The Roaming Lake

"I will find it. If this roaming lake exists, I will lead it to our village. Tell the people their suffering will soon end, for I will not return without it."
— Nam unto the village's elder

"The Roaming Lake" (ふたたび冒ぼう険けんさまよう湖みずうみ, Futatabi Bōken Samayō Mizūmi, lit. "Another Adventure - The Roaming Lake") is the twenty-ninth episode of Dragon Ball and the first episode of the Red Ribbon Army Saga. This episode first aired in Japan on September 10, 1986. Its original American airdate was February 11, 2002.

Summary[]

The episode starts out with Goku, Krillin, Master Roshi, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar deciding where to go since the tournament was over. Krillin decides to stay with Master Roshi, which disappointed Master Roshi because he was planning to do something with Launch. Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar decide to go back to the city. Goku decides to look for the Four-Star Dragon Ball, still believing it is really his Grandpa Gohan. Because of this, Bulma lets Goku borrow the Dragon Radar. The scene then cuts to Krillin and Master Roshi wandering around a city, where Master Roshi is looking at women's underwear and Krillin is eating ice cream. Meanwhile, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar are driving across a desert. At the same time, Goku is riding the Nimbus. The scene then goes to Nam's village, where he releases the water, only to find out that it is still not enough to sustain the village for long. Nam's Father then tells of the Roaming Lake, a lake that travels to villages that suffer from droughts and supplies them with water. Nam starts out to search for this lake.

The scene cuts back to Goku flying on the Flying Nimbus becoming very thirsty. He then finds a lake, where he takes off his clothes and jumps in. Meanwhile, Nam has been picked up by a huge pterodactyl. Goku sees Nam struggling, and springs into action. Then it shows Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar sitting out in the heat. Oolong and Puar transform into an umbrella and a fan to help out. The scene switches back to Goku helping Nam. The beast tries to grab Goku, but to no avail. Goku extends his Power Pole and whacks the beast, causing both the beast and Nam to fall. Goku catches Nam, and Nam thanks him. Nam tells Goku about his problem, and he and Goku set off to search for the lake. Soon, they come across a section of the river that flows to Nam's village but here it is filled with water and surrounded by lush vegetation. The river soon leads to a dam that seems to be restricting its flow.

They fly up and find a bunch of Giras playing in the water. Goku hides in a tree while Nam talks to one of them. They refuse to bring down the dam, so Nam begs. The Giras taunt him, so he attacks, although unsuccessfully. The Giras are ready to beat him to a pulp, so Goku jumps down and beats them all. They call for their leader, which turns out to be Giran. Giran reveals that the dam is made of Merry-Go-Round Gum and is unbreakable. Goku fires a Kamehameha wave at it, and it breaks. Goku and Nam fly back to the village, where the water is flowing. Then, out of nowhere, comes a huge dust storm. Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar are struggling to get to their car. People in the village are running to their homes. The dust storm passes, and Bulma's car is tire-deep in sand, and they are brought back to South City. Meanwhile, in Nam's village, all the water is gone. When all seems lost, Goku sees something sparkling at the distance. It is the Roaming Lake, and it has found its way to the village. Everyone in the village drinks from it and is very happy.

Major Events[]

Goku heads off on another adventure to find the Four-Star Dragon Ball.
Goku helps Nam save his village from a drought.

Battles[]

Nam vs. Pterodactyl
Goku vs. Pterodactyl
Nam vs. Giras
Goku vs. Giras

Appearances[]

Characters[]

Locations[]

Objects[]

Techniques[]

Kamehameha - Used by Goku.

Shunsuke Kikuchi Tracks[]

"Gangsa (Indonesia)" - During the opening showing the destruction to the tournament grounds. Plays again near the end when the Goku-less Dragon Team ends right back at South City,
"C3" - Plays over the Title Card.
"I21" - When Nam sets out to find the Roaming Lake.
"M10" - When Goku finds an oasis.
"M114" - When the pterodactyl holds Nam.
"C2B-2" - Eyecatcher A.
"C4" - Eyecatcher B.
"Fushigi Wonderland" - During Goku and Nam's ride on the Nimbus.
"M116" - When the water flows from the broken Merry-Go-Round Gum dam.
"M121" - During the dust storm.
"H8" - When the water is gone again.
"I17" - When Goku and the villagers look on at the roaming lake.

Differences from the Manga[]

In the manga, Goku and company are in the car driving back from the restaurant at night when Goku decides to go search for his grandfather's Dragon Ball. In the anime, the same scene happens during the day outside of the World Tournament.
The remainder of the episode once Goku flies away includes events that are exclusive to the anime.

Trivia[]

Despite this episode being in the Red Ribbon Army Saga, the Red Ribbon Army has nothing to do with this episode and does not even make its debut until the next episode.
The 3rd Shunsuke Kikuchi music package for the franchise starts here. The cues were designated "M1XX" codes, and they were recorded on August 4, 1986.
In the Japanese version, when Goku and Nam are surveying the river, the song Fushigi Wonderland can be heard for the only time in the anime. The English version excluded it; instead, it added more dialogue from the Narrator to fill the scene.

Gallery[]

Site Navigation[]

v • eRed Ribbon Army Saga
← Tournament Saga	Dragon Ball	General Blue Saga→
Manga
Chapters	55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 62 • 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69
Volumes	5 • 6
Anime
Episodes	29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 • 45