Dragon Ball Super Episode 32
“It’s Frieza! They have him in their universe, too?” It’s also quite satisfying to get some golden moments between Goku and Vegeta while they’re alone together. Goku’s excitement over having new strong opponents to face is hardly new territory, but it doesn’t get much better than Vegeta shooting the guy down and telling Goku to start acting his age and to take this a little more seriously. This also leads to a curious tidbit about Saiyan genealogy where apparently Saiyans continue to look “young’ until they turn 80? You learn something new every day. Based on the brief glimpse that this episode offers towards their training, I’m fully in support of getting some standalone OVA series that simply looks at the three years that Goku and Vegeta spent together in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. There are stories to tell there. “Matches Begin!” also introduces Monaka, Beerus’ alleged trump card for Universe 7 and the one member of the team who’s apparently stronger than Goku. Let’s just say that Monaka’s appearance leaves a lot to be desired. He certainly doesn’t look like a super strong fighter, unless all of his power is actually stemming from those long nipples that he’s rocking. Fun fact, “Monaka” actually means “great nipples,” so that’s just been his cross to bear. Did I say fun fact? I meant gross fact. It might not be entirely necessary, but it’s also nice to see the Kais checking in regarding this tournament. There’s a rather big reveal here in the sense that Supreme Kai and Kibito are no longer fused together and that the Namekian Dragon Balls can apparently undo a “permanent” fusion. This is likely information that won’t ever come into play again and it’s more a character thing here, but good to know that Potara earing fusions can be reversed for Kais when under the right extreme circumstances. Seeing what the Kais and supreme deities from Universe 6 look like is a nice bonus. It appears that they don’t have as casual a relationship with their universe’s inhabitants as the Kais from this universe do. It’s also just a throwaway line, but when Goku asks Beerus if Champa is responsible for creating their impressive battlegrounds, Beerus tersely explains, “Gods of Destruction do not create things.” I love how much of a stickler these guys are to the job description. A good chunk of time in “Matches Begin!” deals with meeting the fellow opponents from Universe 6, which includes another Saiyan named Cabba, whose race didn’t suffer the same tragedy that Universe 7’s Saiyans did. Plus, there’s a fighter named Frost who pretty much appears to be the Universe 6 equivalent of Frieza. That’s why this whole multiverse concept is so exciting. It allows for things like new, modified versions of “old” villains or What If? takes on existing characters, like tail-less Saiyans who are actually heroic mercenaries in their universe. Watching Vegeta bond with the young Saiyan and the two of them actually discussing future plans together is really sweet, too. There’s also a bad-ass robot in the mix, so there’s a lot to like here. Finally, the episode goes about determining the order of these fighters and who will kick things off. Secret weapon Monaka is obviously reserved to fight last, much to Goku’s chagrin. Later, some rock-paper-scissors determines that Goku is going to fight first (big surprise there), followed by Piccolo, Vegeta, and then Monaka. While the first battle, Goku’s fight with the large bear-like Botamo, won’t really let loose until the next episode, at least everything gets set up nicely here. -Some may be frustrated that this installment is essentially all tournament set up and bureaucracy. Surely the episode could have found a way to balance this material so rules and a fight could still happen, but the pacing of this series shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at this point. This is still all a lot of fun (even if Buu’s disqualification is maddening) and a strong way to head into the next few episodes of heavy fighting. Oh, and that anthem of the universe gag is sheer brilliance. Let’s get an official iTunes release of that ASAP, guys. Read and download the full Den of Geek Special Edition magazine here!
