Dragon Ball Re-Watch

[SSJ2]

You're missing out man. The Super 17 arc is legendary.

 

[Future Warrior]

You're missing out man. The Super 17 arc is legendary.

 

[SSJ2]

That was Goku's Ultimate Molestation technique. Saved only for the baddest of enemies.

 

[Future Warrior]

Episodes 121 and 122

Going back to this, I thought it would be interesting to mention that the anime had Goku do a Ki barrier in one of these episodes. I'm pretty sure this is the first use we see in series.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

That was Goku's Ultimate Molestation technique. Saved only for the baddest of enemies.

The true results of Roshi's training from way back finally show.

Going back to this, I thought it would be interesting to mention that the anime had Goku do a Ki barrier in one of these episodes. I'm pretty sure this is the first use we see in series.

I was going to bring that up as I thought it was filler, though was too tired to double check at the time. I have mixed thoughts on it being used here. It not being the result of his furthered Ki control with Popo or Kaio's training would've made more sense, though it is essentially a makeshift attempt at a barrier formed through a Kamehameha that could tie in to the increased aptitude with Ki Goku got from the Choshinsui, so not really an inconsistency with his growth in skills.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Also forgot to mention about the last episode that it's interesting Goku points out his tail as something that make things ambiguous when Piccolo says he can't be human. Toriyama did say he thought of both Goku and Piccolo being aliens by the 23rd TB, though it leaves you to wonder if he may have mulled it over as a concept earlier than that.

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Episode 123 - Piccolo's egg being found by an elderly couple is a nice reference to the Japanese legend of Momotaro and may have also doubled up as a dark comparison to Goku, as Sun Wukong was imprisoned in an egg after the Buddha defeated him until freed by Sanzhang. It is a bit disappointing that the anime went with Piccolo's defeat being an instant resolution though, considering having the repercussions of him freeing all criminals could've lead to some decent filler involving the Earthlings' training for the 23rd TB.
It's interesting to wonder if Baba knew about Kami and Piccolo's link prior to Z. Most likely so, given Kami has made enough visits to the afterlife to be acquainted with Enma as well as Kaio to some extent. Might explain why Roshi was fully aware Goku would see them again at the next Tenkaichi Budokai. Also, whilst Baba's prediction came to fruition was an example of fate being in Dragon Ball, I wouldn't say it damaged the tension of the Piccolo Daimao fight when we weren't given confirmation if Goku saving the world would still result in him surviving. It's far better than how prophecy is utilised in Super, especially in the universe that can be affected by time travel.

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Episode 124 - The filler showing the main cast hanging around Kame House does a decent job showing how they interact when the plot's not going on, such as Bulma and Yamucha playing chess. I like that we see Piccolo learning to use his powers rather than assuming he had the knowledge readily available. Tai's parents are modelled after Pansy's from the first DB movie The Legend of Shen Long, which is nice.
The lightning constantly striking Goku as he ascends was a good way of adding more to the test. I wonder if Toei meant for it to convey the Nyoibo being a lightning rod by design or Kami being able to summon lightning. Goku's fight with Popo and the lessons to go towards his training were a good step-up from his previous regimes as clearing your mind and not wasting movements were good martial arts lessons to tie into later points in the series (shame Super ignores that Goku actually took note of them and acted as though Ultra Instinct is a progression for him). The filler of Popo eating a Kamehameha helped make the gap in power look more impressive, though I can't say it fits with the message Popo was trying to teach.

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Episode 125 - The additions to Popo's training were pretty good such as Karin's bell not making a sound when Popo moved. It was also good that the anime acknowledged Roshi's skill in such an area with a flashback (Ultra Instinct Roshi foreshadowing? ) though despite putting in the effort to give Goku the right outfit, I can't believe they forgot to remove his tail for the flashback
It's worth noting that the anime states that the new Piccolo was naturally endowed with greater power than the previous one much as the Viz manga does. Not sure if they both made the same addition or if Herms cut that out of his translation. Also, Kami finger-flicking Goku is shown to be through something similar to a kiai rather than a physical strike like in the manga, possibly as foreshadowing to these types of kiai being a signatura skill of Kami and Piccolo.
Also, anyone else notice the reference to Return of the Jedi with the two KC park rangers on speeders, given the scenery and camera angles? Oh, I'm afraid the new Piccolo will be quite operational when the rangers arrive.
I'm surprised that Namu was included along with the images of Goku's dead allies. Yeah, Toei, I'm sure Toriyama had a lot of plans for him (then again, Chaozu is also included 2).

