Review by H. Tague
Rating:
Another great box set from a series long overdue for such treatment. With the rest of the twenty second tournament and the entire King Piccolo Saga on hand, Dragon Ball really catches it’s stride with this season.

First of all the semifinals of the tournament are fantastic. In the fight between Tien and Roshi we finally get to see the ancient master of martial arts cut lose and fight seriously, and the impact he has on Tien’s resolve adds an uncommon level of depth for this series. Tien’s path towards redemption is probably the best of all the villains turned heroes in the Dragon Ball mythos. In the second semifinal battle we get a terrific fight between Krillin and Goku. While the two students of Roshi fought not long after they first met, it wasn’t an impressive battle. It was a dust cloud fight, like something literally torn from loony toons. This time they have a great battle with each testing their mettle against the other. Krillin really manages to impress as he uses his newly learned Kamehameha not as a direct attack against Goku but as a distraction, and it works quite well. Unfortunately for poor Krillin, Goku has work out the weakness in his tail and now has no weak points. Eventually, Goku defeats his best friend and moves on to the finals.

The final match between Tien and Goku is actually a mixed lot. While there are some really terrific exchanges, there are also some awkward moments and some rather gimmicky moves. Tien’s vollyball fist would be among them. Chiaotzu intervenes in the match by using his power to paralyze Goku under orders from Master Shen. While this seems like a really cheap trick, it actually serves as an important plot device. When Tien learns of his Master’s deception, he gives up his quest to kill Goku and avenge Tao. Tien makes that fateful decision and becomes a hero, and the Krane Hermit goes on a one-way flight via Kamehameha, thanks to Master Roshi. The conclusion of the battle still kind of baffles me, as I’m not really sure how hitting a car results in Goku hitting the ground first and losing, but ah well. Tien gets a very well deserved honor as World Champion.

But there’s no rest for Goku and his friends. Right after the tournament, Krillin is murdered by an unimaginably powerful monster. When Goku chases the villainous Tambourine down, he gets pounded almost as easily. Master Roshi then tells the history behind this new threat known as the Demon King Piccolo. While Tambourine is out assassinating martial artists, Goku meets a new ally in Yajerobi. Though the two of them don’t meet under the best of terms and even have a pretty good little tussle, Yajerobi soon finds himself assaulted by a monster known as Cymbal. The creature is another child of King Piccolo sent to retrieve Dragon Balls like the one Yajerobi has. However the mountain man easily defeats the monster and eats him for dinner. Tambourine is sent to discover the fate of his brother only to also be killed by Goku. Finally King Piccolo shows up himself and has a rather impressive and dominating fight against Goku. The villain wins cleanly and retrieves the Dragon Ball.

Meanwhile Master Roshi, Tien, and Chiaotzu have collected the other Dragon Balls, and are forced to a confrontation with King Piccolo. Roshi sprays Tien with a sleep gas so he can’t interfere, but the young fighter remains conscious to witness the events that take place. Roshi tries to seal King Piccolo using the same Evil Containment Wave that his own master used to seal the devil up in the first place. However the master fails, and passes away as an after effect of using the wave. With all seven Dragon Balls on hand, Piccolo gets ready to make his wish. Tien sends a telepathic message to Chiaotzu and tells him to interject his own wish to the dragon to make Piccolo disappear, but the Demon King kills the small fighter before he succeeds. Finally King Piccolo gets his wish to have his youth restored, and his first act is to kill the eternal dragon. With the dragon balls defunct and Roshi dead, King Piccolo assumes all of his enemies are destroyed and proceeds to conquer the world.

However Goku recovers from his battle with Piccolo and with the aid of Master Korin seeks out the Ultra Devine Water. Alongside a reluctant Yajerobi, Goku recovers the sacred liquid and drinks from it, unveiling his dormant powers. Stronger then ever, Goku returns to face King Piccolo, but only after Tien arrives to challenge the evil tyrant. Tien has practiced alone and managed to perfect the Evil Containment Wave. He plans to sacrifice himself to once again seal up King Piccolo, but is held at bay by Piccolo’s newest child, Drum. Drum proves more then a match for Tien, but Goku takes the monster out with a single hit. The proceeding battle between Piccolo and Goku would define all the battles to follow.

After a terrific fight, Piccolo gains the upper hand by threatening a defenseless Tien. After disabling both of Goku’s legs and one of his arms, Piccolo thinks the battle is his. However with a clear shot at his enemy, Goku uses his one hand remaining to create a powerful Kamehameha that propels him toward Piccolo. In a dramatic climax, Goku plows right through the torso of King Piccolo, and inflicts a mortal wound. However, with his dying breath, King Piccolo produced a final egg. From this egg Piccolo would be reincarnated, and begin life anew. But that’s a story for another day.

Piccolo is one of my favorite villains in the entire series. He’s the only one to succeed in conquering the world and kills just about everybody who stands in his way. The final confrontation he has with Goku is classic, and really sets the bar for the battles to come. This is the series at it’s best, and even Dragon Ball Z would be hard pressed to top it.

Review by Brooke R. Plummer
Rating:
Here comes King Piccolo!!!! The forth season of Dragonball, when Goku and Friends face a new threat, King Piccolo. Highly recommended.