Dragon Ball Z Episode 221, titled "King of the Demons" in the English Funimation dub (originally titled "The Awaiting Trap!! A Challenge From the Demon Realm" in Japan), is the second episode of the Babidi Saga. It details the sinister trap laid out by the wizard Babidi and Demon King Dabura to ambush the Z Warriors. [1, 2] 🎬 Episode Overview Original Japanese Airdate: March 16, 1994 English Airdate: October 16, 2001 Anime Chronology: Season 8, Episode 221 Previous Episode: #220 - "The Wizard's Curse" Next Episode: #222 - "Vegeta Attacks" [1, 2] 📝 Plot Summary The Ambush: After Babidi enters his hidden spaceship, Demon King Dabura launches a surprise assault on the watching Z Warriors. Casualties & Petrification: Dabura instantly kills Kibito. He then spits on Krillin and Piccolo, using his specialized saliva to turn them into solid stone. The Ultimatum: Supreme Kai reveals the petrification can only be reversed by killing Dabura. This forces Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta to hunt Dabura down. Entering the Spaceship: The surviving Saiyans infiltrate Babidi's ship. They learn they must clear multiple battle stages, defeating a different opponent on each level. The Energy Trap: The heroes are unaware that any physical damage they take inside the ship is absorbed by the environment to accelerate the revival of Majin Buu. Stage One Begins: The group encounters Babidi's alien henchman, Pui Pui. Vegeta steps forward to fight him as the episode concludes Episode 221 ("King of the Demons") is a critical narrative turning point that sets up the entire final arc of Dragon Ball Z. Its significance relies on three major plot developments and production facts: 1. It Completely Resets the Stakes. Before this episode, the characters were participating in a standard, friendly World Martial Arts Tournament. Episode 221 abruptly shatters that safety net. By killing Kibito and petrifying Piccolo and Krillin, the story instantly shifts from a sports competition into a high-stakes cosmic crisis. 2. It Establishes the Rules of the Babidi Saga This episode introduces the central mechanical gimmick of the Majin Buu arc: Energy Absorption. Babidi reveals that his spaceship acts as a siphon. By forcing Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan inside to fight his stages of henchmen, Babidi is playing a trick. Any damage the heroes take—or inflict—accumulates kinetic energy that goes straight into breaking the seal on Majin Buu's cocoon. 3. It Highlights Gohan's Drastic Decline This episode features a famous, frustrating moment for fans regarding Gohan's character growth. When Demon King Dabura launches his surprise attack, Gohan freezes up out of panic and lack of training. This failure directly allows Krillin and Piccolo to get turned into stone, forcing Vegeta to harshly lecture Gohan about how weak and soft he has become since defeating Cell. 4. Animation and Production Trivia The "YAM" Correction: In the original Japanese broadcast and manga, Babidi's henchman Pui Pui kills the tournament fighters Spopovich and Yamu. Due to early English censorship guidelines (Ocean/Funimation era), Yamu's death was heavily edited or obscured in early Western broadcasts, making this episode a major point of discussion among early internet anime fans. The A-Team Animation: The episode was animated by Studio Cockpit, spearheaded by supervising animator Keisuke Masunaga. Fans widely praise this specific episode for having some of the sharpest, most detailed, and most visually distinct character art in the entire Babidi Saga. Generally only 10-30 scripts of each episode exist. These aren't for public sale and occasionally get sneaked out or given at very selected conventions in Japan. Any problems that seem particularly severe (such as bends, dents, wavy, sticking to videos or backgrounds, etc.) will be noted in the special notes , but please take a good look at the images to judge the condition before purchase. All Cels/Genga/Douga/Illustrations came from Japan.Please be aware some photography may show reflections from the protective packaging. No Returns/Refunds will be accepted unless their is fault or a mistake done by the store. Any questions please email.