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Episode 126 - Kami automatically knowing Piccolo would come to the Tenkaichi Budokai to kill Goku does raise some questions. It does make sense for Piccolo to do as he knows Goku is a regular contestant, but how would Kami be sure? Perhaps it was due to the slight telepathic bond they're suggested to have in the Saiyan Arc?
It's interesting to note the scene of everyone being revived fleshes out Namu's personal life more, since it establishes he has a wife and son. It does raise some questions with Roshi being brought back, seeing as how he killed himself with the Mafuba. Technicalities such as intent are taking into account when it comes to such techniques.
It's good to show meditation as being a part of the training Goku would learn when it came to having a clear mind. Whilst we see little of his training in the manga, we can infer from this that training the mind and learning from Popo is what caused Goku's more merciful nature towards enemies in adulthood.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

So, it's been many years since I last watched the training filler, which will make this interesting.

Episode 127 - Popo's training continues to be portrayed well and show the fundamentals Goku would take to heart for the rest of the series. I forgot to say last time that it seems questionable how birds would be able to reach the Tenkai, but now a wasp as well? And Popo even brings in a cat out of nowhere? Has he just been using his carpet to fly around collecting animals? 2
Toei's idea of a high-tech teleportation machine was interesting, considering Toriyama may or may not have shared with them any plans for Kami's origins. Of course, Kami needing some high-tech machine for transportation will get washed away with the reveal of the magic carpet in the Freeza Arc, but it's still a decent idea. The filler also presents the idea that some humans have innate harnessing of Ki without training, which does fit well with how advanced alien races seem to be so accustomed with Ki control as to use it without training. I do like the Journey to the West imagery with Goku wearing a crown he can't take off.
As for checking in on the Earthlings, Kuririn does a decent job against Ten in sparring. Guess the latter's injuries from the battle with Drum were still healing, until the next episode where they're fine
It's also good that, unlike in the Ten Long filler episode, Goku doesn't master the new skill by the end of the episode and is only able to gain an extra step towards his current goal.

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Episode 128 - This episode does a good job in following on from the last episode in Goku coming closer to learning the basics of Popo's training in an unconventional way. It is interesting to note that when being told where to find Yaochun, it's said to be at an area 5 ri (a Japanese unit that makes this distance around 20km). This does a good job at making the setting feel more realistic than everyone all using the metric system, something that ought to definitely differ in a secluded, rural land.
Roshi makes a good point when insisting the 4 Earthlings go off on their own to train as Goku did as to not live in his shadow. From what we're shown throughout the series, they often gain more from the same types of training regime than he did. Perhaps if they were to do something such as receive Kami's training at the same time he did they might have remained on his level until Kaioken or Super Saiyan caused the gap to become too much. I'm not sure how to take the scene of Ten and Yamucha trying to listen to Roshi's advice of a ladies' man. It's funny, but goes against how Ten's portrayed later as being virtually asexual or at least pretty fervent on not being distracted by romance. It also comes off as pretty bad for Yamucha when it suggests the lie idea Toriyama would later have of Yamucha apparently not being faithful despite his and Bulma's relationship seeming to be pretty functional at this point. I guess you could assume he was wanting to get tips for improving his relationship, but that's very wishful thinking.

