The rise of a villain.
Warning: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Episode 81 presents the final exhibition match. Bergamo the Crusher faces off against Goku and new stakes are put on the line. If Bergamo wins, Zen-Oh will not erase any of the universes. It’s the addition of these terms along with Bergamo’s ability to smooth talk the crowd that push the episode above and beyond what we’ve seen so far, making for one of the most interesting episodes since the Future Trunks saga earlier in the series.
Bergamo is easily the standout of the episode. Using him as a vessel to both plead with Zen-Oh and also turn the crowd against Goku was a great move. I’ve spoken before about how Goku’s naivety towards the situation he’s in paints him as a villain, and they capitalized on that in this episode perfectly. I also really enjoyed the way Bergamo reacted after the battle. It was clear that his anti-Goku speech before battle was coming from a more sinister standpoint. However, after losing the match, Bergamo screams about wanting to erase Goku for what he’s done. This moment felt much more genuine and heartfelt, and helped add character to the otherwise shady Bergamo.
The fight itself was less interesting, but still enjoyable. Having Bergamo feed off Goku’s energy was a smart way to counter Goku’s overwhelming power. One of the biggest issues within the Dragon Ball series is the problem of enemy power. Super has been getting better about fixing this issue by introducing foes that aren’t necessarily as powerful as our heroes, but use special techniques that gives them an edge. This makes for far more interesting battles as our heroes need to think out solutions to their problems instead of just blasting away foes with increasingly large Ki attacks.
Unlike Bergamo, Goku stands out because of his continuing idiocy toward the fact he initiated a tournament that will end in the loss of billions, even trillions of lives. It works in this episode because Bergamo is able to turn Goku’s lust for combat against him. However, the problem still remains that it feels like Goku’s current attitude doesn’t match up with the hero we know him to be. He’s always been a clowny, thrill seeking fighter, but never before has it been at the direct expense of people's lives. Yet time and time again it’s thrown in his face that he’s going to be the cause of universes being erased and his response is always the same: he grins and says he just wants to fight. I look forward to seeing how they continue to villainize Goku, but I wonder at what expense it will take on his character in the long run.
The Verdict
Episode 81 is one of the strongest episodes we’ve seen in awhile. Bergamo is able to put into words what we’ve all been thinking: Goku is actually the villain of the Tournament of Power. A good fight between the two also takes place, but it’s the events that surround it that made Episode 81 so enjoyable, and have me excited to see the outcome both for Goku and the many universes that hang in the balance.
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