Reviews Anime / Dragon Ball Z

Namek Saga (Freeza) - The Death of Dragon Ball's Quality

I will just remind everybody of one important thing before I start this review: I'm not really a fan of this series and haven't had contact with it for 15 years. This is not the viewpoint of a Dragon Ball fan, this the viewpoint of an anime-loving adult who's casually watching this in 2022 and judging it based on its own merits.

Now, while Dragon Ball Z can be enjoyable and has been very enjoyable during the Saiyan Saga and during the beginning of this Saga... what it does during this segment is painful. Pacing, logic, character intelligence and storytelling just fly out the window the minute the third part of the Namek Saga begins.

Setting Up The Trends

After the fight with Ginyu, Goku is left extremely wounded and, since he conveniently didn't bring enough senzu beans with him, he has to stay incapacitated healing inside a pod for half of the segment.

During the same time, Vegeta starts feeling sick for... reasons... and decides he's gonna take a nap. I'm not entirely sure what the hell just happened, but this very convenient event gives the heroes time to grab the Dragon Balls, sneak out, and make their wish before Vegeta gets his immortality granted and kills everybody.

You know, it's great seeing characters still treat Vegeta logically. They know he's a murderous, remorseless psychopath who will betray them on a whim as soon as he gets what he wants. This is just about the last time the characters will treat him as such.

And so, they get to wishing. The first wish is to bring Piccolo back to life, so the Earth Dragon Balls will also be restored and so they can resurrect everybody else. Okay, sounds reasonable enough. Up until this point, nothing inexcusably stupid has happened yet, but then...

Their first wish alerts both Vegeta and Freeza, who are now fast on their way to kill them. The heroes panic, when suddenly, Piccolo asks to have the second wish be teleport him to Namek so he can fight Freeza himself, because he wants to avenge his people or whatever... who he states on multiple occasions he doesn't give a damn about.

Okay, this is a terrible idea. In Piccolo's defense, he tells them he's been training in Kaio-sama's planet, which is complete bullshit. Piccolo outright refused to train. And even if he did train, he would only get as powerful as Goku was during the Saiyan Saga, in other words, not nearly enough by a huge margin.

But, against all logic, common sense and at complete risk of ruining the entire reason why they went to Namek in the first place, they grant Piccolo his wish. Now, they have only one wish left, and the kicker is... Piccolo wasn't teleported to their exact location, so they plan to use the third wish to teleport him there. I don't know, but maybe "teleport us the fuck away from Namek so Freeza/Vegeta won't kill us" is a better option.

Things are ruined when Vegeta arrives and demands to have his immortality granted, though, threatening to kill Dende if he doesn't get it. Now, one important thing to remember: Wishes must be made in Namekian language, a language Vegeta doesn't understand. Dende could've simply told Porunga "teleport us the fuck away to Earth" or "teleport Vegeta to the sun" or even "teleport Piccolo right here" like they were originally planning. And actually, that's exactly what happens 15 episodes down the line.

In an amazing display of plot moved by further character stupidity, Dende decides to grant Vegeta his immortality, no questions asked. When the Dragon Balls suddenly and very conveniently become inert, so Vegeta can't have his wish granted either. Vegeta is very angry and about to kill the shit out of everybody, until Freeza arrives... Dun dun duuuuuun!

Longest... Fight... Ever!

I'm not entirely sure what happened behind the production of the show during this time, most people say what happens here happens because the anime caught up with the manga, so they were forced to do some... questionable things with the pacing. In other words, the show's pacing simply dies during this segment.

There are lots of reused footage, recap episodes, characters talking and starting at each other back and forth for long periods of time, heavy use of flashbacks for things that happened the previous episode, and in one instance, of things that happened a few minutes ago in the same episode.

There is also the fact that the climactic fight with Freeza lasts for over 30 episodes, thirty. Most anime would have their climaxes happen under 5 episodes, 10 if we're being generous. But Dragon Ball comes to prove other anime has nothing on it and stretches things out to hell. Even Kai, the supposedly "better-paced" version of the anime, has this fight reduced to 18 episodes. Still not good enough.

Meanwhile, Piccolo, now realizing he's stupid as fuck and shouldn't have made the wish to be teleported to Namek, not only because he's complete cannon fodder, but also because it put the whole mission in jeopardy (And yes, he does realize it and says it out loud. I love it when Akira Toriyama is self-conscious about his writing), finds a dying Nail in the middle of nowhere.

Piccolo and Nail decide to fuse, because that's the only way they'll ever be more powerful than Freeza... My question is: How?! Piccolo's power-level is, at best, not more than 20k, Nail's is not more than 50k. Freeza's second form is over a million, but fused Piccolo can still keep up with him? How does that make any sense?! 20,000 + 50,000 = 1,000,000???

Even then, it doesn't work, because Freeza transforms again and the whole fight becomes another race to see who can last longer until Goku arrives. Poor Piccolo, he had one episode of competence before being shoehorned straight back into cannon fodder.