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Episode 129 - Yeah, the time travel episode...The Room of Time is pretty interesting when considering the manga would employ a similar concept in the Cell Arc, but it does raise a lot of questions. It it also allows you to go into the future as Popo stated, how is this not used by Kami to essentially tell the future for all possible outcomes? If the person is travelling into the future, is it a future that plays out under the assumption they were erased from the timeline at the moment they left? It's things like this that help show why you should never use time travel unless you have a detailed enough grasp on how it functions in a logical way for your story.
Then we have Mutaito being able to block strikes from Goku and knock him back with his Ki. The latter I'm fine with when the point is to have Goku further improve his skills rather than relying on power, but it's a stretch to believe he can put up a fight against someone stronger than a guy he was helpless against and who has become slightly stronger since his training on Mt. Gorogoro according to Popo. Looking at things retroactively and trying to make it fit, I'd just assume things like this and the filler in the Saiyan Arc that involved Saiyans from a century ago wearing the armour of the Freeza Force, I'd just chalk it up to the past/future in this room being closer to a tailor-made simulation rather than an authentic version of events, especially considering Tsuru was able to bruise Galu somewhat.
The episode also suggests the Kame Sennin and Tsuru Sennins real names are just Kame and Tsuru. To be honest, I do prefer the dub having their names be Roshi and Shen. Another thing I prefer from the dub for this episode is the voice acting for their young selves as their regular seiyuu really have a hard time selling the voices they're using as ones you could imagine two 18 year olds having. There's also Fanfan, of who I struggle to say is either lazy design or a nice touch. She looks like Colonel Violet and has a name similar to Ranfan/Lang Fang's with the same seiyuu as her. Either this is just putting two characters together and calling it a new one, or a way to hint at this being a common ancestor of both.
As for what I found good in the episode, the lessons Goku learnt on Ki control were pretty good and gave a somewhat decent explanation on what it is, whereas the manga would take up until the Boo Arc to explain it in layman's terms to those who aren't too familiar with the concept's roots in eastern martial arts. Also, I burst out laughing when Tsuru made a low-key reference to the Bright Slap when Goku punched him. If only it was Ten doing so to Yamucha to add to the authenticity, given their seiyuus 2 I've also got to laugh at how Tsuru's motivations for his evil deeds in the episode basically just make him an incel
Still, even with how good its set-up for later Ki control was, the episode had so many nonsensical things about it that it was definitely the worst one yet, or at least on the same level as the aftermath of the Pirate Cave events.

 

[Future Warrior]

The time travel episode was a cool and fun story, but I didn't like the way they presented Goku as having absolutely no awareness of Ki (not even the term "Ki") the same way Videl was before training with Gohan. Ki is a concept that any extraordinary martial artist should have an understanding of it in order to obtain the abilities they demonstrate. Obviously Goku's training with Popo allowed him to grasp Ki in a far more spiritual basis, but it wasn't like the manga had him coming into the training being completely clueless when he even notes that he couldn't sense Popo's Ki.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

The anime does somewhat alleviate that problem by removing Goku's line, plus it does somewhat fit with how Goku didn't refer to him sensing Daimao's Ki and rather his presence. Still, I agree that it'd make little sense for someone trained by Roshi to have not been told what Ki is rather than something such as, say, not having a full grasp on the finer details.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Episode 130 - So, the anime introduces two concepts that, whilst interesting, would come back to bite it when it came to continuity. Popo uses something called the Water of Life to water the plants on the Tenkai and can bring life back to anything. The question of how it's cultivated to sustain the plants here for centuries in a steady supply is one thing, but why not replace senzu with this when the senzu run out if Popo's true to his word? The Goku doll fight reworks Goku's statement of not feeling Popo's Ki from the manga to a context more in line with the continuity of the Mutaito filler and presents a good point in showing the difference skill can make, but Popo being able to manufacture dolls capable of completely replicating someone's power and speed brings into question why they aren't used as substitutes to help out in later fights? Are we just left to assume they can only do so as far as for those that haven't fully mastered Ki control?
I find the scene of the humans running at superhuman speeds to be perhaps the best point in the series of conveying travel speed in relation to the background scenery and outside onlookers when it comes to having a realistic portrayal of the characters' physical capabilities.

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Episode 131 - It's at this point that Goku's training starts to become repetitive. Popo teaching Goku to not see with his eyes and focus on sensing his Ki has already been done since the start of the training, but Goku still being surprised at Popo's ability to pull it off makes it seem as though he's learnt nothing. It's a good thing most of this episode and the next focus on the humans instead.
It's interesting to note how this episode and the next present the idea that Chaozu's psychic abilities grant him a 6th sense as to natural disasters occurring. Certainly more fleshing out than Toriyama would give him. The premise of the volcano eruption plot makes you wonder if it served as the inspiration for a similar plot in the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. If so, DB's version of the premise is the better version, seeing as how it didn't have a poorly characterised strawman of those living in rural, traditional environments as being anti-science in a pretty poor moment of characterisation.

