The newest episode of Dragon Ball Super has proven once again that Android 17 has been one of the major highlights of the Tournament of Power and an invaluable member of the Universe 7 team.
The episode begins with a fully powered up Jiren completely decimating Goku and Vegeta with very little effort. This newest instalment is very action focused and the fighting is pretty non-stop and one-sided, it continues the narrative of Jiren pretty much having no equal in this tournament.
We finally learn more about Jiren in this episode, but his origin story was pretty lacklustre, to be honest. Belmod stops the whole tournament to provide the most blatant case of exposition I've seen thus far in Dragon Ball Super and to let us know that Jiren isn't that bad a guy. While Jiren's motivations are relatively human, it just feels like its too little, too late. The death of Jiren's parents and team members doesn't really go a long way in explaining his monstrous strength.
Frieza gets another great moment in this episode as his true villainous nature comes to the service. He manages to land a cheap shot against Jiren, flying into a rage and dismisses the rules of the tournament. We all know that Frieza's ego can't handle any sense of defeat or inferiority and this episode showcases that when Frieza tries to land a killing blow against Jiren.
The true star of this week's episode was Android 17. Dragon Ball Super has hyped up 17 since his return and it's all paid off. 17 has consistently been one of the best characters throughout the entire arc and his intellect and stoicism have been incredibly endearing. Fans of the character should be very happy with the last few episodes. 17 is also the first character that is actually able to damage Jiren and once again showcases his emphasis on strategy.
The writers of Dragon Ball Super made a bold decision in having 17 sacrifice himself but I feel like it was necessary. It showcases the enormous stakes behind the tournament and the lengths that the fighters are willing to go to protect their universe. I also felt that his sacrifice was a satisfying conclusion for his character arc with 17 remarking that his sacrifice is "human" which is incredibly substantial for him. It was an emotional moment and one that hit all the right notes.
Sadly, 17's sacrifice was in vain as Jiren is allowed to stay in the tournament. The Grand Priest declares that Jiren will receive no penalty since 17 self-destructed to combat his attack. There is now only three minutes remaining in the tournament of power as Vegeta steps up to make his final stand against Jiren.
What did you guys think of Jiren's backstory? Were you sad to see Android 17 sacrifice himself?
Sound off below!
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