Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters Part 2 (Box Set Review)

By: RogueSymbiote

The Majin Buu Saga continues with Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters Part 2. The Blu-ray box set includes episodes 122-144. Vegeta's long awaited rematch with Goku is finally underway. While the two Saiyan warriors clash, the evil wizard Babidi continues to prepare for the return of Majin Buu.

Story Arc

Enhanced by Babidi's magic, Vegeta sets his eyes on ultimate redemption. The proud Saiyan Prince recounts the instances in which Goku has surpassed him and the humiliation he has felt. Vegeta reveals that he has become complacent and domesticated while on Earth. He allowed Babidi to take control of him in hopes to restore his evil nature. Goku sees through this facade and is adamant that Vegeta is only lying to himself. While their battle rages on, the energy meter for Majin Buu's prison continues to fill at an alarming rate. Gohan and Supreme Kai attempt to dispose of Babidi, but they're too late.Majin Buu is released from his pod and is instructed to destroy Gohan and the Supreme Kai. Witnessing Majin Buu's manic behavior, Debura suggests that Babidi seal him away once again. Debura squares off against Majin Buu, but is quickly tossed aside by Buu's unparalleled power. Goku and Vegeta feel the immense energy coming from Majin Buu and agree to postpone their battle in order to deal with their new foe. Vegeta knocks Goku out cold and states that he will face the monster alone as he is at fault for releasing Buu on the world.Vegeta confronts Majin Buu and it becomes apparent that this new adversary not only has outstanding power, but strange abilities as well. After taking serious damage, Vegeta realizes what he must do to destroy Buu. Vegeta embraces his son Trunks for the first time and then knocks both him and Goten out cold. Piccolo recovers the children and is instructed to take them away. Vegeta asks Piccolo if he will see Goku in Other World, but is reassured that he has done too much evil in his life to be granted entry to Heaven. The Saiyan Prince accepts his fate and unleashes a massive attack on Majin Buu that destroys his own body in the process.Piccolo returns to the site of Vegeta's sacrifice to find that both Babidi and Majin Buu have survived. The remaining Z fighters and their families escape to Dende's Lookout to regroup. Bulma has led a group of our heroes on a mission to collect the dragon balls in order to wish all those who died at the world martial arts tournament back to life. They are successful, but then learn that Vegeta has died and Gohan is missing.The Supreme Kai and Kibito locate Gohan and take him to the Sacred World of the Kai's. Supreme Kai insists that Gohan wield the Z sword in order to defeat Majin Buu. While training with the sword, it breaks and Elder Kai is released. The old Kai then begins the process of unleashing Gohan's dormant power. While Gohan trains with the Kais, Goten and Trunks attempt to learn fusion. Goku unveils Super Saiyan 3 for the first time and squares off against Buu to give the others more time to prepare.While the Z fighters train, Majin Buu meets Hercule and begins to learn about being good. Hercule attempts to kill Buu, but in the process learns that the being is somewhat innocent and has been twisted to serve an evil purpose. After befriending Buu, Hercule is shot by a hunter with whom he had a previous encounter. Buu heals Hercule, but in the process expels all the evil out of his own body. This evil energy forms another Buu which in turn consumes the original Buu forming Super Buu. This new form is pure evil and desires nothing but destruction. Super Buu kills nearly all Earthlings while waiting to battle Gotenks. The battle between Super Buu and Gotenks begins within the time chamber. Gotenks will have to unleash newfound power if he hopes to defeat Super Buu.

Box Set Review

The iconic box set art shows Super Saiyan 3 Goku battling Majin Buu. The digitally remastered episodes look fantastic and remove inessential content from the original release. It can be viewed in both English and Japanese. Extras include trailers, textless songs and video commentary. The music throughout this series has been incredible, but there are a few scenes in these episodes where the music didn't quite match the moment. One example would be the music during the battle between Goku and Vegeta. This is a very epic and emotional scene, but the music just seems a bit off.There are a number of improvements in dialogue throughout Kai, but the line changes for Vegeta right before his sacrifice don't have quite the same impact as the original script. This arc has so many incredible moments. This box set includes an epic rematch between Goku and Vegeta, fantastic character development with heroes and villains, as well as deep emotional moments. Vegeta's sacrifice is one of the most iconic moments in Dragon Ball Z as it is the true turning point for his character in accepting his role as husband, father, friend and protector of the Earth. The arc also gives us a glimpse of the mystic power Gohan will recieve, which will make up for the Great Saiyaman debacle. These episodes even give Hercule redeeming qualities and great importance to the series. Overall, this is a must have addition to any Dragon Ball Z fans' collection.[yasr_multiset setid=9]