Meaningless explosions.
Warning: The following contains spoilers about the episode.
With Dragon Ball Super just now licensed in the West, IGN can finally begin reviewing Dragon Ball Super starting with the latest episode. Be sure to check back next week for IGN's review of Dragon Ball Super episode 66.
The power of a god is nothing to laugh at and that’s doubly true when two gods merge together and become one. Fused Zamasu is a significant threat as he makes clear from his explosive display of power, but ultimately that’s all this episode ends up proving as little progress is made toward eliminating him from the Future Trunks timeline.
Like previous episodes, we see events from two perspectives. Of those two, the most interesting one this time turns out to be the humans who are struggling to live beneath the city. Although their time on screen is brief, it’s very impactful. As battle rages on above the city, their underground hideout begins to suffer structurally and they must seek out somewhere new to hide. Heading to the surface, a person is struck down by a random blast of energy, which sparks panic among the rest of the crowd.
This ultimately leads to one of the former Resistance Fighters breaking down, and it’s a strong moment in an otherwise average episode. We’re rarely treated to the ordinary human's perspective in Dragon Ball, and seeing them react to the utter devastation of their home, along with this crushing sense of helplessness helps bring some much needed humanity to a show that often depicts the battles of gods and god like entities.
It’s also been a great treat to see Yajirobe used again, and so frequently. He has always been the reluctant hero and it comes as no surprise that he’s managed to quietly hide away as the world has fallen apart. However, when push comes to shove, he has proven himself a friend of the heroes. Seeing him volunteer to check the surface of danger, then immediately regret his decision helped break the tension of the loss of life only moments before. I only hope he can manage to stick around long enough to see things through to the end.
Much of the episode has Goku, Vegeta and Trunks bear witness to Fused Zamasu’s incredible might as he lays waste to the already ruined city, but I found these several minutes to be the weakest part of the episode. We’re already well aware of Zamasu’s strength prior to his fusion, so this all felt like a waste. This criticism also extends to the section directly after, with Zamasu knocking down Vegeta and Goku using the Lightning of Absolution attack. We are led to believe this new found strength is considerably greater than what our heroes had been hit with before, but just a few minutes later both are standing back up and completely shrug off the same attack. Ultimately these sections of the show just felt like unnecessary filler designed to show off new attacks rather than progress the plot of the episode.
Thankfully things quickly picked up near the end. Zamasu unleashes another new attack, the Holy Wrath, and sparks what is possibly one of the best beam battles in recent Dragon Ball history. Defending himself and the planet, Trunks counters with the Galick Gun. Of all the attacks at his disposal, it’s a nice touch to see Trunks relying so heavily on the attack that his father pioneered. Of course one isn’t enough though, and a few moments later Vegeta stands up and stands beside his son, unleashing his own Galick Gun.
Seeing them side by side, and both using the same attack is a powerful moment. Up until now, Vegeta has been an ally out of necessity, but this action makes it clear, even if he won’t admit it, that he’s also here out of love for his son. It also strongly relies on imagery long time fans should recognize, as the scene is incredibly reminiscent to that of the final battle in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming but replaces Goku’s family with Vegeta’s. This current Future Trunks arc has really shown off how much Vegeta has grown over the years, and this moment with the two of them working together further cements that.
This is Dragon Ball though, so even with the two of them winning the beam battle, they don’t win the fight. As the episode reaches it’s conclusion, we see Vegeta jump in front of Trunks to save him from a potentially fatal blow, again highlighting his character growth. Just before the episode cuts to black, Goku steps in to protect them, unleashing a Kamehameha directed at Zamasu’s attack, but we will have to wait until the next episode to see what effect, if any, it has.
The Verdict
Episode 65 feels like it’s mostly filler to buy time until Vegeta and Goku find a way to deal with this new Fused Zamasu. However, the humans’ plight and a great beam battle stand out as highlights of the episode.. Fingers crossed that next week sees the battle with Zamasu actually progress in a meaningful way, and that Yajirobe is still around after the dust settles.
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