WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 120 of Dragon Ball Super, "The Perfect Survival Tactic! Universe 3's Menacing Assassin!!" which debuted Saturday on Adult Swim.
The Tournament of Power, making up the final storyline in Dragon Ball Super, has steadily escalated over the past several episodes of the popular anime series as martial arts champions from each of the dimensions within the Dragon Ball Multiverse fight for survival in an epic battle royale. The previous episode had Universe 4 erased from existence by the omnipotent Grand Zeno after its final combatant was eliminated from the competition. With the fracas turning more desperate by the minute, Universe 3 pulls out all the stops to stay alive in this contest of champions, employing several mechanical tricks as it targets Goku and his teammates from Universe 7.
The fighter Viara is quickly eliminated by the combined forces of Androids 17 and 18; the cyborg siblings having worked together with deadly efficiency for much of the tournament and continue to do so effectively here. The final sentient warrior from Universe 3, Paparoni, commands his three robots Panchia, Koitsukai and Bollarator to attack Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta. Still angered by the elimination of his mentor Piccolo in the previous episode, Gohan takes on the three robots alone and does well against them, a far cry from the weaker Gohan seen at the start of the series.
However, this is revealed to be just a small part of Paparoni's master strategy, as he has Bollarator, Koitsukai and Panchia merge into the imposing robot hybrid Koichiarator, like Combiner Transformers. The concept of fighting robots joining together to form a more powerful hybrid is a relatively common trope within Dragon Ball. The Dragon Ball Z animated film Super Android 13 had its eponymous villain absorb components from Androids 14 and 15 to transform into an unstoppable fighting force. Similarly, Dragon Ball GT had the Sigma Force on a machine planet as an antagonistic ensemble of robots that fought Goku, Trunks and Pan. Overwhelmed by Goku, the team combined to form the composite robot Sigma Force Cannon, only to be eventually obliterated by Goku after he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Fighting against Koichiarator, Gohan soon finds himself overpowered and nearly facing elimination himself, even at his most powered up state and with his potential unlocked. Fortunately, Goku and Vegeta both come to his aid, powered up to Super Saiyan Blue, and take on the merged robot themselves. As the two veteran Saiyans distract Koichiarator, Gohan regains his bearings and powers up his own devastating Kamehameha Wave, which nearly eliminates them from the tournament.
Despite this tremendous reversal in the tide of battle, Paparoni appears unfazed by development and refuses to concede while being faced down by the three Saiyans. Instead, the final fighter from Universe 4 insists he has one final trump card to eliminate his Universe 7 opponents and ensure his reality's survival, setting the stage for one epic last stand from Paparoni for the fate of Universe 4.
The final storyline of Dragon Ball Super has been unrelenting battles as the various universes face each other in a martial arts tournament to entertain the Omni-Kings, with the fate of their respective existences hanging in the balance. With only Universes 4, 7 and 11 remaining in the fight, the tournament is quickly reaching its climax. And while Universe 4 may be on its last legs, it appears it won't be going down without one last show-stopping surprise.
Newly dubbed episodes of Dragon Ball Super air on Saturdays at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim.