#and while no one outside of goku and maybe whis like him he's still in a position where others have to respect him

[beforecreation]

Beerus is just Toriyama's mary sue oc send tweet.

[saiyanwhore]

A Royal Bloodline // Vegeta One-Shot

A/N: I’m sorry in advance this is really old...

You observed him as he sit quietly at the opposite end of the table, onyx eyes piercing into yours.

You would be lying if you said the Prince wasn't as handsome as they come. In fact, he was so stunning it made you weak in the knees.

"Vegeta?"

A look of annoyance glazed over the proud Saiyan's face as he glanced up at Goku, a rather odd chatacter.

"What do you want Kakarot?" Vegeta's voice grumbled. It was deep and gravely. You felt goosebumps on your arms as you continued to listen to the conversation between the two.

"Can you please Vegeta? Just for a little while? I'm sure Y/N will be glad to help!"

"Before you involve me in any of your shenanigans, I suggest you enlighten me." You spoke clearly to a confused Goku.

You watched Vegeta smirk at your comment as Goku started talking again.

"I just need someone to watch Goten for a little while! I would ask Bulma, but she's out on a trip with Trunks. Chi-Chi and I are going out!" His voice dripped with desperation as he looked at you with a worried face.

"I'm game, but it will cost you, Goku." You nodded in his direction, taking a sip of your water.

"Yes! Thank you, Y/N! I'll do whatever!"

"I want you to take me with you to train with Whis on Beerus' planet." You proudly said, your head held high as both Goku and Vegeta looked at you with wide eyes.

"You are no where near ready, woman! You'd practically be asking for a death wish."

You leaned forward, baring your teeth at Vegeta. "Now listen here! I'm a Saiyan too, your majesty. I've been pushing myself in the gravity chamber while you two leave me in the dirt. No one here can train with me. They're all far too weak and busy to concern themselves."

"But Y/N-" Goku interjected. "I think Vegeta is right! You have no idea what you're signing up for."

You felt tears sting your eyes as you scrunched your nose and locked eyes with Goku. "I will not be diminished any further! I may be a woman, but I am almost as strong as the two of you! I have every right to be there with you guys. Whether you'd like to admit it or not."

Vegeta crossed his arms and scoffed in your direction, a disgusted look on his face. "Never compare your pathetic self to me.'

You growled at him before speaking. "Oh, sorry mister self centered. Who was it again that dragged you away from Buu? Oh yeah, right. It was me!"

"You hardly did anything. You simply cleared the battlefield to tend to the warriors. Good to know you can play nurse." Vegeta remarked, leaning forward into your face.

His nose was inches away from yours and he had a fire in his eyes that you knew not to mess with. Goku must have noticed because he immediately started up again.

"Listen, guys. You both are strong fighters. There isn't a reason to bicker right now."

You sat back in your seat and glared at Vegeta before crossing your arms and looking off into the corner of the room.

"Y/N, I think you should train some more in the Gravity Chamber with Vegeta before we decide whether or not to ask Whis to train you." Goku suggested.

"Fine."

Vegeta mockingly laughed at you before clearing his throat. "I can't wait." He sarcastically said, standing up.

"I'll be there Friday for your kid too, Kakarot. As long as you promise to give it your all the next time we spar."

"Deal." Goku nodded, giving a thumbs up.

*Time Skip*

You arrived at Goku's and Vegeta was already there. Chi-Chi and Goku had already left.

"Where's Goten?"

"Dunno."

"No wonder Bulma left you. You can't even keep track of the kid you're supposed to be watching."

You walked up the stairs before he could say a word. You then went into Goten's room to see him playing on the floor with his toys.

"Hey, kiddo. How's it going?"

"Good, Y/N! Just playin'!" He giggled.

"Okay, well...Vegeta and I will be downstairs if you need anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

You ruffled his hair before exiting his room. You walked down the hall to the stairs. You made your way down them and into the living room where Vegeta still sat on the couch.

You sat next to him, noticing he had his angry face on. You immediately felt a little concerned about him.

"What's wrong?" You positioned your body so you could face him, his eyes adverting yours.

He just made a "hmph" noise before ignoring you altogether.

You lifted your brow in his direction and hummed long.

"Don't give me your bullshit, Vegeta. What is wrong?"

"You know, Y/N maybe you should just keep your mouth shut altogether." Vegeta's voice started to get louder. "Especially about things you don't know."

It immediately clicked he was talking about what you said minutes ago about Bulma. You grabbed the Prince's arm.

"Gosh, Vegeta I'm so sorry. I wasn't even thinking."

"Clearly." He yanked his arm from your grip and crossed his arms again, looking away from you.

"I'm sorry."

Vegeta scoffed and stood up, walking away from you and into the kitchen. You turned and watched as he grabbed some water and gulped it down.

"Really, I am sorry."

"Why do you care so much anyway about my forgiveness? Leave it."

You looked down, a little embarrassed.

"I care about you."

"Tch. Give me a break."

You looked up at him. "I do, Vegeta! I care!"

He ignored you as he leaned up against the counter.

You made your way over to him and looked him in the eyes. Your stomach bubbling as he just stared blankly at you.

"I care about you." You said for the third time, staring deep into Vegeta's dark eyes.

His eyes looked away and a large grumble emerged from his chest. You grabbed his arm once more, not taking your eyes off him.

"What I said wasn't right. I see how much you love Trunks. You're a good dad, Vegeta. Not to mention a good person. Bulma was crazy to let someone like you go. Especially for Yamcha."

Your words had surprised the Prince. His eyes were staring down at you and he had completely gone red in the face. His jaw clenched as he bashfully looked away from you.

"Hey guys! I'm hungry!" Goten came trotting down the stairs, a big smile on his face. He stood next to you and stared up at Vegeta who was still recovering from your words.

"Me too!" You looked at Vegeta in the same manner, the Prince growling.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. Me too." Vegeta said, walking away from the kitchen and going into the living room.

"Pizza good with you guys?"

"Ooh, ooh! Yes, yes please!" Goten jumped up and down in excitement and Vegeta just threw a thumbs up from on the couch and you ordered.

You dialed the pizza place and they told you it would be an hour, to which you took a seat on the couch next to Vegeta, Goten following.

"So, Y/N. When are you going on that date dad was telling me about?" Goten asked you.

You watched Vegeta's ears perk up, but his outward emotion remained uninterested.

"You mean Tien?" You smile. "He's taking me out tomorrow night, Goten. Why?"

Goten giggled and grabbed your hand. "Well because. Daddy says Vegeta likes you and I was just wondering if it was him who was taking you out."

You burst into a fit of laughter as Vegeta looked as though he was going to strangle Goten.

"Your scum father has no idea what he's talking about. So I suggest you just shut your mouth."

Goten looked a little terrified momentarily before you frowned at Vegeta.

"Vegeta. Stop." You growled. "That's enough.'

For once, Vegeta sat back in his seat and didn't say a single word. His arms were crossed and you watched the vein on his forehead appear. He had this look of pure frustration on his face.

"Hey Y/N! Can you help me train?"

"Sure Goten! Go outside and do some warmups. I have to have a word with Vegeta for a moment."

"Okay!" And out the door he went.

You grabbed the Prince by his collar and gritted your teeth. "What was the for?"

"Shut up, woman. You know damn well that fool Kakarot is chirping things in his kid's ear."

"And what should you care, Vegeta? Goten is a child." You scolded him before letting go of his shirt, sending him flying back onto the couch. "I'll be outside, thanks."

You turned on your heel and walked out the front door to train with Goten.

After sometime with Goten, you noticed a certain Prince was watching the two of you leaned up against a tree.

As much as he would hate to admit it, he couldn't help but to think you were a very good teacher. He was impressed with how patient and how far Goten had progressed within a half an hour of your training.

Not even he had gotten that far with Trunks, which burned some sort of fire inside of him. But he forgot what he was thinking when you appeared in front of him.

"Pizza's here, 'Geta!" You smiled as you carried in ten plus pizzas.

He followed you inside where there was almost no wait to indulge in said pizzas. You all ate rather quickly, and sloppily. It was pretty much a given.

And after dinner you left Vegeta alone and tucked Goten into bed.

It was a struggle because Goten always had so many questions to ask you. You honestly adored him very much. He was such a kind little boy and much like his father, as much as you couldn't stand Goku at times.

When you finally had Goten asleep you turned around to exit, only to find the Prince himself in the door frame watching you with arms crossed.

"Hey."

"Hm."

You shrugged as you tried to move past him, but he blocked the way. His muscular form hitting yours.

"Vegeta!" You crossed your arms.

"You're very good with children."

"And so?" You raised an eyebrow at the Prince expecting another insulting comment, but his next set of words shocked you.

"You would have made a nice mother."

And then he disappeared down the hallway, to which you immediately chased after him.

"Vegeta, what is that even supposed to mean?" You grabbed him by his hand and turned him around to look at you.

"Don't think about what I said too much, woman." He snarled, snatching his hand from you and walking down the stairs.

You chased after him, trying not to be too loud because of Goten.

"You can't make comments like that and expect me to drop it." You said. "I have to know what you're talking about."

"I meant exactly what I said." And with that he sat back on the couch.

"Not fair, Vegeta."

"Life isn't, yes."

"I would make a good mother?" You asked him, this time standing directly in front of him.

Vegeta was beginning to regret what he had said, wishing you would just drop it. But when he looked up at your face and saw tears in your eyes it perplexed him a little.

"Come on, woman! Dry your tears!" He aggressively grabbed your hand and brought you next to him on the couch. He wiped your face with a gloved hand, immediately hating he did so when your eyes pierced into his.

There was a reason why Vegeta has never been close to you and this is it. He thought you were beautiful and he hated it.

He didn't want to care about you. He didn't want to like you. He didn't want his heart to stutter when he saw you. He didn't want any of it.

He brushed your hair our of your face and you noticed just how gentle he was being with you. It was strange.

"Stop crying."

To be honest, having children was always a want of yours. But since everything with Planet Vegeta, Frieza, and everything else it seemed impossible. No one had ever shown interest in you. You had even been made fun of by the others a few times about it.

You, being close with Tien, had told him all of this. He agreed to go out with you to get everyone off your back about it. He knew how they could be.

Vegeta still held you, his grip not loosening as he continued to dry your tears.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta."

He didn't say anything as he brought you into his chest. You breathed in his scent, trying to calm yourself down. It had been quite a while since you had been in the Prince's arms. In fact, it was before he left with Whis.

You pulled away for a moment and glanced up at him, taking a deep breath. "I just..." You bit your lip. "I've always wanted kids. I guess I just have never really been with anyone. Ya know. After Frieza and all the bullshit. No male Saiyans other than you and Goku."

