Instinctual combat.
Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Saiyan juggernauts Goku and Kefla came to blows in their insanely powerful forms this week, providing a visually stunning display. While Episode 116 didn’t use all of it’s time wisely, the time it did spend in battle was a spectacle to behold. A brilliant use of color and animation set this week's battle above nearly all others, while the weeks of build-up around Kefla help make her character compelling and worth rooting for.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the episode is the battle between Ultra Instinct Goku and Legendary Super Saiyan Kefla. As expected, Kefla is intense, with an overwhelming amount of energy that makes her character an exciting spectacle to watch. On the opposite end is Goku, whose Ultra Instinct form allows him to move so rapidly that he’s able to dodge Kefla’s onslaught. They make the perfect pair in battle, as Kefla is presented as extremely energetic and aggressive while Goku seems impossibly calm and composed. It’s this sharp contrast between the two that made the fight so fun to watch and I hope this is not lost as Ultra Instinct becomes more common.
Speaking of Ultra Instinct, it was great to see it being expanded upon so heavily in this episode, while alluding to even more to look forward to. Dragon Ball has seen a lot of power-ups and transformations over the years, but Ultra Instinct is the first to feel so compelling since the early days of Dragon Ball Z. It’s so wholly different from a normal Super Saiyan power boost that it makes Goku feel like an entirely different character. It was also great having Vegeta realize just what was going on in regards to Ultra Instinct, and how it all tied back to their training with Whis. This was a great move for Super, and sets up an exciting potential arc for Vegeta as the Tournament of Power draws closer to its end.
Although brief, Zen-Oh provided the perfect bit of humor that this episode needed to keep things from feeling too intense. Cutting to his humorous reactions and comments about the events unfolding were uncommon enough to make me laugh each time, and didn’t draw attention away from the battle at hand.
While truly great, Episode 116 did fumble it’s pacing. A lot of time was spent on dialogue and exposition, and not all of it was needed. Ultra Instinct is an exciting new form; showing off what it can do is a far better approach than discussing it, particularly in a series that revolves around fighting.
The Verdict
Episode 116 had to nail one thing, and it did it amazingly. The battle between Goku and Kefla was a sight to behold, as unique animation elevated their battle into the top tier of Dragon Ball fights. Along with the clash, Super found time to sneak in new details about Ultra Instinct, answering questions about where it came from, and how it will expand in the future. If only they had nailed the pacing of these two aspects, then Episode 116 might have been a truly perfect experience.
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