Dragon Ball: SUPER Review (Part 5) - The Tournament of Power

this video is sponsored by me I made a poster with some t-shirts you can buy them in the description if you want k bye oh yeah guys we've done it we finally made it we've covered battle of gods resurrection f the universe six tournament - Goku black and even the recruitment ark before this one leading to this moment where we stand defiantly at the base of our last mountain 36 episodes 79 fighters and one really boring paperweight stand before us in the finish line alright okay I'm kidding about the whole paperweight thing or am i holy wood way to find out and it's in this my longest review yet and so I hope you've got your comfy seat ready some food and a drink because this is gonna be a ride today I will be exploring the final chapter of Dragon Ball super animate to date diving in depth with multiple episodes expanding on why I hated and what I loved I'm totally not mark and this is my review for Dragon Ball super long complicated and action-packed tournament of power [Music] all right first up quick rundown of the team the team captain whatever that means is gone after intense training for a day and a half next Niccolo cruel intention on androids 18 and 17 Master Roshi inexplicably Vegeta after a bunch of time of the chamber Goku naturally and the wild-card Frieza the rules eliminate the other universes participants by knocking them off the edge of the arena Oh also there's no flying you get disqualified by taking a life or by using enhancements so no poison for frost if everyone on a team was eliminated then the entire universe they represent and them get erased well that's sufficiently terrifying Oh also seen as I have like 36 episodes to get through today I've decided to break these bad boys into groups of three starting with episodes 96 97 and 98 so let's dive in unfortunately during the production of this arc the original Japanese voice actor of Bulma Hiro Mitsuru tragically passed away the last line she recorded for the show being everyone good luck we're counting on you I think it goes without saying that she would be deeply missed by millions around the world and that her impact on all of our lives cannot be understated the first episode itself deals with the prelude to the tournament during which Goku actually has a brief interaction with Geron which effectively sets up Goku's goal for the entire tournament get to Gian and battle him in addition to that we also get Juran's first sentence it's short and reveals nothing such as the exposure Turan has received thus far in addition to this interaction we get a glimpse of freeze a meeting Frost for the very first time making a secret alliance so it's gonna be interesting to see how that plays out later on and with those brief interactions shown to us the tournament gets underway and the chaos ensues and that's what I notice a really weird decision that's made at the very beginning of the tournament we're almost every character from universe 7 that lasts the longest are the first to act alone now I can sort of see what they're trying to go for here the theme of this arc is very clearly that of trust and teamwork and so starting for a position where they are not working as part of a team makes sense to build a story upon going from not working as a team to then learning its value but in doing this you're throwing literally everyone else who actually does work as part of a team from the get-go under a bus which sort of flies in the face of the entire theme of this arc it's not like most of these guys do whether the tournament as a result of teamwork for very long either but I'm getting ahead of myself here as the tournament commences chaos ensues half of universe 7 remains in a tight huddle strategy which honestly is smart as the other universes Duke it out as the fighting ensues throughout the tournament goku vegeta eventually are cornered by the ninth universe before completely blowing them away with a series of attacks throughout the opening minutes of the event making universe 9 the first to be eliminated from the tournament of power and ultimately erased from existence this establishes that the rules are 100% serious and the reality of that situation can be seen on everyone's faces still participating as they all take pause episodes 99 100 and 101 these are a fun collection of episodes the first deals with Crillon primarily as he along with Android 18 confront and eliminate majora from universe 4 it's a fun little episode climaxing in a feel-good Crillon moment but quickly takes the negative turn when he is blindsided by frost and sent to the spectators bench Krillin is the first fighter eliminated from universe 7 after this Kali flood decides to confront Goku about wanting to learn how to turn Super Saiyan blue which Goku says is way too advanced for her and that she should instead focus on the other forms of Super Saiyan Goku in this moment sort of assumes a mentor type relationship with cauliflower and the to end up battling and having a lot of fun when they are going back and forth this however seems to really bother her friend sister pupil who is kale to cauliflower anyway she begins going berserk again in this weird green Super Saiyan form which to be perfectly honest is almost on par with the original abroad his motivation at least when it comes to stakes I don't like sharing I don't like crying I swear if the Broly movie a couple years ago didn't recreate the parolee character from scratch my head cannon would be that in order to have the green hair as a Super Saiyan you have to be really stupid anyway she pretty much goes on a rampage throughout the arena naki around various fighters eventually landing herself in a position where Universal Evans most basic fighters all start ganging up on her Goku and cauliflower four we had temporary alliance between the three eventually it becomes the case the kale and cauliflower are cornered and need then to rely on each other's power leading to kale actually learning how to control the power temporarily together the two young Saiyans combine their attacks in a blast where looks like an ice-cream I had when I was a kid and in doing so eliminating a bunch of fighters from the eleventh universe the episode itself ends proper with Goku given the two girls time to recharge and regain their stamina after their clash