Dragon Ball Super Episode 28
The introduction of Beerus and Whis has added a lot to the Dragon Ball universe, but one of their most distinct characteristics is their tremendous love of food. This food obsession that they have brought to Dragon Ball Super has been a fun diversion, but it’s interesting to see that this time it’s actually the spark to the show’s newest arc. It’s not some generational grudge, a new dangerous species, or some unleashed form of evil. No, a cup of instant ramen is basically what sets the Earth on the course for danger. Up until this point, Champa and Vados have been reserved for cryptic cameos in a few episodes, but this entry really allows for them to become characters. Apparently Champa is Beerus’ twin brother (something that everyone has trouble swallowing) with Vados being Whis’ older sister. There’s also much time devoted to just how much animosity exists between Beerus and Champa. It’s to be expected that the Gods of Destruction from complimentary universes would have a hostile relationship, but these two come in hot and only continue to increase the temperature. The pair makes Goku and Vegeta look like BFFs. While this meeting of the Gods might create a lot of tension, something that’s shared between universes is their intense, near-gluttonous love for food. This episode might briefly toy with the idea of which of these Gods of Destruction is stronger, but in spite of some minor sparring, the question is ultimately left for another day (although Beerus is unquestionably in better shape). Rather than determining which of the two is stronger in the physical sense, Beerus and Champa are instead more interested in proving which universe has the more impressive cuisine. Beerus and Champa give each other’s taste buds a true challenge, but in the end, it’s the incredible power of instant ramen that comes out triumphant. Apparently Champa and Vados have never spent any time with any of Earth’s college students. Even though Goku is already fantasizing about shooting blasts at Universe 6’s strongest, Beerus is still skeptical towards this whole tournament business. He’s not even sure if such a planet-swapping maneuver can even be done between universes in the first place. It’s at this point that Champa lets loose the information that he’s been quietly collecting the Super Dragon Balls, and with their immense power, it would be able to pull off the conditions of the tournament. It may feel a little hollow for the series to introduce an even stronger set of Dragon Balls (these things are essentially planets), but the minor aside that the Namekian Dragon Balls were actually chiseled out of these makes for a nice touch. It at least provides some connective tissue to what’s been established rather than these giant orbs suddenly existing from out of nowhere. Once the news of the Super Dragon Balls is out on the table, matters pick up at a considerable tempo. Goku is fairly positive that Bulma will be able to locate the final Super Dragon Ball with a modified version of her Dragon Radar. With all of the pieces appearing to be in place, Beerus is given little choice other than to agree to Champa’s tournament. After all, he can’t look like a coward in front of his twin brother. Dragon Ball typically handles tournaments quite well, with some of the strongest material from both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z taking place within Tenkaichi Budokai installments. It should be exciting to see how Dragon Ball Super decides to approach all of this. With this new story arc featuring plenty of fights and lots of new characters, the series is about to head into some of its strongest episodes yet. Now to just figure out where to find some Don-Don Bird eggs. Bet they’d go great with some Yardratian bacon… Read and download the full Den of Geek Special Edition magazine here!
