Slight spoilers may be talked about below, so please be sure to watch the latest episode before reading on! This review is based off of the dub version of Super that currently airs on Toonami.
It’s bonus round time as Goku faces off with Universe 11’s insanely powerful Pride Trooper leader, Top (a.k.a Toppo in the Japanese version) in an extra match of the Zeno Expo! Is Top the strongest fighter so far in the series, is Goku really the villain everyone is making him out to be and how much time does all the universes have to get ready for the Tournament of Power; let’s find out shall we?
Photo Source: Funimation/Toei Animation/Cartoon Network
We pick up Episode 82 from where we last left off with Top jumping into the ring challenging Goku to a match. Top goes into a lengthy five minute monologue while doing Ginyu-like poses telling Goku that he is the “villain” and that Top’s “justice” will stop him. And by “justice” I mean it’s actually Top’s insanely huge hands that are ready to throw down with Goku. With approval from the Omni-Kings and the Grand Minister starting the fight, Goku powers up into his usual Super Saiyan form to face against Top. But it’s clearly apparent that Top is far more powerful then he seems to a regular Super Saiyan and can easily outmatch Goku in the fight. Top is deceptively fast and lands some solid hit at Goku, to even at one point dislocate his arm! Goku pops his arm back into his socket and takes the fight into the air, however Top counters this and grabs Goku into a reverse bear-hug and starts squeezing him. We cut to a commercial break right here.
Photo Source: Funimation/Toei Animation/Cartoon Network
Once we’re back from the break, Goku breaks out of the bear-hug by powering up to Super Saiyan Blue where the fight then shifts to be an insanely equal fight. Its at the point where Goku and Top are fighting so fast that you can barely see them. This new speed of fighting instantly delights the Omni-Kings in the stands and they begin to cheer the two fighters on. Goku finally knocks Top out of the air and sends the Pride Trooper crashing into the already damming ring. Goku charges up a God Kamehameha but Top fires a few beams to counter Goku in the air; yet Goku instead counters the counter and warps right up into Top’s face to fire the God Kamehameha at point blank range! Beerus quips that this was almost like a kill shot coming from Goku, which is uncharacteristic of the Saiyan. However, it’s hinted that Goku knew this wouldn’t kill Top and instead take the fight to the next level yet again. And Goku was correct, Top is able to survive this massive attack and instead is able to stand through it with just a torn sleeve of his uniform.
Photo Source: Funimation/Toei Animation/Cartoon Network
This weirdly, enrages Top over his damage duds, as the Pride Trooper goes off into another monologue about “justice” and powers up with a red aura. Goku does the same jumping from Super Saiyan Blue into Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken. The Omini-Kings are sitting in delight and want more, but strangely the Grand Minister see’s what is happen and demands the fight to stop — overruling the two Zenos sitting behind him. He says that it’s best to save a fight like this for the actual Tournament Of Power and for everyone to wait until then. This causes both Top and Goku to instantly stop their fight with Goku walking up to Top to offer his hand in competition but Top refuses to shake his hand. Still stating that Goku is a villain and that justice will never shake his hand. Top then leaves the ring with a warning for Goku, that Top isn’t the strongest out of his Pride Troopers and that there is another, Jiren who will hand out “justice” to Goku in the tournament.
Photo Source: Funimation/Toei Animation/Cartoon Network
After both fighters return to their universe’s stands, the Grand Minister takes the floor and states exactly how much time everyone has to get their fighters ready for the tournament. They only have two days, or forty hours to be exact to find seven other members for their team! This comes from left field for Universe 7, as Goku and Beerus both panic over the short turnaround time. All the universes end up going back, with Universe 7 returning to Supreme Kai’s world. Here Beerus totally lays it in on Goku for getting them all into this gigantic, universal mess. However Goku is such an idiot and isn’t panicking at all over it and says that he has it covered. But does he really?
Photo Source: Funimation/Toei Animation/Cartoon Network
So as you can tell, lots of foreshadowing for the upcoming Tournament of Power was done in this episode with the hints of Jiren, how strong the Pride Troopers really are and also the power that the Grand Minister holds over the Omni-Kings — it’s similar to how Whis is to Beerus. Speaking of Beerus and Whis, Beerus had a prominent role in the stands during the Top/Goku fight talking to both Gohan and Whis about Goku doing too much and giving away his skills for free for the other Universes to take note of. But Whis then says that this could also be a chance to see what the Pride Troopers are made of too, where Beerus says that this is a good point. However Beerus does bring up good points for Goku dooming them all for destruction near the end of the episode, ironically Goku calls Beerus out on this for well Beerus is a “God Of Destruction” now. So you can easily sense the tension between the two and I wouldn’t be surprise if somewhere within the next forty hours as they wait for the tournament to start that they start fighting each other for real.
Photo Source: Funimation/Toei Animation/Cartoon Network
Also does anyone think Top looks hilariously like a buffed out Dr. Eggman from Sonic The Hedgehog? It’s like we’ve come full circle on the whole Dragon Ball and Sonic The Hedgehog similarities…