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Episode 132 - The continuation of the previous episode does a good job with a lot of things. The teamwork between the 4 human fighters is well done and something later filler with the group such as the training for the Saiyans didn't utilise to the same degree. Kuririn's characterisation as risking his life for a girl who showed him the slightest affection is consistent with his initial goal and his later characterisation in Z. It is worth noting that this filler marks the first time Tenshinhan uses the Dodonpa and the only time outside of sparring with Yamucha in the Saiyan Arc and attacking SPC in the Cell Arc that he'd use it in the main series. Pretty surprising that despite his affinity with the technique, he never used it once in the manga.
Only thing I have issue with in the episode is how the last scene is so rushed in the narrator making the point that it'll be a 3 year timeskip in such a sudden manner. Also, the last image spoils that Chappa would return, not that it means much. It is disappointing that despite what we're told and shown, we didn't see the training in more detail such as the group meeting Karin and Yajirobe or developing their techniques further. At least Ten telling the Turtle School duo they ought to learn bukujutsu to not be at a disadvantage acted as foreshadowing for Kuririn mastering it by the 23rd TB and Yamucha doing so by Z.

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So, for the Piccolo Daimao Arc, it was one that fully embraced a well paced tonal shift for the series towards serious fights with high stakes with such a scale that it wouldn't be hard to imagine this having been the series' finale if Toriyama wanted it. It also made great use of giving the characters a personal stake in the conflict with Goku's quest for revenge, Roshi knowing of the danger Piccolo posed first hand and the character deaths being of ones the audience had far more attachment to than Bora allowing for them to add to the story in a way that made Goku's conflict with Daimao far more than just Taopaipai 2.0. Along with that, Piccolo Daimao acts as a good villain for what he needed to be and has motivations that allow him to stand out amongst others in the franchise (and after Super ruined Freeza, he stands out as the franchise's best). However, the manga did have some dumb elements such as Tenshinhan bringing a broken Denshi Jar, Karin just having the Choshinsui lying around or Goku's restarting heart that wouldn't be given much of an explanation until Z that I'd rate its manga self about a 6-6.5/10. The anime, however, improves on so many aspects that I've gone into prior such as increased use of the supporting cast, more of a focus on adventure and trials as well as the training regimes that lead into the next arc. Whilst having its occasional problems, they are few and far between. I'd probably rate it about a 7/10, not being as solid as the Pilaf Arc but having far greater high points than the others that came before it.

Now, onto the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai.

 

[Future Warrior]

The anime does somewhat alleviate that problem by removing Goku's line, plus it does somewhat fit with how Goku didn't refer to him sensing Daimao's Ki and rather his presence. Still, I agree that it'd make little sense for someone trained by Roshi to have not been told what Ki is rather than something such as, say, not having a full grasp on the finer details.

Kuririn even references Ki when he gives his reasons as to why he shaves his head which was before they even started training with Muten Roshi. These guys have been dedicating themselves to martial arts long before we first see them in the manga.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Episode 133 - In the first appearance of Goku's adult self, you can definitely notice the change in tone and depth between it and his kid self that Nozawa pulls off very well. I also like the casual outfits worn by the other 4 fighters as well as Goku's clothes and it's a shame that they didn't wear these combinations later on in the series, apart from Kuririn wearing a similar outfit when going to Namek. It's also good to see how much Goku has grown from Popo's training with him immediately sensing the quartet's Ki.
It does seem questionable why Toei would consider Piccolo bothering to save two humans, though it ties in surprisingly well to his characterisation in the Saiyan Arc and how Goku would tell Gohan the new Piccolo wasn't as evil as Daimao. The filler beforehand also shows Piccolo encountering peaceful humans as opposed to the cruelty of humanity the Son of Katatz was suggested to have witnessed. It probably wasn't intentional on Toei's part, but it helps everything slot together to give Piccolo a solid character arc. He was born in a far more peaceful era than his previous incarnation, which made him less desiring of seeing humanity suffer, his only goal now being to kill Goku, which was the sole purpose for his birth in the first place.