"That's absurd. There are plenty of men on Earth that would be more than willing, woman."

"I don't want to be with anyone other than a Saiyan." You admitted. "It's important to me. You understand that."

Vegeta's face grew red as he questioned. "Why are you going out with Tien then, huh?"

"To get everyone off my back. I don't know if you noticed, but they like to bring up the fact I'm not with anyone way too often. It's hurtful."

Again, silence fell across the two of you as you stared at Vegeta. He was thinking, you could tell by the look on his face.

You had known Vegeta for many years, infact you had both been enslaved by Frieza together. It wasn't until Namek where you met Bulma and became friends that you joined the group. Even fighting with Vegeta along the way.

It was sort of an unspoken bond between you and him. Something neither of you liked to speak about, but you knew that he was there to understand just what you went through.

It took a tremendous toll on the both of you emotionally. Especially Vegeta.

"Worrying about such things is ignorant, woman." He started. "Think of all that you've been through. All that we've been through and use that to strengthen you."

Your heart fluttered as Vegeta inched closer to you.

"Saiyans don't give up. You know that."

"Well, I suppose I'll take what is rightfully mine then." You grabbed his hand. "Come on."

You flew out the window, a confused and slightly flustered Vegeta by your side.

He didn't know where you were going or what you were on about, but he admired how determined you seemed.

You flew to the roof of Goku's house and forced the Prince to sit next to you. You both looked up at the sky.

"Vegeta. This is going to sound quite ridiculous." You laughed nervously. "But every once in a while, I look up at these stars and I see planet Vegeta. I see my father and mother. My siblings. My home. And I think about it being destroyed. I think about how you didn't really like me much until you saw I was almost as strong as you. And how we trained with each other time after time. After Nappa and Raditz died and you became fixated on surpassing Goku, I realized you're someone I admire a lot."

He was silent, his gloved hand still in yours as you spoke once more. "It hurt me a lot when you were with Bulma. But she's my best friend and I couldn't do anything about it. There's something in me that gets worked up just thinking about you. You're everything I've ever dreamt of. I stay awake at night thinking of you and all the memories I have of you and I. It all makes me wish we could have been together. We could have done it all. And I-"

"Just shut up already, you idiot."

You felt his hand squeeze yours and you eyes went from the sky to him. His face was completely red as he scooted a little closer.

You grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. You felt his hands grab your sides and pull you closer. His lips moved against yours hungrily, sending your head into a flurry. You moved a hand to the back of his neck, playing with his hair.

He pulled away first, looking at you with a small grin on his face.

"Look at how far we've made it, Y/N."

You had never seen Vegeta so open and vulnerable. But he held your hand so tight, and he too thought of all the time you guys had spent together. You grew up together, fighting side by side. You've seen him at his worst, and now his best.

Vegeta turned to you one last time and kissed you softly. He scooped you up in his arms and flew downwards.

"Once that idiot Kakarot gets back with his wife." Vegeta whispered in your ear. "You're coming with me so we can carry on a royal bloodline."

[fourstarsun]

OK there might be some extra things that I’ll want to include later on, but for now here’s this short list of changes I’m making to Goku:

— I’m completely removing all Super-related things, excluding his job as a farmer since that’s a post Buu saga thing to me, and sticking them all into a separate verse. Basically, he’ll be primarily Z-based in terms of story now as well. Goku won’t know what god ki and the SS God transformations are by default. He’s never met Whis and Beerus.

— His mainverse story will mostly follow Z, but there will be some deviations. 

Firstly, during the 3 year training period before the Andriods’ arrival, there was a lot of strain between Goku and Piccolo because of what Piccolo did to Gohan while Goku was dead, which he didn’t discover until Krillin and the others informed him while he was hospitalized after his fight with Vegeta. Goku did eventually forgive Piccolo after he saw and accepted how he had truly changed because of Gohan (though it was mainly because Gohan himself held no grudge against Piccolo), but it’s important to note that Goku gave Piccolo the cold shoulder outside of training - Piccolo didn’t stay with the Son family during the period - and was down right hostile to him at times before that forgiveness. (If you’re wondering why Goku acted more friendly to him on Namek, well, it was obvious Piccolo was an ally and Frieza was the far greater focus at the time.)

Secondly, while Goku has a lot of respect for him on a fighting standpoint and thinks of him as an ally against larger threats, Goku is not that close to Vegeta and doesn’t FULLY trust him either. He’ll be amiable to him, like how he is with everyone else, but Goku won’t consider him a best friend in the slightest. Or much of a friend at all, if he’s directly asked about it. As long as Vegeta doesn’t try to destroy towns & cities and/or hurt his loved ones, he’s content to leave the prince to his own devices (outside of occasionally asking him for a spar). And yes, this doesn’t change even post Buu, because again: Vegeta never apologizes for his actions against him, his family, and his friends. Unknown to most outside of Chi Chi (and maybe Gohan to a degree), Goku never forgets certain things.

— I admittedly do need to be more active here IC wise to show this off, but still, Goku will generally continue to ignore Super’s characterization of him - even in his Super verse. I hate how hard they went in with the “man child” trope soooo don’t think you’ll be seeing my Goku talk like he’s 3 years old or anything (looks sideways @ that Eng Dub pee pee line in the early eps 🙄). 

I also will be ignoring the overall inconsistencies Toriyama himself (*gasp!*) implemented in Z with Goku’s character, and will write him as how I personally believe Goku would think & act in his adult age - having grown from being just a little boy living alone on Mt. Paozu. His innocent, naive nature will of course be kept intact, but I’ll be throwing in more realism, basically. Goku is a man who experiences emotion and said emotions may or may not influence his behavior, depending on the circumstances.

[danwhobrowses]

Why Tashigi Deserves More Respect

I really gotta remember these other things I plan on writing XD Often I get reminded though by people around me criticizing something I realise ‘that’s a little misunderstood’ and then get compelled to write about it. For today we’re looking at the female Marine of One Piece, Tashigi. Now before we start, I want to make a point that Tashigi is still an underused character brimming with potential that Oda seems to shy a lot from. Oda can still sincerely do a lot more with her and I for one have been disappointed by her lack of use in Stampede and lack of appearance in Wano. However, I get a lot of people who feel that Tashigi is ‘useless’, and I’m going to say that this isn’t really the case.

Argument 1: Her Battles

Of course, a lot of strength regarding a character comes with their ability to come out victorious. It can harm any character in a show to constantly be on the losing side of a fight and it does hurt Tashigi (and Smoker) a lot that they do end up that way. While I would love Tashigi to have her first clean win since those guys in Loguetown I’d like to remind you that Tashigi’s fights do have a bit of defense to them, let’s look at all of Tashigi’s named opponents

Zoro (Loguetown) - We always knew that Zoro was winning this, while she was bested by Zoro the purpose of the story wasn’t ever going to be Tashigi being stronger, instead this was Zoro having to confront her similarities with Kuina in personality rather than skill.

Nico Robin/Miss All Sunday (Alabasta) - While Tashigi was unable to even strike Robin back in Alabasta, Robin’s devil fruit allowed her to be perfect for such a situation. A trained and deadly assassin, Tashigi’s physical confrontation was never going to succeed, but what was key to this battle was Tashigi’s realization in regards to the failure of Justice. In the end she had to rely on Luffy to defeat the Pirates the WG had assigned to maintain the balance.

Luffy (Marineford/Punk Hazard) - Luffy and Tashigi briefly crossed paths in Marineford, Luffy swiftly dodged her but again, Tashigi was never going to defeat Luffy and was merely a doorway to put Smoker and Luffy into a fight. It’s also worth reminding that Tashigi must’ve been capable enough to hold her own against Whitebeard’s lesser forces, since she was uninjured from Marineford. They also crossed at Punk Hazard, but then they were both weakened by being in unfamiliar bodies, something which Luffy even acknowledges.

Trafalgar Law (Punk Hazard) - as pictured above, Tashigi’s defeat to Law was another gateway for Smoker to enter the fight, but this one had more purpose in showing Tashigi’s willpower, which we will get to. As you can tell, there’s a theme: Tashigi would never have beaten Law in terms of the narrative, why do we hold it against Tashigi that she lost to the guy who later did this?

Ceasar Clown (Punk Hazard) - while listed as a fight, she fell the same way as Robin and Franky due to his DF being unrevealed, again this being a gateway to sell that Ceasar had a danger to him, I wouldn’t actually count it as a fight.

Vergo (Punk Hazard) - the Donquixote spy is one of Doflamingo’s deadliest subordinates. The original Corazon, Tashigi’s conflict with Vergo brought Sanji into the fight and once again highlighted to Tashigi the corruption within the Marines themselves. Like Law (and the next), we can’t be too harsh on Tashigi losing to Vergo, the guy easily fended off Sanji to the point of almost breaking Sanji’s leg, he also was able to beat Smoker

Monet (Punk Hazard) - Monet is a mixed one, because Zoro quickly defeats her she was quickly overshadowed by the fact that she struggled to even get on the offensive, broadening the gap between them. But, I’d like to remind everyone that Monet was able to force Luffy into fleeing their battle and was handling Robin, Nami and Chopper at once. Tashigi hadn’t completely lost either, I would bet that she’d fight without an arm, maybe not successfully but she would, and she got the finishing blow on Monet - her second offensive attack against Monet put her away and while technically this doesn’t count as a W for Tashigi she did not technically lose in this fight either

As you can see, while it’s easy to say that ‘Tashigi never wins her fights, so she’s weak’ it really undermines the opposition she willingly puts herself against. Narratively there’d be no reason for Tashigi to win these fights, doing so would lead to confusion and disbelief (for instance, would you have seen Luffy beating Kaido solo back in Bakura Town? No, obviously). Tashigi is still strong, she’s able to survive the Grand Line, easily deflect cannon fire with her sword and use Haki, the latter cannot be said for Main Characters like Nami, Chopper, Franky, Carrot and somehow Robin (like girl you spent 2 years with the Revolutionaries, where’s your Haki?). While we would love a win to validate this, Oda always puts her against an opponent that would be difficult for her to win against, and we thus mistake her inability to win as weakness. So that leads to another argument. Argument 2: Tashigi always punches above her weight While this is very much true, One Piece has often told us that being the strongest doesn’t always mean that you will win. Consider 90% of Nami and Usopp’s wins, Luffy’s wins over Crocodile, Enel, Lucci, Magellan, Cracker and Katakuri, the weak may not be able to choose how they die but that doesn’t mean that the strong can either.  I’d also like to argue that Tashigi’s motive on fighting strong opponents is not because she feels that she is stronger, she fights them because they are the enemy that needs to be stopped, her motives are pure in her pursuit of justice just as the Straw Hats fight stronger opponents because it fulfills a just cause such as saving Alabasta, their crewmates, people who had their shadows stolen, Camie, Fishman Island, the Punk Hazard children, Dressrosa, Zou or Wano. Tashigi really gets criticized for it because it doesn’t yield the results it does for major characters, often needing help to get the victory. In that I wanna point out a harsh truth as well; Goku - the people many anime fans will compare power scales against - almost never beats the main villain on his own in DBZ or DBS. Freeza - required damage from Krillin, Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo before the win, and he didn’t finish him off, Cell - tags out to Gohan, who also needs Vegeta’s help to win, Buu - needs Vegeta’s help via fusion and a full power recharge by the Dragon Balls, Beerus - he lost, Golden Freeza - he got jumped by Sorbet and needed Whis’ rewind, Hit - he gave up, Fused Zamasu - lost, and needed Zeno to wipe him out, Jiren - needed Freeza and 17′s help and Vegeta’s energy and finally Broly - needed fusion. So maybe, if even Son Goku cannot win on his own, we can cut Tashigi a little bit of slack given that she’s not even a main character.

