Ch 262 friday night DB is my favorite way to unwind after a whole week of junk (Vegeta vs. Zarbon) Zarbon is very incredulous about a lot of things. He's also very fashionable. Look at those accessories. They talk about Freeza for a bit before Vegeta gets angry and then it's fight time!! Vegeta shows off how fast he is and how much more powerful he's gotten by smacking a big ol' blast attack and deflecting it off to his left (I think. We all know how bad I am with left v. right.) Zarbon is shocked that he could do something like that. Krillin and Dende notice the explosion on the horizon, and Krillin jumps at the opportunity to be able to go as fast as he can while some of the big guns are preoccupied fighting each other. He grabs Dende and off they go. (I feel bad for Dende, he gets hauled around and grabbed and generally manhandled a lot during this arc.) that's a very fluffy Vegeta, his hair seems unusually voluminous Vegeta seems to easily have the upper hand in this fight. or maybe not...? Ch 263 (Zarbon's True Power) isn't that hard on your neck?? Anyway. Vegeta has a good laugh at the idea of a Zarbon having a hidden true power. Zarbon reveals that it's a transformation, and while it doesn't make him fucking gigantic it does make him much stronger, but also really hideous, which is why he doesn't want to do it unless it's necessary. Vegeta tells him to go ahead, and so he does. It's definitely an unappealing form: it's kind of bumpy or scaly, and vaguely reptilian, with an elongated snout and lots of teeth. Very jowly, as well. Doesn't go particularly well with his sleek braid and earrings and forehead jewelry, not to mention the armwarmers and thigh-highs. Vegeta's not a fan, and seems to be kind of astounded that it actually happened and wasn't just a bluff. Transformed Zarbon grabs Vegeta's head in both hands and slams their foreheads together. Headbutts abound in DB. He flings him up in the air, and then punches him in the face. Zarbon's a little bloody from Vegeta's earlier attacks, but Vegeta's gone from basically unharmed to pretty bloody in just a few attacks. Zarbon mocks him a bit for being so shocked that Saiyans aren't the only ones who can transform. man it's starting to sound like these kinds of transformations are not at all unusual or exclusive, huh, Vegeta? Zarbon maneuvers Vegeta into the position he wants him in with a beam attack, then grabs him and makes a crater with him by hurling him into the ground. The crater fills with water from the nearby ocean and Vegeta still hasn't resurfaced, so Zarbon reverts to his pretty form, thinking that even if Vegeta isn't dead, he'll be too scared to tangle with either Freeza or Zarbon after this display of strength. He finally leaves to report to Freeza on what happened. After he does, Vegeta hauls himself out of the water, vowing to become even stronger and not to let it end like this. He's looking pretty battered. Ch 264 (The Great Elder's House) Have I been saying Grand Elder instead of Great? Are the two translations? Are the chapter titles the official ones, while the translation is fan-done, and that's why there's a discrepancy (if there even is one, which I just can't remember)? Freeza's ship has a lot of legs and looks kind of like some sort of single-eyed aquatic arthropod. The man himself is hanging out inside and has finally stepped out of his pod. mmmmmMMmmm I don't like the pod but him being out of the pod is also bad because I really, really, really can't stand his feet. also goddddddd why does he have to show so much leg?? why can't more people wear pants???? Or at least thigh-highs like Zarbon. More leg coverage is all I'm asking. Zarbon steps in to report. oh goddamnit i don't want to think similarly to freeza The nameless grunt steps in and says he's located a village that's already been destroyed. Everyone immediately assumes that Vegeta did it and hid the dragon ball he found there. Freeza orders Zarbon to find Vegeta and bring him back so that they can get the location of the dragon ball out of him. He also makes some vague threats about what might happen if Vegeta is actually dead. I guess the nameless grunt's name is Appule (basically "Apple"). Freeza orders him to send for the Ginyu Force and some replacement scouters, to arrive in 5 days. Why the Ginyu Force, Zarbon asks, when there doesn't seem to be a reason to call them? Because Freeza's had a premonition about Saiyans and he doesn't want to take any chances. the what now Vegeta, having hauled himself out of the water, doesn't get very far before collasing, and Zarbon finds him easily, grabs his wrist, and carries him off. There's no night on Namek, which has 3 fucking suns, but one day (presumably 24 hours, an Earth day, if you will) has passed. Goku's gotten used to 50x gravity really quickly, and finally passes out on the floor of the ship. doofus. <3 Krillin and Dende finally get to the Grand Elder's place, where a big Namekian named Nail (which apparently is supposed to be a pun on snail??? Like the Namekian kid who got killed earlier was Cargo, which I guess was supposed to be short for Escargo. What is it with Namekians and gastropods?) is waiting. The Grand Elder already knows a lot of what's happening. very large. quite big. everyone's dad.
