By Erika Suarez
Warning: Spoilers Included!
Universe 7 is hanging by a loose thread on this episode as we watch the warriors fail in many attempts to take down their opponents and making it worrisome for their fate in this 7-minute tournament. The main focus is on Jiren, Goku, And Vegeta while the rest of the warrior’s battles feel like they’re just there. We receive a shocking reveal from Vegeta when he unleashes a higher power that could work against the unstoppable warrior. Goku gets tactical with his fight against Jiren that delivers an intense and accelerating battle.
It was considerate to keep the ongoing battles between the rest of the warriors in this episode again, but it lacked giving them any development as we continue to watch Universe 7 struggle with their opponents. The battle with Toppo was a mess. Gohan was unable to work with Android 17 because they never fought together and there was an opportunity for growth and a learning experience for the young Saiyan. It lost meaning in the battle with another Kamehameha, and his kindness got the best of him when he avoids blasting Android 17 along with Toppo. On the other side, we have Frieza in his continuous battle with Dyspo. The battle could have ended sooner if he transformed to his golden form and instead the fight was being dragged.
After discovering that Ki-blasts and close-range fighting is useless against Jiren, Goku takes a tactical approach into battle with some clever maneuvers. We’ve seen a lot of head on fighting in previous battles and watching Goku layout different strategies in the field gives it an accelerated and tense tone for this episode that we don’t see quite often. Jiren really is unstoppable after watching him go through an immensely amount of energy blasts that were placed around as landmines and throwing a Destructo Blade at the warrior was like playing Frisbee with him. Zeno-sama reliefs the tension by sprinkling a bit of humor between battles when he mimics Jiren’s deep and intimidating voice. I wish they would get more screen time but they always seem to be the commentators. We’re also reminded that his childish personality has no empathy for the warriors that are fighting for their lives and takes it as any ordinary tournament. His unpredictable and childish behavior could be the fear that people have towards him.
The episode wraps it up by doing a surprising reveal. Jiren has been retaining his full strength and the tone grows tense again once we see a small portion of this frightening power. We continue to see great character development in Vegeta when we find out his motive to winning the Dragon Balls. He kept a promise to his student Cabba and intends in reviving him and universe 6. It's a touching flashback when Vegeta remembers that promise. Goku and Vegeta are well aware of how much strength Jiren holds, but their intensions are what fuels them and helps exceed into their fullest potential. Finally, the episode ends in Goku going Kaioken in full power and Vegeta going Super Saiyan Blue 2 which gives him glossy eyes and a crystal shiny blue appearance. He gets a little bulkier as well. We hope to see an interactive focus on the rest of the warriors battles without Jiren and the Saiyans taking the show.
Score: 4/5
Dragon Ball Super E.123- “Body and Soul, Full Power Release! Goku and Vegeta!!”
Writer: Akira Toriyama
Studio: Toei Animation