Contrary to what the title of the episode may suggest, we don't actually learn the identity of Black just yet. On the one hand, I was expecting a powerhouse episode with a huge reveal. This does, at the very least however, keep the pattern going; where a few new tidbits of information are revealed that bring us closer to putting the puzzle together.
As shown at the end of the last episode, Goku, Beerus, and Whis have ventured to universe 10. There they meet Zamasu and Gowasu: the universe 10 equivalents of Supreme Kai and Elder Kai respectively.
We see that Zamasu doesn't care much for humans, as they repeatedly make the same mistakes over and over. It lends credence to the idea that he has a hand in Black's existence. His talk of putting an end to them does fit in with Black's declaration that he is carrying out the mission of the gods in obliterating humans entirely. Given the rules that forbid the Kais from interfering in the affairs of mortals, it seems like he's using Black as a way to implement his agenda indirectly.
It's clear that it isn't that cut and dry, however, as pieces still don't fit. Zamasu seems to have no idea who Goku is and is surprised when he is bested by the saiyan warrior in a brief sparring match. At first, it may seem odd that Goku was able to do it at super saiyan 2, but it is consistent with the power level of Supreme Kai of universe 7. Even Goku notes that his Supreme Kai would have gotten clobbered had he tried to fight Goku at this level.
On top of that, all of the time rings that this universe's Kai possesses are all accounted for. Admittedly, this isn't the guarantee of innocence that they make it out to be. If Zamasu is responsible, he likely put in a fake duplicate or maybe he puts it back when he's done so that no one's the wiser.
Despite this, suspicion abounds. Both Goku and Beerus note that Zamasu's energy is very similar to Black's. Goku does elaborate by clarifying that it's not quite the same, but things still seem fishy.
Interestingly enough, while the sparring match was meant to show Zamasu that mortals aren't all bad. He walks away from the experience fearful of what they are capable of. Despite his claims to the contrary, it seems like he's even more determined to put an end to them.
The episode isn't all Black-driven, however. We do get a brief interlude on the main Earth, where Future Trunks discovers that Krillin married 18. It's played for laughs, of course, but it does illustrate how out of the loop he is. I'm not sure why he's fearful of her, though. He's much stronger than she is at this point, so even if she did try to challenge him, it's not like she poses a threat. She does mess with him a bit, saying that he should pay her for killing her future self, but it's clear that she's not the menace that she used to be.
Future Trunks also partakes in another brief scene where Pilaf tries help Mai by playing matchmaker, orchestrating a scenario where she can display her compassionate side and win him over. While I don't particularly care for Pilaf, or his presence in this show, this was handled well. It was silly and cute.
Having present day Trunks appear out of nowhere to make things even more ridiculous and awkward was also a nice touch. While the older Trunks remains oblivious to what's happening, the younger version gets hooked in. This isn't so much a complication, as Pilaf and Shu note that they're the same person, so it doesn't really matter. Mai doesn't seem to hold this opinion, but she may move closer in that direction later on down the line.
Despite the week off, the animation this episode isn't really anything to write home about. There are several shots where Goku looks off. For some reason, transforming seems to prove a challenge to this animation team as his SS2 form seems to distort his features in bizarre ways. It doesn't quite hit the nadir that episode 5 did, but this wasn't a strong showing on that front.
Overall, this may not have been what fans were expecting, but it works OK for what it is. It's a shame that Black sits out yet another episode, but we do get a lot more in terms of information about him, so it isn't a total bust.
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