‘Dragon Ball Super’ Episode 71-72: Hold Your Horses, Goku Won’t Die Anytime Soon

Dragon Ball Super Episodes 71 and 72 have managed to capture the attention of the franchise’s avid fans after it was revealed that the powerful assassin from Universe 6, Hit, would be returning to DBS in order to hunt for no other than Son Goku himself. Considering Hit’s powerful killing techniques and the fact that he was able to easily stand toe-to-toe with SSJB Goku the last time they fought, numerous news sources are speculating that the Saiyan would meet his end within the next two weeks. As much as this premise is interesting, however, it appears that this is not really the case.

As soon as news broke that Hit would be returning to Dragon Ball Super, fans immediately began speculating about what would happen during the deadly assassin’s return, with many stating that Son Goku might actually die during their rematch. These speculations gained even more footing once the title and summary for Episode 71 were released.

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The raw title for Episode 71 reads as “Goku Shiki! Zettai Shikko No Ansatsu Irai,” which roughly translates to “Death to Goku! A Hit-Job That Can’t Be Refused.” However, the context of the original Japanese title could also be read as “Goku Dies! An Assassination Order That Must Be Performed.” The episode’s official summary has also been released, and it does refer to a legitimate attempt on Goku’s life.

“At someone’s request, the strongest assassin in the universe mobilizes!! The target is somehow our very own Son Goku!! Will Goku be able to uncover the true identity of the assassin, and can he be triumphant against them?! Don’t miss out on this heart-pounding, exciting development!!”

This particular interpretation of the original Japanese translation, as well as the episode’s official summary, has brought about numerous reports seemingly confirming that Son Goku would indeed die on the 71st episode of the anime. Adding to this conjecture is the idea that during his last fight against Goku, Hit was actually holding back, since he was not allowed to kill anyone in the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 tournament. Thus, skill-wise, at least, it seems like Hit is capable of killing Goku.

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Inasmuch as this particular plot development has been done in previous Dragon Ball series, however, killing off the Saiyan at this point in the anime makes little sense. After all, with the Future Trunks arc recently concluded, all signs are pointing to the Omniverse Tournament starting soon. Considering that the idea of the Omniverse Tournament is something that Zeno, the Omni-King, came up with after meeting Goku, holding the competition with the latter being dead seems detrimental to the plot of the overall plot of the anime.

Apart from this, the episode title of Episode 72 has also been released. Though still unconfirmed, notable Dragon Ball Super source GojiitaAF has stated on his official Facebook page that the title for the DBS Episode 72 would be “Counter-attack? An Invisible Assassination Skill!” Though the official summary of the episode has not been released, it could be inferred from the episode’s title alone that the battle between Hit and Son Goku, which would start in Episode 71, would continue well into DBS Episode 72. With this in mind, the chances of Goku getting killed by Hit on Episode 71 become even slimmer.

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If any, Episode 71 and 72 would most likely be a precursor to the next big arc of Dragon Ball Super. The Dragon Ball franchise has already done the same thing in the past, such as the battle against Raditz being a precursor to the arrival of Vegeta, as well as the appearance of Babidi being pretty much a prologue to the Majin Buu arc back in Dragon Ball Z. Considering that the action is set to pick up on DBS Episode 71 and 72, it seems safe to assume that another, bigger and more important arc is set to begin very soon.

Other signs are pointing to a new saga beginning as well, with Crunchyroll recently reporting that Japanese rock band THE COLLECTORS has just been announced as the group which would provide the new ending theme of Dragon Ball Super starting January 2017. With a new ending theme being rolled out to the anime, it does seem safe to assume that DBS would indeed be entering yet another epic saga starting next year. With this in mind, Episodes 71 and 72, which would feature Hit fighting Goku in a serious battle, appears to be the perfect way to transition the series from the ongoing filler arc to the grander, more significant Omniverse Tournament saga.

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[Featured Image by Toei Animation]