"Come on, buddy! You can't be serious... With your power level!? You're no android... You're no Namekian... And you're certainly no Super Saiyan! You're just human..."
"Yeah... well, you know what?! F**k power levels! F**k Super Saiyans! AND F**K! YOU! SHIN! KIKŌHŌ!!"
—Semi-Perfect Cell and Tenshinhan
Original Airdate: May 31, 2015
The world of Dragon Ball Z: Where squares make circles, and triangles make squares.
Having absorbed Android 17 into himself and reaching his Semi-Perfect form, Cell now turns towards completing his path towards his Perfect form by doing the same to 18, but an arriving Tien Shinhan might have a thing or two to say about that. Meanwhile, Krillin retrieves the remote that can shut down the androids from Bulma, and Vegeta and Trunks finally emerge from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber...
Pig! Grab m'tropes!
- Abusive Parents: Of the emotional variety: Trunks' first thoughts after emerging from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber imply that Vegeta spent all of his time in there ignoring and/or insulting Trunks.
- Angrish: Considering how "nettled" Cell is reduced to on two occasions: First when Tien's pounding him so hard and frequently with the Kikoho blasts Cell can only yell out "ANGRY!" as he's getting hit. The second time when Goku uses Instant Transmission to save Tien and Piccolo from Cell causing a confused Cell to burst out "I have so many questions!"
- Atomic F-Bomb: There is an uncensored, low-volume (from Kame House's perspective) "fuck" uttered by Cell during the Shin Kikoho.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Having heard Vegeta's usual speeches about his superiority over him a million times by now, Goku just tunes him out, instead thinking about how much he wants a muffin.
- Bad Impressionists: Cell attempts to trick 18 into letting him absorb her by manipulating his voice to sound like 17's happy being inside him... unfortunately "17's" uncharacteristically speaking like a Jive Turkey. When 18 calls Cell out on this, he points out that he just met the two of them in the previous episode.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Just as Cell is about to absorb 18, Tien shows up and challenges Cell, pounding him with the Shin Kikoho technique long enough for her and 16 to make their escape.
- After that, Goku performs one of his own, using Instant Transmission to teleport to Tien and Cell's location and teleporting him and Piccolo back to the Lookout before Cell can finish them off.
- Blah, Blah, Blah: How Goku hears Vegeta's declaration of how much stronger he got in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber:Goku: Wow, you guys sure got strong, huh?
Vegeta: That's right, Kakarot, and you wouldn't believe just how much. You see, while I was training in the depths of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I looked deep within myself, and— (switch to Goku's perspective) Blah blah blah blah blah PRIDE blah blah PRINCE OF ALL blah blah blah SUPER SAIYAN blah blah blah— (back to normal perspective) And through all of that, I have ascended. That's right. I have reached a new level. Do you hear me, Kakarot? I AM FINALLY STRONGER THAN YOU!!
Goku: Neat!
Vegeta: F**K YOU! - Brutal Honesty: Goku's take on the chances of anyone other than himself and Gohan being able to stop Cell:Piccolo: Now he's alone to hunt down Android 18, and we don't have anyone with the strength to stop him!
Popo: Your worthless maggot friends are coming out!
Gohan: Or do we?!
Goku: No, Gohan, we haven't gone in yet.
Piccolo: Wow, really, Goku? - Call-Back:
- As Tien's attack on Cell is dying down, Master Roshi decides to Know When to Fold 'Em and tells Oolong to "grab M'Dick", to which the pig replies that he hopes Roshi "mean(s) the submarine." The History of Trunks Abridged revealed that Roshi, Oolong, and Puar managed to survive the Androids' assault by hiding out underwater in a submarine called the U.S.S. M'Dick.
- When Tien first shows up to try and stop Cell, the bio-android mockingly asks him if "Krillin was busy", echoing the Neighborhood Cluck version of Dead Zone when Goku asked Krillin in turn if "Chiaotzu was busy". To make it even funnier, Krillin really was busy (retrieving the remote from Bulma).
- Krillin declines Bulma's offer of a Saiyan suit, saying that he tried one out on Namek "and ended up getting a hole in it" after Freeza impaled Krillin on his horn.
- Cast from Hit Points: Chiaotzu tells the others at Kame House that Tien will eventually suffer a Heroic RRoD with continued use of the Kikoho. Even Tien is amazed with how long he actually lasts before he collapses.
- Comically Missing the Point: 18 threatens to activate her detonator in order to prevent Cell from absorbing her. Cell's more focused on the fact that 18 has a bomb in her boob (though she claims it's more in her chest).
- Continuity Nod: Chaotzu and Yamcha bring up that the last time Tien used the Shin Kikoho technique was on Nappa after Chaotzu died, and that ended up draining all of Tien's life energy.