Argument 3: ‘She does nothing’ I don’t really like this insinuation. Often Smoker and Tashigi are the ones that pick up the mess after all the enemies are defeated, but for some reason that equates to ‘doing nothing’. I think because people see Tashigi as interchangeable with any other character she is thus useless because she is not mandatory. However, Tashigi’s role is much more complex than that.

Even if she’s not strong enough to fight the biggest fishes in the pond, she still manages to grow and prove her worth. If Tashigi was replaced with any generic marine captain a lot of what happened would be different. It was Tashigi who identified Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu for Zoro, Tashigi who (albeit reluctantly) directed Luffy to Crocodile, Tashigi who kept the Straw Hats safe from arrest in Alabasta, Tashigi who convinced Smoker that he needed to swallow his pride and side with Law and Luffy to stop Ceasar and it was Tashigi who convinced Nami to entrust the Punk Hazard children to them. Through her experiences she also cultivates her own unique sense of Justice. While she follows Smoker’s doctrine of ‘A Pirate will always be a Pirate’ and that the Shichibukai system and the World Government as a whole is flawed, she has also learned for herself that there are times that pride must be set aside, in a way Tashigi’s sense of Justice has become a combination of Smoker’s and Fujitora’s: in order to rebuild justice, the navy itself must become strong enough to not depend on pirates, but pride cannot supersede the greater good. In addition, implying she does nothing also implies that she doesn’t practice her own sense of justice either. She stepped in on Zoro twice to protect her men from harm, before even arriving at Punk Hazard we learned that she had a good relationship with the parents who had their children kidnapped as they asked specifically for her which in turn led her to personally strive to reunite the children with their parents and she even protected the truth of Vergo from G-5 so that they didn’t feel betrayed and demoralized. Of the things Tashigi does, nothing is not one of them, she displays compassion, fairness and determination in definitive moments. Argument 3: She’s too hung up on her Feminism

So, one of the major dynamics of Tashigi and Zoro is her misconception that Zoro wouldn’t cut her because she was a woman, a belief that women have to prove themselves more to be seen as strong against men being one of the beliefs she shares with Zoro’s childhood rival Kuina. While it can be a tad irksome that she’d hang onto this with Zoro, until Monet Zoro never actually demonstrated the contrary to her. This is mainly a complaint by hindsight, we only dislike the opinion because we’ve seen Zoro more than Tashigi has, and she’s not 100% wrong, Zoro himself has been a bit of a traditionalist, in Skypeia he angrily chastised Enel for attacking Robin since she was a woman, and he only does step in on Monet to save Tashigi - not even finishing her off despite being very capable of doing so. Outside of Zoro, Tashigi’s feelings that she gets treated differently due to her gender is proven and reflected in how G-5 treat her with little authority, only really listening to her because she’s pretty. You can’t be too hard on Tashigi given that she is constantly faced with this truth on a daily basis, and her desire to be seen for her strength and skills are still an amicable one, it’s worth noting that even Law recognized that her mentality and warrior’s spirit was far greater than he swordsmanship, but he only thought this internally. In Tashigi’s case it would help her confidence to be given validation, and not in the condescending way Zoro usually talks to people.  While it can be annoying that she immediately thinks that she’s being treated differently because she’s a woman, this also shows that she wants to be treated as an equal; if she is defeated in combat she wants to be cut to preserve her honour, it is the mentality all Great Samurai have, including Zoro. Oda does something with Tashigi he rarely does with any woman in One Piece in making her less sexualised and body-confident to reflect her goal of being recognized by her spirit and actions rather than her appearance, but he also makes that complex for the character which in a way this is most important for.

Argument 4: She’s not a good Rival for Zoro

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about Tashigi’s character is that she is meant to be Zoro’s rival, in a similar manner to how Smoker and Luffy are embroiled in a Garp/Roger-esque cat and mouse chase. Because of this, people expect Tashigi to advance at a similar scale to Zoro to keep him on his toes, to make sure that he doesn’t end up complacent in his strive to become the World’s Greatest Swordsman. Her former likeness to Kuina also adds to this misconception, since because Kuina was Zoro’s rival with the same goal and always stronger than Zoro himself, Tashigi must be similar.

But this is not why Tashigi and Zoro are always put together. Tashigi is not Zoro’s rival, no other character we’ve met has the same goal as Zoro, and this keeps his story free to develop with different challenges. Tashigi’s pursuit of strength is not for the same reasons as Zoro, she doesn’t want to be the World’s Greatest Swordsperson, she only wants to protect the sanctity of the Meito and keep them out of unworthy hands. Her pursuit of Zoro was both because he dishonoured her in their fight and so she could claim Wado Ichimonji. In the New World however we don’t see that as much from Tashigi, even when she sees Shusui she doesn’t make a point to declare taking it from him because he’s unworthy (like Kin’emon would later do), this is because she does acknowledge his strength and worthiness of using these Meito, her personal conflict now though is to be seen as worthy to him as a swordsperson rather than a pirate to a marine.  In reality, Tashigi is instead Zoro’s and Kuina’s foil. She is similar in looks and perspective to Kuina but different in everything else from clumsiness, skill and ambition, the fact that Zoro struggles to handle this leads to the two becoming entwined in their respective journeys. No person gets under Zoro’s skin like Tashigi does, even to a point where he was reluctant to even be in eyeshot of her - how many people have you seen Roronoa Zoro hide from? They are each other’s foil because they are both stubborn people out to prove something but put on two different sides that conflict. That is the true purpose of their dynamic, their confrontations expose one another and show places where they can still grow and I still feel that we haven’t scratched the surface of this relationship.

Argument 5: She’s not Important

A combination of the earlier arguments, Tashigi gets a lot of flack because people think she’s not important enough as a character to have the screentime she gets. While it’s not hard to see why people feel that, it usually comes with people giving up on the idea that there’s a greater plan for her. It may just be me, but I am reluctant to believe that Tashigi appears in several forms of merchandise including calendars, games (as NPCs, Bosses, Supports or playable characters) and even figurines and not have a purpose in the greater scope of the story, do we really expect that from Oda? I doubt that very much! Granted, Wano would’ve been a perfect placement for her to push herself given the views on women in the country and it being the homeland of famous Meito. And yes, she could’ve had a much greater role in Stampede given how well they managed Smoker in it. We are allowed to be disappointed by this, but the fact that Tashigi has remained as consistent in presence as she has been in the show does hint at a bigger role, even if it’s being that wave of revolutionizing the Marines with Coby and Fujitora, her own origins or finally proving herself to the audience and to Zoro, Tashigi is not done and thus she is still important. “Just because they say a bird cannot fly, doesn’t mean that it never will” - Oda SBS 17 on Tashigi and Kuina’s names being named after flightless birds So, Why does Tashigi deserve more Respect? Tashigi as a character is one of Oda’s more subtle progressions. In contrast to Zoro who we see grow, we don’t see how Tashigi gets from A to B, we can also contrast to Coby whose rise becomes as magnificent as his puberty that Tashigi’s growth is much less abrupt and more steady, we see her struggles more than we do Coby where his successes are only heard in passing. Tashigi can also act as the ‘normal person’ in the marines, we compare her to Zoro in strength because she uses a sword but we never give her the benefit of the doubt that Roronoa Zoro is a bloody superhuman, plus not everyone has the great luxury of being trained by Dracule Mihawk for 2 years...furthermore, her challenges against Devil Fruit users are always filled with good intentions and strong willpower, but still self-doubt and shame, if anything Tashigi is one of the most human characters of One Piece for this reason; she learns, she suffers, she grows and she does it all without the luxury of Shonen perks such as superhuman power or endurance. Also she is a good person, she has a strong sense of morality and will, an altruistic desire and even in the situation she gets put in she makes a step that leads to the plot going in a positive direction. And for a character that has been in as many arcs as she has, there is still so much potential left to be untapped that fans are still after 2 decades eager to see from her.

Tashigi is a strong, valiant and just person, who is still really powerful if people stop trying to compare her to the likes of Luffy, Law and Zoro. Even when she fails she picks herself up and can still come out with a small victory from protecting innocents, arresting criminals and escorting children to get help. She is a lot stronger than people give her credit for and it’s for that she deserves respect.

[meztliel]

When Love Hits You

For Day one of GoChi Week 2020

Prompt: College Au

Chi-Chi’s first day on campus is not going the way she expected. 

Her head whips sideways as something solid comes out of nowhere and hits her on the right side of her head. Chi-Chi wobbles, brain swimming as dots and stars dance across her vision. Her roommate Lazuli is thankfully there to catch her before she trips over, holding her by the elbow and waist as Chi-Chi regains her balance.

“Hey! Are you okay?” She hears someone yell, presumably the person who threw whatever it was at her. She looks down at her feet and sees it’s a football. Figures.

“I think you might have given her a concussion.”

Chi-Chi looks up to see who Lazuli is talking to, and sees a jock in an orange t-shirt running towards them from across the lawn of the frat house, looking concerned as he stops in front of them. He’s hot, she thinks absurdly, noting this unimportant detail in spite of or because of the possible concussion.

“I’m really sorry,” he says, picking up the football with a frown on his too-handsome face. “I think I overdid it.”

“Nah, it’s my fault. I should’ve caught it," a different voice says.

