they go against Jiren, and it is surprising enough that Frieza had no ulterior motives in the end. Despite how sure I was with past posts about Frieza betraying everyone in the end, I'm glad things took a different turn. Knowing Frieza and how he was acting throughout the tournament, it was definitely interesting to see him fight for the good of everyone. Also along the same lines as Goku's surprising return, it was good to see that Jiren also came back from his beating, if Goku did. True to his status as the strongest in Universe 11, Jiren proves himself to still be a problem for the trio, despite them outnumbering him 3-1. I can't say too much more about specifically the episode without spoiling things, but suffice to say this is definitely not the end. Along with the upcoming movie, it would make sense for a new series to continue the story, considering the episode's end. Whatever comes next, you can bet the millions of fans, including me, will be there to watch. As both DBZ and now DBS have ended this way, I'll have to finish this by saying "Until we meet again, Goku!"
Image from Gfycat.com
Image from Gfycat.com
Now using the full power of true Ultra Instinct, Goku proves to be srong enough for Jiren,but a battle of beliefs keeps the struggle going. At the end of the previous episode, Goku finally mastered Ultra Instinct, his hair and eyes turning silver. In this new form, not only does he not need to think to dodge; he also attacks without having to think. Characters are divided on what will happen, with Universe 1's Kai Anat saying he wants to see what Goku can do, Piccolo noting his speed, and Belmod confident in Jiren. Belmod's Kai, Khai, is less confident, worrying that Goku has surpassed Jiren, which Universe 7's Shin also thinks. As Goku continues his overwhelming attacks, Jiren, as Vegeta says, recalls his past trauma, causing his power to skyrocket. Now boosted, Jiren is able to again take control of the situation, tossing Goku around and sending him down with an energy blast. Though Goku comes out of the blast okay, Jiren still overpowers him, hitting him with another blast that leaves him on the ground. With encouragement from Krillin, however, Goku comes back from the attack, saying it is because of his friends, to Jiren's anger. Jiren says such relationships are pointless, but the Z-fighters say they are all in their positions because of being their for each other. Furious, Jiren attacks the crowd, causing Goku to step in and knock the blast away, now showing his own rage. Goku says he might not be a warrior of justice, but he won't let anyone attack his friends, and pummels Jiren, incapacitating him with a Kamehameha. Seemingly reluctant to finish things, Goku prepares to either share energy or knock Jiren out, when he is suddenly crippled with pain. Dark energy emanates from Goku's de-powered body, and Whis says Goku's multiple breakthroughs with god powers has taken a massive toll on him. With Goku again helpless, Belmod tells Jiren to use the chance and win the super dragon balls. The tension builds as Jiren debates what to do and the tournament takes an unexpected turn. Beliefs continue to be a big debatable point in the tournament during this episode, with Jiren asserting his faith in power as Goku relies on friendship. Even now, Jiren's belief feels somewhat flimsy, though it is slightly supported by the revelations about his past. Before, Jiren came off as a wise being, and to me gave off the impression his search for something beyond strength seemed an enlightened goal. The sudden introduction of him being "obsessed" with power came as a confusing surprise for me, though now he defends it vehemently. The episode does well in addressing an anime trope used often in Dragon Ball, but fails using a Dragon Ball-specific issue. A common problem which has appeared often in this tournament is characters continuing to fight when they should be down for the count by now. Vegeta did this while fighting Jiren, but the more obvious character is Goku, who has a long history of being reduced to nothing, until his friends motivate him. In the past, the issue has been addressed occasionally, like when Vegeta, in his Great Ape "Oozaru" form, crushed Goku's body, after an intense battle involving Goku passing his limits with the Kaioken. After this happened, Goku was helpless to do anything, other than having Krillin grab his hand to transfer his collected Spirit Bomb energy. More often than not, however, Goku continues to keep fighting when he shouldn't be able to even move, like he should be after the number of intense fights he's had. As far back as the first time he used Ultra Instinct, it was pretty surprising he hasn't been more drained, even if Frieza shared his energy. On a less successful note is the issue of the tournament's arbitrary time limit, which has essentially been tossed out the window at this point. Each of the past bunch of episodes have ended with the announcer saying how many minutes are left, with each ending at seemingly after just a minute had passed. This happened despite combatants going at it for long amounts of time, occasionally stopping to talk, and the crowd taking a long time to explain the situation. I've brought this up before, as this infamously happened back when Goku fought Frieza, and the Galactic Emperor gave multiple arbitrary times. At different points after Frieza threw his Supernova attack into Namek's core, he would repeat that there was only 30 minutes or five minutes until the planet would explode. Numerous episodes would then go by, and Frieza would again mention that only five minutes remained. At this point, the time limit has seemingly been dropped, along with the strictness of how characters aren't able to fly with energy. Even with Goku down, Frieza still being out there means there is more left to happen, and this doesn't make sense if only a minute remains. If the time limit is, indeed, finally out the window, then Goku's likely demise coupled with the hidden Frieza will give us something to see. The power of Ultra Instinct returns for the third time as Goku and Jiren face of in one-on-one combat, with the Tournament of Power coming to an epic close.