we are on the same wavelength there, that's for sure (it's probably a good thing that this is in text form because I would not shut up about it when we were watching the anime. I'm sure it got old fast)
Hmm. Considering Piccolo the firsts mutated childs, I wonder if they cant just home make genetic diversity that way? They seem to reproduce asexually, do they even need it? (Also I will be the weirdo going "cool !" At all or most of the stuff you find icky sorry. I like xeno things.)
I just love knowing that one of the most threatening villains this series has ever fucking had is a fucking realtor.
* puts on biologist hat * Even asexually-reproducing organisms generally have mechanisms for increasing genetic diversity (e.g. horizontal gene transfer in bacteria). * takes off biologist hat * I'm into people being into things that I'm not, please enjoy all the varieties of xeno the series have to offer, i will try to restrain my whining to especially pertinent moments
I've got to say I'm amused by the idea of someone suggesting to Piccolo he should spit some eggs for the good of the species.
Ch 265 Also Namek has 3 suns (!!) and no night (!!), which would be a big plus for any photosynthetic organism, provided it had sufficient water (The Dragon Balls Change Hands) Krillin tells the Grand Elder about Kami/Piccolo and how Earth also has dragon balls. why gastropods tho The Grand Elder puts his hand on Krillin's head to see his past, without even really asking or waiting for a positive response (invasion of privacy t.t). He sees what the deal is with Piccolo/Kami (along with a bunch of other stuff, presumably). lucky for Goku though... might not have been successful had he had to fight a whole kami-piccolo (kapiccolo? pikkami?). on the other hand, there might not have been a fight at all if they'd remained whole. who knows But, if Kami and Piccolo are brought back to life, there may be some hope for them getting together again... at least, the Grand Elder's words seem to imply that they could. (Kinda feel like neither of them would really be into doing that though... They've each got their own thing going on, and don't seem like they'd be into the other's deal. Well, maybe. It's hard to say. Piccolo might enjoy brooding up at Kami's place in the sky.) The Grand Elder decides to grant Krillin the last dragon ball (which is on the back of his throne), but says Krillin and the rest are unlikely to get their wishes granted, because he's the creator of these dragon balls and he's sensed that he'll be dying within the next few days. Plus, 5/7 are with Freeza and the hidden ball may not stay hidden for long, as Vegeta got picked up by Zarbon and is probably in for some intensive questioning regarding its location. Krillin says he'll protect it with his life anyway, because even if they don't get their wishes, it's better that neither Freeza or Vegeta gets theirs. The Grand Elder also remarks that Krillin's pretty impressive for an earthling (how would you know that???), but he has a bunch of dormant power just lying around unused. Krillin is skeptical but the Grand Elder puts his hand on his head again and upgrades Krillin to 2.0. i'm always pretty stoked whenever something good happens for krillin (and he said thanks. a good egg) Krillin asks if he could do this for anyone, and the Grand Elder says, basically, yep. Krillin leaves with the final dragon ball to go get Gohan and bring him back, because he suspects that Gohan might have a vast well of untapped power and that the Grand Elder might be able to make him a whole heck of a lot stronger by unleashing it. (Dende gets left behind... please be safe, my son...) In the excitement of being so newly powerful, Krillin seems to have forgotten about being cautious, because he's leaving a crazy wake behind him, just flying over the water. Gohan is training by himself while Bulma checks the radar and sees that there's one anomalous ball that's not in Freeza's possession and not moving towards them (they assume, correctly, that that's Krillin bringing one from the Grand Elder). Gohan sets off for it with the radar, because he doesn't sense any dangerous ki in the area and this is their big chance to get their hands on an unattended ball and keep it out of anyone else's possession. Vegeta, meanwhile, is hooked up in one of those healing bubble chambers, and Appule (the kind of amphibian grunt) estimates he won't wake up for at least half an hour. Zarbon leaves to report, and