'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 128: 'Noble Pride to the End! Vegeta Falls!!'

With only minutes remaining in the tournament, there isn't a whole lot of time to mourn the loss of 17.  Goku mutters his name once, but that seems to be it as far as universe 7's reaction goes.  I get that Vegeta wouldn't care and we did see 18 distraught before so maybe they thought showing it again would be redundant, but seeing more of a reaction would have been nice.

Oddly, Jiren is the one who has the most to say about it.  Sadly, it isn't particularly complimentary.  He can't even commend the guy for his nobility.  He just says it was a dumb move and that Vegeta and Goku weren't worth the trouble.  Maybe they're trying to paint him as more villainous so that the viewer roots for Goku, but it seems odd given his status as pride trooper.  While I don't read the manga, I have heard about how he is characterized there and it seems like a much stronger iteration just due to the fact that it feels more like a super hero than what this guy is giving us. 

Despite being exhausted, Vegeta vows to keep fighting.  You might not think much of the development, seeing as characters have been able to recover rather easily in this tournament, but this time, his burnout is for reals as the prince doesn't even have the energy to go super saiyan.

Nevertheless, Vegeta keeps fighting.  You can guess how well this goes.  Much like his futile battle with Kid Buu, the sequence is interesting in that Vegeta spends almost the entire outing getting his clock cleaned, yet he still comes out looking like a badass just because he keeps getting up and refuses to quit.  Sadly, Jiren isn't quite as impressed or unnerved by it as Kid Buu was.

Still, Vegeta notes that he doesn't have to beat Jiren.  He just has to keep fighting to ensure that universe 7 wins.

You know, if he had thought of that like, a minute ago, 17 would still be alive and the team would be in much better shape.  Your timing sucks, Vegeta.

Either way, Vegeta is shown to be determined to keep his promise to Cabba, as well as protect his family.  It's nice, but we've seen it twice before already in fairly rapid succession.  I kind of feel like there's a diminishing emotional return on this particular card. 

It did give us a (possibly unintentional) nod to "Rocky V", as Bulma appears to Vegeta in a vision and tells him to get up.  I was amused by that.

Even with a complete fluke save by the heel of his boot, Vegeta is unable to hold on for much longer and eventually gets eliminated.  That's not a spoiler, it's in the title.  Vegeta does make one last ditch effort to turn the tide by giving Goku some of his energy, but the saiyan is relegated to the bleachers.  True to form, Krillin comes through with a senzu bean.  Apparently he had those this whole time?  I guess it makes sense to have them and it does explain Roshi's recovery.  I just found it odd that it took this long for that to come up.

You wouldn't think that Vegeta's energy orb would do a whole lot, but it allows Goku to get back on his feet and even allows him to go into his blue form.  Of course, he's up against Jiren so it doesn't help that much and it isn't long before he too is burnt out.

Remember how I said that the last episode didn't have much in the way of tension due to the fact that universe 7 had such a drastic numbers advantage?  Well, having lost 17 and Vegeta in rapid succession helped mitigate that greatly. 

Sure, Jiren's beat down of Goku is a pretty blatant animation loop, but it still felt pretty brutal and you actually felt like universe 7 was in trouble.  I mean, yeah, Frieza's still around somewhere, but he's apparently down for the count, so it really does feel like it's down to Goku to win this one for the gipper.

Just as Goku is millimeters away from getting knocked out, he once again conjures up the power of ultra instinct.  The gods are amazed by this (though Khai and Belmoud are annoyed), though I got the impression that this is what Jiren wanted.  He could have knocked Goku out of the ring in one punch, but he didn't, choosing instead to just keep hitting the saiyan again and again and again and again.  Just when Goku was about to fall out, he stops his assault to point out that this is the end and "winds up" as it were.   He doesn't come right out and say it like Cell did, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were the case.

It would have been cool to see Goku in Ultra Instinct working with Vegeta in his super blue form, but I get why the writers decided to have it play out this way.  Ultra instinct is the big cahuna, so you have to save that for the final showdown. 

Where Goku's previous transformations put more emphasis on defense, this time we see that Goku is more in control as he is able to land a rather devastating hit on Jiren in the episode's closing moments.  Expect the showdown to act as the central focus of the next episode.