with universe 11 episodes 102 103 and 104 okay so no time to waste because Brienne literally everyone's favorite character makes her grand entrance and demonstration flanked by two other magical girl parodies together in this episode they pretty much end up trying to transform like a whole mess of times and and don't get me wrong it's a cool transformation sequence but geez does this go on and on for the sake of a joke and saving time and animation Brienne eventually does get to transform into her ultimate stage Ripley and your favorite character in mind and as I've said she is sort of a parody on the magical girl genre which I actually like and her design is ol arias too but that charm is gone soon after with the frequency with which she makes the same gags over and over and over although that's less of a problem with her and more of a common trait in Dragon Ball in general however the episode itself continues as river ankles on a rampage around the arena grossing on Fuji de and knocking out a bunch of no names seventeen meanwhile is having a great fight with one of the other magical growth fighters called cocoon so the episode itself has some really imaginative fight sequences and some great artwork ending in 17 eliminating both her and Vic al from universe 2 later we see Gohan eliminating China's president leading to both he and piccolo fighting the last two members of universe 10 ultimately winning that exchange and sealing the fates of that universe go on looks at the last fighters locket with a picture of his family as the fighters and deities vanished before their eyes Gohan mourns as the tenth Universe is eliminated and erased from existence the stakes are indeed high with universe 10 now done for we then switch gears to another battle that is getting underway between hit and Universal Evans dispo he's joined by his universe 11 teammate kun she needed Goku to offer hit some backup utilizing his super saiyan cod form for the first time since season 1 to match dispo speed together they eliminate could she but dis boat does manage to retreat it's actually a faunal episode and it's almost refreshing to see something like Super Saiyan God which up until this point had been criminally underused episode 105 106 and 107 okay so these episodes are really a mixed bag what is what is really bad and another is actually really good so we're batting two four three here episode 105 pretty much focuses on and covers master Rosie's fight with a duck and it's actually really touching more specifically this episode deals with Master Roshi's thoughts on his life his philosophy and what he'll be leaving behind if he does go here and now while charging what seems to be one last Kamehameha from the originator of the technique we receive dialog that effectively captures my love for an entire era of Dragon Ball in just a few short lines and it was most definitely enough to squeeze a few tears for me too after this row she falls and lifelessly to the floor spurring Goku on to completely forget about the fight he's having and engaging in right now to rush to his side Goku somehow miraculously brings Roshi back to life through some unknown power and once the old guy starts to stir Goku quickly revert back to being his innocent self the same way he was in early Dragon Ball it's a tender moment that honestly it worked really effectively for me the next episode oh ever is one that primarily deals with a sniper and tension on who barely manages to eliminate the single person bad episode it's ok look it's really not my thing personally it really lacked any sense of suspense and honestly felt out of place amidst the rest of this tournament so moving on episode 107 has some really strong storyboarding when I first saw Frost receiving instruction from shop at his palace on what his plan of action should be for it to subtly fade into the tournament arena in a flash of lightning I knew I was in for a treat here it was seamless and brilliant also within this episode this weird blue water fighter magic Isle causes dispo trouble until Jared finally does something and eliminates the potentially dangerous fighter with little effort so that's pretty cool anyways Frost begins fighting Master Roshi who is struggling against it because of course is but get this frost is suddenly put on the back foot by row G which is at least to me hilariously unrealistic but at least it's not for long and without prior warning Roshi bursts out the mouth of a technique on frost I keep getting surprised by that thing however Roshi is very much at his limit and doesn't possess enough strength to execute the move flawlessly resulting in frost escape completely taken aback by this the universe six fighter quickly formulates a cunning plan that involves getting the attention of the firing an attack towards the Saiyan who blocks it with ease investigating the situation Vegeta rushes in only to be suddenly attacked by an old rival magetta who's defending Frost no armed with earplugs McKenna now has no obvious weakness in an effort to help the cheetah Master Roshi uses the mouth of a once again but this time Frost redirects it and uses it on Vegeta instead all this time he was waiting for this opportunity sealing Vegeta away in a vial frost seems to have gotten his revenge on the same prince turning his attention once again back to Roshi frost releases a barrage of blasts during which Roshi manages to throw a tiny undetectable blast that meets his mark breaking the file unleashing Vegeta and his wrath exploded forth from the prison in a blue flash of light after this Frost like the smoke bombs away like a 60s cartoon villain and Vegeta knocks McKenna out of the ring much like he did the last time Vegeta respects Roshi after this but advises him to take stock of the situation and to eliminate himself now before something terrible happens episode 108 109 and 110 the special in episode 108 the alliance Frieza made with frost at the tournament's beginning rears its ugly head go on his scene struggling with the yard drive from the second universe when Frieza comes in and takes control of the situation easily as Gohan's backup but then frost joins the frame changing the dynamic entirely free said he seemed to have come to some sort of understanding which ultimately leads to freeze and needing to fight Gohan to prove his loyalty to Frost