Nursing Wounds

is the third episode of the Namek Saga and the thirty-eighth overall episode in the uncut Dragon Ball Z series. This episode first aired in Japan on February 28, 1990. Its original American airdate was August 17, 2005.
==Summary==
Kami's spaceship is relocated to the laboratories of Capsule Corporation, where it is re-fitted for the long journey ahead. Dr. Brief is impressed that there are technologies in the universe beyond his own inventions.
In the recovery room, the family enjoys a quiet moment together, as Chi-Chi peels an apple for Gohan. Krillin comes in with the news from Bulma that the ship is salvageable. He starts to nap at Goku's side, and as Chi-Chi visits Wukong Hospital's gift shop, Gohan sneaks away to do some of his own physical therapy outside. When Chi-Chi finally catches up to him reading a textbook on the roof, she insists he return to the recovery room.
Upon returning, Bulma explains how the ship can make it to Namek and back in about two months. Mr. Popo cannot make the trip, saying that this is too much time to leave The Lookout unattended, so he provides the Namekian vocabulary necessary to re-program the ship over the next ten days to recognize commands in their own language. Bulma has to make the journey, since she is the only one capable of servicing the craft should anything go wrong. She wisely turns down Master Roshi's generous offer to spend two months with her alone, and chooses Krillin to go with her instead. Gohan also insists on going, to ensure that Piccolo is brought back to life. Chi-Chi strongly objects, but after a passionate display of Gohan's spirit, as well as support from everyone else in the room, decides to let him go.
Bulma and Mr. Popo work on re-programming the ship's computer as Krillin and Gohan are checked out of the hospital. When Chi-Chi steps out to prepare Gohan's medication, Goku has Gohan punch his bandaged hand to test his mettle. Goku judges that at his current strength, Gohan will do fine on his own.
The day of departure finds Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi gathered at Kame House with the spaceship. Bulma is upset that while she cut her hair and wore a bulky space suit to prepare for the trip, Krillin is dressed the same as always, Chi-Chi and the Ox King soon arrive with a roomful of luggage. Gohan reluctantly steps out of the hovercar, looking dapper as can be and sporting a fresh bowl-cut. Chi-Chi explains that this is mankind's first journey into deep space, and she wouldn't want Gohan to look improper (much to his dismay). Master Roshi charges Krillin to complete the mission and find the Dragon Balls.
They board the spaceship, and before Krillin and Gohan have a chance to buckle themselves in, Bulma angrily gives the order to the ship's computer, and the team blasts off. Before long, they are cruising through deep space, and the ship stops vibrating. Bulma excuses herself to change her clothes. As Krillin realizes how little he brought to wear, Gohan changes into an outfit similar to Piccolo's. The characters remaining on Earth look skyward, each wishing the Namek-bound heroes luck in their mission.
==Major Events==
*Bulma, Gohan and Krillin leave Earth and begin their journey to Namek.
==Appearances==
===Characters===
{|	
*Dr. Brief
*Bulma
*Scratch
*Mr. Popo
*Krillin
*Gohan
*Turtle	
*Chi-Chi
*Goku
*Master Roshi
*Yajirobe
*Ox-King
*Korin
==Differences from the manga==
*Gohan leaving his room to train outside of the Hospital leaving a worried Chi-Chi to search for him is exclusive to the anime.
*Goku testing Gohan's strength to see if he's ready for the journey to Namek is exclusive to the anime.
*In the anime, Dr Brief working on the spaceship with Bulma is shown at the start of the episode preceding events at the Hospital. In the manga however it is the other way around.
==Trivia==
*A character very similar to Konkichi, the troublemaking fox from Dr. Slump, appears in this episode.
*Chi-Chi, when scolding Gohan, sarcastically mentions him wanting to be a superhero. Coincidentally, he does become a superhero later in the series.
*In the Japanese version, Bulma's belligerence before taking off was due to nobody but her taking the journey through space seriously, and her grievances are portrayed (somewhat) sympathetically. The English dubs by contrast, do not mention the aforementioned angle and extensively rewrites it so that Bulma comes across as more petulant and irritated with Krillin's casual attitude in general.
*It seemingly never occurred to Bulma to provide Krillin and Gohan with spacesuits herself via her wealth and resources despite her irritation at the duo's seemingly less-than-professional dress code for space travel. Krillin even mentions in the Funimation dub that a spacesuit is not something one has easy access to, but Bulma crossly says he'll do without it. Goku is later shown to have one that he uses in "Unexpected Problem" to fix a breach on the hull of his own ship.
*In the original Japanese broadcast, the first 15 seconds of the next episode preview were devoted to next week's show, and the other 15 seconds were devoted to a movie ticket lottery drawing for Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (Released in theaters on March 10, 1990). This preview was not included in the Dragon Box. Instead, the preview used was the rerun version for the next normal episode, "Friends or Foes?".
==Gallery==
==Site Navigation==
es:Episodio 38 (Dragon Ball Z)
ca:Episodi 38 (BDZ)
pt-br:Vamos para Namekusei!
fr:Dragon Ball Z épisode 038
Category:Episodes
Category:Dragon Ball Z episodes
Category:Namek Saga
Category:Uncut Dragon Ball Z episodes