DBZ Episode 174

The Puzzle of General Tao is the ninth episode of the Cell Games Saga and the one hundred seventy-fourth overall episode in the uncut version Dragon Ball Z series. The original Japanese title is "Goku ni Nanmon!? Doragon bolu wo Torimodose" (悟空に難問!? 神龍球をとり戻せ). The episode first aired on February 10, 1993. It's original American air date was November 23, 2000.

Summary

General Tao as he appears in Dragon Ball Z

Goku located two Dragon Balls inside a fortress in which Mercenary Tao and a mob boss are. Goku comes in and tells the mob boss that he wishes he had something to give in trade for the Dragon Balls. Mercenary Tao, remembering how powerful Goku’s strength is, takes off one off his robotic hands and spills out three little puzzles. He reattaches his hand and tells Goku that he can have the Dragon Balls if he can take all three pieces apart by dawn. He takes Goku’s jacket off (Goku’s jacket contains four of the Dragon Balls) and leaves with the mob boss and one of the two henchmen the mob boss has. Goku gets one separated by the time it gets dark.

It is the middle of the night, and Goku has one more to go. The henchman almost tells Goku how to get the remaining puzzle apart, but Goku interrupts him and tells him he won’t cheat. Goku finally gets it apart, and the henchman congratulates Goku. He asks where everyone went but then says it doesn’t matter. He uses his Instant Transmission technique. Mercenary Tao and the mob boss are on the shore of a lake far away, and the mob boss is congratulating Mercenary Tao on the trick he pulled on Goku. Goku shows up and shows Mercenary Tao that he got all three apart. He picks up his jacket, takes the other two Dragon Balls and flies off to find the last one. Goku finds the last ball and the episode ends.

Trivia

• Mercenary Tao makes the comment, "I probably wont find the others on the black market like these two." when talking about how he got the two Dragon Balls shown in this episode.