Frieza plays along and transforms getting what seems to be the upper hand on Gohan in essence betraying his own universe eventually knocking goin to the side with a brief break from the action Frieza talks of frost unloading advise unto Him as if he were his mentor figure the final piece of advice that he unloads onto him though not to trust anyone knocking him out of the ring much to frost surprise he had been pulling his punches its entire time with Gohan who had also been in on this charade but who cares about that because now we've got the real meat and potatoes and I'm not saying that because I'm from Ireland I'm saying that because this is when the action gets turned up to 11 you see episodes 109 and 110 are the installments that made up the hour-long TV special that aired together when broadcast in Japan it covers the end of Goku's battle with rib Rianne which is really well animated and the first fight goku has with jared throughout the series during his barely being seen to move but this is where goku forces jared to move like literally the dude won't move unless Kaku makes him it's really fun scene that escalates very quickly from the get-go and there's tension because we want to know how Goku matches up to this wall that Jairam poses cycling through his base forms Super Saiyan Warren and two Super Saiyan God which actually punches his head a smidge Super Saiyan blue and even Super Saiyan blue kaio-ken times 20 without any success unless you consider making a move a success in which case got him their fight in this clown Ken variation of the Super Saiyan blue form is my favorite in this exchange Goku beam flung to the arena floor only to explode back into jaren's face it's pretty great to see there's also a gorgeous tracking shot of the two as they fight around the arena passing all the other fighters give me a great sense of scale to the actual occasion things however become dire as Goku exhausts pretty much every technique and option at his disposal well all except one this Spirit Bomb which happens to have my favorite accompanying track of the entire series and that's only the first half yeah you heard me right this is only the first half and that first half ends as gern forces the spear pawn back onto Goku who seemingly gets destroyed in the explosion it's honestly a crazy sight to behold as the second half begins everyone is left in awe laughter what's transpired when suddenly [Applause] Goku erupts from the floor presenting to us the best transformation sequence in this series not Super Saiyan God our blooper Saiyan ultra instinct has been hinted at since episode 5 when Goku's body acted without him against beerus this is what I call a transformation that has been built upon and given the correct occasion and man is the fight that follows impressive we see Goku dodge your attacks with little difficulty and the action supplied by toys finest is spectacular in this one special we get Ryo on a sheet Yuya Takahashi now k pate and even some no Toshi schita covering the end of the fight as Goku charges with one final attack towards durin before unfortunately running in a juice at the last moment before being cast aside with ease by the monstrous universe 11 warrior the ending of the episode also is a brilliant callback role reversal with Frieza offering up his energy to Goku very reminiscent of what Goku did for him an emic we interrupt this tournament for two not hey what's up guys for the first time ever I've decided to make some t-shirts I made the design to celebrate the completion of Dragon Ball super and I produced it in a fully colored classic manga style from the lineart all the way through to the fully colored and rendered image this might be my favorite illustration I've ever done so I hope you guys like it and if you don't feel like a t-shirt right now we've got a whole bunch of other stuff including posters hoodies and mugs all with this design these will only be available for a limited time so if you want to get your TM designed apparel click the link in the description down below now back to the tournament episode 111 112 and 113 so this episode pretty much covers the aftermath of Goku's fight with jared goku himself is entirely spent and needs to recuperate his energy levels again with a nice rest while this is all transpiring hit directs his attention towards Geron as the to begin battling in doing so hit breaks out a ton of interesting unpredictable moves against urine but none of them seemed to work or have that much of an effect at all though I must say it is fun to watch the two of them discover the depths of each other's abilities firsthand it's also nice to get longer stretches where we are exposed to during more eventually hit manages to restrain journey in another dimension or something with this new technique he's been developing but even that isn't enough and with a dominating attack Geron eliminates hit in just two episodes jared has destroyed two of the Ramdas contestants of the tournament and yet we still know very little about Durin's personality next up is pretty much for all intents and purposes a set up episode piccolo and Gohan start fighting the universe six namekians Kaba becomes Super Saiyan 2 after being saved and given a pep talk like Vegeta a drained Goku has trouble with some robots but cauliflower kale removed them from the equation essentially this episode is all about universe 6 and universe sevens relationship oh and Frieza eliminates kata - and to be perfectly honest I'm very disappointed with what little they did with kavas character moving on episode 113 is pretty much all about the fight between Goku and the remaining universe six Saiyans really since hit was their leader and has since been eliminated cauliflower wants to learn how to turn Super Saiyan 3 to take charge of her situation for her universe and so Goku begins fighting her I actually really enjoyed this interaction since Goku is red lightning when it comes to energy levels he's forced to rely on his martial arts knowledge while in his base for as he regains his stamina slowly he worked his way back up through the Super Saiyan forms as kale rejoins the party and as soon as their teamwork starts to get the better of Goku he bursts in Super Saiyan 3 easily overpowering them before reverting back to Super Saiyan su he still doesn't have enough stamina to show