English Dub Review: Dragon Ball Super “The Mightiest Enemy Zeroes in on Goku! Launch the Knockout Spirit Bomb Now!” ; “Goku Enkindled! The Awakened One’s New Ultra Instinct!” ; “An Extra-Dimensional Ultimate Battle! Hit vs. Jiren!”

Enter Jiren. Exit Goku.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

In this block of episodes, we see the full reveal of Jiren, Universe 11’s hidden powerhouse who proves himself to be more powerful than any fighter we’ve seen so far. Though Goku’s fight against him begins with an intrusion by Ribrianne, who still hasn’t given up the fight, Jiren soon shows his face to take on Goku, who he believes to be a powerful opponent. Goku is keen to fight Jiren as well but initially holds back his power, trying to ease into the battle to test out what Jiren has to offer.

Yet, as the fight goes on, Jiren continues to be completely unphased by Goku’s attacks. Slowly but surely, Goku begins upping his power levels, going Super Saiyan and trying to hit Jiren with all he has, but still, it is without impact. As the battle climaxes, Goku goes into Super Saiyan Blue and unleashes everything he’s got, but still, it isn’t enough. In his final desperation move, Goku summons the spirit bomb to deal the final blow. However, this move that has never failed Goku before simply is not on Jiren’s level. Jiren pushes the spirit bomb back into Goku, which causes enormous damage to Goku’s body. Yet, this unlocks a new form, “Ultra Instinct”, that gives Goku previously untold power. Goku is still defeated, but he realizes that he’s tapped into the way to beat Jiren, if he can only learn to master this new form.

After Jiren and Goku fight, Hit decides he wants to get a piece of the action. Hit fares a little better than Goku did, since he’s able to use his time skipping the ability to dodge Jiren’s blows with expert efficiency, but he still isn’t able to do any damage. Hit’s attempts to defeat Jiren aren’t successful, but in an act of heroism, Hit buys time for his allies in his universe to run away and regroup. Hit eventually goes down, knocked out of the ring by Jiren. An air of anxiety falls upon the rest of the universes. If Goku and Hit can’t beat Jiren, then who here can? However, on the sidelines is Goku, hiding in the rubble, studying his opponent to try and find some way, any way of defeating him.

Our Take:

This block of episodes constitutes one of the most powerful story segments in the entirety of Dragon Ball Super. There is so much to love here that it’s hard to figure out where to even begin. From the stellar voice acting to the gripping animation and fight setup, everything falls into place here. In all three episodes, I didn’t find a single moment where I was bored or disinterested, not a single time where something felt like it didn’t work. For anime, an often troubled medium, that’s an incredible accomplishment, especially for an English dub.

With an episode of Dragon Ball Super, you’re really here for the fighting, where we get to enjoy the superpowerful gods of “Dragon Ball” go head to head. Jiren is a foe unlike any we’ve come across, in large part because he isn’t such an obvious bad guy. With the other “Dragon Ball” villains, there is a sinisterness that accompanies them to keep the stakes high for the heroes, but that’s absent here. Rather, Jiren is the “Goku” of his world, incredibly powerful and a hero on the side of justice. This changes the dynamic of the battle a bit but also keeps it refreshing. It helps preserve the tension when it feels like Jiren deserves to win just as much as Goku does. Not because the plot demands it, but because we see firsthand just how incredible of a warrior Jiren is.

The execution of these fights is a spectacle done right. Flashy, incredible and creative, this is how a battle should be done. Toriyama is a master of the old ways, and the experience of his direction is well-demonstrated. There’s nothing like seeing something that puts you right back in the shoes of your ten-year-old self, hopelessly glued to your screen as if the whole universe was at stake. Stories are all about taking the viewer’s feelings and realigning them in an entertaining and meaningful way, and that ethos is followed through on here.

And to top it all off, Goku actually loses his fight, which threw me for a loop completely. You can’t win ’em all, but I can’t remember the last time Goku really lost something. His power has always been overwhelming, but that’s not good enough here. “Not good enough” isn’t a phrase one uses to describe Goku often. If you’re not watching this fantastic show already, it’s time to get started, because this anime delivers on what every story should.