‘Dragon Ball Super’ Episode 81 Recap, 82 Preview: Goku To Be Dominated By Toppo?

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Dragon Ball Super Episode 81, “Crusher Bergamo vs Son Goku! Who Has Sky-High Power?!” just aired, and it featured a pretty interesting fight between the Saiyan and Universe 9’s final champion. With the Gods of Destruction and the Kais from all the DBS multiverse solely on Bergamo’s side, Universe 7’s Goku was able to prove that even mortals from the second-lowest ranking universe are formidable enough to be feared.

The episode, in itself, played out as expected, according to noted fan-translator Todd Blankenship. After the first match in the pre-tournament battle was won by Majin Buu of Universe 7 and the second match featuring Gohan ended in a tie, it was up to Goku to settle the score and bring home the win for Universe 7. Facing him, however, was the strongest member of Universe 9’s Trio De Dangers, “Crusher” Bergamo.

Before the match, Bergamo was able to get everyone against Goku’s because the Tournament of Power, which would result in mass annihilation, was originally the Saiyan’s idea. The Universe 9 champion then gave the Omni-Kings a proposal: if he wins, the Tournament of Power’s stipulation that all losing universes would be wiped out would be waived.

Sure enough, the two Zenos agreed. Inasmuch as Goku losing to Bergamo would be beneficial to the survival of the greater DBS multiverse, however, it was also teased that if the Saiyan throws the match, the Omni-Kings would simply destroy Universe 7. Thus, with no other choice than to go all out against his opponent, Goku faced the most powerful fighter from Universe 9.

In a rush so I'll work out name puns later, but this fellow's name is ??/Ea, pic.twitter.com/50v5JixJrY

— Todd Blankenship (@Herms98) March 5, 2017

As it turned out, Bergamo’s special ability allowed him to absorb and fight back with double his opponent’s power. Thus, faced with Goku, whose fighting style is primarily brute force, there was more than enough power for Bergamo to absorb. It did not take long, however, before Goku went all out, transforming to Super Saiyan Blue, and then Kaio-ken, before his power became too much for the Universe 9 champion to absorb.

At the end of the battle between the two fighters, Goku was standing and ready for more, while Bergamo was completely down for the count. Needless to say, the Saiyan barely broke a sweat during his battle with the humanoid wolf fighter, and the fight was easily won. Because of this, however, the Tournament of Power’s destruction rule remains in place, and the losing universes would still be annihilated by the all-powerful Omni-King.

Unsurprisingly, Goku’s win was not appreciated by the Gods of Destruction and the Kaioshins in attendance. Seemingly agreeing with Bergamo, almost all were aghast at Goku, who is basically the mastermind behind the Tournament of Power. It was at this moment, however, that the mysterious hooded fighter from Universe 11, decided to interfere and demand a match against Son Goku.

Leaks during the previous weeks have already introduced Dragon Ball Super fans to Toppo, the hooded figure accompanying the killer clown-looking God of Destruction. As the leader of Universe 11’s Pride Troopers (think DC’s Green Lantern Corps), Toppo is a warrior who solely believes in justice and keeping the peace. Thus, for the U11 fighter, Goku, the main reason for the Tournament of Power, is the very personification of everything that he fights against.

Fans of Dragon Ball Super were quick to point out that Toppo, the leader of the Pride Troopers, is an extremely powerful fighter. According to the character’s profile in the official DBS website, Toppo was so strong that he is actually being scouted by the gods as a candidate to be the next God of Destruction. Thus, with the character targeting Goku, the Saiyan would most likely find himself in big trouble when they fight.

The match between Son Goku and Toppo would be featured on March 19, due to a one-week break that the anime series would be taking next Sunday. Considering Toppo’s power, however, numerous fans are speculating that Goku would most likely lose his match against the U11 fighter. After all, having the Pride Troopers’ leader curbstomp Goku would definitely do DBS‘ plot a lot of good, since it would raise the stakes of the Universe Survival Arc even further.

Over the course of the anime, Son Goku has been pretty much unbeatable. Even during his battles with Goku Black and Zamasu, the fighter was able to hold his own very well. Thus, in order to build up tension in the plot, it would be best for Dragon Ball Super to have Goku lose to the powerful Universe 11 fighter. If this happens, Goku would definitely need to attain power that goes far beyond what he currently has, in order to beat Toppo and the multiverse’s strongest warriors.

With this in mind, there is a very good chance that Dragon Ball Super Episode 82, “I Won’t Forgive Son Goku! The Warrior of Justice Toppo Bursts In!” would feature the defeat of the Saiyan. After his defeat, Goku would need to get stronger, far beyond what has been featured in the franchise so far. If any, Goku’s training after his likely defeat at the hands of Toppo would usher in the somewhat dark transformation that was teased in the anime’s new opening theme.

https://youtu.be/q_G522wU2Jg

[Featured Image by Toei Animation]