This episode was an improvement over the one that came before.  It actually helped address some of my criticisms, though it still has its faults.  Vegeta got to go out in a sort of blaze of glory, but there was quite a bit of padding.  The emotional moments with Vegeta weren't quite as effective and ate up time. We also had a lot of animation loops that were hard to ignore.  It's a step in the right direction, but it still felt lackluster compared to some of the arc's previous episodes.  Hopefully the final showdown between Goku and Jiren can really step it up so that the arc (and possibly even the series?) can end on a high note. 

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 127: 'The Approaching Wall! The Final Barrier of Hope!!'

The tournament moves ever closer to its conclusion as the remaining fighters face off against the awesome might of Jiren.  The pride trooper has gotten fed up and decides to go all out.

You'd think that the universe 7 fighters would stall or take turns in order to run out the clock, but instead, the two saiyans and android 17 decide to charge head first into a direct fight.  Even with Vegeta magically conjuring up more stamina to go back into his super blue form, Jiren is able to effortlessly knock the three around.

You'd think that this would be a tense moment, but even though they can't seem to hurt the guy, they still have a distinct advantage due to sheer numbers.  It robs the fight of a good deal of tension.  It has highlights here and there, but it wasn't as engaging as it probably should have been.

Even Frieza, who had earlier made a point to say that he had no desire to fight Jiren himself, makes an attempt at an attack.  It isn't out of any desire to help his team (of course); heck, it isn't even out of a desire to get his wish.  Nope, Frieza's assault is driven entirely by wounded ego.  He's taken too much of a beating and he's decided that he's going to kill Jiren for it, tournament rules be damned.

You can guess how this goes.  Even with his golden form, Frieza is no match for Jiren and easily gets dispatched.  He's not eliminated, but he is even more wounded than he already was.

It isn't all bleak, 17 does manage to wound Jiren a little with a surprise sneak blast to the back.  The pride trooper does not take this well.  It seems like he's more miffed that his uniform got ruined.  They try to paint it as Jiren having an ego, but Jiren's taken hits from them before, so I don't get why he's getting so furious about it now.  His reference to them being gnats also seems strange as he had previously commended the two saiyans for their efforts.

In any event, the trick only works once and Jiren once again shows that he's more than capable of mopping the floor with the remnants of team universe 7.

With both Goku and Vegeta barely conscious, 17 asks what Jiren wants to do with his wish.  A lot of fans were curious, as even the other pride troopers seemed to give Jiren's wish priority.  The answer, though, is a tad underwhelming.

It's at this point that Belmod decides to monologue and give us Jiren's back story. It's really odd timing as there isn't a whole lot of time left and universe 7 still has the numbers advantage.  I guess you can chalk it up to cockiness or confidence that Jiren only needs a minute or so to end it.  He explains why Jiren made strength such a priority....even though Jiren said he sought that which lied beyond strength when Goku asked before.

One of the big theories was that Jiren came from a universe that the omni-king had eliminated.  It actually would have been an interesting angle.  Sadly, this isn't the case.  Instead, Jiren saw his family get killed by a villain*.  Jiren trained and even gathered a team of warriors, only to see them fall to said villain.  Those who did survive gave up and abandoned him.

As such, Jiren trusts only himself.  This seems odd, given that he's part of a team and he generally has them do all the work, but there it is.  It explains why Jiren trained, but it doesn't explain how he got to "stronger than god of destruction".  I mean, both Goku and Vegeta trained ridiculously hard (not to mention having the whole zenkai boost thing) and even they're dwarfed by Jiren's power.  Also, if Jiren is so focused on physical strength, why spend so much time in a meditative state?  You'd think that they would want to connect that somehow, but nope.

As to Jiren's wish, it's not clear, but I think he wants to wish those people back?  If Jiren wasn't such a flat character before, these new details could have filled in holes, but it seems like too little too late.  While I had qualms with the "Goku Black is Zamasu" reveal, at least the pieces fit.  Here, it doesn't seem to gel.  Even with a blank slate character, they still managed to come up with inconsistencies.

But hey, we finally have his motivation and, if nothing else, chibi Jiren was kind of adorable.

