The Matches Begin! We're All Off to the "Planet with No Name!

After three years of intense sparring inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Goku and Vegeta emerge with scraggly beards and a powerful stench. Bulma orders them to shower immediately before the group boards Whis's Cube for the journey to Beerus's planet. Along the way, the ship fills with a lively, chaotic energy as Trunks marvels at the view and Buu breaks the mood by farting, prompting Mr. Satan to dub it "Majin Pew."

At Beerus's planet, Goku meets Monaka for the first time. Despite Monaka's unimpressive appearance, Goku takes Beerus's claims about his strength seriously and punches him without warning to test his reflexes. Monaka does not dodge, but he tears up silently, and Goku apologizes. The group then travels to the Nameless Planet, passing the enormous Super Dragon Balls along the way.

At the arena, Goku and Vegeta encounter the Universe 6 fighters. A Saiyan named Cabba recognizes them by race, shocking Vegeta, who learns that Planet Sadala still exists in Universe 6. Vegeta asks to visit someday and warns Cabba he will show no mercy in their match. The written exam begins, but Buu falls asleep during it, scoring zero and leaving Universe 7 with only four fighters against Champa's five. The tournament opens with Goku facing Botamo in the first match.

Buu's exam failure is the episode's pivotal moment, and it is a direct consequence of Vegeta's own suggestion to include a written test. The irony is sharp: the rule designed to weed out weak-minded opponents eliminates one of Universe 7's strongest members. Team Universe 7 now enters the tournament outnumbered, adding genuine suspense to a competition that otherwise favors the home team.

Goku's encounter with Cabba quietly sets up one of the saga's most compelling dynamics. Vegeta discovering that Saiyans in Universe 6 evolved as heroes of justice, never conquered by Frieza, never stripped of their homeworld, visibly shakes him. His request to visit Planet Sadala is not casual curiosity; it is a man confronting what his people could have been.

This episode introduces the full Universe 6 roster: Hit, Cabba, Frost, Botamo, and Auta Magetta. It also reintroduces Shin and Kibito in their separated forms, having used the Namekian Dragon Balls to defuse after finding the merged state uncomfortable. The Galactic King makes his anime debut alongside Jaco. The Super Dragon Balls are shown in their true scale for the first time, dwarfing planets. With Buu eliminated before the first punch, the tournament carries higher stakes than either god anticipated.