Filler episodes are a dime a dozen in anime. Typically considered non-canon adventures that veer away from the manga only to drive up tension and a season’s running time, filler episodes are often devoid of the overarching story and tend to offer upbeat interactions over action sequences.
While Dragon Ball Z has no shortage of filler episodes, from “Krillin’s Proposal” to “Gohan’s First Date,” one of the show’s most beloved examples includes “Goku’s Ordeal,” Episode 18 of Season 4, wherein Piccolo and Goku team up to take on one of their most painstaking foes: the dreaded driving test.
Given that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot not only boasts the entirety of DBZ’s story, as well as a variety of experiences left out of the manga and television show, it only makes sense that it would feature among the most iconic filler episodes in anime (checking in at 10th on Ranker).
In the episode, Chi-Chi (as always) is furious with Goku, pleading for him to get his driver’s license despite having both Kintoun (Flying Nimbus) and even the ability to fly. Goku and Piccolo, who was unintentionally drawn into the mix merely for being present, set out to pass a driver’s test and to alleviate Chi-Chi’s angry scolding. Of course, the road evaluation doesn’t unfold as planned, as Goku and Piccolo turn it into a competitive drag race.
In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the sequence itself plays out much in the same vein, with Chi-Chi haranguing Goku for not driving her and Gohan to the store or being a normal citizen like their neighbors. The game version even features the same driving instructors from the episode, which is a welcome surprise given that most TV-to-game adaptions oftentimes ignore the source material in lieu of gamifying the experience.
The game does, however, differ from the anime in that it never resolves Goku or Piccolo’s driving test. In Dragon Ball Z, following the duo crashing their vehicles mid-flight in an explosive fireball, Goku and Piccolo are given a second chance: a driving test in the mountains amid a downpour. The pair inevitably rescue a caravan full of children in a torrential landslide pitching their school bus off the mountainside, which grants the two an easy pass from their instructors, despite wrecking their vehicles for a second time.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot does away with the heroics. Instead of wrapping up the rest of the driving test arc, players are tasked by Chi-Chi to visit Bulma, who enlists Goku on a fetch quest for parts. This fan-service mission is the first time players are introduced to RND Development, a game mechanic provided by Bulma, who will create and service vehicles for the player. While they may not directly help with character progression, vehicles serve as a valuable component for finding rare minerals, which can be used to upgrade vehicles.
What with DBZ: Kakarot featuring even the most minute of details as Piccolo’s eating habits, skipping out on the franchise’s most beloved filler episode would only be of extreme detriment to the game, not to mention a downer for all those fans that adore the most “fast and furious” of DBZ episodes.
