This week is the one we’ve all been waiting for – Super Saiyan Rose is revealed! First, though, Goku has to meet Black.
As Goku, Vegeta and Trunks arrive in the future using the Time Machine to begin their hunt, it seems everyone forgot one crucial thing – they named Black after Goku because of the visual similarities.
Of course as soon as Goku is seen by humans, the soldiers begin firing at him! For a brief moment everyone is confused, very much like the classic Black Spider-Man situation back in the day. Trunks jumps in, slicing the bullets up samurai-style, and catches the guards up on what’s been happening the past. They’re so happy to see him still alive and can’t believe he finished his mission – return with backup who could handle Black. Who else but the original?
As they are taken to the survivor’s refuge, Mai returns to the scene. She was actually able to escape Black just before being killed when Trunks left. She tells of a furious attack after Trunks had gone that left only the people in this shelter as the last people alive. Trunks still isn’t worried though; Goku and Vegeta are here now. The heroes of every past conflict Earth has ever gotten into, even if most of the inhabitants don’t know it.
After a meal and sharing tales with the people, the mission begins. Up out of the underground dwellings, Goku, Vegeta and Trunks make themselves known. Vegeta fires off an energy blast in a flare fashion, straight up into the sky for anyone to see. Only Black should be able to do that here, so if it isn’t him, he’ll come calling to see. From out in the distance, a storm gathers as before, and Black flies out to meet his attackers.
Face off!
Now the fighters are all gathered. Vegeta, in his style, doesn’t let a second go to waste. Not mincing words, he turns Super Saiyan Blue immediately as he did “training” his own son. Black doesn’t seem impressed this time though. In fact he seems perfectly calm. As if he has an ace up his sleeve. He begins to “slow clap” for Vegeta and his power. Vegeta, being a prince, of course finds this insult unbearable ad flies into Black in a flurry of punches and kicks. So many that he begins crushing Black into the ground beneath them. Just when it seems Black would have to be a gory pulp, he looks up at Vegeta and smiles. One solid, quick kick to the gut later and Vegeta is now on the ground. Black gets up and dusts himself off.
A pinkish hue colours the air as Black begins to power up. More dark storm clouds move in and the sky opens up to blast down a purple bolt of lightning. It hits Black, and then…his new form is revealed. Just like with Golden Frieza, his first action is to name it. Following the show’s tropes it created, he names it Super Saiyan Rose, and claims it’s power to be about equal to that of Blue – something like a Super Saiyan with the ki of the gods infused.
How many more colours of Saiyan are there?
Black starts speaking about how his newfound form is superior in many ways to Blue, including the look, when once again Vegeta’s had enough. He attacks once more. A quick little background primer for anyone not as deep into this show as me, so that the next part will have the proper impact – when you see those auras around characters in any Dragonball series, that is actually a protective shield for them. There’s more then one way to focus your energy, not just into giant blasts from your hands. However, everyone seems to have this unwritten rule of real martial arts fighting – you will rarely if ever see weapons in Dragonball. Besides the one sword Trunks has as a defining character feature, literally no one else uses them for the big bads. Hand to hand (or blast to blast) is the order of the day.
Until this episode apparently. In a move that completely blew my mind and left me actually just yelling “WHAT! WHAT?!” to myself in my room, Dragonball Super went off the rails. After knocking Vegeta back, Black focuses his defensive ki aura all into his arm – and forms a ki blade. His arm is now a lightsaber from the elbow down. While the others take a moment to regroup after seeing this, he takes that second of shock to stab Vegeta right through the stomach. Vegeta pops out of Blue form, and just…falls to the ground bleeding. It’s the equivalent of going into a dojo planning to fight the top black belt, and halfway through, he just pulls a knife! This type of fighter hasn’t been around in Dragonball before. For all their threats, Cell and Frieza and others usually give in to their vanity and want to take out Goku (it’s always Goku) with their own bare hands in an even fight, to prove they were better. Not Black. He is here to kill. Nothing else.
WHAT.
Black calls out to Goku to start the real fight. Trunks runs over to his father to make sure he’s alive. Goku and Black duke it out in the sky above. They seem to be going about even with each other. Black takes a quick step back as they are trading hits, and refocuses his sword aura into a normal shield one. That seems good! It must take a lot of energy to keep it focused as a blade. But wait…why is he making those hand movements? Black is charging up his own…Kameha- and the sky opens up once again before Black gets the words out.
That’s not good…
Zamasu appears in a ray of light, and touches down on a rooftop right beside Black. Well…that proves they aren’t the same person. As Zamasu reminds Goku of his promise to kill him, the episode ends. Wow! A lot of stuff packed in this one. Always more questions! What is this sword form? Is Rose really equal to Blue? How did Black even get this power without going through all the trouble Goku did? Goku had a whole movie for it! I guess we’ll find out if we keep watching! Till next week’s episode!