Not surprisingly, Jiren is less than impressed with 17's desire to wish for a boat so that he can take his family on a cruise.  It was heartwarming when 17 first said it, but him stating the desire here did seem a tad silly.  It was still a good moment, though.

The good moment is followed by the episode's saving grace, as the final moments of the episode ascend to something far more memorable than what had come before.

Jiren launches a blast capable of taking out the remaining fighters.  Both Goku and Vegeta are too wounded to do anything, so 17 puts up a series of barriers.  Unfortunately, Jiren's power is too much for the android.  All 17 can do is cover Goku and Vegeta in a force field and use his own energy to cancel out the attack at the cost of his own life. 

Yeah, 17 dies in order to give Goku and Vegeta a chance to rest a bit.  It was a pretty intense moment.  You had an otherwise nonchalant character willingly accepting a hero death while his sister watched helplessly.  Even Goku and Vegeta are somewhat amazed at what 17 did. 

Now, you might be thinking that since Jiren's attack caused it, that he would be eliminated.  You would be wrong.  Because 17 willingly sacrificed himself, Jiren suffers no penalties.  Damn, he's lucky.  That's the second time he's been able to escape the no kill rule through a circumstantial loophole.  It made more sense with Goku, but it would be an anticlimactic way to end things.

Speaking of ending things, this is more or less where the episode ends, as Vegeta says that he's all that's needed to beat Jiren.  I know Vegeta's confident and all, but he's been fighting with back up and hasn't done much.  The claim just rings a little hollow at this point. 

A majority of the episode was lackluster, but that final act really helped salvage it.  It was unexpected, emotional, and gave the arc a rather serious personal consequence.  It was nice to finally get Jiren's backstory, but it did seem a little underwhelming. 

There wasn't as much tension as there should have been, but with 17 out, things are looking worse for our heroes.  It might make for more gripping viewing later.  If the title for the next episode is any indicator, things won't bode well for universe 7 there either.  "Vegeta Falls"?  It could be a fake out, but it wouldn't surprise me if the prince was eliminated.  Goku and Frieza working together could be interesting to watch.  I guess we'll have to see how things play out.


*I'd say that this could be foreshadowing for a future arc, but with the show ending, it seems unlikely.  Maybe if a sequel series comes about, it's something they could work with.

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'Dragon Ball Super' Episode 126: 'Surpass Even a God! Vegeta's Desperate Blow!!'

With Frieza out of commission, Android 17 is left to face off against the newly ascended god of destruction, Toppo.  Suffice it to say, it doesn't go so well.

Nothing the android can do seems to have any effect.  Even the simple act of hiding is impossible, as Toppo can destroy any barriers and leave his opponent exposed once again.  While the android is normally inhumanly unflappable, you can see that the situation is starting to both annoy and worry him.

The best 17 can do is trick Toppo into destroying a structure in such a way that the rubble comes down on top of him.  I want to give him credit for the strategic planning, but I'm not sure why anybody thought that was going to work.  It didn't work on Goku Black, why would it work here?  I know, that's kind of meta, but I think the point is still valid.

Thankfully, Frieza does return to provide some back up.  It does help even things out a bit, but the power of a god of destruction is still too much for the universe 7 fighters.  We don't get to see too much of this showdown, as a blast from Jiren unintentionally strikes the pair and puts them out of commission for the nonce.  I think this marks the first time that the actions in one fight had a direct impact on another.  Given the format of the tournament, I'm surprised it didn't happen more frequently, but it was still an interesting development.

With his foes out of the way, Toppo sets his sights on Vegeta.  The saiyan prince has no problem facing off against him, though it does break up the Goku/Vegeta pair that was starting to gain momentum against Jiren.  One wonders if Toppo would have thought to do this if he were still contending with Frieza and 17, though I suppose it's moot.

It's been some time since Vegeta has faced off against a god of destruction.  He's acquired multiple power ups and new forms.  As such, you can't help but be curious how he'd fare.

It's a mixed bag.  Early on, Toppo clearly dominates the fight.  It makes it clear that, while Vegeta is a lot stronger than he was when he tried to take on Beerus, there is still a considerable gap between what the two can do.  Even Vegeta is amazed at the difference between what Toppo was and is now.