Last week's episode saw Vegeta putting his pride on the line to protect the things and people he cares about, to ultimately be knocked out. Before doing so, he gave his remaining energy to Goku, who used it to leap back into the fold against Jiren, only to find Blue was still not enough. At the last moment, however, Goku phased through Jiren's attack, revealing his new godly power once again and putting everyone on edge. This week saw the two titans going blow for blow, though Jiren shows he is still more than enough for Goku's incomplete Ultra Instinct. With Goku still thinking about what attacks he needs to make, his moves are ultimately dulled, not on par with his body's ability to move without thinking. Goku attempts the same move that won him the fight against Kefla, charging up a Kamehameha as his body dodged Jiren's attacks, including some of the same animation frames. The attack fails, however, as Jiren uses his massive power to destroy the attack with his own blast, sending Goku hurtling into the air. Toppo notes that this is a result of the battle with Kefla, as jiren was able to observe Goku's movements and learn how he moves while using Ultra Instinct. As he seemed to know at the last second how this would end, Goku manages to keep some of his Kamehameha as a shield, slowly lowering back to the arena rubble. Belmod says Goku will ultimately be unable to beat Goku, but a perfectly calm Vegeta, without so much as moving, reminds the group that Goku's new power is still incomplete. Noting that Saiyans have been breaking through their own barriers throughout the whole tournament, Vegeta says it is entirely possible and likely Goku will perfect Ultra Instinct. In one of his more daring moments, especially considering his past interactions with Beerus, Vegeta asks when the gods became so quick to jump to conclusions. Vegeta reminds Goku that he placed his hopes and promise in Goku's hands, and states that Goku can therefore not lose. Whis says there is nothing to worry about, though a nervous Belmod convinces Jiren to begin hammering away at Goku. As Goku withstands the punches on a single bit of rubble, the others are surprised to notice sparks leaping out, a sign that Goku is countering the attacks. Goku soon Jiren shoots a massive energy blast to finish the fight, but it is instantly clear that, to Whis and Beerus' pleasure, Goku has reached new heights once more. Now that things are more focused on Goku and Jiren, this episode gives us some great combat between the two. An obvious topic for this episode is how, in typical Shounen, and specifically DBZ, trope-form, Goku is suddenly matching, and occasionally beating, Jiren. For some, this is annoying, as it seems Goku doesn't train as hard as other characters, like Vegeta, yet gets rewarded. I personally see the development of Ultra Instinct as a natural progression that is actually somewhat long-running in DBS. It's true that Goku started training later than Vegeta, yet has apparently surpassed him once again, but there is a lot that goes into how fast he progresses. Vegeta is often hindered by his own pride, as well as, like Whis told him, how tight he is while fighting, as opposed to how lax Goku would get. It can't even necessarily be said that Vegeta trains more, or even harder, because both have been shown to undergo extremely rigorous methods, especially pushing how much gravitational force they can withstand. A famous moment with Vegeta came when, in DBZ, he withstood 500x Earth's gravity, and his power destroyed the gravitational generator he was in. This might lead fans to believe Vegeta puts himself under much more strain, but this would forget what Goku does. Goku's blue shirt, wristbands, and shoes are all weighted, so he is constantly walking around and fighting weighted, and there was a point in the series where he trained with weights of 10 tons each on his wrists and ankles. At the same time, we have no reason to believe Jiren can't be surpassed simply because of how strong he is, because his backstory is rather lackluster. When we learned that Jiren became a fighter to take n the villain who killed his family and allies, there was a bit of a timeskip. We were told that Jiren's second meeting with the villain ended disastrously, with his master and many of his allies dying. This was immediately followed by the explanation that he devoted himself to strength, rather than emotional attachments, and became stronger, forming the Pride Troopers. This tells us absolutely nothing about the work Jiren did, or how he became as strong as he currently is. Because of this, it could be argued that Jiren's improvement makes equal or less sense than Goku's sudden surge in power, which was hinted at early in Super. While Goku and Vegeta trained with Whis, they were told that Vegeta is too uptight when fighting, and Goku too lax, and they need to fight without thinking. Whis instructed the two to simply let go while fighting and let their bodies take over, as he does and trains Beerus to do. Later on in the series, Hit was hunting Goku down to kill him, and it was later revealed that Goku was training himself to be able to sense and overcome people like Hit, and be able to just react to whatever happens. There were moments in this segment where Goku would close his eyes to undergo this training, as he has done while recently using Ultra Instinct. Essentially, it would seem that Whis' ultimate goal in training Goku and Vegeta the way he did was to help them achieve Ultra Instinct. Throughout the episode, Beerus seems to be in a thoughtful trance, fixated on the fight, rather than the goofy demeanor he has had throughout the tournament. For most of the fighting, Beerus was incredibly stressed and would yell things to the fighters, yet for much of this episode, he doesn't say a word. Considering not just how he has been during the tournament, but how he has normally interacted with Goku, it is quite surprising, though maybe it is a sign of things to come. If Beers is impressed enough to sit and watch quietly, it could mean Goku is about to pull of some amazing things that will shock the crowd. And of course, as I've repeatedly mentioned recently, there is still the issue of Frieza, who is still missing since 17's sacrifice a few episodes ago. Despite Goku being again in Ultra Instinct and the obvious suggestion that something will happen, he doesn't have much left in him. Before 17's sacrifice, Goku was so weakened after his continuous