Summary
For a very long time,Dragon Ballhas been the subject of much criticism. These criticisms talk about how the arc structure that the series followsdoes not allow for there to be an overarching storyas the arcs act as self-contained stories with recurring characters. However, the majority of the criticisms have to do with how the storytelling of the franchise is too boring and repetitive, as every single time, there’ssomehow an even stronger villainthat the heroes have to defeat and little more than that.
This iswhere the Granolah arc differentiates itself from the others. While still existing in the classicDragon Ballarc format, it has some semblance of a larger story and is filled with callbacks and references to previous events in the history of the universe with themes of responsibility and atonement. So, let’s break down why the Granolah arc will be incredible once it makes its inevitable TV debut!
The Introduction of One of Dragon Ball’s Most Unique Villains
Granolah is the titular character of this arc and serves as the first main antagonist. He is introduced as a quiet and indifferent bounty hunterworking for a group called the Heeters, where he is often tasked with going and getting things done for them. The mission that he starts the arc off with is Granolah retrieving the remains of OG73-i and bringing them to his bosses.
The word that best describes Granolah is complex. 40 years ago, his planet was invaded anddestroyed by the Saiyans, which led to him being the sole survivor of his species and Planet Cereal eventually being sold to an entirely new species called the Sugarians. Though the relations Granolah has with them are friendly and cordial, he is always alone and isolated due to being the only one of his kind.
Thisshows Granolah as a very sympathetic characterthat the viewers came to like. However, it is shown afterward that Granolah harbors a very deep and powerful resentment against the Saiyans who took everything from him, and he desires to eradicate all of them from the universe. This shows a far darker side to him and brings a lot more nuance to his character as it puts him at direct odds with the heroes going into the future. The arc also serves to show Granolah’s journey andhow his ideals change towards the end.
Moreover, Granolah is also a character whose fighting style is fairly unique to most of what the series has shown before. For one,he can make powerful clones of himselfand fight with those while being at a safe distance himself. Other than that, his main means of fighting relies on precision over brute strength and power, as is evident with the Red Eyes he uses to target vital organs and predict his enemies' movements.
A Heavier Focus on the Saiyans' Misdeeds
The Granolah arc delves into an aspect that has always been known but has seldom been seen in the series.The history of the Saiyans is a bloody oneas the race was known to consist mostly of warriors who lived for battle and were infamous for invading and destroying planets under Frieza’s orders. This is what they did to Planet Cereal, destroying Granolah’s home and killing all his people.
However, fans got to see a fan-favorite character who made his long-awaited return to the franchise in this arc; Bardock.Bardock was revealed to also have taken partin this invasion but, instead of destroying and laying waste to the planet, he chose to help Granolah when he was a child and his mother, something which brought him at direct odds with the Heeters 40 years ago.
Upon their confrontation, Bardock defeated Gas and was successful in protecting Granolah from certain death. This would be one of the main factors leading to Granolah’s change in ambitions and would also help Goku to perfectlytailor his Ultra Instinct to a form that best suits him, making for its most efficient usage by remembering and embracing his Saiyan roots.
Bardock’s story is also pivotal to the role of Gas in the story, the true villain of the arc. Gas never forgot his defeat to the Saiyan 40 years ago and because of it, healways sought out greater strength no matter the cost. This was where he would become the strongest at the expense of much of his own life as he never wanted to feel that kind of defeat again to anyone.
Vegeta Finally Gets His Own Signature Transformation
When Ultra Instinctmade its debut during the Tournament of Power, the entire world was left with its jaws dropped due to how amazing the moment was. When the Granolah arc introduces Ultra Ego Vegeta, the same thing is most likely to happen again! This is because, throughout the years, many polls have been held about the best characters in the franchisewith Vegeta coming out on top multiple times, showing how loved the Prince of all Saiyans truly is within the community.
For decades, Vegeta has been the one to chase Goku, always achieving strength and transformations only after Goku already has. In his push to achieve Ultra Instinct during the Tournament of Power, Vegeta left himself wide open and vulnerable. However,Dragon Ball Superhas gone in anew direction with character-specific transformationsthat change the way power-ups work in the series!
At the very start of the arc, Vegeta looks on at Goku training with Whis using Ultra Instinct when Beerus asks if he wants to achieve the technique as well. Vegeta then goes on to say how the technique does not suit him and how he plans to reach a new realm of power in his own way. It is here that Beerus reveals thatUltra Instinct is not the only Divine Techniqueand that Vegeta can reach that strength on his own terms, to which the Prince agrees.
Fast-forward to when Granolah defeats Ultra Instinct Goku, Vegeta then initiates a fight with the Cerelean. It is during this fight that Vegeta lets loose andintroduces his Destroyer form, Ultra Ego. In this form, he uses the Destruction Technique of the Gods of Destruction and, for a time, becomes even stronger than Granolah, eventually fighting him to a stage where the battle could only end with both of their deaths.
This is the perfect form for the Princedue to what it represents thematically as well as what it means for Vegeta himself. Ever since his turn to the good side, Vegeta had always been tormented by the past of the Saiyan race and what he himself had done. This was something that Beerus rejected, saying that the only way to grow was to cast off all doubts and free himself from the actions of others who had nothing to do with him.
An Explosive Finale & Promising Future
The arc ends with an amazing cliffhanger that has tons of new possibilities for where the story could go next. Just as Vegeta, Goku, and Granolah all work together to finally put a stop to the monstrous Gas, an unexpected visitor arrives on the battlefield. Despite Gas’s body continually destroying itself andadapting to the new strongest in the universe, he still lunges towards Frieza but is killed in a single blow by the Galactic Tyrant.
Frieza then turns his attention to Goku and Vegeta who are both in their ultimate forms and the strongest they have ever been. Here, Friezaunveils his Black Frieza transformation, a power so terrifying that he far surpasses both Goku and Vegeta, who are using Divine Techniques. In the blink of an eye, Frieza defeats the Saiyans in a single hit and knocks them out, leaving them on Planet Cereal and taking off to achieve his mysterious goals.
