Vegeta is a good man.
This episode of
Dragon Ball Super was an absolute blast and I can't praise it enough. Between Goku's thrilling clash with Jiren which incorporated smart and unusual techniques, and Vegeta proving that he is perhaps one of the most well-developed characters out there, this episode had everything you could want and more.
Fans have had issues with Goku's character and how he's been portrayed over the course of
Dragon Ball Super with many arguing that the character has been dumbed down. I can see where the fans are coming from with this and to be honest I kind of agree, but I feel like this episode redeemed Goku's character in a major way by proving once again that he is a fighting genius.
This episode was action-packed, but not in the way you'd expect. Goku's last encounter with Jiren saw him trying to overcome his opponent with brute strength, which didn't exactly work out, this episode sees Goku use every trick up his sleeve to thwart Jiren. The strategies on display here are actually pretty ingenious, we see Goku planting Ki landmines all across the arena which is something we've never seen before, we even see Goku using Krillin's Kienzan technique.
I loved the fact that it was Krillin's technique that almost took out Jiren. It makes Krillin feel valuable and it shows him some love despite being knocked out early on in the tournament. I can't help but feel that this emphasis on strategy should have been prevalent throughout the tournament, this fight wasn't particularly flashy but it is easily one of the best conflicts we've seen so far.
With regards to Jiren, it's obvious that he's a cheat character but it seems to be getting pretty ridiculous now. The guy was channelling Saitama from
One Punch Man this week and even scared Goku out of his Super Saiyan Blue form. This is a great moment and reminds us that Jiren is a major threat, he's far above any opponent Goku has ever faced. This is all very exciting and Goku's struggle against Jiren has been great to watch, I just wish he would say something.
The animation wasn't anything to get excited about, but it was good and it was certainly far more consistent than last week's episode. We also got to see Gohan and 17 go up against Toppo with a pretty clever tag-team attack, while Frieza continues to toy with Dyspo for the most part. I also think it's worth giving a shout out to the music in this week's episode, Norihito Sumitomo has produced some amazing pieces for this arc and this episode felt like a celebration of that, at times it felt like a 'best of' playlist which was made for this episode.
Now, for the crescendo. Vegeta unlocked a new form, and I almost cried. Vegeta's promise to Cabba is what's driving him and it once again shows just how far Vegeta has come. At this stage, he is a better man than Goku and it feels a little surreal, to be honest, but it once again showcases amazing character development for Vegeta. His first appearance in the
Dragon Ball manga was 1988 and for the character to continue to grow and evolve 30 years later is just incredible.
Goku and Vegeta teaming up against Jiren is the stuff of legend and it just feels like you've watched their dynamic and individual character development over the years finally come to fruition. It made me feel like a kid again and when the series can pull moments like this off, it's just magical. This was a perfect episode of
Dragon Ball Super and it was absolutely thrilling from beginning to end.
What did you guys think? Where you excited to see Goku and Vegeta team up against Jiren? What do you think of Vegeta's new form?
Sound off below!