He's Always Late

is the first episode of the Peaceful World Saga and the two hundred eighty-eighth overall episode in the original dubbed and the uncut Dragon Ball Z series. This episode first aired in Japan on January 10, 1996. Its original American airdate was April 2, 2003.
==Summary==
Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Goten prepare to go to Bulma's house for a barbecue, but Goku is nowhere to be found. As Chi-Chi's anger rises, Goku is having troubles of his own. While waiting to witness the hatching of four pterosaur eggs, troubles arise casting him into the role of the egg protector. Goku must do his best to guard the fragile eggs not knowing that he will soon face another danger, an angry Chi-Chi. She indeed becomes angry upon hearing from Gohan and Goten that he has run off again. Chi-Chi decides to get past her anger so they can enjoy the party.
Once they get to the party, everybody begins to show up, including, Dende, Mr. Satan, and Good Buu. Everyone seems to be enjoying the food, music, and each other's company until Goku is mentioned. Right then, the party comes to a halt, and everyone's face is downcast. They realize that the party just is not as good as it could have been if Goku was there. Meanwhile, Goku braves many dangers and keeps the pterosaur eggs safe until they hatch.
Goku remembers the party right afterward, and he gets there just as the party is coming to an end. While initially angry at Goku, Chi-Chi and Bulma get all the food and party supplies back out, because they feel Goku should get to participate in the party as well. At the end of the episode, everyone is sitting, listening to Goku tell about the eggs and how great it was to see the new baby pterosaur be born.
Just then, Goku notices that Vegeta has walked over to the other end of the room and stood against the wall, alone. Goku asks Vegeta to come back, and everybody starts teasing him, only to have him smile and look away (jokingly). The episode ends with Goku and everybody else spending time together and listening to Goku's story.
==Major Events==
*Bulma holds a party at Capsule Corporation, which all her friends and family attend.
*Goku watches over a Pterosaur family to make sure their eggs hatch safely.
==Battles==
*Goku vs. Snake
*T-Rex vs. Triceratops
*Goku vs. Big Fish
==Appearances==
===Characters===
*Goku
*Vegeta
*Gohan
*Goten
*Trunks
*Krillin
*Yamcha
*Puar	
*Oolong
*Turtle
*Piccolo
*Master Roshi
*Tien Shinhan
*Chiaotzu
*Android 18
*Marron	
*Bulma
*Chi-Chi
*Videl
*Dende
*Mr. Satan
*Good Buu
*Grandpa Gohan
===Locations===
*Mount Paozu
**Goku's House
*West City
**Capsule Corporation
===Objects===
*Egg
*Car
*Giant Fish
*Power Pole 
===Bruce Faulconer tracks===
*"Android 16 (soundtrack)" - When Goku reflects on his childhood while watching the Pterodactyl eggs hatch.
==Differences from the manga==
*The entire events of this episode were exclusive to the anime.
==Trivia==
* This is the only Peaceful World Saga episode to take place before Dragon Ball Super, as it takes place sometime later in Age 774, then there's a time skip to Age 784.
**This is also the last Dragon Ball Z episode to take place before the events of Dragon Ball Super.
*Just about every friend or family member of the Dragon Team is at Capsule Corporation in this episode, except for Korin, Yajirobe, and Launch.
**Perhaps by coincidence, Vegeta (presumably) never sees Yajirobe again following their fight in the episode "Hero in the Shadows" until the special Dragon Ball: The Return of Son Goku and Friends!
*Goten wears a golf uniform similar to the one Goku wears in the Dragon Ball episode "Who is Fortuneteller Baba?".
*The dialogue where Chi-Chi argues with Bulma is changed a lot in North American dub. In the Japanese version, Yamcha reinforces Chi-Chi's comment that she is very pretty today, and she says, "That makes it sound like I'm usually not pretty, doesn't it?", causing everyone to laugh. In the Funimation dub, Yamcha asks Chi-Chi and Bulma if they are interested in him, and Chi-Chi quips that she does not want a downgrade, making everyone laugh at Yamcha. Also, Chi-Chi's comment that she would like Vegeta as a husband is unique to the North American dub.
*Vegeta seems to have gotten over his grudge against Majin Buu when he kindly gives him his hot dog, despite the fact that Majin Buu crept up behind him and accidentally salivated on his hair.
*The song Chi-Chi was dancing to is one of the themes of Android 19.
*Bulma makes a statement on Chi-Chi's dancing, saying she calls it "Tai Chi-Chi". This is a reference to an actual style of martial arts called Tai-chi-chuan.
*Bulma is wearing the same green dress from "I am Saiyaman".
*This is the last episode to feature Bulma's appearance from the Majin Buu Saga (with her bowl-cut hairstyle and her gold hoop earrings).
*This is the last episode where Videl has short hair.
*Starting with this episode, the Westwood dub began using AB Groupe's French dub footage, instead of Funimation's edited-for-TV footage, which was used for episodes 108-272 (123-287 uncut).
*This is the first episode in which Hiroshi Masuoka voices Master Roshi, after his previous voice actor Kōhei Miyauchi's death.
*This is the last episode in the Funimation dub where Laura Bailey and Kara Edwards regularly voice Trunks and Goten. In the next episode, they are replaced by Eric Vale and Robert McCollum for the voices of Trunks and Goten for the remainder of the series.
**This is also the last episode and the only Peaceful World Saga episode where Goten and Trunks are kids. They will be teens up in the next episode.
**In the Westwood dub, this is the last episode where Trunks and Goten are voiced by Cathy Weseluck and Jillian Michaels, they are replaced by Alistair Abell (Trunks) and Gabe Khouth (Goten) for the final 3 episodes.
*This is the final Dragon Ball Z episode where Trunks is an only child. In the next episode, he gains a younger sister, Bulla.
*The snake in this episode resembles the snake that Goten and Trunks fight in the first episode of Dragon Ball Super.
==Gallery==
==Site Navigation==
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fr:Dragon Ball Z épisode 288
Category:Episodes
Category:Dragon Ball Z episodes
Category:Peaceful World Saga
Category:Uncut Dragon Ball Z episodes