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Episodes 134 and 135 - Not much to say about the preliminaries other than that Tao Pai Pai's reappearance as a cyborg was contrived when we saw no body after the explosion. There's some room to fit it in with the assumption he fell after Goku ducked for cover and that it took this long for him to get in contact with Tsuru, though Toei adding a flashback to fit things coherently would've improved it. Instead, we get a flashback of Goku beating Tao up for about the 5th or 6th time. I mean, it was a good fight scene, but you can have too much of a good thing.

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Episode 136 - Tenshinhan VS Tao Pai Pai was good for Ten's character in offering some level of conflict that stopped him ending the fight immediately and presenting the conclusion as something he couldn't simply brush off, having him overcome his past in both a physical and ideological sense. However, it wasn't really necessary when he'd already abandoned the Crane School and it results in what was once the coolest character in the series being reduced to a complete joke.
A detail worth pointing out for the anime is that just before Goku VS Chichi begins, Piccolo says he'll finally get to see Goku's full strength, suggesting Chichi is on a level above the initial selves of Prime Daimao and Post-Choshinsui Goku in the anime.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Episode 137 - I prefer the anime taking out Goku's sweat when dodging Chichi's attacks given that, regardless of shouki/yuuki loss, it would be inconsistent with his fight against Ten if retained. I often hear people complain that adding filler with Chichi in the RRA and Piccolo Daimao Arcs makes it less believable Goku wouldn't be able to tell who Chichi was, but that complaint is ridiculously weak when considering her massive growth spurt and Goku clearly recognising her name when told her identity.
I do find it funny that Chichi would say she wants their child to grow up to be strong, considering how she raised Gohan I wouldn't cite it as a character inconsistency though, considering a woman's psychology and outlook towards raising a child can differ before and after giving birth. Even by Dragon Ball standards though, it seems weird that someone who's lived in normal palaces and buildings would fancy a house made out of cow dung It's entertaining to see Toei acknowledge Yamucha's lie to Chichi and seeing him fail to talk his way out of it with Bulma. Things like this makes the cracks in their relationship more easy to swallow in Z.

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Episode 138 - A few things are interesting to note about Kuririn VS Piccolo, both in terms of scaling and Piccolo's thought process. Piccolo's internal monologue about not killing Kuririn yet is different to the Viz manga as he states that Kuririn would become a threat to his plans "some day". This would suggest he was only planning on killing Goku at the Budokai rather than all the other fighters due to not considering them a threat, not only showing his arrogance but also how different his view on martial artists is compared to his father's. It also suggests his line about world domination being not as easy as having more to do with if he left the martial artists go unchecked after killing Goku. It was interesting to see Kuririn acknowleging his limits whilst also showing how far he's come since the start of his journey, making him DB's best case of an underdog character.
I do find it pretty ironic that Shen chooses to take things seriously due to acknowledging the strength of Yamucha's character, given how that's one thing Toriyama would damage as the series went on.

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Episode 139 - The Sokidan is a very underrated move and it's good to see how much praise Yamucha gets for it, given how much potential it had as a support move. It's good to see Goku's critical thinking skills to work out Shen's true identity. Just another one to the list of examples debunking the "Goku was always dumb" rhetoric. So, there's Shen's statement about Yamucha being able to surpass him with training. Considering what we're shown in the next match in how the 23rd TB fighters compare to post-Choshinsui Goku, I'd assume he was referring more to Shen's current level rather than Kami's true power. It is good that Toriyama foreshadowed his idea of Kami/Piccolo being Namekians with Shen being ambiguous in his answer to Yamucha jokingly asking if he's an alien.

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Episode 140 - Tenshinhan: "I've hardened every part of my body these three years."
Lunch:
So, yeah, the weighted clothing revelation has some problems to it when it comes to the amount. Goku carrying 100kg on his body shouldn't be that impressive when Goku and Kuririn were already able to handle doing their training in 1/5th of that weight under Roshi and some of the physical strength and durability feats prior in the series involving far more than 100kg of pressure, not to mention the anime having made the addition of Kuririn and Yamucha's training for the 22nd TB having involved them training in 100kg shells. It's one thing for Goku to be able to fight with ease with all this added weight compared to how characters struggled prior with additional weight, but it's another for Yamucha to find the shirt heavy in general.
I do find Goku taking off Tenshinhan's belt quite funny though due to seeing the usually serious Ten still getting embarrassed, showing he's far from just one-note. Also, Lunch's reaction as the camera pans to Roshi is pretty fitting, as though she's wanting to get a good view of what Ten's packing

 

[ahill1]

Good catch on the 100kg stuff. AT was never so consistent with weights feats. I also like the addition of the filler scene involving ChiChi... it made both their re-encounter and Goku's recognisement of her once hearing her name once more believable. Overall, all the anime addition barring some few inconsistencies made the part 1 a more solid and well grounded work.

