‘Dragon Ball Super’ Episode 78 Review: Pre-Tournament Match & Buu’s First Fight
Dragon Ball Super Episode 78 has just aired, and it has effectively pushed the plot of the ongoing saga significantly forward. While the actual Tournament of Power itself has not begun, DBS has opted to feature a pre-tournament battle between Universe 7 and Universe 9 nonetheless, with the first match being held between U7’s Buu and U9’s Basil. If the past of U7’s fighter is any indication, his lithe wolf opponent would most likely be in danger when DBS Episode 79 airs next week.
The events of Dragon Ball Super Episode 78 explored the idea of the Tournament of Power further, with Goku facing the repercussions of the upcoming battle through the reactions of Beerus, Gohan, and the U7 Kai, according to noted DBS translator Todd Blankenship. Unsurprisingly, the stipulations of the tournament, which were revealed fully in Episode 78, did not sit well with most characters. The premise of genocide due to a team of fighters’ inability to win battles is a pretty heavy concept, after all.
One thing that was revealed in Dragon Ball Super Episode 78 was the official rules of the upcoming tournament. As it turns out, the winning team in the Tournament of Power does not really get anything, save for their universe’s survival. The top fighter in the entire event, however, would get a wish from the Super Dragon Balls, which are capable of granting any wish, regardless of scope and nature. As previously revealed, the losing teams from the tournament would have their respective universes annihilated.
The rules of Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power might really be skewed against most of the DB multiverses, but as previously established by the anime, the Omni-King’s wishes are absolute. Thus, if the all-powerful god seeks destruction, that is what would happen. In order to preview what is in store for the tournament, however, a pre-event fight was decided between competitors from Universe 7 and Universe 9. The first competitor from Universe 7 was decided to be Buu, fighting against the fast, kick-crazy Basil from Universe 9.
Buu is an interesting choice for a debut competitor in the Tournament of Power’s practice match. While it was suggested that fighters who would not be performing according to the Omni-King’s standards would be punished in some way, the destruction of the losing team’s universe is set to happen only in the actual tournament. With this rule not in effect during the pre-tournament fight, the selected representatives from U7 and U9 have a pretty big responsibility. After all, the Omni-King’s initial perception of the tournament, which would most likely affect the god’s tendency to destroy entire universes, will depend on how entertained the all-powerful god would be in the Buu vs. Basil fight, which is set to play out in Dragon Ball Super Episode 79.
Basil is a pretty serious fighter, though the reddish-wolf kicking machine failed to impress Beerus. In their initial skirmish, the Universe 9 fighter literally kicked Buu around, seemingly dominating the chubby, cute, pink Universe 7 competitor. While being kicked all over the place, however, numerous fans of the franchise have noted that Buu was beginning to sport the character’s infamous smirk right before he turned into a real threat back in Dragon Ball Z.
Thus, while Buu might initially be at a disadvantage in the pre-tournament match against Basil due to the latter’s speed and kicking prowess, the expression of the iconic former Dragon Ball Z villain at the end of the episode suggests that something pretty nasty might be in store for the humanoid wolf once Dragon Ball Super Episode 79 airs next week. With this in mind, longtime fans of the Dragon Ball franchise are speculating that Buu might channel his DBZ self a little and simply consume and absorb Basil in one go. Considering how Dragon Ball Super usually gives nods to DBZ and the original DB series in its episodes, there is a pretty good chance that this might happen.
Overall, Dragon Ball Super seems to be playing it safe with regards to the plot progression of the Tournament of Power. The pacing of the anime, so far, appears to be very consistent, not too slow like in DBZ and not too fast like in the recently-concluded Future Trunks arc. As the Universe Survival Arc officially begins, DBS might very well be heading towards the anime’s finest episodes yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFi_ebGCm40
[Image by Toei Animation]