True to form, Toppo takes the time to monologue about his innate superiority.  He goes on to talk about how he cast aside everything in order to win, and that's why Vegeta never will.

Not surprisingly, Vegeta doesn't take kindly to this.  He actually goes the opposite route and embraces his pride, his promise to Cabba, and his family.  Viewers gave Vegeta flack for giving his promise to Cabba more reverence than his family.  On the one hand, it's nice to see him mentally offer them kind words.  On the other, it did seem like a blatant last ditch author's saving throw to say, "See! It's both!".

This enables Vegeta to gain the upper hand in glorious fashion.  Not only is it satisfying to see him whale on Toppo, but he gets to do it while lecturing the god about how much he sucks because he gave up all that he was.  It was a real highlight for him.  There's quite a bit of criticism that Vegeta is always forced to lose to make Goku look better, but at the same time, the writers are careful to give Vegeta enough great moments so that those losses still carry the necessary weight.  Here, we see Vegeta not only dodge Toppo's destruction attacks, he straight up punches through them.  It's an impressive showing to say the least.

Impressive as it is, it isn't enough to best the god.  Vegeta does have one last trump card to play.  It's one he's used before.  Piccolo recognizes it almost immediately and it has him rather concerned. 

Remember his first fight against Buu?  The one where he blew himself up to try to take Buu out with him?  Yeah, he's using that attack again.

Truth is, even if you had forgotten, the episode shows you just about the entire scene in flashback.  It kinda worked, especially set to "Desperate Assault", but it does seem like the producers ate up too much time with that.  I just think they could have trimmed it down a bit, but it did get the point across. 

Where as the final flash against Jiren played out just about the same way it did against Cell, this time, the writers deviate from Z and have a completely different result.  For one thing, the attack worked, in the sense that Toppo was eliminated.

Random side note, Toppo seems to be back to his original form.  Was that whole god of destruction thing a temporary boost?  Maybe we'll get more information when he wakes up. 

The episode does toy with the idea that Vegeta is dead.  It holds the tension for a few seconds (longer than other instances to the episode's credit) before revealing that Vegeta is alive.  As he is a lot stronger than he was when he fought Buu, he was now capable of withstanding the energy of the blast.....though wasn't the whole point that he was putting ALL of his energy into it?  I don't know, it's weird.  I mean, Vegeta said when he first broke his limit that this was everything he had.  I guess you just have to roll with it. 

While the team is certainly relieved to find Vegeta alive, he is unfortunately completely out of stamina.  This is not a good thing, as they still have Jiren to contend with.  Being the last pride trooper standing, Jiren decides it's time to stop screwing around and begins to release all of his power.

On the plus side, 17 returns, so the playing field is leveled at least a little bit. 

It's strange, though, Frieza's nowhere to be seen and isn't mentioned at all.  He wasn't eliminated and he wasn't killed.  I suppose unconsciousness is an option, but characters seem to snap right out of that nowadays.  Either way, the episode's end makes it seem like a 3 on 1 fight is about to occur, even though, by all rights it should be four.  Sure, Frieza said that he doesn't want to take on Jiren, but at least he has others backing him up. 

Then again, with only four minutes remaining, him staying back could work to the team's advantage.  In fact, I'd say have each fighter go at Jiren one on one.  17 was already trying to run down the clock, just keep that strategy intact.  Each fighter would only have to last a minute, though in a fight like this, that is an eternity. 

Really, though, this is Frieza.  It's far more likely, he's going to let Jiren exhaust his allies, so that Frieza can knock them out at the last second and get the wish on the super dragon balls.  Right?  That seems like the route the next few episodes are going to go, but we'll have to wait and see. 

This episode was a mixed bag.  The Vegeta/Toppo stuff was great, but the episode did a lot to pad out the runtime.  MasakoX noted a lot of recycled animation in the opening scenes, not to mention Frieza's near elimination being replayed early on.  It didn't bug me as much as it did him, but it is in keeping with my criticism about the flashback.   Put it all together and you have quite a bit of padding. We only have a few episodes to go in the arc, I don't think you have time to dilly dally like that.  Maybe it just means we'll be getting some awesomely animated scenes later....yeah, let's go with that.

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