them everything he's capable of just yet Kael on the other hand who knows seems to be in control of her green haired Super Saiyan form tries to push herself farther into the depths of her power however in doing so she loses herself once again ending the episode oh and by the way ever since hit was eliminated Jared's been sleeping I mean meditating episode 114 115 and 116 taking off right from where the previous left off kale is about to go berserk of once again but cauliflower once again brings her back from the brink and together they take on Goku now armed with even more firepower the fight is honestly really pretty in places with gorgeous artwork from you your takahashi and even some comedic moments with Frieza and the Power Ranger guy animated by yuuichi Kurosawa one of the principal animators from episode 50 that I also loved so much as the action begins to ramp up Goku is able to use his God form to great effect against the two young sands eventually cornering them and forcing their hand to use their trump card the enter her design it's honestly my favorite of these new Saiyans introduced in the modern generation of Dragonball and as the fight progresses it becomes obvious that Goku won't stand a chance against her if he remains in his God form and so to remain competitive he uses Super Saiyan blue leading kefla to respond in kind by turning Super Saiyan herself things are ties in a little tough for Goku in places but clever uses of the kaio-ken technique keep it from losing too many of the exchanges but that could only last so long Goku is still feeling the effects of the prior battles and eventually is sent flying to the ground with 2 well-placed kicks from Kappler leading to once again a surge of dormant energy brewing from deep within Goku ultra instinct has joined the chat let's hope this time the stakes are a lot enough to make a difference the rear appeal of ultra instinct is once again getting fantastic treatment in this series built up - and demonstrated using appropriate framing and on model Arabic and honestly what follows is some of the most fun fight sequences sporting solid animation and choreography facilitating the single best finish - aimy Dragon Ball fight I have ever seen ever in my life I mean it I cannot begin to describe how much I love that Kamehameha grime that would make Tony Hawk proud performed by Goku when he was seemingly out of options to dodge against Kepler's ice cream attack I quite literally didn't expect it in the slightest and after that devastating attack from Goku Khali flying kale are eliminated leaving just two warriors remaining from their universe in the tournament and OH jury is awake again eight episodes 117 118 and 119 the next episode covers with brianne's battle with android 18 and eventually 17 as they both work together to eliminate her after assuming a massive new form the action is honestly spectacular with cool pieces of animation supplied by Ryo on a sheet the following episode however covers the remaining two fights from universe 6 to namekians have taken the absorption ability explained during the NAM excite - never-before-seen heights the two of them now represent their entire namekian race from universe 6 it's a really cool and great idea that lends a lot of credibility to these two utilizing a ritual established ages and ages ago in the story all the while this is happening the androids give Goku some assistance against the last three fighters from universe 2 as he once again completely drained after his tango with the ultra instinct form however what follows in this episode is easily my favorite Gohan fight in the entire series of Dragon Ball super it demonstrates his calm demeanor extremely well as he despite piccolo losing his cool finds the resolve to not only pick up piccolo slack but also formulate a plan of counter-attack he tells piccolo that while he takes on the two universe six namekians he should charge his makankosappo or special beam cannon depending on your persuasion go on seems to have bought him enough time but even that charge isn't enough to pierce the height of these universe six warriors resulting in a counter-attack leading to Piccolo's fainting it's at this point we are greeted with my personal visual highlight of the episode standing on either side of piccolo in a void of darkness is the spirit of calm E and nail the commie spirit points in front of piccolo leading him to come to his senses as he notices Gohan taking an attack the same way he did for go on when he was a child during the Saiyan saga Gohan still the backbone of the assault presses the attack on the two universe six fighters giving piccolo ample time to charge his makankosappo as one warrior gets dangerously close to attacking Gohan the young Saiyan refuses to flinch having a limitless trust in his mentor piccolo makes the save this time and together they eliminate the last of universe six at the exact same time Goku and the androids eliminate universe two two entire universes have been eliminated in this episode and what an episode it was the parallels between this and the collection of moments during the same saga are not a coincidence the once terrified child are able to stick to a plan always dependent on others to protect him has become a confident intelligent and tenacious warrior with boundless trust in his allies I loved this episode and to cap it all off there's a very bittersweet ending as beerus sees his brother vanish before his eyes unfortunately what follows this stellar show is something of a gimmick episode following the remaining fighters from universe 7 struggling to find and eliminate too hard to see adversaries and while they do eliminate them both eventually piccolo is also eliminated rather unceremoniously episodes 120 121 and 122 the episode kicks off with Gohan wanted to give his father and Vegeta a break from fighting and to take on the robots from universe 3 alone as things get a little more hairy the androids join in and eventually Goku and Vegeta due to its nice game to see Gohan act with some sort of agency instead of him reacting to situations that befall him that is a change to Gohan in this arc that is most notable to me and one that I don't see brought up in conversation nearly enough the next episode begins that all the robots joined to create an organic looking creature called an e Lassa hey