Gohan Returns

Frieza flies headlong into Goku's Super Kamehameha, and a furious beam struggle erupts. Overcome with rage, the tyrant pushes against the wave with every ounce of his power, forcing Goku to amplify the blast repeatedly just to hold him at bay. On Earth, Mr. Popo completes the wish, and Shenron restores to life everyone murdered by Frieza and his forces on Namek. The dragon grants it with difficulty, but the result is immediate: Dende, Vegeta, and Grand Elder Guru all awaken, and Porunga reappears in the Namekian sky, his third wish still unfulfilled.

The tide turns when Frieza dodges the Kamehameha and slams a distracted Goku deep underground into a pit that erupts with molten lava. From a distance, Gohan feels his father's energy vanish completely. Bulma begs the boy to flee, but Gohan does the opposite. He rockets toward Frieza alone, believing he can stall the weakened emperor long enough for Namek's explosion to finish the job.

Frieza drops back to his standard final form and toys with Gohan, easily outmatching the young half-Saiyan. But when Frieza mocks Goku and declares him dead, Gohan's fury surges. He unleashes a barrage of punches and fires an Ultimate Masenko, though it fails to wound the tyrant. Impressed, Frieza powers back to 100% and prepares to end the boy. Then, from the ocean below, Goku erupts from the waves. His shirt is gone, his body battered, but his spirit is intact. He had suppressed his energy to recover, and now he orders Gohan to leave the battlefield.

Episode 100 belongs to Gohan. His decision to fly toward Frieza alone, knowing he is outmatched, stands as one of the most courageous moments in the entire series. This is not the timid boy who hid behind Piccolo on Earth. Namek has forged Gohan into someone willing to throw himself at certain death if it means protecting his father's legacy. His strategy is not to win but to delay, a surprisingly mature calculation for a child in the grip of grief.

The emotional beat when Goku resurfaces is perfectly crafted. The audience shares Gohan's relief and renewed hope. Goku's tactic of hiding his power level to heal mirrors his resourcefulness throughout the saga, proving that the Super Saiyan transformation did not erase the clever, adaptable fighter underneath.

This is the 100th episode of Dragon Ball Z, and it delivers a fitting landmark. The wish that revives Frieza's victims carries long-term consequences for the franchise. According to Dragon Ball GT lore, this very wish is what births Syn Shenron, one of the Shadow Dragons, meaning the heroes' salvation here plants seeds of future catastrophe decades down the line.

A common misconception among English dub viewers is that Goku was killed by Frieza's sneak attack and revived by Shenron's wish. In reality, Shenron could not have revived Goku since he had already been wished back once before. Goku was simply knocked unconscious, a detail made far clearer in the original Japanese version and Dragon Ball Z Kai.