Well, that’ll happen when you a saga in piecemeal (like I’ve done with DRAGON BALL)…
When Launch showed up while I was re-watching the ‘Saiyan
Saga,’ I figured she was a filler character on the same order as that robot
Gohan encounters in the cave. Truthfully, she still fills that role there -- her appearance had next-to-nothing to do with the Z-Fighters’ conflict
with Vegeta. However, it’s amusing to now realize how that one episode was
basically the show’s staff digging an old doll out of the toybox and saying, “Hey! Remember her?” while they were filibustering.
(To be honest, this
actually seems to be Oda’s M.O. for a lot of ONE PIECE’s plot twists. You can
never paint yourself into a corner if you never kill off any characters, and
are never afraid to just cook up some reason for them to be around again).
Anyway, now that I’ve gotten a proper introduction
to her, Launch is actually a pretty fun character with a rather clever gimmick.
I thought Goku might be collecting a new band of friends for this saga (since it honestly seemed like he’d parting
ways with Bulma, Yamcha and Oolong for longer), so I’m hoping she’ll stick
around for longer. She and Roshi and
Krillin seem like they’d be really great foils as an ensemble.
Now, since I already know the gist of how Goku first encounters
Piccolo and his dynasty, I suppose Tien and Chiaotzu are the only returning
character in the Saiyan Saga whom I haven’t gotten a proper intro to yet. Given how these introductions have gone, I’ll
put 9/10 odds on them being enemies to Goku at first...
Watch "Look Out for Launch" and decide for yourself, then read my thoughts on the previous episode.
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