If you were to re-write the feat of Goku fighting using 100kg, how much would you use?

 

[Papasmurf]

Good catch on the 100kg stuff. AT was never so consistent with weights feats. I also like the addition of the filler scene involving ChiChi... it made both their re-encounter and Goku's recognisement of her once hearing her name once more believable. Overall, all the anime addition barring some few inconsistencies made the part 1 a more solid and well grounded work.

If you were to re-write the feat of Goku fighting using 100kg, how much would you use?

10 tons on each limb.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

If you were to re-write the feat of Goku fighting using 100kg, how much would you use?

Considering the huge lead Goku is shown to have over everyone else in physical strength in the Piccolo match when throwing giant Piccolo yet still struggled taking off his own shirt, probably at least a few tons for each weight. Either that, or have it specified that the weighted clothing has a density to it that makes the pressure it puts forth far greater than its actual weight (Katchin fibres that only GOAT tailor Popo can cut into fine threads maybe? We all know thanks to Toei he's at least MSSJ tier after all 2).

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Episode 141 - Ten not realising the Shishin no Ken's flaw does seem idiotic on the outset, though Roshi commenting on how amazing it was that Goku could analyse the weakness whilst remaining calm in the heat of battle does alleviate this as Ten may have considered the opponent's mindset one that wouldn't have time to notice his division of stats. It is interesting to note how Piccolo bothers to take note of Tenshinhan's name and offer him some praise, further showing how his views differ from his father's. Some of it may be down to having discovered a counter for the Mafuba as the next episode would illustrate, making the Mafuba something he didn't have to fear.
It's a shame Ten never used the eye beam in later fights. Even if not that strong, 4 beams from different angles with the Shishin no Ken would've proved a decent distraction during something like the Nappa fight. Unfortunately, Toriyama had to ignore all the interesting abilities he gave Ten and make him the Kikoho guy.

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Episode 142 - It's good how Shen/Kami and Piccolo's conversation foreshadows the reveal of the Namekian language in the Freeza Arc, as does Bulma questioning if they're aliens. I do find it funny that Roshi chimes in about it being a description of himself when Bulma mentions a proverb about a wise man keeping his talents in reserve. Manly GAINZ Roshi foreshadowing?
I do have to question Kami using the Mafuba as his alternative as suicide wasn't an option when the technique kills its user. Was he on a high enough level to endure it? The anime sort of suggests this with Ten surviving his own, but that was likely down to a technicality of Piccolo destroying the Denshi Jar midway. Does his divinity grant him immunity from it? Would it not be considered suicide in the same way Roshi was considered a victim of Daimao? Would Shen be sacrificed and show Kami does a shitty job when it comes to protecting humanity? Unfortunately, Toriyama never bothered to add a real answer.
There's also the whole question of if gods aren't allowed to kill themselves out of a punishment like going to Hell or if Kami is physically incapable of doing so.

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Episode 143 - So, Shen's son being there does raise the question of was Shen his real name and Kami taking the body of someone who provided a subtle clue on who he was just being a big coincidence, or did Shen's son not even know his dad's forename?
Not much else of note happens within the episode beyond Piccolo swallowing the bottle and the start of Goku VS Piccolo as a huge portion of it is spent with Goku expositing all the info about the new Piccolo, Kami and their link to his friends. It may be something from the manga, though this flaw applies to it just as much and it's a shame that the anime saw this as something they could pad rather than something that could be trimmed down or removed entirely. At least Toriyama had priorities in check for the readers in similar parts of later arcs such as a fast-forward through events when Galu told Kaio about the situation on Earth in the Cell Arc. It's also nice that, despite no longer being power relevant, Roshi still joins the group as to be filled in on the situation. One thing the manga excelled at compared to most other arcs in the series was having the character interactions and relationships being consistent and distinct. Whilst the 22nd TB in the anime surpasses it in that area by far, it's still a strong suit for this arc in general.