look I don't make up the rules I just review them but is that eel asset classed as a fourth separate fighter or is it just one big new one and if that's the case then doesn't it count as the eleventh member of their I don't know anyways Android 18 is saved by Goku and eventually sacrifices herself for her brother so that he can remain in the tournament 18 is therefore eliminated which means that universe 7 is now down to five fighters [Music] I want to also make it known that all this time Jaron has stood and said almost nothing there's even been scenes where his teammates asked him questions and he still says nothing his mean level commitment to this silent tough-guy routine is hilarious he slept I mean meditated in six episodes and since waking up he has literally stood silently not fighting mind you not doing anything for seven episodes thankfully though episode 122 puts it into that trend for Jared as well as doing a fantastic job in setting up the scene at the very beginning with only two universes remaining it's almost framed like a Western close ups to the gloves hair and ears of various characters showing the stillness and cabinets before the storm of conflict to come is strikingly effective universe 11 and universe 7 are all that remained three from universe 11 in jeering dispo and topo and in universe 7 Goku Frieza Android 17 Gohan and Vegeta remain and while the focus is on everyone at the beginning it most certainly is a Vegeta episode and Yuya Takahashi animates too so that's always great kicking things off as the battle between Goku and durin quickly becomes a battle that involves Vegeta demonstrating how he differs as a fighter to Goku [Music] [Applause] while all this is going on we see Frieza versus dispo as well as topo versus Gohan and 17 Vegeta begins scuffling with cheerin throwing blow after blow landing summon even getting the trash talk a bit in response however during bulldozers through a Gallic con and almost knocks vegeta out of Bounce however always defiant he once again stands before the Titan of universe 11 armed with one last massive attack to test him with a super saiyan blue full-powered final flash and it is awesome containing within it at determination within vegeta to not chase Goku any longer but to blaze his own path to power and to find his own way of surpassing and while that is nice and while that is a beautiful sentiment it doesn't work out leading to Vegeta getting trapped in a vortex explosion ball or something by Jared point is Vegeta he's down for the count episodes 123 124 and 125 the battle continues as Goku fights Jared again in blue but this time tries to implement strategy either by setting landmine type energy attacks or by slicing off the arena beneath him using the same attack gorilla news against him in the earlier arc great callback coupled with the instant transmission I loved it looks like Jared is done for when I guess physics be damned like okay I don't understand if flying doesn't work then why does this and this isn't just an isolated incident either there have been countless moments during this tournament where combatants might as well have been flying he shouldn't survive this anyways the episode ends with Vegeta rejoining the fight pushing himself to newer bluer heights I present bloopers Saiyan God bloopers Saiyan blue honestly the compositing around this new Vegeta form is too much for me there are so many light effects sparkles and CGI fluff added in post-production I can honestly barely make out what's happening in terms of fight choreography Frieza meanwhile tries to make a deal with dispo to play for his team if they resurrect him with the super Dragon Balls dispo somewhat intelligently refuses and Frieza transforms into his golden state watching Frieza act as he would have during the NAM exciti is honestly fantastic and super interesting he never does more than he needs to and thinks about every single move he makes and he's always ready with a terrifying wood liner here and there - that is while he's in control and dispo it seems he can turn the Jets up even more as we see in pushing Frieza to the edge of the arena about to be eliminated Gohan makes the save leading to a short but poignant and great interaction between the two of them Gohan is serious and me likey the to fight and struggle against dispo leading to Gohan needing to sacrifice himself for disposal imitation both are knocked out as a result now only topo and Gian remain for the 11th universe and for the 7th Goku Frieza Vegeta and 17 remain and what follows this episode is probably one of the strongest episodes in the tournament I think in terms of character and it's very fun so justice lag mikeg man is fighting 17 who's finding some success with his inexhaustible energy reserves proving to be much more of a problem to top o than he first anticipated however he does plan his opening and launches a massive attack towards 17 but at the last moment right before 17 was about to be overwhelmed Frieza finds himself in the right place at the right time unable to defend himself while holding back seventy's blast freezer begins trash-talking top o todd to him and firing blast after blast at the pride trooper and this is exactly what Frieza would do it's very much a cat play with his food right now but alas the play must end and end it most certainly does sandwich in topo between both his and 17s attacks however unluckily for Frieza moments before he was to knock topo off the stage the downed warrior stands to his feet once again and assumes a power of a god of destruction so that's less than ideal for Frieza in this instance but it does contain a nice callback to the moment Frieza control the destroyer energy but this time it doesn't work out though I'm not sure what stopped it from completely destroying Frieza oh the fight with topo now aid God on destruction fighting 17 resumes leading to a similar instance where 17 is on the verge of defeat when standing atop a rocky outcrop reminiscent of his surprise return on Namek Frieza defiantly blusters a topo leading to the near elimination of the fourth last member of universe 7 Frieza is now out cold inches from elimination there's some terrific expressions in this episode some wonderful animation to boost and I thoroughly enjoyed it all episodes 126 127 and 128 the fight continues as topo gets 17 into