The last few episodes of Dragon Ball Super have caused a fair amount of controversy amongst the fandom following Kefla's sudden and inexplicable leap in power which forced Goku to once again break his limit and bring out Ultra Instinct.
Despite the controversy of the last two weeks, this episode was a highlight in the tournament of power as it delivers big moments and breathtaking action.
Goku using Ultra Instict is an absolute joy to watch. Despite how awesome this form is, I always feel like there is a sense of menace behind it. It reminds me of when we seen Goku go Super Saiyan for the first time on Namek and we weren't sure what side he was on. There was a similar moment in GT, with Super Saiyan 4.
Goku's entire demeanour changes when he uses this form. Gone is the happy go lucky hero we've come to know and love, instead we have a stone faced warrior with complete focus and determination. We also learned about some of the mechanics of the form which provided an adequeate explanation about why Kefla can go toe to toe with Goku in this form, for the most part.
I'm not a fan of Kefla. I think Dragon Ball in 2017 desperately needed to introduce female saiyans so that the series could continue to grow and evolve. I like Caulifla, I think she's a cool character and has a ton of personality. Kale is your generic shy anime girl that gets super strong when she gets angry. I was disappointed that Dragon Ball Super took this approach, especially as Akira Toriyama is known for subverting tropes in the series.
I personally feel like Caulifla and Kale's time in the tournament of power should of came to an end a long time ago as their involvement was starting to feel forced. After coming off Goku vs Jiren, these last three episodes have at times felt like a side story.
The Potara fusion which formed Kefla was a step too far for me. We've known for a while that power levels make no sense in this series but Kefla's sudden rise in power just felt like fan fiction. It's awesome to see the two of them fuse but it didn't feel earned. It didn't feel like the right time, it feels like something that should have happened later in the series.
That being said her fight with Ultra Instinct Goku is probably one of the highlights in the Tournament of Power. The choreography was on point, the action was fast paced and you felt the impact of each blow. The animation was also of a good standard. I feel like the animators push themselves to their limits for episodes like this and I appreciate it. I also want to give a shout out to the music, which has been so on point for the last few episodes.
Overall I'd say this episode was a high point in an arc which has been a very mixed bag. What did you guys think of this week's episode? Sound off below!