During the whole mess, Vegeta has the brilliant idea to open a hole in his chest, expecting Dende to heal him, fully intending to abuse the Zenkai Bullshit. You know, in paper, this does sound like a brilliant idea. The characters can just grab a bag of senzu, shoot themselves to death and heal themselves until they get to an absurdly high power level.

Surprisingly, it doesn't work. Seems like even Akira realized how easy it is to abuse this plot-point and put an end to it. The Zenkai does show up a few times again in the rest of the series, but it's not nearly as egregious as it is in the Namek Saga. So, good on Akira for finally putting an end to this.

"Please, Feel Bad For Vegeta!"

After fooling himself into thinking he became stronger, Vegeta challenges Freeza to a fight. The result is one of the most humiliating curb-stomps in the whole anime. And it's just so, so cathartic to watch. Vegeta has spent so much time being an annoying Smug Super that watching him having a lesson in humility is delicious.

"Are you satisfied now, Vegeta? (smack) You 'Nothing In My Brain But Fighting' Stupid Saiyan? (smack)" Also helped by how Freeza is an incredible villain who keeps rubbing it on Vegeta's face. You know, if Goku was on the receiving end of a beatdown like this in Super or even in the Android Saga, I wouldn't complain.

The only problem with this sequence is because Akira Toriyama starts what I like to call "Please, Feel Bad For Vegeta." What I mean by that is: Both anime and manga start trying, very hard, to make you feel sympathetic towards Vegeta. "Look at that, Vegeta is shedding tears for the first time in his life, I feel so bad for him!" (And yes, that's a piece of dialogue lifted straight from the Japanese version)

Now, a little bit of history on Vegeta: He was initially designed to be a throw-away villain. He would die during the Saiyan Saga, crushed by Oozaru!Gohan. However, due to the character's popularity, Akira allowed him to live a little while longer. I don't have a problem with this, since Vegeta contributes so much to the Namek Saga, but I do have a problem with the way Vegeta is utilized from this point on.

The intent of the author is very clear, Vegeta has become too popular with the fans to simply kill off, so he's planning on redeeming Vegeta and integrating him into the main cast. I wouldn't have a problem with this... if Vegeta actually had a decent redemption arc. I have commended Toriyama on making a good redemption arc for Piccolo, citing it as one of the best in his work, but Vegeta's is easily one of his worst.

Instead of having Vegeta atone or reflect on his sins, like slaughtering an entire village of innocents or gleefully committing genocide with or without Freeza's influence, both anime and manga instead opt to make you feel sad for Vegeta by having him get brutally beaten down by Freeza. Moving speeches about how Vegeta did everything Freeza ever told him to do, how his race was treated terribly despite being loyal, none of that really worked for me. Specially when you recall lines like this:

"I don't care about what happened to my planet, my friends, my race or even my parents. All that matters to me is getting stronger and reaching immortality so I can enjoy fighting for eternity!" (Vegeta to Dodoria, Japanese Version)

I have a lot more to say about Vegeta's shoddy "redemption arc", but I'll get into that later.

Several Episodes of Fooling Around

So, Goku arrives and feeling sorry for Vegeta (because why not), declares he will beat Freeza once and for all. He also tells the others to stand aside and not intervene, because of course he does. What follows is a bunch of episodes with Freeza playing around with Goku and smugly declaring he's not even using 100% of his true power.

After realizing he can't beat Freeza, Goku bets it all on the Genki-Dama. So, Goku raises his arms and this amuses Freeza, because he thinks Goku is dancing and never bothers to look up in the same direction Goku is looking. But after he does, the other characters finally join in to stall for time. So, Goku throws the Genki-Dama and Freeza dies, the end... Not!

The Super Saiyan Transformation

Determined to have another 10 episodes of pointless battles where the characters just fool around each other, the show reveals Freeza has survived. Freeza then not-kills Piccolo with his one-hit death ray. I say "not-kill" because Piccolo contractually can't die for the sake of the plot, otherwise this entire mission would be in vain and the audience would realize the characters are massive idiots for wasting a wish on bringing him to Namek.

Then, Freeza proceeds to kill Kuririn and this triggers Goku's explosion of anger into The Legendary Super Saiyan and... it kind of blows.

I know I'm in the vast minority here, but watching this episode for the first time ever, I don't see what's the big deal here. His hair color changed and he got a massive power boost, that's it. I mean, yes, there was an entire section of foreshadowing behind it, but I didn't feel like the buildup paid off very well. The transformation simply happens and it's over before you know it. "Wait, that's it? That's the transformation?"

Admittedly, knowing the reason behind the transformation's concept does help in making me feel like it's not a big deal: Akira simply got tired of coloring Goku's hair, so he created Super Saiyan. Now, he doesn't need to color the entirety of Goku's hair, he only needs to do the linework, and he saves on black ink!

Regardless of my feelings towards the Super Saiyan Transformation, what follows is also not good.

"This Planet Will Explode in 5 Months- I Mean, Minutes!"