a position of elimination for the third time when breezes stops it again MVP of the tournament don't add me I swear Thapa must think this guy is a cockroach or something because he is not going away at all meanwhile the fighting between Gian Goku and Vegeta gets too close to the action of Frieza and 17 causing Topo to start fighting vegeta in Durin's place in short they fight Vegeta gets beaten down and is forced to recall his past to get a surge of inspiration to defy the odds and overcome Topo leading into a recreation of Vegeta sacrifice in the park I do not like this at all and I'll explain why next week so Vegeta crawls out of the crater he sacrificed himself in with a few scratches and less clothes cool so vegeta 17 and goku all team up against Geron who brushes them all off without much difficulty at all throughout this entire tournament Geron has said nothing of substance done extremely little and even spent a large portion of the tournament sleeping and watching others fight he has been this emotionless Terminator type character that literally acts not as a character but as a plot device and obstacle for the heroes of universe 7 to overcome but here we are five episodes from the finish line and we get I'm not kidding here a tragic cliche Gerudo backstory for jeering when I first saw this I burst out crying with laughter anyway 17 calls bs getting on Durin's nerves to such an extent that he ends up sacrificing himself to give Goku Vegeta the best chance to recover and people read like sacrificing themselves in this show Goku still remains on the floor but Vegeta stands defiantly albeit with zero energy left episode 128 is pretty much wall-to-wall Vegeta with a little bit of Goku at the end Vegeta is being beaten to a pulp by Geron over and over and over again this was storyboard heavily corrected by the series character designer Teddy yoshiyama more oh I mentioned during my battle of gods review that he worked on the art for episode thirteen as well the artworks similar to that episode is very on model albeit on the safe side when it comes to its posing Dragon Ball characters sure do love to hold their shoulders don't pay regardless Vegeta keeps getting up again and again to face Geron with the final time he does coming from his lucky boot catching him on a piece of random debris while he's unconscious and that's the second time his boots and a random piece of debris have saved him in this series despite getting up one last time Vegeta ends up falling off the stage leaving Goku alone with Joran but not before giving him all of his remaining energy Goku tries to make this as much of a contest as he can using the last of his and Vegeta's energy but alas it's still not even remotely enough to test or push Jared leading to once again a beaten and weakened Goku on the brink of losing the entire tournament when something starts to happen ultra instant kicks in one more time leading to the first major or significant strike Geron has taken and if that face is anything to go by then we are most certainly in for a treat episodes 129 130 and 131 these final three chapters are the Holy Trinity of Dragon Ball super providing payoff to every substantial thing they did in this arc and show with each episode in my opinion being better than the last so how did they go Goku and Jaron continue fighting in the air because who cares a flying is banned and Goku ends up taking a massive blow from Jared who threw coke whose last two times using the form has already studied and understood its movements well enough to successfully land a shot on this unhittable new form of Goku's Vegeta gives Goku a pep talk from the sidelines ordering Goku to and I quote step into the realms of the gods and defeat jeer in Kakarot hearing this Goku rise himself yet again explosions enveloped the arena as yuuichi Kurosawa another wonderful action animator provides some great artwork and animation for the fight to help it feel as big as it deserves to be however this desperate flurry doesn't last long and as fast as it started Geron has Goku once again pressed down to the ground and this is when we starts to notice something an energy building a sense of stability and offense bubbling within go all this time Goku's ultra instant form had been unrefined and unstable mainly defensive form however for someone to truly perfect ultra instinct to masters they must also be able to attack without thinking simultaneously taking one last deep breath accepting the power surging within him Goku lets out a massive roar as one looks like a galaxy of lights surrounds and flows through him Geron acknowledges and smiles meeting Goku's power output from atop the high ground respect is now something Geron has for Goku taking aim Geron fires the largest attack the tournament has yet seen towards the saying that while currently surging with power is still on a flimsy foothold inches from defeat the attack is fired the sound effects blast accompanied by the roaring sound track when quiet appearing behind Sheren holding in his hand the blaster and sent to him stands Goku shrouded in a phantom white glow similar to how he appeared behind him last only this time he lands consecutive blows while dodging at the exact same time he has mastered offense as well as defense this is mastered ultra instinct and what follows this unveiling is the single biggest fight in Dragon Ball super without exaggeration this is the most well animated episode of Dragon Ball and that includes Dragon Ball Z with it being the treasure gem it is online and all it's honestly wonderful to see a show that started off as rough as it did rise up to be the single best demonstration of animation in the Dragon Ball episodic series as a whole with that said there isn't much happening here in terms of writing or story but there is a nice moment where Goku straight-up says that he isn't a hero for justice but takes issue and someone attacks his friends and family but outside of that it's just spectacular fight choreography with every major action and effects animator working on it in some capacity ending on a cliffhanger with Goku's body rejecting mastered ultra instinct to the point of almost ending him there and then Goku is done and a swarm I both did and didn't see coming Frieza is still in play but also 17 what the final episode is in my opinion the best episode of