It’s only then she notices the other person next to them, a short jock with a shaved head who is also wearing an orange t-shirt. He seems to be more focused on Lazuli than in addressing Chi-Chi. Not surprising, considering Lazuli is a knock-out, but he can at least express more concern for the situation than drooling over her friend, since if he’d caught the damn thing her head wouldn’t have done it for him.

Suddenly, a swell of anger rises to bubble out of her mouth.

“Be careful where you aim that thing! There are students walking up and down this sidewalk, you know.”

She regrets yelling immediately as it brings another throb to her headache. Not only that, but the hot guy flinches away like a scolded puppy at her outburst, and Chi-Chi is reminded that it was only an accident.

Chi-Chi would’ve expected a jock like him to reply with something snarky, something excusing his careless disregard for student safety, but instead he twists his eyebrows remorsefully as he scratches his temple in a nervous gesture.

“I’m sorry. If there’s anything I can do to help…”

“We’re good. Come on, let’s get you to the infirmary.”

Lazuli begins to pull Chi-Chi away, quickly raking her eyes over the shorter of the two jocks with a a look of mild interest.

As Lazuli guides her away to the campus medical facility, Chi-Chi casts her eyes over her shoulders, seeing that the two men are still staring at them as they walk away.

The good news is that she doesn’t have a concussion. The bad news is, she now has a rather large lump on the side of her head. She presses an ice pack against it as she watches the students trickle into the classroom, wondering why her first day of college had to start off like this.

She's been looking forward to life on campus since she got accepted to this university, and while Chi-Chi wasn't expecting it to be perfect, she also wasn't expecting to get decked in the head by a wayward football.

Incidentally, the last student to wander into the classroom happens to be the very guy who happened to throw that football, his eyes widening and mirroring hers when he spots her sitting next to the only seat available.

He then bashfully smiles at her as he takes his seat next to her, smelling like sweat and soap.

“Um. Hi. How are you doing?” His tone is slightly nervous, but it’s also friendly and sounds genuinely concerned.

Chi-Chi can tell just by looking at him that he's probably a popular guy both around and outside of campus, because he is not only good-looking, but actually seems like a nice person. Careless, maybe a bit meathead-y, but nice.

With a roll of her eyes, she indicates the ice pack pressed against her head. “I’ll live.”

He smiles, a simple tug of lips that somehow make him look even more handsome. “Can I make it up to you somehow?”

Before she can even conceive up a proper response to that, the professor walks in, introducing himself simply as ‘Whis.’

Because it’s a small class, Professor Whis has the students go around and briefly introduce themselves, having them say their name along with a few random facts about themselves.

When it's the hot jock's turn, she can practically see hearts dancing in front of some of the students' eyes as he waves at all of them with a look in his face that can light up an entire stadium.

“Hi, I’m Goku. I like football and kung fu movies."

That’s it. That’s all he says, and it’s the only name among her fellow classmates that Chi-Chi is going to remember.

“So, Chi-Chi, was it? Where’s your next class? Can I walk you there?”

The other students are filing out, the class having been dismissed mere seconds ago. Chi-Chi slings her heavy book bag over her shoulders, her mouth parted in astonishment at his inquiry.

Throughout the lecture, he’d been stealing glances at her, trying his best to be subtle but failing to be so because she would catch him staring at her nearly every time she looked his way. Which in turn, means that she also was staring, but it’s only because he was doing it in the first place.

Chi-Chi brushes off these furtive glances as nothing more than his guilt for having thrown a football at her head, and nothing else.

Sure, Chi-Chi is aware that she is objectively pretty, but she’s not drop-dead gorgeous like Lazuli, or classically beautiful like her other housemate, Bulma. She’s just pretty. She's the girl next door type that guys won’t turn their heads for on the street but might smile at from across a library or gym.

Unlike Goku, who’s not only turning heads, but is also probably causing whiplashes, and not just because he threw a football at their head.

A guy like him can get the kind of women you’ll see in the front covers of swimsuit magazines, so she really shouldn’t feel flattered that he’s walking her to her class, or that he offers to carry her book bag (which he does), or that he hasn’t stopped smiling since she accepted to let him walk her to her next class.

Her brain starts to conjure up excuses as to why he's being so friendly with her. Maybe he has an underlying motive. Maybe he wants her to be his next lay. Or maybe, again, he simply has guilt about what happened earlier and feels obliged to be extra nice to her. Neither of these motives are appealing to her, so she cuts him off mid-sentence while he’s rambling about classic kung-fu films, saying that she’s gotta hurry or she'll be late.

His expression is startled as she grabs her book bag back from him and then runs off to her next class, wondering why she's like this.

It doesn't take long before they're reunited again, and it's only a few hours later on in the evening at a party their sister house is hosting.

"Hello again," he says as he sits next to her on the couch, holding a water bottle instead of a red plastic cup like everyone else in this house is.

Everyone but her, and evidently him.

"Hey," she says back, feeling a kick in her chest as he looks at her with that perfect, disarming smile of his. It's probably felled thousands before her, and she's determined that she won't fall victim to it. She won't.

There are people all around them who are absolutely trashed. Grinding against each other as hip hop booms out the speakers. Playing beer pong and other silly little drinking games. Making out in the corners and wherever else they feel like.

Meanwhile, here they are, two sober individuals who keep running into each other and are basically forced to interact.

"How come you're sitting all alone here? Your head still hurt?"

Chichi laughs sarcastically through her nose. "I have class in the morning and don't wanna show up with a hangover. But I can't sleep, either, because I live here."

"Oh, this is your party?"

"Not my party. My housemate Bulma's party. She wanted to end the first day of college with a bang, and everyone else agreed with her. Majority vote ruled, so I had to go along with it."

It's an amazing coincidence that this new roommate of hers, Bulma, also happens to be childhood best friends with this cute boy sitting beside her, a cute boy who just doesn't seem to want to leave her alone as he invites her out to sushi.

Between having to stay here and practically yell over the music with the stench of alcohol in the air, and going out for sushi with who may actually be the most attractive man she's ever met, she'll take the latter choice, thank you.

It's a decision she doesn't regret as the two of them walk side by side to his dorm room, their bellies full and hearts content.

At first she was reluctant to go along with him, thinking Goku was insinuating something by offering his bed so that she can actually get some sleep for tomorrow. It’s not that she’s a prude. Chi-Chi is simply not the kind of girl to have a one-night stand with a person she just met, no matter how handsome he is. In fact, she’s still a virgin, and the only other times she’s kissed boys has been on dates that never go anywhere.

So maybe she’s a little bit of a prude, but is that such a bad thing? Perhaps it’s time to shed her virginal layer, to cut a little loose on this new, exciting chapter in her life. She’s devoted her life long enough to being a responsible, disciplined student and well-behaved daughter. Maybe it’s time to live a little, and let things take their course to something more adventurous than having her nose stuck to a book.

His room is small and modest, with the most notable thing in it being the collection of retro video tapes of kung fu films sorted out randomly on a bookshelf . There’s also a poster of Bruce Lee taped on one of the walls, and Chi-Chi realizes with a start that Goku kind of, sort of resembles that classic movie star and kung fu master, except that Goku's buffer and arguably even more handsome.

Her pulse is racing as she sits on this futon, watching as he picks out one of the movies in his collection. He’s so excited to share his passion with her that she can feel the moment his smile lances her right in the heart. He’s not even trying to be smooth at this point. He’s totally geeking out and it reminds her of how she behaves when she gets started about literature.

As the night progresses they end up inching closer together, until his arm is wrapped around her shoulders and she’s all but stopped paying attention to the movie and is instead paying attention to the warmth of his body, to his beautiful profile that is like if someone carved it out of a dream.

Out of nowhere, she feels something soft and gentle kiss the right side of her head, on the lump that she had forgotten was there.

“Sorry again for hitting you with a football. But can I admit something? It was kind of funny.”

He laughs as Chi-Chi playfully slaps him on one of his pecs, noticing with surprised delight just how firm it is as she agrees and laughs along with him.

Chi-Chi doesn’t lose her virginity that night, and that’s okay, because being wrapped around in his arms like this is even better, feeling his heartbeat against her back as they cuddle on his cramped, uncomfortable futon, feeling something warmer inside her begin to spread like the light of a thousand lit candles.

Maybe her first day of college didn’t start out perfectly, but it sure is ending in the highest possible note.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Z 222

The recap for this episode includes a cutaway diagram of Babidi’s spaceship.   I think I messed up the screencaps here to make it look like there’s five stages instead of just four, but you get the general idea.   The big chamber at the bottom is where I think Babidi monitors the fights, and then below that is the room where Buu’s ball is stored.  

The thing I never understood was why so much of Babidi’s ship is devoted to this gauntlet he’s having our heroes run.   Each “Stage” is equipped to absorb energy lost by intruders as they do battle with the stages’ defenders, which is handy for Babidi’s current project of reviving Majin Buu.   But this is probably the first and only time this has ever come up.    Would Babidi even have need for stolen energy other than reviving Buu?   

Come to think of it, has Babidi ever had any other agenda before this?   My understanding of his life is this: He was created as a duplicate of his “father” Bibidi, probably to do some side work for him, and when the Supreme Kai killed Bibidi he eventually started plotting to take over where Bibidi left off.   So I would assume he’s spent his whole existence trying to recover Majin Buu, though much of that was preparation, I’m sure.   He had to learn more magic, assemble a crew, acquire this spaceship, and figure out Buu’s location.

Anyway, up on Stage 1, Vegeta has to fight Puipui before they can proceed further into the ship.    If Puipui hurts Vegeta (or Goku or Gohan, if he ever gets to them), the damage will feed Buu’s ball.  But that doesn’t seem to matter, since Vegeta utterly dominates the guy in his base form.

To improve Puipui’s chances, Babidi uses his magic.

Now, the Supreme Kai claims that Babidi only used his magic to change the room, but later episodes will strongly suggest that they’ve all been teleported to a new location outside of the ship.    I’m not clear on this, but one way or another, they’re now standing on what looks like Puipui’s homeworld, the planet Zoon.   The subs spell it “Zun”, but I feel like “Zoon” is right.    “Zuun?”    I kind of like all three.   Skip it.  

Whether they’re actually on Zoon or a reasonable facsimile, Vegeta is surprised by the change, and Puipui brags that he now has the advantage, because the gravity here is ten times that of earth.    Oh, you sweet summer child...

Punch.

Kick.

Titty grab.

>:^D

Closed casket funeral.

The Saiyans head for the next deck, while the Supreme Kai is gobsmacked by Vegeta’s performance.   Puipui never even touched Vegeta, and Geets wasn’t even using Super Saiyan.  

