Not only is Goku’s arrival as the last minute trump card not new territory for the show, but it’s also a little condescending to Goten and Trunks. Sure, they’re still children and the whole point of this filler arc is to teach them a lesson about responsibility and maturity, but couldn’t Goku show up and see that Goten and Trunks have completely neutralized the threat (Besides, I’m pretty certain that a Super Saiyan 3 fusion could take out Cloned Vegeta anyway)? Then maybe the next episode lets Goku help the gang handle a new threat with the Super Water.

In fact, these episodes would all be a lot more interesting if Goku and Vegeta swapped roles. It makes a lot more sense for Goku to let his guard down and get absorbed by the Superhuman Water than it does for it to happen to Vegeta. Plus, isn’t an evil Goku clone more fun than one of Vegeta? Again, this collection of three episodes isn’t a complete misfire, but it’s frustrating to realize how very minor adjustments could have given it a lot more poignancy in the end.

I’m being pretty critical here, but there are no doubt other Dragon Ball fans that will be even harsher about these installments. On a purely aesthetic level, there’s also just something off about the way that the Super Water’s clones appear. The whole episode is about as close as Dragon Ball ever gets to the tentacle porn niche of anime. It’s upsetting to say the least and thank God Bulma’s not on the planet for this.

Once more, modest expectations from the jump make “Menace of the Duplicate Vegeta” and its accompanying episodes a whole lot more palatable. They may be pointless, but there’s still a bunch of fun to be had in this one, like Cloned Vegeta running through a greatest hits of Vegeta’s attacks and Jaco’s oblivious efforts to stay alive through all of this. In fact, Jaco steps into the role of de facto leader through this adventure until Goku shows up and it makes for an entertaining change of pace. Plus, an appearance from Gotenks and his ridiculous moveset is always pretty damn great, even if it doesn’t amount to much here.