The Power of Nappa

Krillin channels his rage over Yamcha's death into a devastating Scattering Bullet attack that destroys three of the remaining Saibamen in a single volley. Piccolo handles the last one as it lunges at Gohan. With the Saibamen eliminated, Vegeta and Nappa step forward, and Nappa volunteers to handle the Z Fighters alone.

Nappa's power is staggering. He randomly selects Tien Shinhan as his first real opponent and, with a single punch, severs Tien's left arm. The three-eyed warrior fights valiantly with his remaining limb but is overwhelmed. Krillin rushes to help, but Nappa blasts a crater between them. In the chaos, Chiaotzu is apparently caught in the explosion.

Chiaotzu survives and makes a desperate play, latching onto Nappa's back and slowly charging his energy. Nappa slams into cliff faces trying to shake him loose, but Chiaotzu holds on. With a telepathic farewell to Tien, Chiaotzu detonates himself. The sacrifice, however, is in vain. Nappa emerges from the smoke completely unharmed, having raised his defense at the last instant. With two friends now dead and Goku still only halfway down Snake Way, Earth's hopes grow dimmer by the second.

Krillin wipes out the Saibamen with one furious attack, but Nappa proves to be on an entirely different level. Tien loses his arm to Nappa's first serious strike and is beaten into the ground. Chiaotzu, unwilling to watch his best friend die, attaches himself to Nappa's back and self-destructs.

Nappa walks out of the explosion without a scratch. The devastating revelation that Chiaotzu died for nothing sends shockwaves through the remaining fighters. Goku, still racing along Snake Way, has just passed the halfway point.

Nappa's entrance into the battle represents a massive escalation. His casual destruction of Tien's arm and his survival of Chiaotzu's suicide attack demonstrate that the gap between the Z Fighters and even the lesser Saiyan is enormous. This is the second time Chiaotzu has died in the series, following his death at the hands of King Piccolo.