Watching this fight again, I notice that Vegeta’s style has changed dramatically since his battles against the androids and Cell.    He taunted Puipui a few times, but he wasted no time in putting the guy away.   I’d suggest that the only reason the fight lasted as long as it did was because Vegeta wanted to scout him out a bit before he committed to a finishing blow.   This is a far cry from when he fought 19, and he basically gave 19 a bunch of free hits just to show him how outclassed he was.    He horsed around with 18 and Cell in a similar fashion, thinking he had an advantage that he really didn’t.  But against Puipui, he was all business.   

I point all this out, because it’s tough to square Vegeta’s stoic gruffness in the 2010′s with his manic bluster from early and mid-DBZ.   When he first showed up in the Saiyans Saga, he was very cocky, but also quiet, letting Nappa do most of the gloating.    Then Goku got under his skin and he became downright nutty.    On Namek, he acted like a total lunatic sometimes, which I always chalked up to his desperation to beat Frieza to immortality, and the rich rewards he would achieve if he could pull it off.   

Most of the Androids and Cell period was him trying to prove his superiority, to be the man he had always claimed to be.   His big problem was that he thought turning Super Saiyan was a destination instead of a journey, and that it would solve all his problems.    This is why he kept losing in that arc, because he went into every fight thinking he’d already won by showing up.  

The Puipui fight is the last time we see him win a fight in DBZ.    If we want to count the later series and movies... let’s see.    He killed Nappa in Dragon Ball GT, but how big a deal is that?    He beat Golden Frieza in Movie 15, but he was practically beaten anyway after fighting with Goku.    In Dragon Ball Super he took out Captain Ginyu, then several fighters from the other universes.   Toppo was the big win for that series.     Dramatically speaking, though, all of these resemble the Puipui fight more than the battles he had before that.    Much more focused, no nonsense, and shutting out distractions.   

Maybe that’s what Whis meant when he told him he was wound up too tightly in Movie 15.   If Whis could have seen Vegeta’s fight with Semiperfect Cell, he would realize that Vegeta used to be way too sloppy and self-assured, and the “overthinking” approach he used afterward was his attempt to compensate for that.  

Anyway, Babidi and Dabura are shocked to find anyone this strong on Earth, because they scouted the planet 300 years ago and didn’t find anyone nearly that powerful.    Okay, but what I don’t get is that they must have realized the Saiyans were unusually powerful, because that’s why they lured them on board in the first place.    They wrote Krillin and Piccolo off as useless, and I’m betting either of them could have killed Puipui.   

Back at the stadium, Chi-Chu suddenly realizes that she has no idea where Goten is.    For some reason, Bulma doesn’t seem terribly concerned about Trunks, though.  

Turns out, they’re both in the... lounge?   I have no idea what this room is for, but it’s some place for the tournament fighters to hang out, because when the World Tournament Announcer comes into find Mighty Mask, he finds the boys instead, and tells them they aren’t allowed back here.   See, Goten was tired of carrying Trunks on his shoulders, so they came in here to take a break.   

WTA wanted to tell Mighty Mask that they’re still figuring out how to proceed with only five fighters, and then he notices MM’s costume on the floor, so Trunks uses super speed to turn on the shower.    WTA almost walks in on the guy, but Goten insists that he’d be mad about that.    WTA’s like “Oh, yeah, those masked fighters hate for anyone to see their faces.”    Okay, yeah, but more importantly, maybe you don’t just walk in on somebody while they’re taking a shower?   Geez.  

So he calls out to MM from there, and Trunks has to pull the crappiest ventriloquism act ever to respond.    The Announcer buys this completely, just like he buys that Trunks and Goten only came in here to find Mr. Satan and get his autograph.    Then again, WTA’s seen a lot of weird shit in his time.   I get the sense that he’s a dude who gets along by not asking too many questions.    If you served him Steamed Hams, he’d be all excited to sample authentic Utica cuisine.   

Piccolo and Krillin update: They’re still statues. 

In the ship, Babidi decides to send Yakon down to Stage 2.   Dabura thinks that’s a bit extreme, but Babidi doesn’t want to take these intruders too lightly, not after Puipui got killed without landing a single blow.    

Dabura’s all worried that Yakon will kill them all before he gets to have any fun with them, and Babidi has to remind him that he’s his mind-controlled henchman, so he’s not here to have fun, dammit.

That’s kind of the interesting thing about the dynamic between these two.    Babidi seems to give his slaves a lot of leeway, either because he can’t control them absolutely, or because he prefers to let them think independently.   In Dabura’s case, he seems to enjoy having him as a dependable second-in-command, offering counsel and relaying his orders to the crew.   It gets to the point where even Dabura gets a little too comfortable with the role now and then.   

And it becomes easy for us in the audience to forget that Dabura is one of Babidi’s victims.   He only wants to awaken Buu because Babidi told him to want it.    Would Dabura even care about this goal otherwise?   I mean, it’s an evil agenda, but maybe not his brand of evil, you know?   

I think this is why Toriyama designed him to look so much like a classic interpreation of the Chrisitan Devil.    He’s not like Frieza or King Piccolo, where he’ll have time to establish his credentials as a major villain.   Dabura has to look like a major villain up front, because we’ll never really get to see how he earned the role.   His job is to look like a big deal, to emphasize that Babidi has turned him into plaything.    He could make this guy swab the decks with his tongue if he wanted to.    He only lets Dabura play first-officer because it suits his purposes.  

So some of the henchmen got to summon Yakon for Stage 2 duty, and he kills them as soon as they open the door to his room.    Awesome!   This guy ain’t fucking around.

Then Babidi calls to him, probably though telepathy or something, and it’s clear that this guy is Babidi’s plaything too.    It kind of makes you wonder why Babidi even bothered having minions go fetch Yakon in the first place, if this was the only way to get him to cooperate.    But it makes a lot of sense once you realize Babidi is a sick fuck and all of his servants are expendable.   

In Stage Two, Vegeta suggests forcing the door again, and when the Supreme Kai argues that this might release Buu, he asks how big a deal Buu really is.   After all, Puipui was helpless against him, and Dabura’s not that big a deal either.  

Shin’s like “Whaaaaa?” and Vegeta’s like, “Yeah, Dabura’s not that tough.    Your friend Kibito only got killed because he’s a bitch.”  

Shin asks Goku if this is true, and Goku’s like “Yep, Kibito’s shit tier, Supreme Kai.”

Goku estimates that Dabura’s about as strong as Cell was, and Cell was a big deal... seven years ago.    Now, being as strong as Cell doesn’t mean jack to these guys.   That’s awesome.   I love this.  

And this makes the Supreme Kai look like a real geek, because he only seemed to know that Goku and the others were very strong, but he had no idea how strong.    My impression is that he had no idea the Cell conflict ever happened, which kind of makes sense, seeing as Cell came from the future.    Perfect Cell was never really meant to be, when you think about it.   In his own timeline, the androids he had to absorb to become perfect were already dead, so without time travel, no one would ever have to deal with him at full power.   As it was, he fought the Z-Fighters umpteen years before he was born, so it sort of forced the heroes to get stronger than they would have been normally.

My guess is that the Supreme Kai knew about how strong Frieza was, and that Goku beat him, so he estimated his power based on this.   Still, you’d think he could have asked around before today.    He knew Goku would be at the tournament, so he must have had some advance notice on this.    All he had to do was talk to King Kai and go “Hey, how do you think Son Goku would stack up against, say, Dabura?”   And King Kai would go “You know, I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think Goku could take him, sir.  He’s improved dramatically since he beat Frieza.”    And at least then he’d know what he was dealing with.  

Something else I wonder about is why none of the Kai’s seem to know anything about Saiyans.   I mean, they’ve all been around for millions of years, and Goku wasn’t the first Super Saiyan.    Maybe he and Vegeta are stronger than all the ones who came before, but you’d think some of the Kais would have noticed when the last Super Saiyan was running wild a thousand years ago, or the Super Saiyan before that, and so on.   

My point is that both the Supreme Kai and Babidi seem to think these guys are key to their respective plans, and yet they seem surprised to find out how strong they are.    Let me throw out a suggestion here: If Shin knew exactly how strong Goku is right now, do you think he’d just blow up this spaceship and have done with it?    I mean, if Buu wakes up prematurely, in his weakened state, Goku could probably beat him, right?   It’d be a gamble, but no worse than what ends up happening in this story.    

Anyway, Yakon finally shows up on Stage 2, so we can finally get on with this thing.   

And it’s Goku’s turn to fight, so we get to see what he can do after all these years.    Doncha dare miss it!

[tigerlover16-analysis]

Dragon Ball Super: Episode 2 Review

Okay, sorry about this one coming late, i was a bit distracted around here and i haven't had much access to my computer the last few days. But, here i am now.

So, episode 2. In contrast to the first episode, which was focused around the members of the Son Family and setting up Goku's role in the story, this episode focuses more on Vegeta, who will be the secondary protagonist for much of Dragon Ball Super, while also giving us a more substantial introduction to the main villain for the first arc (And a few funny scenes with Goku on King Kai's world to help move the plot along some more). Gotta say, it was a pretty smart move and a good way to steadily reintroduce us to the characters for the new show/introduce them proper for new viewers.

This episode also isn't particularly plot heavy, rather another episode focused on character interaction and comedy, but like last time what we get is pretty good.

The episode opens with a fun little scene of Goku arriving on King Kai's planet to train, and accidentally causing King Kai to crash his car into his house and destroying it (Man, the poor guy can't catch a break, can he?), and then transitions to Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks going on a family trip to a Hawaiian themed resort.

Not a lot to comment on the actual plot here outside of how it relates to Vegeta, but needless to say there's a lot of good jokes and back and forth between the characters. Whether it be King Kai's poor attempts at making puns, Bulma flying her airship underwater and through a forest like a crazy person to give Vegeta some "Training" as he stands on top, there's a lot of good stuff here. My favourite joke is probably the scene at the diner that ends in Vegeta digging in to an enormous cooked octopus that inexplicably squirts him with ink. If you're a fan of the briefs family, a Vegebul shipper in particular, then the first half of the episode is practically tailor made for you, since it's pretty much dedicated to having cute moments of Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks hanging out on vacation.

Naturally, Vegeta is silent and aloof through most of the ordeal, only putting up with spending time at the resort to try and be a decent family man for once, and out of obligation for the time he'd promised to take Trunks to an amusement park. Which, yeah, it's pretty sweet, even if Vegeta has to be a sourpuss about the whole thing. Still, as Bulma points out, the guy did stick around a lot longer than either her or Trunks would have expected.