Speaking of which, one thing that I forgot to bring up about episode 133 is the moment it adds of Bulma wanting Oolong and Pu-erh to transform into Kuririn and Yamucha whereas Lunch says it'd be unfair on Ten and Chaozu, showing the priorities and favouritism amongst the cast even more.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Episode 144 - I find it pretty funny and accurate in Chichi being referred to as another Lunch, considering most of the defences and traits I had for Lunch's character being added in the 21st TB for both personalities are ones Chichi embodies, minus her anger and self-centred attributes being toned down in comparison. Makes sense why Toriyama wrote her out of the story when she no longer brought much to the table beyond being a potential love interest for Tenshinhan.
I don't mind the utilisation of the "I haven't used my full power yet" trope here or in most situations up until after the Freeza Arc, considering stamina conservation would be important as would both not being disqualified for killing Piccolo and his pride as a martial artist wouldn't have him eat a senzu, whereas Piccolo clearly wanted Goku to suffer rather than killing him immediately. Speaking of not wanting to be disqualified for killing, I'd say this somewhat explains Galu seeming to have a selective memory about Kami's tie to the Dragon Balls as just him putting up a front and hoping the Super Kamehameha just KO'd Piccolo rather than killing him. The anime further adds something to suggest this by the long pause Goku takes after considering Kuririn's idea and his pupils looking far down. It could also be that Goku didn't know for sure about that tie and only started to consider it later in the fight.
Piccolo's line about how great it is to be evil does paint him as a bit overly charicaturish, though the scene is at least made better by Lunch's comment about how he knows what's up.

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Episode 145 - The addition of showing people over the world panicking at Piccolo's return and the extra detail shown to those fleeing Papaya Island was good at presenting the terror brought by memories of Daimao's brief reign. The introduction of Piccolo's giant form (of which would later be called Great Namekian in Xenoverse 2) was a concept that ought to have been explored more than just getting a callback through Slug. The idea of it being a transformation known by the Namekians prior to Namek's cataclysm and Piccolo's lack of a power increase being due to not being able to tap into his original self's memories as Xenoverse 2 implies would've made for a great opportunity for Piccolo to tap into his roots, have a decent power increase and perhaps gain some development in the Freeza Arc...all of which ended up being just a missed opportunity. Also, Galu throwing his giant form shows how much of a lowball the 100kg weights were.
I like the announcer's strength of integrity in staying to commentate on the match, as well as Bulma's comment on him being a pro. Seeing Lunch's reaction to it as well helps too.

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Episode 146 - It's interesting that the anime presents Piccolo's insides as being indigo with some misty vapour surrounding it. Also, Goku telling Tenshinhan to get the bottle helps present Ten as essentially being the deuteragonist of this arc, considering he was the one to get some personal conflict with the Tao Pai Pai match and the one Goku confides in about Piccolo during the preliminaries. Too bad Ten wouldn't get as much long-term relevancy in later arcs.
Roshi presents an idea that would get overblown at later points of the series, being Goku putting a fight's importance before the world's as his main character flaw due to his pride as a martial artist. It works here and in later arcs of Z when considering things such as senzu being in plentiful amount, unlike in the ToP when the entire universe being erased was a possibility. On this subject, one thing worth bringing up that's spanned over the past several episode is Goku being made the one character that everything depends on and makes the others irrelevant in a greater amount than the Piccolo Daimao Arc did (at least Ten saved him with bukujutsu there). It is indeed a problem that the support cast don't get to do as much, though at least Goku has gone through more intense training to excuse it and has traits that make it evident why he's so special beyond main character plot armour, considering his pure heart and what would soon be revealed (though already made evident) to be his Saiyan biology.
It's worth noting that despite soon being noted to not be able to keep up with the fight even with his God Eyes and Roshi admitting Piccolo wasn't bluffing about everyone sans Galu standing no chance against him, Kami is still able to intercept and block a punch from Piccolo. I guess you could chalk it up to spectating being a far different thing from active combat, or that the telepathic link they can create allowed Kami to intercept such a straightforward punch.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Episode 147 - This can seem to embody some of the traits those outside the fanbase looking in may use to strawman the series as the entire first act is Piccolo charging up his attack. The context excuses this though as Piccolo wouldn't be dumb enough to just release the Chobakuhatsumaha when Kami was in range of it.
Goku having the durability to endure Piccolo's strongest attack does seem like a bit of plot armour, though is excused as Roshi said prior that the durability of the new Goku was what was most impressive about him.

