The Start of Vengeance! The Frieza Force's Malice Strikes Gohan!

Frieza's army pours out of the ship and the battle begins immediately. Gohan explains that Goten and Trunks were left behind to prevent reckless behavior, and Buu is in a deep sleep that cannot be interrupted. Master Roshi distributes the Senzu Beans and asks Gohan if he has kept up with his training. Gohan admits he has not, though he believes he can still turn Super Saiyan. Bulma and Jaco arrive in Jaco's ship, with Bulma forcing the reluctant patrolman to fight alongside the others.

Krillin's Crisis of Confidence

After Frieza orders his troops to target Krillin specifically, offering a planet to whoever kills him, the former monk finds himself overwhelmed by self-doubt. Master Roshi reminds him that he has witnessed battles against Cell, Buu, and Beerus. The pep talk works. Krillin regains his nerve, unleashes a spiraling energy attack, and the other fighters follow with their own counteroffensives. Roshi fires a Kamehameha, Tien and Piccolo tear through the ranks, and the army begins to thin.

Tagoma's Treachery

Sorbet sends Shisami, his strongest conventional soldier, to finish the defenders. Gohan intercepts and gets caught in Shisami's crushing bear hug, but before he can break free, Tagoma fires a ki blast straight through Shisami's back that exits through Gohan's chest. Shisami drops dead. Gohan's heart stops, and only Piccolo's emergency kiai and a Senzu Bean bring him back. Tagoma reveals that four months as Frieza's personal punching bag have made him tougher than steel, his body rebuilt over and over by the regeneration chamber until his power surpassed the entire Ginyu Force.

Gohan's near-death at Tagoma's hands is the saga's sharpest indictment of his decision to abandon martial arts. The boy who once held his own against Cell now admits he can barely manage Super Saiyan. His vulnerability is not just a plot device; it carries emotional weight because the audience remembers what he was capable of at his peak.

An Alternate Training Ground

On Beerus's planet, Beerus orders Whis to send Goku and Vegeta to a mysterious space inside the angel's staff for accelerated training. This detail matters because it keeps the Saiyans occupied and unreachable, prolonging the tension on Earth where every fighter is outclassed.

Episode 21 escalates the stakes sharply. Tagoma's blast through both Shisami and Gohan is one of the saga's most brutal moments, demonstrating that Frieza's new army is not a collection of disposable grunts. The episode also quietly sets up Captain Ginyu's return by showing his frog form emerging from Jaco's ship. Meanwhile, Goten and Trunks sense Tagoma's rising power, foreshadowing their fusion appearance in the next episode.