This episode establishes Vegeta as the secondary protagonist of Super, replacing Gohan in that role from Z. A decision that would... have very mixed results, and I can't say it was necessarily for the best overall, but future episodes will provide much better context to discuss that.

As far as this episode goes though, his portrayal is mostly fine. It at least shows he's trying to make an effort to be a better father to Trunks. At the same time though, it also establishes that even after everything that went down in the Buu Saga, Vegeta still has a chip on his shoulder in regards to his rivalry with Goku, and his desire to surpass him is still present.

I know a lot of people were torn about this at the time, and still are considering the end of the Buu Saga had Vegeta conceding that Goku was the superior fighter and seemingly putting his obsession to an end, with arguments about whether this was a regression of his character. Personally, at least as far as the first half of the show goes, I don't have much of an issue with it.

Mostly because it's made clear through the rest of the saga that his overall character progression has still stuck in spite of his obsession with being the strongest still being present. And it's brought up by the time of the Champa saga that Vegeta by that point has moved past the point of having a self-destructive inferiority complex, and his rivalry with Goku by then is mostly a more healthy motivation for self improvement.

And let's face it, fundamentally changing who you are as a person takes a lot of time and effort. Self-realization of your faults and a desire to change for the better are only the first steps to self-improvement. And a deep-seated inferiority complex like what Vegeta has isn't going to go away after a few moving speeches, it seems natural to me that he would have some trouble letting his urge to surpass Goku and be the strongest go, even after some time had passed from the Buu Saga. He's had plenty of instances where he started to regress on any progress he's made before, at least in this saga the worst it amounts to is him being grumpy and storming off to train after being caught in a large crowd and losing his temper.

Vegeta and Goku's rivalry is very iconic, and you kind of have to keep it alive if you're going to have a series where they're the two most prominent characters. Vegeta is still a better person than he once was, and the later episodes of this saga would demonstrate that clearly, so i think that's what really counts. And hey, Vegeta still wanting to surpass Goku is consistent with the updated final chapter of the manga Toriyama put out in the 2004 Kanzenban, so they kinda had to do it this way.

So yeah, for me personally I'm okay with this. But then again, maybe I'm just not inclined to take issue with it right now since we also got to see Vegeta riding a choo-choo train with Trunks and Bulma. That was adorable.

The second half of the episode is a bit more action packed and plot relavent, as it gives us a more extended introduction to Lord Beerus and Whis.

It starts off with Whis being sent to an alien planet to bring back dinosaur meat that Beerus is interested in because it might help him remember the details of a prophetic dream he couldn't fully recall. After Whis fails to negotiate with some locals to give up their kill in time, Beerus shows up and gets into a fight with what i assume is the tribe leader. Who Beerus dispatches quite easily, and then decides to just blow up the planet out of annoyance. The resulting explosion ending up being what jogs his memory, ending the episode with foreshadowing of some mysterious figure called Super Saiyan God.

It's a pretty fun scene overall. The banter between Beerus and Whis is spot on and their dialogue gives us a good impression of their personalities, with Beerus in particular being presented as somewhat comedic but still threatening and someone to take seriously. I really like the designs of the aliens, especially the powered up form of the one who fights Beerus, makes it a bit of a shame their world got blown up. The action itself is very short, but it's pretty decent, Naoki Tate's effects work is always fun to see in the alien's energy blast.

Admittedly we still don't know much of anything about who the characters actually are, just the idea that Beerus is seeking a fight with a Super Saiyan God, what exactly that is being a mystery for several episodes, though Old Kai clearly knows what's going on with him. Thankfully we do get a more substantial explanation for who Beerus is next episode, so the show doesn't drag it's heels too long with that, and this episode does a good job of hyping him up and raising interest.

I do question how the heck Beerus got to the alien world so fast from his palace, considering he's not nearly as fast as Whis and seems to rely on him for transportation as next episode establishes, so that's a bit of an oddity. I'm just going to put it down to cartoon logic.

So, yeah, the episode is overall pretty light on actual story, but at this point in the series I don't think that's a big issue, especially as the plot does start to get rolling over the next few episodes. I do wish the parts focused on the Briefs Family vacation had gone on a bit longer though, it felt like the episode really breezed past that.

Also, I do feel like I need to bring up King Kai's voice in the Japanese version. Jōji Yanami, his original voice actor for many years, is well into his 80's and apparently wasn't in the best of health when Super started... and it really shows with his voice acting. All of King Kai's dialogue in the episodes he voices him in, starting with this one, are spoken in a weird monotone that's... kind of distracting. Especially in places where he's supposed to be shouting or expressing emotion.

It makes some of the scenes with the character in the first saga seem a bit off putting. I feel really bad for Yanami, and I'm glad that he took a leave of absense and seems to have retired by the 12th episode. I don't know exactly how he's doing right now, but I hope he's in the best health he can be.

Thankfully this also isn't a problem for Sean Schemmel's performance of the character in the dub, which is on point. Honestly, the dub for the episode and most of the saga is pretty stellar and makes the episode even more fun to watch with it's slightly wittier dialogue, though I do feel Chris Sabbat's tone as Vegeta sounds a bit harsher in places compared to Ryo Horikawa's portrayal... though, i can't understand a word of Japanese or really make sense of the inflections in the Japanese casts line reading a lot of the time, so maybe that's just me.

The animation and art direction is also strong in this episode. I love the animation of Bulma's aircraft spinning around, and the effects work on display as it dives underwater. And there's a lot of beautiful shots throughout the episode, the scenes on the beach during the evening with all the people on it draped in silhouette look gorgeous, and the explosion created from the planet that Beerus blows up in the last scene is just mesmerising. I mean, it's horrible that an entire planet and all it's inhabitants just got annihilated, but I can really see why Beerus finds the results beautiful. The music and direction are pretty effective, too.

This episode was the first to be supervised by Naoki Tate, one of my favourite animators working on the show and probably one of the most well known. And while he obviously didn't animate everything himself (See animeajay's videos for the low-down on that), as a supervisor this was a great first impression to make... pity then what he was forced to immediately follow it up with.

Oh boy, that episode is going to be "Fun" to talk about.

So, yeah, I don't think there's a lot else i can say without just recapping every moment from the episode and going "I like this" or "Wish this was a bit longer" or whatever. The character interactions were fun and mostly on point, the production values were good, and overall the episode was pretty enjoyable despite a few flaws. Admittedly though there wasn't a lot of substance to it, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first episode. Still, I don't have any major complaints about it either, and for what it is it works fine.

I'd give it a B+, maybe a high B.

Not really the best episode in the series, or even this saga, but it was a lot of fun and gives us some necessary set up that gradually eases the viewers into the overarching story. I'm happy to come back to it, anyway.

I think the next episode should give me a bit more to talk about compared to the first two episodes, so look forward to that. Hopefully i get that one up by Sunday this time. Sorry if this review feels rushed or that i could have done better or gone into more detail in places, but I kind of was rushing. Any specific questions about stuff you might have in the episode though, just leave them in an ask.

[tigerlover16-uk]

So, how do you feel about Goten and Trunks getting sidelined so much in Super?

It’s annoying in Goten’s case, since I like his character and would like to see him develop some more and do some cool things. Trunks though… eh.

Personally I never cared about Present Trunks, he doesn’t really interest me as a character in any way and he can be a bit hard to like with what a selfish brat he can be, like convincing Goten to beat up Mighty Mask and steal his costume to compete in the adults division of the World Martial Arts Tournament. He’s probably the supporting character in Dragon Ball I’m the most indifferent too, though at least I don’t outright hate him like Oolong.

Honestly I feel like I got all I wanted out of him with his interactions with Future Trunks in episodes 59-60. If Trunks never did anything for the rest of the show I wouldn’t bat an eye. He’s like Chichi in a way, I can enjoy him well enough when he’s on screen and doing something genuinely cool or amusing, but I don’t miss him much when he’s off screen, I’d rather see the other characters I actually like doing stuff.

Goten I am kind of disappointed we haven’t seen him do much in Super either, since I do find him charming and think he could be an interesting character if he was allowed to develop… but, eh. I guess it’s not an absolute deal breaker either.

I dunno, maybe it’s just because them failing to beat Buu and not having a significant character arc in that saga, at least compared to other characters in previous stories like Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo, makes me feel a little less attached to them than the other supporting characters that were around longer. Honestly, I feel a greater desire to see Yamcha get some more character focus in the future than either Goten or Trunks.

Heck, as far as a potential filler episode with the two of them and Marron fighting Poachers on 17′s island goes, I’m more interested in the idea of seeing Marron fight and being revealed to be able to control ki than I am in seeing anything of the boys, mostly since a cute little human girl fighting bad guys with super powers sounds more like a fresh idea for this franchise. Also because I’m a sucker for cute little girl characters, sue me.

This is mostly just me talking though. It IS incredibly lazy of Toriyama that he hasn’t bothered to think of anything to do with the boys, especially considering they’re Goku and Vegeta’s children and some very popular characters, especially in Japan. 

But, honestly, Toriyama shoved plenty of other characters gradually to the side throughout Dragon Ball and Z. This is the sort of thing I expect from him, in a way. I’m still salty that Launch hasn’t come back, but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying Z and other Dragon Ball stories.

Goten and Trunks are just the latest victims of this trend in Toriyama’s writing, and while it’s annoying, we’ve been seeing plenty of other characters get moments to shine recently, their own breather episodes outside of the main sagas, Future Trunks got to be the star of a story, we have interesting new supporting characters like Beerus, Whis, Future Mai, Hit, Toppo, etc to watch.

I’m sure they’ll do something eventually, or maybe we’ll get another Dragon ball sequel post EoZ where they’ll be major characters in it (I will always hold out hope for that to happen. I know it will, it’s inevitable, I just hope it happens soon), so I’m not pulling my hairs out in frustration. Yet, anyway.

I was waiting for a hint of android 17 to come back since Super was announced, and I waited patiently through two whole sagas to see Gohan and various other characters do important plot stuff and character development in Super, and now that‘s paying off gloriously in the Universe Survival Saga (… except in Tien’s case. yeah, poor guy got the shaft. Ah well, at least he has his own dojo now. Still the most actual character progression he’s had since beating Mercenary Tao, so… it’s something?).

I’ve learned to be patient with Super. It’s not perfect and it does some things wrong, but it hits more than it misses and has delivered a lot recently. Maybe Toriyama actually does have a plan for Goten and Trunks somewhere down the line, and we’ll all be laughing about how we thought Toei had just forgotten about them a year or two later. Or maybe they’ll disappear into the background completely. I dunno, as long as the stories are fun I’m not losing any sleep over it.

