“Off to See Master Zuno” puts two side characters in the spotlight. This isn’t a first for the Dragon Ball property, but it definitely amounts to a fun, out of character entry of this series with Bulma and Jaco being thrust into focus. I’ve brought up Akira Toriyama’s “spinoff” manga, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, in previous reviews, but this episode gives a solid glimpse of what an anime series take on that material would look like. It might not be for everyone, but I’d totally be into an anime that saw Jaco and Bulma having adventures in space that harkens back a lot more to the original Dragon Ball’s comedic nature. And there’s plenty of ribbing on how many women have dumped Jaco while they travel from planet to planet.

Things kick off hot on the heels of last week’s developments. Bulma is keen on acquiring the Super Dragon Balls by herself to keep Beerus from using them for something nefarious if the mood happens to strike him. With Bulma’s Super Dragon Radar still having limited capabilities in terms of the vastness of the universe, Jaco is her trump card to lend a helping hand. What are intergalactic friends for, after all?

Jaco puts Master Zuno on everyone’s radar, who seems to be some sort of omniscient being who knows everything there is to know (this even stems into the realm of underwear patterns, which Jaco makes clear). He’s on a small planet that’s not too far away from Earth that looks like a level from out of Super Mario Galaxy.

Once he’s pointed out, the episode wastes no time sending Bulma and Jaco off to meet this all-powerful Zuno to determine where the remaining Super Dragon Balls are. Road trip! Also, both Vegeta’s warning to Jaco about not trying anything funny with Bulma, and Jaco’s reaction to said warning, are pretty perfect. That guy is just a bundle of nerves around the Saiyan Prince. Piccolo losing his composure over finally realizing what Goku and Vegeta have in common is another great character moment this week too.

Before Bulma and Jaco get too deep into their journey, there’s a really endearing segment where Jaco rags on her for having changed and losing some of the freewheeling personality that she used to have. There’s a sweet little flashback here to material that aligns with the Jaco manga that shows Bulma as a child interacting with Jaco—back when he knew her sister,Tights. Bulma explains that she might not be as loose and free as she used to be, but she’s a wife and mother now, which is its own adventure and plenty of her to be happy with. “Off to See Master Zuno!” doesn’t dwell on this for too long, but its message gets across and makes Bulma’s decision to be the one flying off here have all the more weight to it.