Preliminary Peril "Preliminary Peril (Piccolo Jr. Saga episode)")

Goku and Tien agree to keep Piccolo Jr.'s identity a secret to avoid causing panic among the other competitors. A young woman taps Goku on the shoulder with a smile, but he does not recognize her, which infuriates her. She storms off without revealing that she is Chi-Chi, the girl he once promised to marry. A masked man also lurks around the venue, deliberately avoiding Goku. Chiaotzu uses his psychic abilities to rig the draw so that none of the friends will face each other in the preliminary rounds.

One Chop, One Victory

Goku's first match is against King Chappa, the same fighter he defeated in the previous tournament. This time, the gap is even wider. Goku stands completely still, his mind perfectly clear, radiating a calm that unnerves Chappa before the fight even begins. When Chappa charges, Goku moves so fast that his opponent cannot see him and drops Chappa with a single tiny chop. The mysterious girl and masked man (Chi-Chi and Yajirobe, respectively) both win their matches convincingly. All of Goku's allies advance through the preliminaries except Chiaotzu, who is brutally defeated by a fighter revealed to be Mercenary Tao, now rebuilt as a cyborg and burning with a desire for vengeance against Goku and Tien.

Mercenary Tao's return as a cyborg is a genuine shock. The assassin was presumed dead after his own grenade backfired during his battle with Goku at the Red Ribbon Army headquarters. Now rebuilt with mechanical parts at great expense, Tao has come to settle old scores. His defeat of Chiaotzu demonstrates that he is no longer the same fighter, and his grudge against both Goku and Tien adds another layer of danger to the tournament.

A Promise Forgotten

Chi-Chi's unrecognized appearance plants a comedic but important subplot. Goku's failure to remember her connects back to a promise made during his childhood, and her anger at being forgotten will become a significant thread in the episodes ahead. Krillin mistakenly assumes Goku spent three years with women instead of training, which adds to the humor.

Goku's effortless victory over King Chappa demonstrates the results of three years under Kami and Mr. Popo. His perfectly still mind, the very thing he struggled to achieve throughout his training, is now on full display. The preliminary round establishes the major players for the tournament bracket: Goku, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, Chi-Chi, Yajirobe, and the cybernetically enhanced Mercenary Tao.