fighting and this attempt at going up against Jiren again, that he was lying helpless on the ground. At one point in this episode, Whis states that, because of how low on energy Goku is, the next time his new powers leave him will be the deciding factor in the fight. With such a threat on the horizon, but Goku currently able to stand up to Jiren, we could very well see the two exhaust each other to the point that they can't move. With Frieza still missing, he would be in a good position to step in and eliminate both of them, and take home the dragon balls as his prize. This would be the ultimate version of Super's repeated use of catching characters off guard to damage them, as happened to Goku in Resurrection F, Black in the Zamasu arc, and Jiren recently against 17. With Goku using Ultra Instinct right now, there is no way to catch him by surprise, so waiting until he has left the form would be Frieza's only chance to strike. This theme is honestly somewhat annoying in the series, though it would make sense for Frieza to take advantage of the characters being off guard. Whatever happens, fans can rest assured that Goku and Jiren will soon bring us some impressive combat as the tournament comes to a close. With 17 having sacrificed himself in episode 127 to protect the others, the weakened Goku and Vegeta and unconscious Frieza are all that stand in Jiren's way.
At the end of the previous episode, 17 faced a massive energy blast from Jiren after discovering and poking at the Pride Trooper's past and desire. Jiren, having been raised to fight after his people were slaughtered, only to be defeated again, sees no point in teammates or bonds; only power. 17, after mocking Jiren's beliefs, stood in his way as he fired at everyone, with Frieza unconscious and the Saiyans weakened on the ground. Protecting them all with shields, 17 self-destructed, giving Goku and Vegeta time to slightly recover as well as destroying Jiren's blast. At the start of this episode, Vegeta stands as the only person in Jiren's path, only to find he can't even transform because of his damaged state. Despite this, Vegeta refuses to give up, repeatedly swinging powerless punches at Jiren, only to be consistently swatted away. Vegeta, knowing he can't win but refusing to give up, continues charging in, his attacks getting weaker as he takes a punch that bruises his face and causes it to swell. After finally having enough, Jiren delivers a final hit that knocks Vegeta out, and Vegeta, with no other option, lets out some tears due to his inability to protect those he cared about and gives Goku his remaining energy. With Vegeta appearing in the seats just seconds later, Krillin gives him a Senzu bean as everyone commends him for his hard work. Goku, meanwhile, uses the energy given to him to power up to Blue, and begins the fight against Jiren anew. Even with this newfound strength, however, he still finds Jiren outclassing him, and he seems set for a loss as he reverts to his normal form again. In such a devastating moment, however, Goku surprises everyone by reaching Ultra Instinct for the third time. The episode hits its high point as Goku goes after Jiren in his freshly powered state, seemingly more in control of his new form than before. Though the episode shows Vegeta as a great warrior, it is still sad to see him go, especially since he may have lost his chance to revive Universe 6. With little power, it was impressive to see how Vegeta kept pushing despite obviously having no chance, at one point even hanging off some rubble by the tips of his feet. It is in this moment he thinks of everything he has to lose, and rushes in for the last time, stating as he falls that it doesn't matter if he loses if Universe 7 survives. This is a rare moment of seeing beyond Vegeta's pride, seen before when Frieza killed him, sacrificed himself against Buu, admitted Goku's superior strength, and acted like a fool to appease Beerus. With this reappearance of Ultra Instinct, Goku seems more in control, phasing straight through Jiren at one point. Immediately after, he inflicts massive damage to Jiren with a single punch, different from the first two times he used the form. The first time, Goku was only able to be on par with Jiren, and the second time, Kefla mocked his attacks as weak. Whis stated it was because while his body was moving by itself, Goku was still having to think about his attacks, causing a momentary hesitation and weakening them. With this development, it seems that Goku has better control over Ultra Instinct, which would make him a dangerous foe for Jiren. Despite now being so powerful, however, and with DBS' weird time rules in place extending things, it could still be possible for time to run out. At this time, Jiren is actually at a disadvantage, though he might not realize it, because he and Goku are not the only ones left. When 17 sacrificed himself, Frieza was still in the tournament, albeit unconscious, and has not been seen in the seats. While it would be easy to assume he was destroyed in the blast, it would be more likely that he survived and is hanging on by a thread, biding his time. If the time were to run out under these conditions, Universe 11 would be erased, despite Jiren's power. This would be massive momentary blow to Jiren's pride and beliefs despite how he would soon be erased, as he believes power is the only important thing. Even if things don't end like this, Frieza's continued survival still adds an intriguing element to the mix, as we have yet to see him fully betray the group. It seems necessary at this point for him to actually do something, as in this tournament Frieza is acting as, for Game of Thrones fans, the group's Petyr Baelish. Now that Goku has the upper hand over Jiren, it could be that Jiren will become as injured as Goku, giving Frieza the perfect opportunity to step in. WIth only them standing in his way, Frieza would then be able to claim the super dragon balls for himself, and become the most powerful being. The episode comes to a climax in preparing for Goku and Jiren's next fight, and with only two minutes remaining in the tournament, we are bound to see something great. The tournament is coming to a close, and Goku's third go at Ultra Instinct will for sure give us a visual treat, though for now we can only guess what that will be. With Jiren the only remaining foe for Universe 7 after Vegeta successfully defeated Toppo, things heat up as the tournament winds down.
Last week's episode ended with Vegeta going all out to defeat Toppo, using his "Final Explosion" that, when used before, resulted in his death as he turned into a statue and crumbled to dust. This time, however, he has survived the blast, though he reverted to his base form and the upper parts of his clothes were destroyed. Krillin says it is a sign of how much stronger Vegeta has become, and it is likely because of how much control Super Saiyan Blue gives him over his energy. Vegeta, cocky possibly from defeating Toppo, rushes into battle with Jiren, forcing Goku and 17 to join him. Jiren forces them all back, preventing them from landing any blows on him, eventually slamming Vegeta into a rock. He comes in for a follow-up attack, but 17 knocks Vegeta away and takes the brunt of Jiren's power. Though he probably appreciates the help, Vegeta responds in typical prideful fashion, saying he didn't need 17, and rushes back in. Jiren says Vegeta's punches were only strong enough to take down Toppo and knocks him away, then blows away Goku's Kamehameha with an uppercut. While distracted with the Saiyans, Jiren fails to see 17 form a massive blast of energy behind him, which is released at point-blank range. To everyone's surprise, the move successfully wounds Jiren, though 17's proximity damages him slightly as well. In a trend DBS has been using since Goku was taken out with a laser blast, the group states the damage is the result of Jiren dropping his guard. While much of the fight is interesting, this moment got a facepalm from at least me, as the group finds it absolutely amazing that someone got hurt because he wasn't prepared for an attack. Despite Jiren being so powerful, this statement is so unnecessarily obvious that the characters come off as stupid for being so shocked. The trio plans to have Goku and Vegeta distract Jiren so 17 can get in with another attack that Jiren can't guard, but Jiren, naturally, is prepared. With their attacks blocked, the three decide to attack all at once, but Jiren's massive aura destroys their blasts. Frieza re-enters the fray and powers up to his golden form, determined to ignore the rules and kill Jiren, but he is effortlessly dispatched. Again on his feet, 17 says he won't stop fighting and believes Universe 7 can win, prompting the Universe 11 God of Destruction Belmod to ask about his intended wish. 17 explains his desire to go on a cruise with his family, and after Belmod mocks him, he asks what Jiren's wish is, believing he simply wants more strength. Jiren says he does have a wish, and Belmod recounts how Jiren was orphaned when an evildoer killed his family, and he was taken in by a martial artist. The two built up a group of comrades, but when they again encountered the evildoer, many of them, including Jiren's master, were killed. Abandoned by those who remained, Jiren came to believe in only strength and devoted himself to his power, eventually creating the Pride Troopers. The discovery is honestly somewhat disappointing, and declarations of Jiren's obsession with strength seem odd. While he did previously state he was striving to achieve what was beyond strength, Jiren seemed to have a more enlightened meaning behind this. Not reacting to Goku's statements of "wanting to get stronger, 'too'" gave the impression he was searching some state of understanding, rather than just power. Here, however, the characters talk about Jiren simply being obsessed with strength, which actually makes him a bit less interesting in some ways. Surprised, 17 says Jiren seems to have humanity about him, yet his obsession with strength has caused him to become delusional that he could fix the past. As 17 struck a nerve, Jiren attacks with an enormous blast, which 17 counters with multiple shields. The episode comes to a point as Jiren and 17 enter their power struggle, with Frieza unconscious and the Saiyans too injured to move. It was good to finally see more of what Jiren is capable of, despite it being strange that, when he was introduced, it took him no effort to knock away just Goku, and now he is, in a way, struggling, regardless of the numbers. On another note, it is certainly interesting that 17 has been able to put up as much of a fight and keep going this far when usually the Saiyans get all the attention. While it's true Goku and Vegeta are the main stars, 17 has faced many of the more powerful opponents during this tournament without breaking a sweat. 17's lack of many DBZ fights didn't do much to show his strength, despite going toe-to-toe with a powered up Piccolo, especially since Cell absorbed him. During the Android saga, much of 17's time was spent having reckless fun, while 18 fought the Z-Fighters to show how much stronger the two were. The one time we really saw 17 fight was against Piccolo, who had just fused with his counterpart, Kami, to become the full Namekian warrior Kami was before expunging all the evil from his body, which had then become the Demon King Piccolo. Having achieved a more powerful state, Piccolo momentarily became the most powerful Z-Fighter, and was more than enough to take on 17. During their fight, however, Cell intervened, and to reach his second form in his quest to become the perfect being, absorbed the weakened 17. After this, 17 dropped off the radar while 18 married Krillin, so we never got to see what he did during events like the Buu Saga. Since coming back, however, he has proven to be powerful as well as cunning, making the most of his abilities and the tournament. His abilities were enough that, even before Gohan and 18 dropped out of the fight, it became increasingly likely that he would be one of the final fighters. The encounter between 17 and Jiren is interesting to look at, as learning more about Jiren has shown a contrasting dynamic between the two. During the tournament, a theme for 17 has been his returned humanity despite being an android and his past destructive nature. Jiren, meanwhile, surprises 17 with his "humane" side, which, opposing 17's return to the show, he tries to eliminate with his strength. 