I feel for people who are bigger fans of the character’s though, I do know how they feel and appreciate that the current situation is frustrating. I don’t begrudge people for being displeased over it. It’s just one of those things where personally I’m just shrugging my shoulders and letting things play out.

[aym-blast-blue]

Naruto: The Next Path, Ch. 2

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Dragon Ball Super/Z belongs to Akira Toriyama. Note that some of the techniques and attack belongs to rightful owner. Most info will be described in the last chapter. Words in italic appeared when characters are thinking or flashbacks shown.

#2: Prepare For The Worse

Naruto's House

Oturan arrived on the outer balcony with Kakashi. “This is Naruto's place, he lives inside alone,” Kakashi spoked. “Wait, does Naruto have parents?” Oturan asked. “I’m afraid it's quite a long story, Taroko, but that's not necessary for you to ask that,” Kakashi replied. “I see, perhaps he live his life the harshful way, like I am,” Oturan sighed. Kakashi ring the doorbell as the yellow haired boy opened the door. He appeared wearing his usual orange jacket with white collar that also shows navy blue from the shoulder of his jacket, and matching pants. He was currently not wearing his leaf band that resembles the village symbol.

“Kakashi sensei, what brings you here?” Naruto exclaimed. “Well, Naruto, while I was running an errand, I found a kid wandering around the forest this afternoon,” Kakashi replied. Oturan stares at the young boy’s face. “That boy must be Naruto Uzumaki... Whis was right from the beginning,” Oturan thoughts. Naruto stares at the young Saiyan in confusion. “Who is he?” Naruto asked.

“That he is actually a she, Naruto, and her name is Taroko Ryukana, she will stay at your place until her family found her,” Kakashi replied. Naruto stare closely at Oturan as he exclaimed and his eyes became pupiless in a comical way while pointing at Oturan. “What the heck? She looks like a punk with that hairdo styled like that!” Naruto exclaimed, in shock. “Did he called me a punk? I wish I could choke him so bad,” Oturan thoughts. Kakashi protects Naruto from Oturan as he grabs Naruto’s hand to put his hand down. “Calm down, Naruto, she’s not a punk, you can’t just judge anyone by its book cover,” Kakashi protected.

“Easy for you to say, as far I’m concerned, you may be wrong! That kid is a boy behind all the clothes he’s wearing!” Naruto growled. Kakashi sighed, “He’s so stubborn when he meets someone new as always.” The silver haired man turns at Oturan. “Taroko, please take care and stay safe with Naruto, alright?” “Okay, and thanks for touring the village, Mr. Kakashi, maybe you can show me more of this village another time!” Oturan beamed. “See you later,” Kakashi grinned, waved at Naruto and Oturan and then vanished.

“Man, I guess I don’t have a choice, I can’t believe I’ll had to take care of that girl. She maybe have the appearance of a punk, but she sounds like an innocence girl…” Naruto thoughts, groaning in grief. “Calm down, Naruto, you’re a cool person to Taroko, all you had to do is treat her like a nice girl even though she’s really acting like one.”  Naruto closed his door and took a deep breath. “Um, Taroko, did I get that name right?” he asked. “Yes,” Oturan replied.

“So, where did you come from?” Naruto questioned. “I live in East District 439,” Oturan replied. “East District 439? I never heard of that place,” Naruto puzzled. “So how do you live in this village without your parents of your own, Naruto?” Oturan asked. “I have my guardian take care of me until I become a ninja, his name is Iruka Umino,” Naruto replied. “He’s a nice guy, but sometimes he scares the heck out of me. But now that I’m a genin (junior ninja)…” Naruto pointing at himself with his thumb. “...I can take of myself!”

“Oh, I see, you live as a genin right now,” Oturan exclaimed. “Yep, my wish is to be hokage, so that everyone will respect me, believe it!” Naruto smiled. “You want to be the leader of this village?” Oturan asked. “Yup!” Naruto replied. “And what about you? Don’t you have a family that was waiting on you?” “Um,” Oturan paused. “Yes, that’s why I’m going to stay here at your house for several nights.”

“You went through a lot today, are you starving?” Naruto asked. “I can make you some instant ramen!” Oturan’s stomach growled as she stares down and stares at Naruto. “Yes, please! I’m really starving I had to eat twice amount of what you eat! Maybe I can help you make ramen!” Oturan chirped. Naruto thoughts, “Man, rarely there were girls that eats more than Choji!” the blond boy starts giggling, “Ehehehehe! Allow me, you’re my guest!”

Later…

There were huge amount of ramen on the table. “Let’s eat!” The two kids cheered in unison. They starts eating like pack of wolves. Oturan eats her ramen like it was a giant drink. Naruto stopped eating and stares at the young Saiyan gobbling every food on the table, unlady like manner. “Damn, she eats really fast! What the heck is up with this girl?” Naruto thoughts. As Naruto and Oturan finished eating, he told the young Saiyan about his life as a ninja. “I went to the Land of Water to protect the old man named Tazuna the bridge builder…” And tell few of his favorite folk tale. “The fish turns out to be a human…” Naruto explained. He even perform one technique such as the Shadow Clone Technique. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” the blond boy chanted. He duplicate himself into four as Oturan was yawning. “What? Cloning is allowed in this world too? This world is too much for me!” Oturan thoughts. “Hehehe, is it really surprising for you?” four doppelgangers of Naruto laughed in unison.

Naruto stares at Oturan, who was falling asleep. His three doppelgangers vanished into smoke. “Ah! You’re sleeping!” he exclaimed. Naruto grabs the young Saiyan and gives her a piggyback ride to his bed, and took off her shoes that was very different to Naruto’s zori shoes. He covers Oturan with his blanket. “Man, I may had to sleep on the couch for awhile…” he thoughts.

Hours later, it was morning but still dark. “Goku… Gohan… Goten… Chi-Chi...” she muttered. Oturan slowly woke up from her dreams. She looks around, but the young Saiyan was still inside Naruto’s house on top of his bed. Naruto was sleeping on the couch in his pajamas, snoring peacefully. “What in the world? I’m still in Naruto’s house? I thought all of this was just a dream...” the young Saiyan thoughts. Oturan realized what Whis said to her.

Flashbacks

Whis finally transported Oturan to another world from another universe, safely landed on nearby branches. “Here we are,” the blue angel said. “This place looks different from back home,” Oturan exclaimed. “If you learn so much in this world, I'll come back and take you home,” Whis said. “This will be your stop for now, and we'll meet again in the future.”

Flashbacks ends

“Oh, right, that blue man with the halo flying around his head told me that I can come back home if I learned about the life of the ninja world. I thought Naruto told everything, and then that blue man would come back and pick me up. That’s too bad, I still have a long way to go…” Oturan falls back into slumber.

The next morning...

Birds are chirping outside. Oturan woke up from Naruto’s bed. She starts yawning, and then look around. Naruto was not there. “Naruto?” the young Saiyan exclaims. Oturan closes her eyes, and then tries to sense Naruto’s energy. “He must be somewhere in the field, but where exactly?” Oturan went out of bed, and founded a note on top of his drawer with a spare of clothes with shampoo, conditioner and an extra towel. Oturan reads the note as Naruto’s voice was spoken in Oturan’s mind, “Hey, Taroko, I left spares of my old clothes for you to wear today, I would not go anywhere with the clothes you’re wearing right now if I were you! And I got you some shower stuff for you!” “Naruto sure cares about me since last night,” Oturan thoughts. “He must be working his butt off in his genin or ninja duty!”

Oturan was showering inside the bathtub in cold water. After she took a shower, Oturan wore Naruto’s old clothes that was a plain black T-shirt and tan pants with brand new pair of opened toe shoes that fits her shoe size. She was staring at the window. She sees Kakashi outside and open the front door. “Mr. Kakashi! What brings you here?” she exclaims. “I’m here to check on you, Taroko,” Kakashi replied. “If you’re looking for Naruto, he went training on his own at the training field.” “Can you please take me there? I’m going to thank Naruto for caring me,” Oturan asked. “Certainly, I might as well checked on him,” Kakashi replied. Oturan and Kakashi went out of the house as the silver haired man locked the door with the his own key to Naruto’s place.

Third Training Ground (also known as Training Field)

The glade field was a spotted plain with trees and mountains from the distance. There are no roads, but there are three naked stumps in the center along with a memorial stone that shows the history of the fallen ninjas died from the Nine Tailed Fox years Naruto was born. Coincidentally, Naruto was training on his own. He attempted to knock one of the trees with a strong chakra technique known as Rasengan, or Spiral Chakra Sphere, with the help of his doppelganger. “Rasengan!” Naruto yells. The tree that Naruto knocked with his Rasengan is slightly damaged.

Meanwhile, Oturan and Kakashi feels the breeze that was nearly close. “What the heck was that breeze?” Oturan exclaimed. “That breeze you’re feeling comes from none other than Naruto,” Kakashi replied. “He must have use Rasengan in his training.” “Rasengan? Is it like an energy attack?” Oturan puzzled. “Yes, since you’re a kid, it will be hard to explain for you as I know,” Kakashi said. Oturan saw Naruto and ran to him. “Naruto!” Oturan gasped. Naruto turns at Oturan and Kakashi. “Taroko! Kakashi sensei!” Naruto exclaimed. “That was really impressive how you created the Rasengan!” Oturan complimented. “But still, that may cost you chalka!” “Ehehehe, it’s chakra, by the way, Taroko,” Naruto giggled. “Come to think of it, you should learn more at the academy,” Kakashi said. “If not, perhaps there’s certain someone who will give you a private lesson since you proved yourself that you’re stronger than Naruto.”

“I guess so,” Oturan mumbled, in embarrassment. “Whis didn’t tell me about chakra back home…” Naruto’s eyes became pupil less in a comical way, and pointed at Kakashi as Oturan flinched and covered her ears. “What’s wrong with you, Kakashi sensei? I thought my training paid off all the debt!” Naruto fumed. “Give it a rest, Naruto, we’ll be having another mission with the entire squad today,” Kakashi sighed. “Another errand?!” Naruto yells.

“And Taroko, since you’ll be meeting my other two students, I should probably groom your hair,” Kakashi added. “Are you kidding? You’re not going to cut off few of my hair, are you?!” Oturan blurted. “Don’t worry, it’ll be temporary,” Kakashi chuckled. Oturan was running away from Kakashi as her pupil less eyes appeared in a comical style as Kakashi grabs her. “Like hell you’re styling my hair! I rather die in this world!” Oturan yells. “Hold still, Taroko! Save all your energy for later!” Kakashi barked.

