Dragon Ball Super Episode 72 Recap: "Will There Be A Counterattack?! The Invisible Killing Strike!!"

Fair Warning: Spoilers below!

After last week's episode, Dragon Ball Super kicks off to a dark start tonight thanks to the Universe 6 assassin Hit. The powerful warriors was hired to kill Son Goku, and he did just that last week with a solitary punch. "Will There Be A Counterattack?! The Invisible Killing Strike!!" started off tonight with a teary Goten and Gohan at their father's side. The two boys were brought to Goku thanks to Piccolo, and no one can believe that the Saiyan is dead.

Or is he?

In true Dragon Ball style, death is not the end for Goku in this episode. As Gohan learns, his father didn't arbitrarily shoot one of his powerful ki blasts away from Hit during the last episode. Instead, the Saiyan launched the energy into the sky so that it would fall back and reenter his body. The fusion defibrillates Goku in a show of lights and welcomes him back to the world of the living.

Still, he is weak. Goku does seem surprised to see his sons by his side, but Goten is far too happy to see his dad well to care. Hit has already left by the time the group reunites, and Goten is ready to take on Hit in revenge. However, Goku stresses that this fight is his alone; He wants to test out Hit's new strength and fight him at his best.

According to Goku, the decision is a rather selfish one, and Piccolo seems alright with letting the hero have his fun. After a moment or two, Goten relents to his father's will after they share a touching fist bump.

When Hit returns to the battle, Goku calls him out before reentering the Super Saiyan Blue form. Hit is not swayed by the hero's boastful taunts, and the two warriors engage in a battle of deadly hide-and-seek. Hit's ability to duplicate his energy signatures amazes Goku as much as it puzzles him, but the purple assassin can only hide for so long.

When Hit makes himself known, it's with a rather nasty energy blow. Goku avoids the invisible energy blast by flying through a slew of trees, but the encounter leaves Goku more confident about his opponent's abilities. The Saiyan has figured out how Hit is able to manipulate his powerful attacks through both space and time, so Goku decides it is his term to go on the offensive.

The two trades blows, but Hit is still able to transport his entire body thanks to his temporal manipulation. When he sends Goku flying through a cliff face, the Saiyan discovers he is shaking not from excitement but perhaps fear. Of course, the worry Goku feels is not displaced; The hero knows just how powerful Hit was during their face-off in the 'Universe 6' saga, and the Saiyan even admits the assassin is way stronger now.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

While Goku is fighting for his life against Hit, Vegeta finds himself facing a more sadistic challenge. The Saiyan has been training with Beerus' attendant Whis in order to level up his power. However, the surly hero seems more than done with the eccentric trainer and wants nothing more than to eat a nice steak. The hero almost gets Whis to agree with the proposition, but then audiences are drawn back in Goku's fight with Hit.

Hit continues to best Goku thanks to his insane temporal gifts, and fans soon see that Vados and Champa are watching the fight from afar. Vados gives an explanation of how Hit's power works; The hero uses his temporal gifts to stop and store time. With the time he's stored, Hit can then create pocket worlds which he can freely move within. That is why Goku can see Hit while they fight but not land a blow.

However, Goku eventually manages to time his attacks in sync with Hit and his dimension hopping. He manages to scratch the assassin, and Champa remarks that Goku will definitely be a threat during the next Martial Arts Tournament held by Zen-Oh. When the God of Destruction tells Vados she was right to hire a powerful assassin like Hit to take on Goku, she corrects him quite innocently; She was not the one who actually hired the man as Vados was just a proxxy. In reality, there's someone else who wants Goku dead.

As Goku and Hit continue to fight, the former learns more about his enemy's timing and vows to never let someone beat him so easily. However, the two are stopped when Beerus intervenes. The God has brought Whis and Vegeta to observe the fight, and Goku whines appropriately about the interruption before facing Hit yet again.

When Goku reenters his Super Saiyan Blue state, he does not go easy on Hit. Not only does he manage to penetrate one of the assassin's most powerful defenses, but he also blasts him away with a Kamehameha. After the fallout settles, fans see Goku and Hit lying on the ground while the former gets scolded by Vegeta.

When the Saiyan asks just who ordered Hit to kill Goku, Beerus jokes that Vegeta was the one to do so - something which he vehemently denies. However, he soon puts everything together. Goku is the one who asked Vados to hire Hit for the assassination. Goku wanted to fight the warrior without having to worry about him holding back. If Hit is fighting to kill, then he does not take his job lightly.

In the end, Hit leaves the group when Piccolo and the others arrive. The assassin says he will take him time killing Goku and promises to return. But, when Chi-Chi is brought to her husband thanks to Piccolo's loose lips, she tells the heavens she will go after anyone who dares hurt Goku.

UP NEXT: Dragon Ball Super Toonami Premiere Date Announced

The synopsis for "Counterattack!? An Unforseen Assassination Technique!!" can be read below thanks to Fuji TV:

"Goku was defeated by an assassin and killed. Gohan, Goten and Piccolo desperately try to resuscitate him but there is no response. At that moment, Piccolo feels something coming down from the sky…?!"

Dragon Ball Super can be streamed online at sites like Funimation and Crunchroll. The episodes run on a simulcast schedule, so you can keep up with all things Dragon Ball the moment they happen no matter where you are.

So, what did you think of tonight's episode? Let us know how you feel about the showdown's finale in the comments below!

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