17's tactics in this episode have potentially revealed a flaw of Jiren's, different from the blatantly obvious "realization" that he could be hurt when caught off guard. When 17 was talking about wishes, he took a jab at Jiren by saying he is foolish for thinking he can just make things the way they were, and that he used his comrades. While it does seem that Jiren doesn't truly have an emotional attachment to his teammates, 17's accusations anger him. This suggests that, like stories have done before, Jiren is a character who could be taunted into making mistakes and ultimately losing. Vegeta would be the perfect candidate to take advantage of this flaw, as despite the irony of him poking fun at someone's pride, he is excellent at goading people. Goku is certainly able to talk trash when he knows he can win or it will irritate him, but as Krillin said when Goku did this on Namek against the Ginyu Force, it's not his style. As has been the case with much of the tournament, and infamously, the Goku vs. Frieza Namek battle, timing continues to work oddly in the show. This episode leaves the tournament with only three minutes remaining, giving Universe 7 little time to deal with Jiren and his titanic power. With Toppo now a god of destruction, Universe 7 has its hands full trying to survive as only minutes remain in the tournament of power.
At the end of the previous episode, Toppo crushed Frieza and tossed him aside, only for 17 to save the evil emperor by hitting him with a rock. 17 finds that he is definitely no match for the empowered Toppo, but devises a plan after seeing a rock formation crumble after Toppo destroyed a section of it. This moment makes good use of the typically obvious zoom on a character's face when they notice something, as opposed to when Jaco saw Frost's needles or Gohan deduced Frieza's ruse against Frost. Deciding to use the environment to his advantage, 17 hides behind another section of rock and lets Toppo carve a path like previously. Once the smoke has cleared, 17 destroys the remaining formation, causing it to collapse on Toppo. Toppo easily escapes this and slams 17 with a barrage of ki blasts until he falls, but Frieza comes to the rescue and paralyzes Toppo. Deciding to finally eliminate Frieza and 17, Toppo is interrupted when stray blasts from the battle with Jiren hit him, and one of Jiren's shots hits Frieza and 17. As the two battles merge, Toppo and Jiren come to a silent agreement and Toppo pulls Vegeta into a separate fight. Vegeta chastises Toppo for his recent endeavors, noting how quickly he switched from being all about justice to destruction. Toppo states that justice no longer matters because the ultimate goal is survival, and says he tossed away pointless things to achieve his greater power. In what appears to be a reference to Vegeta's fight against Goku in the Majin Buu arc, Toppo slams Vegeta wide-armed into a rock formation. Toppo mocks Vegeta for his Saiyan pride, dismissing the race and saying Vegeta should toss such things away as he did, but Vegeta, thinking of his family and the promise he made to Cabba, becomes enraged. Again powering up to full, Vegeta rushes Toppo, managing to land repeated blows as well as punching straight through a blast of destruction energy. Vegeta again taunts Toppo, asking what the use was in throwing away things that formerly meant so much to him if he's not more powerful. Universe 11's god of destruction and supreme kai, shocked at the turn, tell Toppo to just destroy all of Vegeta's attacks and just be sure not to kill him. In a final clash, Toppo forms a massive amount of destruction energy and Vegeta says he will create more power than Toppo can destroy. With a flashback to Majin Buu, Piccolo realizes Vegeta is preparing his "Final Explosion," though longtime fans likely knew what was going on as soon as the power began gathering. The previous time Vegeta used this attack, it destroyed him in the end, turning his body to stone which then fell and shattered, and was quickly blown away. The episode comes to a climax as Vegeta risks everything to take down the wayward Pride Trooper and save Universes 7 and 6. While it wasn't quite as awe-inspiring as when he fought Goku Black, or Goku's recent endeavors using Ultra Instinct, Vegeta's battle against Toppo was a great one to see. Given Toppo and Vegeta's past fight as well as occasional comments about the similarities and differences between the two, a final bout between them has been awaited. In particular, now that Toppo has sacrificed everything he stood for to gain his destruction powers, there is an interesting dynamic from Vegeta's own refusal to give up his pride. As he famously proclaimed when Babidi was shocked he couldn't control his mind, "There's one thing a Saiyan always keeps: his pride!" This episode, while obviously reminiscent in multiple ways of the Buu saga, is less obviously a continuation of Vegeta's over-arcing character progression, being the greatest of all the DBZ characters. When he originally landed on Earth, Vegeta was a ruthless soldier willing to kill his own partner for being injured, but as I've mentioned in past posts, he has become one of the Z-Fighters' most righteous warriors. Until now in Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta was constantly getting the short of the stick, only occasionally getting to fight main antagonists, and even when he does, he gets shot down often effortlessly. Here, however, he goes toe-to-toe with Toppo, who, as fans have seen recently, become strong enough to make Frieza nothing more than an insect. With so few characters standing and only four minutes remaining in the Tournament of Power, a battle with Jiren is yet to come as everyone fights for survival. Just like last week, Goku and Vegeta start off this week's episode of Dragon Ball Super, but the focus is clearly on Toppo for the rest.