Furious at Freeza for killing Kuririn and swearing revenge, Goku starts doing the same thing Freeza did in the first half of this segment: Fool around him. He demands that Freeza power-up to 100% so he can "humiliate him the same way he did with every single person he ever killed."

In a better-paced, less incredibly stupid show, I would let that pass without a single complaint. But considering this is Dragon Ball Z, it's just another nail in the coffin of whatever good qualities this arc still had. Freeza takes an entire episode to power-up, and even after that, Goku still continues to wipe the floor with him. That's when Freeza pulls the biggest bullshit ever said in anime and in manga: "This planet will explode in 5 minutes!"

No, despite what fan justifications will tell you, this is not an exaggeration. This is not the characters fighting at super-sonic speeds, and this is not Freeza lying to save face. Toriyama meant what he said when he wrote the line "5 minutes." Bulma's spaceship confirms the planet had 5 minutes left. So yeah, this is purely Toriyama's lack of foresight and desire to torture his audience with more pointless battling.

Meanwhile, Mr. Popo gathers the Dragon Balls and resurrects the dead Namekians, then Kami makes a plan with Guru and Dende to use Porunga to relocate everyone else but Freeza to Earth. But Goku declares in all fury that he wants to stay too, because he wants to "avenge Kuririn" or whatever. In that moment, Freeza almost gets his wish granted, but Dende, suddenly having grown a brain and knowing Freeza can't speak Namekian, makes the wish to teleport everyone away successfully. Yes, it was that easy to have avoided this entire mess.

Even More Episodes of Fooling Around

You know how it goes, Goku and Freeza keep fighting on Namek, throwing technique after technique at each other to no effect, while everybody waits patiently on Earth for Goku to return and Kaio-sama keeps reminding the audience that "This time for sure, Namek will explode this episode!" for at least 5 more episodes.

The Namekians notice one of their tribes are missing, and that's when Vegeta proudly declares that he was responsible for that, that now that Freeza and Goku are dead, he's free to take over the universe and become the next Freeza, laughing maniacally... a threat which nobody takes seriously.

You see, that's the biggest issue I have with Vegeta's "redemption." He never redeemed, he's still a terrible person and a remorseless psychopath, but the characters start acting like Vegeta became a non-threat overnight because of that awful "moving" beating he got on Namek. Every time Vegeta does something terrible or threatens to kill somebody, they just look at him funny and let him be.

In one specific filler instance in the anime, Vegeta starts trash-talking Goku. Gohan tries to defend his father's honor and subsequently gets his ass beaten by Vegeta while Piccolo just watches on the sidelines without doing anything and Bulma just looks at him funny... I have no words. You better get used to the new routine of "Vegeta Does Something Shitty > Nobody Does Anything About It", because it'll become much, much worse.

Namek Finally Explodes

After fighting Freeza for a good while, Goku declares "he's satisfied enough, you gave me a good fight." Man, Kuririn must be seething in the afterlife watching this, it was never about avenging Kuririn, was it? Freeza doesn't take this well and attacks Goku one final time, eventually slicing himself in half.

Freeza then starts pleading for his life, for which Goku responds with "Your life?! What about everyone else's lives?! What about everyone else you killed?!" If only he had that attitude with Vegeta, I mean, the guy is the whole reason they're on Namek, but Goku treats him like "He's a good guy and I owe him a fight :D" Oh, that's right, Vegeta's "redeemed" now... I forgot.

But being a merciful, pure-hearted idiot, who Toriyama insists to all heaven he's "really a selfish asshole who only saves the world by mere accident", decides to give Freeza some of his energy. Freeza wastes no time in trying to kill Goku again and Goku decides to finish him off for good... apparently.

And so, Goku desperately tries to find a way to escape Namek, but fails, apparently exploding alongside the planet... Until the other members of the cast decide to use the Dragon Balls to try to revive him, but then it's revealed Goku never actually died and he's willingly leaving the probably traumatized Gohan on Earth to go train god-knows-where.

Again, Goku absolutely deserves a humiliating beating like Vegeta. Oh, I know, I know, I can already hear the Dragon Ball fanboys coming to me and telling me "But Goku is supposed to be a selfish asshole." Sorry, that doesn't make the character any more likable.

Final Thoughts

I think it would be easier to list what I liked about this segment than the bad. Freeza is a fantastic villain. I mean, sure, he's merely a born-evil ultimate evil type of villain, but his personality is what makes all the difference. The sheer aura of malevolence and hopelessness he gives, the affable way he treats his enemies, the brutal beating he gives Vegeta, it's all just so delightful.

...And that's about the only compliment I'll give this segment. Everything else, I thought was a travesty. The writing took a massive nosedive, the characters became more annoying and incredibly stupid, the pacing became unbearable and I left this arc feeling like maybe having everybody die on Namek wasn't such a bad thing after all. I'm sorry, Dragon Ball fans, but I really don't like this segment.

But fear not, despite my negative feelings about this portion of the story, if compared to what comes next, the Freeza Mini-arc is a freaking masterpiece. Next up is (shudders) the Android Saga.

Rating: 2/5