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Episode 148 - Goku's victory isn't as interesting as the climaxes of the previous two Budokai, though it wasn't bad. Him suddenly learning bukujutsu makes sense considering Kuririn managed to learn it on his own (and later on, even Videl could master it in a few days) and Goku's ability to pick up techniques is a key trait of his, though him escaping the Bakurikimaha in the nick of time is a little contrived. The finale still works with how well Goku's ecstasy at having finally won after 2 prior attempts at the championship works.
Kami's thoughts about how to deal with Piccolo does call into question why it took him this long to become resolved enough to kill Piccolo himself. For someone meant to protect humanity from a threat he created, he does a pretty bad job at it with how it comes off as him just chickening out of doing the deed himself. This would be fine if presenting him as indeed being a flawed and slightly selfish God which the finale and his interaction with Enma in the Saiyan Arc somewhat point to, though that does make him reflecting on the damage he's done to humanity feel a tad disingenuous. Nevertheless, his role in the story and acknowledgement of his failures do somewhat work in enhancing the story more so than not.
As for Goku's act in sparing Piccolo and his reasons for doing so are ones I've discussed before. They have a selfish element to them in Goku wanting a strong rival, though there's of course the more selfless aspect of not wanting Kami to die that makes it a more complex decision. Moreover, it fits in his character of not hitting an opponent when they're down, something evident in most of his fights thus far and many key examples to come in Z. It was also nice that Roshi's words to Kami and Kami's acknowledgement of his wisdom showed that Roshi still had potential to continue being relevant as a mentor and perhaps being the most influential mentor to Goku. The part about how the Dragon Balls brought Goku to this point also gives this arc a sense of finality that could've possibly worked if Toriyama had wished to end things here and was a good ending spot for the canon material of Part 1.

So, looking back at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, I can say I found it better than on previous viewings and reads. There are issues such as the amount of weighted clothing, Tao Pai Pai being wasted, Kami's muddled character arc and the arc in general not being one which's tone is suited for being contained by a tournament with rules, though they're a decent trade off for good character interactions, the better aspects of Kami's arc and how the tournament structure instead allowed for characters like Kuririn to show their worth without fear of death or complete irrelevancy whilst informing us of the extent Goku's pride as a martial artist could go, not to mention having enough payoffs that it can truly be considered the end of an era for the franchise. I'd say the pros just barely outweigh the cons and would rate it about a 5.5/10.

I'll treat the wedding dress filler as its own separate arc due to its far different tone and focus making it difficult to attach to this one.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Episode 149 - You have to really suspend your disbelief to believe not only all of Gyumao's treasures, but even his wife's wedding dress, endured both the flames of Mount Frypan and Roshi's Kamehameha. We do see a lot of wreckage after Roshi destroyed the mountain, but to believe all these treasures remained intact is quite the stretch.
Seeing Octagon Village as the place Oolong and his race of pig people are native too was a nice expansion on DB's world building, though it's a shame that Oolong wasn't brought along for this quest to further develop him. As a trivia note, it's stated to be to the far east of Uranai Baba's palace, suggesting its location may be on the islands south of where Blue's unit were stationed if looking at the world map.

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Episode 150 - Umigame states that Roshi threw away the Basho Fan several hundred years ago, despite Gohan having not even been alive to train alongside Gyumao even 100 years before the start of the series. Did Toei simply overestimate Gohan/Gyumao's ages, or are we left to assume Roshi told Gyumao about the fan and forgot he chucked it away? Either way sounds pretty unbelievable.
It was nice to see Pilaf again and quite funny he'd started going by the name Mister Pilaf Daimao. If there's one thing I can praise this filler arc for (it's obviously not consistent continuity) it's tieing in many elements of the early arcs with a tone fitting of an eastern action/adventure to act as a love letter for the original anime.

 

[ahill1]

I dislike how Goku had to remember Popo's teachings to dodge a certain foe... it should be something natural to him already.