Mission Assignment Hall

Squad 7 was assemble. Naruto’s other teammates was Sasuke Uchiha, with jet black duck hairdo that looks similar to Oturan but has less bang and more layer from the front; along with Sakura Haruno, a female ninja with pink short hair and high forehead. Oturan was standing outside the office. “Squad 7, you will be assign on a D rank mission today,” the fifth hokage spoked. “Your assignment for today is to help Taroko Ryukana shop some clothing for herself. Because of that, you will had to carry her bags as soon as she is done shopping.”

Oturan appeared opening the door. Her spiky hair was down from the back of her upper neck that included a cross hair clip, making her hair more feminine than her normal hairdo. “Lady Tsunade, you called?” Oturan perplexed. She thinks to herself, “I hate my new hairdo…” Sasuke stares at Oturan in an unimpressive way, as Sakura’s reaction was the opposite. “Um, Kakashi sensei, is that kid supposed to be Taroko Ryukana?” Sakura puzzled. “Yes, she may not look like what you’ve seen with your eyes, that’s why you’re required to assign the mission,” Kakashi replied. Sasuke’s eyes are narrow in a comical style. “I had a bad feeling about that girl,”  Sasuke thoughts.

“Mr. Kakashi, who are the other two kids in your squad?” Oturan asked. “My other students are Sakura and Sasuke,” Kakashi responses. “Hi, Taroko, I’m Sakura Haruno,” Sakura greeted. “We should get to know each other!” “And I’m Sasuke Uchiha,” Sasuke replied, calmly. “If only you’re a ninja, you seem to look like you can challenge me even if you’re a girl.” Oturan stares at Sakura and then Sasuke. “Sakura seems to be friendly, and Sasuke, he looks like a cool guy other than Naruto,” the young Saiyan thoughts.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Z 040

Last time, Bulma got captured by aliens.  The good news is that it’s not that kind of anime, but the bad news is that it’s still anime, so she spends the whole episode stealth cosplaying Ellen Ripley in Alien.

Also, the aliens holding guns on the gang are all frightened children, so that makes things a little awkward.

They narrowly escaped a bunch of space invaders, and they think Krllin, Gohan, and Bulma are part of that group.   This assumption gets dumber the more we find out about the bad guys.   For openers, I’m pretty sure alien marauders wouldn’t wear a knit shirt that looks like it came out of my little brother’s closet back when he was five.   Bulma’s not dressed at all, which seems pretty un-menacing, and Gohan’s even younger than all of these refugees.

Krillin tells Gohan to power up, since it looks like they’ll have to fight their way out of this, but then a little girl runs up and kicks him in the shin.  Who’s the real alien monster here, I ask you?   Not Krillin, that’s for sure.

The boys in charge decide they have to kill their prisoners, since they must be working for some guy named “Frieza.”    Typical filler episode, introducing characters and concepts that’ll never get mentioned again.

Despite all the guns, the kids are reluctant to actually kill anyone, and then an alarm goes off.   Turns out the ship flew into a field of meteors.    Okay, I don’t want to sound like a killjoy, but stuff like this bugs me in outer space stories.   Space is huge, and so are asteroid fields, meteor showers, whatever.   Typically, every fictional spaceship has a seemingly all-seeing sensor array, which can detect anything that happens outside and throw an alarm.   But the damn thing never actually alarms until they’re already in danger.  If you think about the guy designing the ship, wouldn’t it make a lot more sense to alert the crew before they got close enough to hit something?    Because, again, space is huge.   However they ran into this obstacle, they’ve been heading towards it for a long time.

On the other hand, the bridge is being staffed by more frightened children, so that probably explains a lot about their crappy protocols.   Someone probably put the red alert klaxon in silent mode because it interrupted their screening of “Frozen”.    Kids, am I right?    Well, this isn’t one of your video games.   This is real life, and you only get one life in this “stage”.   So I suggest you unlock a new achievement by putting away your smartphones and doing some hard work for a change.

Sorry, I was trying to mock grumpy old people on Facebook, but I ended up disgusting myself.   What frightens me is that there’s probably people younger than I am who will eventually talk like that.    Hell, some of them probably already do.  Some idiot at my job put a printout on the bulletin board that had some quote about working hard, and it was attributed to Thomas Jefferson, and it took all my willpower not to write on it “Jefferson owned slaves.     He literally forced other people to do his work for him.”   But chances are he never even said the quote.  

Anyway, these kids are clearly out of their depth, is my point.

Back on Earth, Goku’s in the hospital, and he’s freaking out because the doctor’s going to stick him with a needle.  The doctor gives him that horseshit about how Goku’s being a baby because he hasn’t even stuck him yet.  Yeah, he knows that, stupid.   He’s upset because you’re going to stick him with a needle, because he doesn’t like needles.   If you had already done it, he wouldn’t care, because it would be over. 

I mean, seriously, fuck this guy.  Goku got crushed half-to-death by a giant ape.   The pain isn’t the issue here.   He doesn’t like the idea of having a thin piece of metal jabbed into his veins.   It’s the idea of it, that’s the problem.    Honestly, for me, the worst part about giving blood is when they prep my arm, and then later when I can feel the tube laying on my arm, and it’s warm.   Would it kill them to put a towel or something under it so it wouldn’t feel as weird?    Has that been an option all along and I just didn’t know to ask?    Maybe I could move it over myself, but no way in hell do I want to look in the general direction of that arm while the business is happening.  Would I pass out at the sight of the tube?   Maybe not, but I refuse to find out the hard way.   I’ll ask God when I die.    Is that weird?    A lot of things in life just don’t have answers available, and I console myself by thinking I can just do a Q&A with God in the afterlife.   The Almighty might refuse to tell me, but at least then I’d know that it’s just impossible for me to find out, and that’s sort of comforting in a way. 

Chi-Chi shames Goku in public, but that’s totally different.   The doctor’s supposed to show some compassion and make Goku feel better.   Chi-Chi, on the other hand, is clearly doing some sort of kink thing that only she and Goku know about.    Look at that face.    That is a thirsty man, right there.

Back in space, Bulma wants to bug out while they still can, but Krillin and Gohan want to help the kids.  

Of course, there’s not a whole lot martial artists can do in a situation like this, but the boys can lift stuff, so they do.

Bulma then gets frustrated with the ship’s pilot and takes over for him.  

Kid, if looks could kill...

She mostly works out the controls on her own, and snaps at a kid whenever she gets stuck.

For some reason the helm control looks like a keyboard, which seems a bit complicated.   It looks more like Bulma is coding a program instead of directly controlling the ship.    Anyway, her fingers are just flying on that keyboard.   Definitely a rare hero moment for Bulma 

Meanwhile, Gohan shoots something with a Masenko.   Not sure how that’s a good idea on a spaceship, but good hustle, Gohan.

Then, after Bulma flies them to safety, the kids still draw their guns on her, and accuse her of working for Frieza.   Look, the thing is, Frieza doesn’t even have any women on his team.     Unless this is some fandom AU where he’s surrounded by OC consorts, in which case I guess a blue-haired lady in her undies would fit right in.  “Yes, you certainly did an.... adequate job piloting this vessel, my dear.    However, I have other duties for you now... of the bedroom variety.”   “As you command, my lord.”   You still don’t need to hold a gun on her, though.

Can I just say that Bulma looks ri-friggin’-diculous in this episode?    Who was this for, exactly?   I mean, she looks normal for the style of this show, but that doesn’t lend itself to fanservice at all.   Like, her left arm looks okay, and the rest of her is all boxy and weird.  It’s like a self-hating hentai dude commissioned this.    He wanted to see Bulma in her underwear, but he didn’t want to enjoy it.   Oh, and I just noticed her weird baby hand.  Yeesh.

One of the kids is convinced that Krillin and Gohan are bad guys because they have super powers, but the ones who saw them help out know better.    I guess Bulma looks a little closer to the “sexy cartoon woman” style here, but I don’t think the fanservice crowd would settle for a shot like this.  

So now that everyone’s friends, the kids explain how their planet was invaded by guys working for some dork named “Frieza”, and their leader was apparently Cui, who we’ll meet a few episodes later.    Krillin finds the story similar to how the Saiyans operated, but the kids say their attackers didn’t have tails.    To be fair, Vegeta has no tail either, at the moment, but whatever.

The adults on the planet were slaughtered to clear the land for Frieza’s use, but they managed to evacuate the children onto spaceships.

But Frieza’s men chased them all down, except for this one, which was chrome-plated.    Apparently this was all they had to do for camouflage?   Seems a little fishy to me.

I don’t understand why the parents sent their kids off in spaceshps without sending at least some adults along to take care of them.   They just tossed them on a ship full of guns and booby traps and no one knows how to fly it, and that was their plan?    Maybe there was an adult pilot, and he got killed at some point.   The Earthlings ask them where they’re headed, and they explain that there’s another planet where they think they’ll be taken in.    You’d think Bulma would offer to double-check their heading, or at least teach them how to fly their own ship so they don’t run into any more trouble, but nah.

When he finds out they’re going to Namek, the refugee leader gives them coordinates for a shortcut, and Bulma rushes off to make use of it.   You know these are just children, right?   Their own shortcut took them through an asteroid field, so maybe you shouldn’t be following their advice too closely.

Then we cut to Planet Frieza No. 79.    Is this the same planet the kids came from?   It’d tie things together nicely, I suppose.  

Frieza’s men detect Vegeta’s ship coming in for a landing, so they send out guys to meet him.   One of them is a dog, and the other looks suspiciously like Sam Guthrie from the New Mutants.

But he doesn’t get out of the pod, and this raises some questions.   First, where’s Nappa?   Second, who wrecked Vegeta’s shit?

So they slap him in a regeneration tank.   It’ll heal him faster than the treatment Goku is currently getting, but let’s remember that it took Vegeta 18 days to get here, so he’s probably in even worse shape than he was in when he left Earth. Also, the healing tank isn’t exactly a quick process.

Get used to this shot, is what I’m saying.

In space, Bulma takes the ship on the shortcut to Namek, and this leads them into the opening of a Looney Toons short.  I hope it’s not a Foghorn Leghorn one.   Those aren’t as good.

There’s some space turbulence, and Bulma ends up landing in Krillin’s lap, so she slaps him for copping a feel.   Why is she still undressed?   

Doesn’t matter, because they’ve finally reached Namek!   And it looks... a little paler than usual...

Bulma finally puts some clothes on and it looks like we can finally get this thing started.

But in her haste to check out the planet, she never notices the ship’s computer, which has a flashing red warning.    Aw, probably the check-engine light.    She can take it to an Auto Zone on the way back.