With Dyspo and Gohan both out after last week's episode, the focus fell to Toppo, still fighting Android 17 with his superior power against 17's limitless energy. Realizing his attacks wouldn't hurt Toppo, 17 chooses to make good use of his energy by continuously firing on him, slightly pushing him back. Toppo figures out that 17 plans to run down the remaining six minutes by keeping him stuck under his barrage, and manages to escape through an opening in the blasts. He then decides he has to finish off 17 in one blow, taking note of 17's barrier being troublesome, and prepares a large blast after knocking 17 away. 17 counters the blast, but he is clearly outmatched until Frieza enters the struggle, repeatedly shooting Toppo from behind. Frieza taunts Toppo as he slowly fires, finally weakening him enough to let 17 overpower the Pride Trooper in a colossal burst of energy. Though Universe 7 is initially pleased, Whis notices that Toppo has not been knocked out, but is rather revealed to be heavily damaged after the smoke clears. Frieza again taunts Toppo, pointing out his ruined uniform, receiving uncharacteristic silence from the normally boisterous warrior. Toppo says his uniform, and by extension justice, no longer matter, as survival is what is most important here. Declaring he has made his choice, Toppo rips off the upper remains of his uniform, Toppo undergoes a massive transformation the leaves him larger and more muscular, with a purple aura and eyes and a symbol on his chest. Universe 7 says his energy is like that of a god, and Universe 11's God of Destruction shares the knowledge of Toppo's god candidacy. Frieza, unimpressed with Toppo's power, misjudges the strength of Toppo's destruction energy and is blasted away, along with the arena, which becomes large piles of rubble. 17 tries to fight back, but Toppo's destruction energy causes anything from rocks to blasts to simply dissolve upon reaching him. Toppo begins firing his Justice Flash, only to have Frieza reappear and taunt him again, charging his classic supernova. The blast gets no reaction from Toppo as it's charged, further suggesting the enormity of the new threat Universe 7 is facing. This episode easily tops last week in terms of impressive power and shocking moments, as Toppo's transformation caused things to take a complete 180. The transformation itself is impressive, as it takes Toppo's fat, disproportional figure and sculpts him into a more muscular titan. A curios thing about the change is a symbol that appears on his torso, and perhaps it is more important than it initially seems. 17 has been trying to find a chink in Toppo's destruction armor, and though the others notice a gap of time where Toppo can't fire his energy, there hasn't been any noticeable area or time for an attack. Perhaps, then, the symbol is like with Anilaza, and serves as Toppo's Achilles Heel that a character will make use of. In the end, while it's only speculation, I don't see 17 lasting to the end of the tournament, because the focus will likely return to Goku, Vegeta, and Jiren. 17 has proven himself one of Universe 7's most powerful fighters already, and in a single show arc has rightfully become a favorite for many fans. One possible ending that could be interesting is either a team-up of Jiren and Toppo vs Goku and Vegeta, or some combination of the characters fighting one-on-one. A noteworthy thing to think about is that Toppo is considered the second-strongest in Universe 11, saying so himself in what he considered the battle of the second-strongest of 11 and 7 when he fought Vegeta. Aside from his new powers potentially putting him on par or above Toppo, one could wonder if this means Vegeta's new limit breaker could kick him up to being more even with Goku again. Of course the limit breaker is impressive, and he's been managing to hold his own against Jiren, like Goku did, but at this point no one truly knows what the form does. This questionable form is compared for the time being to Goku's Ultra Instinct, which is already known, and was able to impress even the gods and angels. Whatever the case may be, Toppo has become a more terrifying force to reckon with, and will definitely be a challenge for Universe 7 in the remaining episodes. Dragon Ball Super 124 focused on Frieza, who finds that Justice Warrior Dyspo has more concerning tricks up his sleeve than expected.
