The Preliminaries Begin

The Preliminaries Begin
Chapter Details
Chapter #	431 (DBZ 237)
Volume	36 (DBZ Vol. 20)
Kanji title	予選開始
Rōmaji title	Yosen Kaishi
Translated title	The Preliminaries Begin
Release date	July 20, 1993 (Weekly Shōnen Jump 1993 #33)
English release	May 31, 2005
Saga	Great Saiyaman Saga
Episode counterpart	209
Chapter Chronology
Previous	The Dragon Team Returns!
Next	The Two Little Warriors

"The Preliminaries Begin" (予選開始, Yosen Kaishi, lit. "The Preliminaries Begin") is the two hundred thirty seventh chapter of Dragon Ball Z and the four hundred thirty-first overall chapter of the Dragon Ball manga.

Cover

The cover features the opening scene of the chapter where it shows members of the Dragon Team walking toward the World Martial Arts Tournament arena.

Summary

As they head towards the preliminaries, Goku notices that Krillin isn't bald. Trunks tells Goten he really does look like his dad, but doesn't think he looks as strong compared to his own dad. Goten says that Gohan told him their father is the strongest in the universe. Then Goku notices that No. 18 is here too, and Krillin tells him that they live together at Master Roshi's house, and have a kid. Goku is shocked, and wonders how robots can have kids. Krillin tells him she's still a human who was modified a bit. As they approach the arena the interview lady and her cameraman notice the group coming their way. She first tries talking to Vegeta and Piccolo, but they simply ignore her. She thinks they looked familiar, though. Goku, however, says that he came from Other World and explains that his halo is not an accessory, you get it when you die. Piccolo decides to telekinetically destroy the camera before Goku says too much more, and the interviewer scolds the cameraman for breaking the camera.

A tournament attendant leads them inside, pointing out the changing room if they need it. Krillin, Trunks, and Vegeta all go in to change, with Krillin saying the only people who'll put up a decent fight are their friends. A man thinks Piccolo doesn't look okay, because of his complexion. When everyone is together again, they head out for the preliminaries and bump into the announcer. The announcer is very happy to see Goku and Krillin, and says he knows it wasn't really Mr. Satan who defeated Cell. He thinks the tournament will be much better with them participating, and tells Piccolo not to destroy the entire arena like last time. Then the announcer asks about the ring above Goku's head. Goku tells him he died during the battle with Cell and came back from Other World for today. The announcer thinks that"s not too weird, for them, and then heads off.

The preliminaries are starting, and not including the Youth Division there are 194 people here, but only sixteen can participate. Mr. Satan will participate automatically, since he is the reigning champion, but they'll now pick the remaining fifteen using a Punch Machine. The fifteen highest scores will pass. Mr. Satan will demonstrate the punch machine, saying no one can do better than him (Krillin smugly says otherwise). Piccolo again telekinetically destroys all the cameras, and says he did it for Gohan's sake. Gohan is very grateful, while everyone else is completely confused. Gohan goes off to search for a friend, just as Mr. Satan prepares to use the punch machine (now disappointed the world won't see).

Satan psyches himself up, and then punches the machine, getting a score of 137. He encourages the other fighters and then heads inside, exhausted. The attendants tell everyone to line up at the punch machine, while the kids need to come this way. Goku wonders where Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu are, and Krillin says something about how they said "we'll probably never meet again". Some people go through the line, and finally it's #84's turn: No. 18. Krillin tells her to go lightly and not break the machine. No. 18 nonchalantly punches it, and scores 774. They think the machine is malfunctioning, and Krillin scolds her as they "fix" it. Her second score is more acceptable with a 203. #85, Krillin, gets 192. #86, Goku, gets 186. #87, Piccolo, gets 210. The attendant thinks it must really be broken, but then Vegeta destroys the machine with his punch, leaving everyone absolutely stunned.

Locations

• Papaya Island

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