the series by far without question supplying the most meaningful of the show providing the best musical score inclusions and delivering some of my absolute favorite lines of not just this series but the entire series so let's check it out this final episode can be broken up into its prelude or pre climax the climax itself and finally the conclusion but it's what helps link some of these parts that I find most interesting throughout this arc itself it has been following the three-act structure and by all means we are well within the third act now but this singular episode adheres to its own self-contained react structure to perhaps more effectively and closely than any other episode in this arc thus far acting not only as the series and arc climaxes but also the climax to this episode's singular journey creating a moment all the more intense and potent for it one of the most interesting aspects of this final episode here is that Goku really isn't the main character of it he's definitely a major player but actually acts as more of a Chekhov's gun than the focus character in this episode in reality in this episode characters like Frieza and even Shirin are the focus and main characters of the finish each undergoing their own hero's journey accepting the call to action transforming themselves atoning for what they have done and coming out the other end different journey in that he receives a new outlook on life and Frieza in that he gets a brand new one but anyway I don't want to get lost in the weeds of the hero's journey and this is a video first and foremost about me reviewing this series I'm just a really big fan of this finish and I need you guys to know first off that there is much more going on in this episode under the hood then maybe you might have realized the episode itself begins as a weakened Geron has to contend with Android 17 and Frieza 2 characters he thought had been eliminated despite this he quickly accepts the call to action and fights them Frieza takes the lead against the purple brute but what's interesting is that the entire episode centers around the main theme of the arc and that is trust from the very first opening line of the episode the exact theme is mentioned trust by both Frieza and Juran in their first exchange and that is most definitely not a coincidence despite this both he and Frieza reject the notion of trust and so begin doing battle relying on their own strengths to get the job done Frieza begins taunting cheering about how he isn't the invincible fighter he thought he once was and that he isn't intimidated by him in the slightest this position freezes character finds himself in is so interesting to me hurting with the idea of fighting for good but always finding a reason to make it about himself very much in the scenario he is playing the role of an antihero the same way Vegeta was while fighting the ginyu force unnhhh a mic as Frieza and Gian were fighting and crashing through the floor we got an awesome establishing shot that really demonstrates the scale of the battle at head offering us perspective of where Android 17 is right now relative to them which becomes important later Frieza is using every single weapon he has against Geron including his intellect it's extremely compelling stuff the scene even manages to pull off a swerve - in its short time with us Jared rises to the taunt of freezes stepping on his tail beginning to pummel his body like a punching bag looking for this reaction however Frieza uses his telekinesis to crush her in between two boulders before giving way to 17s attack having successfully flanked into the correct position taking both Frieza and jaren off guard the Android surrounds himself and during with a strong barrier before creating a massive explosion around the final fighter from the 11th universe as the smoke clears Geron falls to his knees down for the count Frieza walks up to 17 saying you certainly went all out to stop him didn't you - which 17 responds by saying even if I failed I knew it would be fine if you were still here 17 at this moment has put all of his trust in Frieza and hearing this all Frieza can do is scoff at the idea and sarcastically quipped before moving on to finish Jared off Frieza at this point much like jaren still is has no trust in anyone crushed by the weight of his defeat at the hands of Goku and now even Frieza during Niels because he has been mentally defeated but cutting through the Cylons toppled shouts out to his fallen comrade as Frieza teases that his friend is obnoxious Jared replies I have no friends topo continues to criticize Durin's old way of doing things training for his pride while trusting no one topper rejects all of this and in the face of certain destruction puts all of his and universe Elevens trust still in Durin's resolve with this Geron finally begins to understand what trust is in himself and in others finding the mental resolve to pick himself up exploding with new reserves of energy this forces Frieza back once standing alone like he is most comfortable doing he is forced to stand behind the shield of an ally that moments ago put his trust in him and there's tons of symbolism here Frieza by necessity needed for his own survival sake to stand behind Seventeen's defenses but also needed to strip himself of his gaudy golden facade to help the shields integrity meaning the shield only works if Frieza trusts 17 with his energy kicking and screaming at 17 to not tell him what to do it's obvious that he is still trying to reject the notion of relying completely on others this loss of his golden form also communicates tension to us the audience for reasons that are abundantly obvious they are about to run out of energy the shield is buckling and cracking it's about to give way when [Music] this moment this freaking moment on a fundamental narrative visual and even musical level works and I don't use this word often perfectly and what follows is my favorite scene in this episode in this series and maybe even Dragonball goku by some miracle stands alongside his teammates one last time formulating a plan of action 17 is a take care of backup while he and Frieza deal with jeering Frieza clearly still doesn't feel comfortable with this teasing Goku are you sure you don't want to stay back - Goku sees through this issue Frieza has immediate shouting his name