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"Defying Gravity" (じゅうりょくとのたたかい!バブルスくんをつかまえろ Jūryoku to no Tatakai! Baburusu-kun o Tsukamaero, lit. "The Battle with Gravity! Catch Bubbles-kun") is the 13th episode of the Vegeta Saga in the uncut Dragon Ball Z series. This episode first aired in Japan on September 13, 1989. Its original American airdate was July 14, 2005.

Summary[]

BubblesEndOfSnakeWay

The monkey, Bubbles

Goku struggles against the overwhelming gravity and mistakes King Kai's pet monkey, Bubbles, for King Kai. He then meets the real King Kai, who tells him a couple jokes much to Goku's bewilderment, the poor reaction causes King Kai to tell Goku that he will not train anyone who does not have a sense of humor so has one condition before he will train Goku: he must think of a joke that will make him laugh. Goku gives it his all and comes up with several weak puns that amuse King Kai immensely.

KingKaiKKP01

King Kai, the real martial arts trainer

Goku tell his new mentor about the Saiyans who King Kai tracks down and tells Goku that they will arrive on Earth in 158 days and that they are even stronger than himself. King Kai begins Goku's training and gives him his first task: to catch Bubbles in the 10-G gravity of King Kai's World. Goku removes his weighted clothing and strenuously chases Bubbles but stops when he realizes how hungry he is. King Kai feeds Goku then tells him to put his weighted clothing back on as it will benefit his training. He then tells Goku that the reasons why the Saiyans are so strong is because their planet has the same gravity as the planet they are on.

Back on Earth, Piccolo continues to train Gohan who notes his improvement but says he still has a long way to go. At night the two sit around a fire with Gohan telling Piccolo that he has now become like a part of his family, a "big green uncle". Piccolo annoyed at the affection tells Gohan to sleep because his training will be even harsher tomorrow. After three weeks, Goku finally manages to catch Bubbles. Impressed that Goku has overcome King Kai's planet ten-fold gravity, King Kai anticipates that Goku may be able to master the powerful "Kaio-ken" technique.

Major Events[]

  • Goku begins his training with King Kai.
  • Goku catches Bubbles.

Battles[]

  • Gohan vs. Piccolo

Appearances[]

Characters[]

Locations[]

Objects[]

Differences from the manga[]

  • In the anime there is an additional scene showing more of Gohan and Piccolo's training before they sit around a fire at night.
  • In the anime it takes three weeks for Goku to catch Bubbles. In the manga it took him 40 days.
  • In the anime King Kai is surprised at how high Goku can jump whereas in the manga he thinks Goku's jump is pathetic.

Trivia[]

  • In the manga and the Japanese version Goku is told there are 158 days remaining until the Saiyans arrive on Earth. In the Funimation dub, however, they say he has 88 days remaining.
  • In the closing narration, Vegeta and Nappa are said to be the two deadliest fighters in the universe. However, even as a Great Ape, Nappa would be weaker than Captain Ginyu, and both would be weaker than Frieza.

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