DBZ Episode 43

Synopsis

Inside a glacial underground cave, Krillin and Gohan project low-level energy beams from their palms, thawing the ice around a trapped Dragon Ball. Bulma complains to Zaacro that all the cold air must be bad for her skin, then realizes that Zaacro is nowhere to be seen. The thawing complete, Krillin pulls the Dragon Ball out of the ice, and everyone cheers, inadvertently starting a cave-in! As two shadowy figures monitor remotely, the floor gives way, and the trio fall onto a slab of ice that takes them down a slippery passage. Krillin is able to steer somewhat with a well-placed Kamehameha, but the mysterious figures maintain that they are doomed. A giant snowball drops down behind the trio and starts rolling toward them!

Elsewhere, Vegeta's attending physician examines the damage done to Vegeta's armored jacket, wondering what kind of battle could have done such damage. When asked, he tells Vegeta that Frieza is no longer planetside, but that Cui is waiting to speak with him. Vegeta replies that he has nothing to say to Cui, and walks off without taking his Scouter. Goku concentrates in the middle of the rocky wasteland, then powers up and levitates one of the larger boulders into a position above himself. Jumping up, he shatters the boulder, but also hurts himself so badly that he cannot get back up.

The giant snowball gains ground on Bulma, Krillin and Gohan, and Bulma demands action. Krillin and Gohan fire blasts at the ceiling, knocking loose stalactites that fall into the snowball's path. Rather than slow it down, however, the snowball rolls the spikes into itself, making it all the more dangerous! Just before the snowball overtakes them, they slide out the mouth of the cave — right over an enormous chasm. Thanks to Gohan and Krillin's Levitate technique, the three of them manage to levitate to safety. Making their way toward the last Dragon Ball, Krillin begins to feel suspicious about something, but is unable to put it into words for Bulma. The mysterious pair continue to monitor their activities, as they continue down a well-marked path. Looking around, Krillin realizes it is the same path they chased the dinosaur down. They come to a lake, which the Dragon Radar says is the location of the last Dragon Ball. Gohan skips along, excited to be so close to bringing back Piccolo, when an invisible force takes hold of him! He calls to Krillin for help, and as he rushes to Gohan's aid, Raiti and Zaacro show up, each taking Bulma by an elbow!

Chi-Chi pilots herself and Master Roshi in one of Bulma's airships and finally finds the injured Goku, still laying on the ground. Master Roshi mentally scolds Goku for his outrageous behavior.

Vegeta makes his way down a hallway, planning to return to Earth to finish the job he started, when he is stopped by a purple, catfish-looking humanoid — Cui, who is recognizable as the warrior seen in Bun's flashback as the murderer of his parents. He teases Vegeta about being beaten up so badly, as well as losing Nappa and Raditz. Vegeta brushes him off, but Cui has other things to discuss. He tells Vegeta that Frieza is mad at him for attacking Earth without authorization, but will overlook this breach of protocol since Vegeta's actions led Frieza to find out about the Dragon Balls. Frieza intends to use them to wish himself immortally young, and is already on Planet Namek pursuing that goal! This was to have been Vegeta's wish as well, but after Frieza gets his wish granted, he plans to wipe out the Namekian race. Enraged, Vegeta grabs his Scouter and heads toward his space pod. He blasts off for Planet Namek himself, hoping to get his wish granted before Frieza.

Raiti and Zaacro's intentions are still unclear as they release Bulma and transform into menacing red beasts. Krillin recognizes them as the creatures whose pictures appeared on the walls of the stairway leading down into the ruins. The landscape also begins to change. Upon remembering the events of the last couple of days, Krillin realizes their entire quest for the Dragon Balls was made up of one illusion after another. Even the Dragon Ball he held in his hand turned out to be an ordinary stone. Finally able to see things as they really are, he finds Gohan being held in the tentacles of several sea monsters! He rushes to help, but gets tangled in the tentacles of yet another sea monster.

As the episode closes out, Vegeta is well on his way to Planet Namek, Goku is re-admitted into the hospital, and the fate of our heroes on the false Planet Namek remains uncertain.