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Dragon Ball Super
Episode 107

by Sam Leach,

How would you rate episode 107 of
Dragon Ball Super ?
Community score: 4.5

The further along we get into the Tournament of Power, the more confident I am in saying this is the most consistently I've enjoyed Dragon Ball Super. The production values have found solid ground, and the general fervor of the action is much more reliable than it's been in the past. The show is hyping its big one-hour special in the coming weeks, and I'm eating it up. Bring it on.

To punctuate this is Jiren, Universe 11's mystery man whose promise lies in his overwhelming strength, even amongst the likes of Goku and Toppo. There's been a lot of intrigue over exactly how he fights (since he's mostly been standing around confidently this whole time), but this episode gives us a tiny tease of what's to come as he one-shots a guy, Saitama-style, with the sheer force of wind created by a single jab. It helps that his opponent has an amorphous liquid-style composition, so the blow doesn't just knock him back, it tears his whole body apart in the most brutal, non-lethal attack possible within the rules of the tournament. He's so casual about it too, and that's what makes it awesome.

The rest of the episode goes on to juggle a few important elements, namely Master Roshi's final contribution to the fight, Frost's role in the tournament, and a certain Saiyan prince who hasn't been getting much of the spotlight lately. I was surprised that Roshi wasn't out of the fight after his episode a few weeks back ran its course. I had gotten everything I expected out of him, but the show keeps him around just long enough to get an interesting battle out of him and Frost. Any physical combat between the two is a stretch, as Frost could probably blink him out of existence with ease, but Roshi resumes use of the mafu-ba technique, which forms the main conflict of the episode as multiple attempts are made and Frost is able to use it to his advantage once Vegeta enters the scene.

Roshi continues to get a loving portrayal in this arc, as the show allows him to go toe-to-toe with Frost and retire from the fight with dignity. So little of the joke character we expected to see is present, and it's a delight to see him getting some of the best animation in the episode as he pushes himself past his limits yet again. We end the episode off with Beerus saying, "My opinion of you has improved, Master Roshi," and you know what? I think I agree. I was already happy with the Master Roshi episode we got a few weeks back, but I think I like this one even more.

Dragon Ball Super is finally starting to live up to the 'soap opera for teenagers' appeal of its franchise. The action looks great, the big swelling music sells its moments, and I'm generally just excited to be watching a cool Dragon Ball thing again. I've had this reaction to the show on occasion, and it's always a temporary moment, but judging by the next episode preview and the general hype being built around the upcoming Goku vs. Jiren fight, I think I'm going to continue having a great time.

Rating: A

Dragon Ball Super is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Sam Leach records about One Piece for The One Piece Podcast and you can find him on Twitter @LuckyChainsaw


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