Wedding Plans?

Goku continues pursuing Pilaf's Flying Fortress, but the chase ends abruptly when Pilaf tumbles out of a window and Goku has to save him. Shu and Mai quickly repair the fake Dragon Ball with glue and hand it to Goku to get rid of him, but he drops it and it shatters. Meanwhile, Pilaf's Dragon Radar picks up a real signal coming from Fire Mountain.

The Ox-King's Feast

At Fire Mountain, Chi-Chi has been told by a fortune teller that Goku is coming. Interpreting this as a marriage proposal, the Ox-King prepares an enormous feast. A pterodactyl carrying the real six-star Dragon Ball in its belly is knocked out by the Ox-King himself and added to the roast, unknowingly bringing the ball right into the village. Rather than risking a direct confrontation with the fearsome Ox-King, Pilaf sends Shu disguised as Goku to infiltrate the celebration.

Attack on Fire Mountain

While the fake Goku enjoys the feast, the Red Ribbon Army, led by Colonel Silver, storms the village with tanks and heavy weaponry. The Ox-King fights back valiantly but is overwhelmed and captured. In the chaos, Pilaf snatches the Dragon Ball from inside the roasted pterodactyl and escapes in his airship. Goku, who has been following his Dragon Radar to the area, reunites with Chi-Chi in a flower field. When they spot smoke rising from the village, they rush to investigate.

The episode juggles three storylines masterfully. Chi-Chi's innocent excitement about marrying Goku, Pilaf's sneaky infiltration scheme, and the Red Ribbon Army's military assault all converge on Fire Mountain simultaneously. The tonal whiplash between wedding preparations and tank fire keeps the episode unpredictable from start to finish.

Chi-Chi's Devotion

Chi-Chi's absolute certainty that Goku is coming to marry her, based entirely on a fortune teller's prediction, is both charming and comedic. Goku, of course, has no idea what a wedding is and thinks it might be a type of food. Their reunion is sweet in its complete miscommunication.

This anime-original episode brings back Chi-Chi, the Ox-King, and the reformed Fire Mountain village for the first time since the early episodes. It also marks the first time Goku and Chi-Chi interact since their brief childhood meeting, planting seeds for their eventual relationship. Colonel Silver's willingness to attack a populated village with full military force raises the stakes of the Red Ribbon Army conflict considerably.