Goku's Arrival

Piccolo takes the full force of Nappa's Bomber DX. He remains standing for a moment before collapsing, his body broken. With tears in his eyes, the once-merciless Namekian thanks Gohan for being his first real friend and confesses that he had come to see the boy as the son he never had. Piccolo dies peacefully, and on the Lookout, Kami bids farewell to Mr. Popo before fading away as well. With Kami gone, the Dragon Balls turn to stone.

Gohan, consumed by grief and fury, fires a Masenko at Nappa. The blast numbs the Saiyan's arm, but Gohan collapses from the effort. Nappa stalks forward to crush the defenseless boy, and just before the killing blow lands, Gohan vanishes. He finds himself on the Flying Nimbus: Goku has finally arrived.

Goku surveys the battlefield, seeing the bodies of Tien, Yamcha, and Piccolo scattered across the wasteland. Nappa mockingly describes how he killed them all. Rather than explode in rage, Goku steadies himself. He splits his last Senzu Bean between Gohan and Krillin, heals them both, and then advances on Nappa. Vegeta reads Goku's power at over 8,000 and crushes his scouter in fury. Nappa charges, but Goku drops him to his knees with a single punch to the stomach.

Piccolo's dying words to Gohan reveal the transformation of a villain into a protector. His death triggers Kami's demise and renders the Dragon Balls inert. Gohan's retaliatory Masenko stuns Nappa but drains the boy completely.

Goku swoops in on the Flying Nimbus at the last possible moment, heals Gohan and Krillin with the last Senzu Bean, and immediately takes control of the fight. His power level surpasses 8,000, shocking Vegeta enough to destroy his own scouter. Nappa, the warrior who slaughtered three Z Fighters, is brought to his knees by a single hit.

This episode contains one of Dragon Ball Z's most iconic moments. Vegeta's declaration that Goku's power is "over 9,000" in the English dub (8,000 in the original Japanese) became a cultural phenomenon. The scene also marks Piccolo's first death and the permanent loss of the Dragon Balls, forcing the heroes to look beyond Earth for a way to revive their friends.