- Crash-Into Hello: Krillin sees Bulma flying her car towards him and flies over to meet her. Unfortunately Bulma is distracted by Baby Trunks pointing out Krillin to her, causing her to crash the car into Krillin and bringing the "Krillin Owned" meter up to 32.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Cell comments on how adorable it is that Tien's trying to stop him right before getting pounded by the first wave of the Shin Kikoho.
- Foreshadowing:
- Chiaotzu points out how everyone present at the Kame House has died at least once. Chi-Chi says that she hasn't, to which Chiaotzu replies "Give it time, you're hanging with the right crowd."note
- "How durable is he? How durable am I? Questions for later." Cell asks this after Piccolo survives what Cell thought was a fatal blow. Cell will later survive what everyone, including himself, thought was a fatal blow.
- Krillin's comment when he's left with the remote that will activate 18's bomb, foreshadowing his actions in Episode 51:Krillin: Huh... This, uhh... this remote's a lot heavier than I expected.
- When the Z-Fighters are talking about how they've died in the past, Chi-Chi mentions she hasn't died yet. Chiaotzu tells her she will some time soon, considering who she hangs out with. Had Abridged covered the Buu saga, Chiaotzu would have been proven right by Super Buu.
- Forgot About His Powers: Goku's halfway through explaining to Gohan how difficult it's going to be to fly towards Tien's location in time to save him from Cell. He then realizes he can simply "pop" over there via Instant Transmission instead. Gohan and Mr. Popo lampshade this:Gohan: Did he just remember he could do that...?
Popo: Your father's an idiot. - Heroic RRoD: Tien exhausts himself holding off Cell with his Shin Kikoho, but Goku extracts him before he is killed. It also comes with a Delayed Reaction:Tien: Huh... not dead yet... that's weir—ahh, there we go. (crashes to the ground)
- Heroic Sacrifice: Tien barrages Cell with a constant stream of Kikohos in order to allow Androids 16 and 18 to escape Cell's grasp, refusing to let up until every last bit of his life energy has been drained.
- Innocent Innuendo: The context of Bulma offering Krillin a battle suit when he says he's gonna get close to the Androids (to use the detonator) can easily be misconstrued, especially how he refuses:Krillin: So, what you're saying is I have to get... close?
Bulma: Eh, thirty feet isn't that close.
Krillin: Oh, I'm gonna get all up in that.
Bulma: Well, you could use some protection, then.
Krillin: Pardon?
Bulma: I made you all battle suits like Vegeta's.
Krillin: Oh! Well thanks, but I probably won't need it. I'm pretty good about pulling out before I get into trouble. Besides, I tried one on Namek, but I got a huge hole in it. - Know When to Fold 'Em: Master Roshi is ready to retreat to his submarine.Roshi: Sometimes, you've got to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em. And right now, it's foldin' time. Pig! Grab M'Dick!
Oolong: Please tell me you mean the submarine.
Roshi: Heh! - Lame Last Words: What Cell thinks of Tien's act of resistance once he's worn himself out from his repeated Kikōhō blasts:Cell: You know, if you want my personal opinion, "Kikōhō" is a pretty sad choice of last words. But to be fair, it's far from the worst decision you've made today!
Tien: Ki…kō...f*ck yourself...!
Cell: Aw, see? That's the spirit. - Let's Get Dangerous! / This Is Unforgivable!: Right before teleporting back to the Lookout with Tien and Piccolo, Goku drops his usual Idiot Hero characterization to deliver a warning to Semi-Perfect Cell:Goku: Oh, and by the way, Cell? You're gonna die.
- Never Say "Die": Demonstrated and promptly Averted. Yamcha remembers the last time Tien did the Kikoho unrestrained, and recalls him dying as a result, but Chiaotzu has to get him to spit it out.Yamcha: Didn't he do that when you, uhh... when you...
Chiaotzu: Died. Yes. Jesus, we've literally all done it.
Chi-Chi: I haven't.
Chiaotzu: Give it some time. You're hanging with the right crowd. - No-One Could Have Survived That: Cell is surprised to learn that Piccolo is still alive, despite Cell having blown a hole in him in the previous episode. This causes Cell to decide to look into how durable Piccolo—and, by extension, Cell himself—actually is.
- Precision F-Strike: A "super nettled" Tien lets loose with a trifecta right before attacking Cell. See the page quote.
- Tien manages to give another one after he runs out of energy and Cell decides to finish him for costing Cell his prey.
- Running Gag: This is the first episode where Goku's Instant Transmission is treated like a pop-in/pop-out, complete with an audible "pop".
- Shout-Out:
- After Cell absorbs 17, 16 tells 18 to "Come with me if you want to live."
- Tien's attack on Cell is scored to the track "Counterattack" from Shadow of the Colossus.
- Master Roshi invokes Know When to Fold 'Em by Waxing Lyrical with Kenny Rogers' famous song about the trope.
- You Monster!: 18 calls Cell this after absorbing her brother.
"I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!"