The episode picks up with Goku and Vegeta hammering Jiren, finally seeming to be a match for the justice warrior as they slam him with a Kamehameha and Final Flash. When the smoke clears, however, Jiren walks out unscathed, returning to the fight as he comments on their full power. Frieza, meanwhile, continues to deal with Dsypo, saying that while Dyspo is fast, his movements are too linear and predictable. Annoyed, Dyspo begins peppering Frieza with attacks, finally capturing him in an energy ring. His follow-up is countered when Frieza whips around and grabs him with his tail, and Frieza offers him a deal: work together to eliminate Universe 7, then wish Frieza back to life after they are erased. The enrages the rest of Universe 7, and Dyspo counters immediately that he would never take a deal from such a villain, leading to Frieza transforming. Though initially taking Dyspo down a peg, Frieza is overwhelmed when Dyspo reveals his ultimate final move, again outclassing Frieza in speed. Noticing Frieza's trouble, Gohan leaves his battle against Toppo to intervene, only to find Dyspo is still able to outclass them. Noticing the necessity of wide space for Dyspo to move, Gohan has Frieza construct a cage of light energy, which will damage anyone it touches. His movements restricted, Dyspo is left with close-quarters combat with Gohan, who is drastically stronger, though he is still somewhat able to make use of his speed. While I'm trying not to spoil what happens in the end of this episode, the title doesn't leave much to the imagination. Suffice it to say Gohan gives an impressive show this week, working with surprisingly good coordination with Frieza, whom he says he will take down if he betrays him after defeating Dyspo. The finale includes a possible homage to the early days of Dragon Ball Z as Gohan takes on Dyspo, continuing the trend of bringing back classic moments both for reference and new use. It's good to see the focus go away from Goku, Vegeta, and Jiren for a bit, especially because there is so little time left in the tournament and there are still a few characters left who could get knocked out. On the same note, the timing continues to feel odd on how long is left in the tournament, with this episode's events apparently taking place in a minute or so. This is no new issue, as fans know the infamous Goku vs. Frieza fight on Namek, where Frieza repeatedly mentioned how long they had before the planet exploded, with the fight seeming to drag on much longer. With more characters getting knocked out, we will not only finish the tournament, which has gone for a good amount of time to get a conclusion, we will get a final battle against Jiren and get some answers to fan theories. One such theory is that the Grand Priest and the Angels are going to be revealed as antagonists, with some evidence from how Universe 9's Angel smiling when his universe was erased. There hasn't been a moment like this since it happened, but attention was given to it and it seemed strange given the expected reaction being some manner of sadness. There is, of course, also the matter of what will happen with Frieza, who has warned from the start that he would probably betray everyone, and has seemed to do so multiple times already. Of course unbeknown to the characters, we have heard Frieza say he wants to become stronger, but it's not as though the characters have forgotten who he is. Everyone has been on edge the whole tournament, with no one trusting Frieza fully and everyone quick to jump to the conclusion his is betraying them finally. Even Goku, who is known for being incredibly merciful and naive, has been wary and shouldn't be hesitant to take down the villain, due to the grave lesson he learned previously. During the Resurrection F movie and arc, Frieza took advantage of Goku's nature to injure him with a sneak attack, and was later able to destroy the planet despite Vegeta taking Goku's place in the fight. Whis, using a shield and time reversal, chided Goku for being careless and letting his guard down, and warned him that if he keeps giving his foes the same courtesy he expects from them, he risks losing everything. Given this, it would make sense that even if Frieza tries to betray them at the last second, Goku will be paying enough attention that Frieza won't succeed. To continue a previous hope, however, and given Vegeta's "limit breaker" form, it would be great to give him the chance to take the evil emperor down, especially considering their past. Having been enslaved and used by Frieza, the being who eradicated the Saiyans, Vegeta has had a major grudge since the series began. Back when they fought on Namek, Vegeta's inability to reach Super Saiyan led to his a powerful scene where he begged Goku, crying, to defeat Frieza for their people, before Frieza killed him. Goku was the one to defeat Frieza here after becoming a Super Saiyan, but Frieza returned as a cyborg, only to be swiftly dispatched by Trunks. During Resurrection F, it seemed fans would get their wish when Vegeta became Super Saiyan Blue and dominated Frieza, only for Whis' lesson to cause Goku to swoop in and finish him off. With Goku having reached Ultra Instinct twice and he and Jiren constantly pumped up as the big two, it would be great to see them face off in the end, then give Vegeta the spotlight with his limit breaker against Frieza. Though I'm still more a fan of Goku, Vegeta has had drastically more character development over the course of the series, and giving him a time to shine, in which he defeats Frieza, no less, would be incredibly satisfying. Jiren continues to decimate Goku and Vegeta on this week's Dragon Ball Super, while the rest of Universe 7 deals with Toppo and Dyspo.
At the end of last week's episode, Vegeta was on the receiving end of two massive blasts from Jiren, which left him battered on the ground. This week starts with Jiren recognizing Vegeta's warrior courage, and Goku stepping up to begin the fight anew. Goku enters cautiously, with the other Z-Fighters explaining that energy blasts are ineffective, but Jiren is not someone who could be recklessly approached. While he does this, Frieza shows Dyspo how ineffective he is, as none of his attacks damaged the Emperor of Evil, who strikes back but is angered to see his attack miss. Gohan and 17, meanwhile, have their hands full with Toppo, who pushes 17 back and swings the attacking Gohan away. After telling Gohan it is pointless for them to attempt coordination because they're never fought together, 17 says he will immobilize Toppo so Gohan can knock them both off the ring. While fighting Toppo, 17's arm gets twisted around and he puts up his energy shield, allowing Gohan to blast them both with a kamehameha wave. Toppo is able to stop and release 17 before they are knocked off, however, leaving 17 and Gohan stuck once again. Back with Jiren, Goku repeatedly teleports around him, leaving bits of energy wherever he goes before leaping onto a high bit of rubble. When Jiren steps forward, the energy fragments, acting as land mines, begin exploding, but the justice warrior is able to leap above the blasts. Goku attempts a splitting Destructo Disc, but Jiren is able to knock away and throw back each, causing Goku's pillar to fall and hang over the tournament ledge. It is now revealed, however, that Goku lifted a Disc improvement Krillin used against him, and an unseen one severs the pillar again, causing Jiren to fall as Goku teleports back to Vegeta. As expected, Jiren pushes off the falling rubble to reach the stadium, then simply walks through Goku's minefield. Seemingly finally enraged, Jiren slams into Goku without needing to touch him, which the Universe 11 Supreme Kai is a simple punch from Jiren. Goku refuses to stand down, however, and Vegeta also returns, saying he has to win the dragon balls to keep his promise to resurrect Universe 6. Impassioned, Vegeta repeats he will achieve power his own way, and breaks through his own shell to a new state of Super Saiyan Blue. Goku, meanwhile, powers up to his own limits, using both Blue and Kaioken, leading to an onslaught that Whis says might work due to their inability to coordinate throwing Jiren off. Now that both Saiyans have reached new heights coming episodes should again show us the kind of combat that made Dragon Ball so popular. Vegeta's new form marks an interesting variation on Saiyan progression, as it fits what people expected Goku to achieve when he reached Ultra Instinct. In this form,Vegeta appeared more bulky, similar to when he achieved the Ascended Super Saiyan form, or Super Vegeta. His hair also seems to have more pronounced spikes, and his hair and aura both have a deeper shade of blue to them. It's also an interesting development because of how, even though he hasn't reached Ultra Instinct, Goku hasn't achieved this new Saiyan-only form. Typically, Goku achieves new forms before Vegeta, and even reached Super Saiyan 3, which Vegeta has never done. This might be a fitting way of going for Vegeta's proclamation of gaining power in a different way from Goku. Since coming to Earth, Vegeta has always compared himself to Goku, his pride causing him to get frustrated when Goku always seemed a step or two ahead. But even back then, they had different ways of getting stronger, like Goku reaching Super Saiyan after the death of his best friend, while Vegeta's trigger was the realization of his own limits. Similarly, the god forms for each were attained differently, as Goku reached the red Super Saiyan God form after receiving power from Vegeta, their sons, and Pan. Blue was apparently the result of mastering the power he got here, but it is unclear how exactly Vegeta obtained the form, other than that he trained with Whis alone. Once Goku also started training with Whis, Vegeta again started comparing himself to Goku, becoming angry when he learned Goku was undertaking more intense training. He did the same thing more recently, when after seeing Goku reach Ultra Instinct for the second time, Vegeta tried to imitate what he saw, with no results. In last week's episode, his assault on Jiren seemed to be the same thing, as Whis said he seemed to be mimicking how Goku had looked during Ultra Instinct. If Vegeta truly has achieved something that only he has because of his path, it would be interesting for the writers to continue the trend. Rather than have Goku and Vegeta follow the same path of strength, the two could branch and gain their own forms, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. We have interesting stories developing with the others as well, because with how 17 was already willing to sacrifice himself to take down Toppo, and how he is now injured, we might soon see him take a fall. With Frieza, aside from how he has shown Dyspo to be no match for him, their is the potential for an interesting section involving him and Jiren. While the whole point of the tournament is to fight for one's own universe and survive, Jiren is no villain, and the Z-Fighters all have a kind of respect for him. Frieza, on the other hand, sees him only as an obstacle, and is letting Goku take him out of the way to reach the super dragon balls and become stronger than everyone. Everyone has known since they considered reviving Frieza that he would likely betray them, and have been ready at all moments to assume he is turning. The determining factor for who gets the dragon balls is who was the greatest warrior during the fights, and though Frieza can't kill anyone, is might be possible the winning universe members must fight amongst themselves after winning overall. Frieza might just be looking for the right time to come in and take down everyone else, that way he'll be the only only one left. If this is the case, there might be a team-up of the Z-Fighters and the Pride Troopers, which certainly be a sight to see. |
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