yep, not even a minute later, Vegeta's up and raring to go. This probably isn't as bad as someone ripping out an IV, but I still think it's not great. Appule's bit the dust and Zarbon and Freeza arrive to see a big hole in the ship, which they assume Vegeta escaped through. some good atypical expressions going on here However, Vegeta was just around the corner and waiting for them to be preoccupied to go and steal their dragon balls. Ch 266 (Vegeta's Laughter, Freeza's Rage) Gohan lands in the village Vegeta destroyed a few chapters ago and uses the radar to find the sunken ball. Zarbon's still looking for Vegeta and Freeza is threatening him with death. Vegeta stops for a second to gloat about not only getting free healing, but also having the perfect opportunity to run off with their dragon balls. stuff em down your shirt. do it Instead, he yells down the corridor, alerting them to his presence inside the ship. He sends a blast down the hall so that they can't get at him, then opens a hole in the ship and just. Chucks the dragon balls out through it. pshooooo! Having chucked all 5, Vegeta takes off too, but not by air: he swims instead. God, Vegeta's pretty good at this shit. He's got some amazing precision, too; when he finally surfaces near where he expects the balls to have landed, they're all there and in close proximity to one another. He gathers them up and puts them in a U-shaped cliff hollow for safekeeping. (Oh, and I just noticed, one of the shoulders of his armor is broken.) Krillin chooses that moment to fly right overhead, blissfully unaware of the danger he's putting himself in because he's too deeply into his newfound power. Cat's outta the goddamn bag, and now Vegeta knows that at least Krillin's on Namek too. Of course, Vegeta immediately gives chase, thinking that today's his lucky day. Ch 267 (Reunion of Terror!) I wonder if it gets hard to not reuse chapter titles you've used in the past? Now I wish I had kept track of them from the beginning. Krillin still hasn't noticed Vegeta following him. Zarbon, out searching for Vegeta, first sees Krillin go past with a dragon ball, then sees Vegeta following him. Oh jesus, this is going to be a shitshow. Zarbon goes after both of them and so now we have a parade of flying people: Krillin, who's completely unaware that he's got two nasty characters in two; Vegeta, who notices Zarbon's presence and thinks it's a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone; and Zarbon, who's grateful he's found not only Vegeta but also another dragon ball. Back at the base, Bulma's chilling outside (seems like kind of a bad idea). Krillin arrives and startles the hell out of her. "oh yeah, it's so hard to transplant dragon balls, and they'll never get to their proper size anywhere but namek." - dragon ball fancy magazine She tells Krillin that Gohan's gone off to pick up a stray dragon ball. It's at this point that Krillin finally, finally notices the ki behind him, just in time for Vegeta to make his entrance. does the broken shoulder make him more or less imposing? hmmm. But he doesn't have time to deal with them right at this second, because Zarbon's right there behind him. (Bulma is very taken with Zarbon because he's pretty; Krillin's like "o shit o shit".) When Vegeta refuses to tell where he hid the final dragon ball, Zarbon turns ugly (and Bulma gets very suddenly less infatuated). Zarbon attacks and Vegeta hits the deck before springing up into the air, where he FUCKIN' DOES THE DIRT IN THE EYES TRICK!! well, if you can't make a blinding flash of light with your head (?), i guess you gotta improvise While Zarbon's blinded, Vegeta gets a big nasty hit on his back, which definitely fractures his armor. Doubt it's anything fatal, but it's no gentle pat either.
On one hand, Namekuji is Japanese for 'Slug' and Akira Toriyama said in an interview that Namekians aren't plant people. On the other hand, by this point in the story Akira Toriyama literally forgot that Launch exists. We could probably retcon them to plants and he'd think he ways wrote it that way.
slug people (sleople) eta that would explain the antennae. kind of like the tentacles on snails/slugs. eta#2 and all of the goddamn snail names
(https://prospitianescapee.tumblr.com/post/173373818210/snarpthese-are-my-concerns) Truly this is the question that haunts the db fandom.
Now all I want to do is read theory on this.... if anyone has links I'll gladly feed my current obsession