reprimanding his foolish thought process at such a dire point in the contest confronting Frieza for the first time about this side of himself forcing him to see reason Goku in this moment is showing the true strength of his character and his being like this since the very beginning of Dragon Ball the flat our character that shows the truth to those trapped in the line he says we have all gone well beyond our limits already if we don't work together and fight universe seven is gonna be erased goku then turns his focus to jeering a changed fighter partially thanks to him but also his teammates Goku begins to marvel at the level of strength this fighter has been able to muster and that's when the most important piece of dialogue cuts through the air without being provoked Frieza says you haven't forgotten about your promise to resurrect me have you goku responds somewhat confused Frieza I'm asking if you still remember he screams at Goku so long as you don't break your promise I'll keep mine you know that better than anyone don't you that line was not something Frieza was expecting but in that one solitary line it suddenly gives Frieza pause for thought recontextualizing everything he understood about what transpired UNMIK Frieza never trusted anyone not his forces his father and most certainly not Goku after he begged him to spare his life and to give him energy what made that scene anomic as powerful as it was wasn't simply the spectacle of the event but also the story about how Frieza defeated himself then and there were begging on that planet for a second it Freeza ever considered trusting anyone at the first opportunity he's given he would destroy Goku there and then and we all know how that played out now faced with that explanation in the closing moments of the tournament Frieza is forced to swallow his pride accept that Goku in this instance might be on to something and regardless of whether or not he agrees with him at this moment he has to trust him he's not going to make the same mistake he dynamic this is the best dialogue exchange in all of super no question and for the first time in the history of the show both Frieza and Goku fight unconditionally side by side as a team for the sake of their home and it is amazing showcasing a phenomenal storyboard by the genius McCool EEC Thani who if I'm being honest deserves an entire video of her own and in addition to that the bombastic animation supplied by the incomparable Yuya Takahashi really puts the cherry on top of this battle and what a battle showcasing teamwork maneuvers by both Goku and Frieza coming in with a flying knee to Durin's face making this safe for Goku at the beginning getting a boost from Goku later off the wall and then go could return the favor to Frieza making the save as the guitar solo slashes through the action within fading in and out of his Super Saiyan form which if I'm being completely honest is a damn cruel visual and what caps off the end of the tournament Geron saying this so this is trust universe 7th power Geron acknowledges that trust is a powerful trait to have and not a weakness this episode banned this episode I adore it the rest of the episode is tidy up on the details of the aftermath of the tournament 17 uses the balls to revive the Fallen universes and Frieza loses his halo and gains a life once again Oh also a really fun visual easter egg actually happens right after Frieza gets his life back Frieza teases waste are you sure about this I don't intend to stop my evil ways we then cut to Goku surrounded by gohan piccalo krillin Vegeta basically everyone who was around on Namek that's a really nice touch the gang then goes home both Goku and Vegeta tease us about the future while assuming their classic poses from their gorge battle and that's Dragon Ball super z' tournament of power it's surprisingly easy and enjoyable to watch as a bingeing experience I will however say that I recall complaining about the pacing when it was on the air week to week which is a justifiable criticism - I believe there are some very slow and uneventful episodes and spots in the arc and if you're not interested in the character that gets the screen time that particular week then you're out of luck and gotta wait until next week to roll the dice again I mean there's a reason why I group these by the three instead of reviewing them individually but in saying that I loved her attacks and I loved them as much as I do not because of the action that comes with them but because they act as a wonderful way to bring characters and subsequently their emotional journeys into conflict with each other leading to those emotional journeys in a lot of ways finding their resolutions and I think for the most part the universe survival arc did that and was for me the strongest out in the entire series had by a long shot perhaps my biggest issue with the arc can be seen with characters like Jaron and even Vegeta who could have had much more of an impact on the story had they been handled better and perhaps even the whole tournament could have been made slightly more cohesive looking back at it now but overall re watching this left me with honestly more positive than negatives to talk about and I'm genuinely happy for that the music in parts I believe was used masterfully well and in oh there's a little less well in fact going through this series again has inspired me to study Dragon Balls music more and to be honest I'm very excited to share with you all what I found and notice about this series is music a lot of you have written to me privately and publicly on Twitter Instagram and YouTube reprimanded me for what I have had to say about the show you love and to that I say I love the show too I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing and talking about this show Dragon Ball if I didn't love it next week I'm going to be delivering my final analysis of this series from start to finish talking about what I loved and what I hated in detail and explaining why I hope you guys enjoyed this trip down memory lane and I will see you all next week in the next video thank you so much for watching [Music] you

Channel: Totally Not Mark

Views: 1,614,737

Keywords: dragon ball super, review, part 5, the tournament of power

Id: GFQVzjAevvk

Length: 46min 39sec (2799 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 17 2020