Summary
- Granolah was a deep, nuanced character driven by revenge but learned to put it aside to ally with the Saiyans.
- Elec and the Heeters orchestrated events behind the scenes to pit Granolah against the Saiyans.
- Gas, fueled by envy, became the primary antagonist but faltered due to the consequences of his wish.
Although the Dragon Ball Super anime went on an indefinite hiatus following the Tournament of Power arc, the manga continued airing until 2024, introducing some of the most beloved arcs in the entire series. Among these was the Granolah arc, which was one of the most emotionally charged in the entire franchise, exploring themes such as the cost of revenge, the sins of the past, forgiveness, and growth.
Along with being one of Dragon Ball's best arcs, it also introduced many important villains into the story. Some were nuanced while others were outright evil, but they all worked perfectly with the themes that this arc tried to portray and were each incredible characters to witness. In this article, let's go over the main villains of the Granolah arc and see why they go down as some of the most memorable in the franchise.
Dragon Ball: How Trunks And Goten Can Be Made Important Again
Of all the Z-Fighters, Trunks and Goten have been notably missing from action, so here's how they can be made important again!
Granolah Was The Central Figure Of The Entire Arc
The Titular Cerealian
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 67, "Happy Endings... And Then..." |
|---|---|
|
Due Date |
December 20, 2020 |
The titular character of the arc, Granolah, is one of the most nuanced and deep characters that have ever been introduced in Dragon Ball. Essentially, decades before the start of the main story, Saiyans were sent to his home planet to wipe out the native population on behalf of Frieza in order to sell the planet off, creating within him a deep hatred of the Saiyan race and the Galactic Tyrant. Although he would spend his life in relative peace alongside the Sugarians, Granolah never forgot the torment he went through, so he sought out greater power.
No matter how powerful you are, I remain the strongest in the universe!
By making a wish with the Cerealian Dragon Balls, Granolah quickly matched up to Goku and Vegeta's strength, eventually fighting both Saiyans and proving to be powerful and cunning enough to defeat Ultra Instinct in a single hit. Eventually, he made terms with his choices and was willing to kill himself for revenge, only to rethink such actions with nuance, which allowed him to ally with the Saiyans by the end of the arc, opening the door to the possibility of him becoming a Z-Fighter down the line.
Elec And The Heeters Were The Masterminds Behind The Arc
The Manipulative Villains
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 68, "Granolah the Survivor" |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
January 20, 2021 |
When the arc started, it seemed that Granolah was the main villain as the powerful warrior whom the heroes had to defeat. However, it was slowly revealed that all the events leading up to the inevitable clash at the end of the arc were set in motion by The Heeters, or, more particularly, their leader Elec. They are a mysterious family who often acted as the intermediaries in Frieza's planet-selling business.
I was once the weakest among us, but Elec raised me to this level. I would do anything for him.
Realizing how lucrative the business was and how Frieza's existence is always a threat, Elec hatched a plan to have Granolah and the Saiyans take each other out. In the meantime, he also wished for his younger brother, Gas, to become the new strongest in the universe in order to kill Frieza when the time came. Although everything was going his way, he never could have accounted for Frieza's newfound strength.
Dragon Ball: Is Ultra Instinct An Overrated Transformation?
Ultra Instinct is the signature transformation of Dragon Ball Super, but some think that it's overrated, so is this a fair assessment?
Gas Was The Primary Antagonist Of The Arc
Briefly The Strongest In The Universe
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 68, "Granolah the Survivor" |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
January 20, 2020 |
Despite being the youngest and smallest in stature out of all the Heeters, Gas was the strongest and was considered to be the muscle of the group. While his power was formidable, it proved to be utterly meaningless in front of Granolah after his wish with the Dragon Balls, birthing serious jealousy and insecurity within the villain. Due to this, he agreed with Elec to make the same wish with the Dragon Balls as Granolah did, which brought him up to the same level as Goku, Vegeta, and Granolah.
I consider this a failure on my part. I had hoped to kill you with the technique I've honed.
Due to this, he served the role of the primary antagonist of the arc, where he battled against the heroes and even proved to be superior at points. However, the nature of his wish demanded an exchange of years of his life to make him the strongest, which he didn't know about. Due to this, his body began to disintegrate and eat itself apart in an attempt to grow in strength like the others, which eventually made him into a mindless, withered husk of himself. Even though he was stronger than the heroes by the end, his body simply couldn't keep up, which is how Frieza was able to kill him in a single hit.
Black Frieza Has Changed The Entire Power Hierarchy
The Strongest In The Multiverse
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 87, "The Universe's Strongest Appears" |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
August 20, 2022 |
At the end of the arc, fans believed that victory for the heroes was certain due to them joining forces against Gas, who was revealed to be dying anyway. However, this hope quickly turned sour at the very end when everyone's favorite villain made his long-awaited return to Super, and did so in a way that left fans' jaws on the floor. Since the Tournament of Power, it was revealed that Frieza had been training to hone his strength, even going so far as to find a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on a planet and getting in 10 years worth of training.
Meet Black Frieza! Achieving this form took plenty of toil, I'll have you know!
This led to his brand-new Black Frieza form that was so powerful that it killed Gas in a single hit. Not only that, but he eventually went on to knock Goku and Vegeta out with just one punch, despite both of the Saiyans being in their most powerful Divine Forms. This showed that Frieza is far stronger than anyone fans have seen up to this point in the story, perhaps being the only mortal who equals Beerus. Only time will tell the true limits of this form, but it is clearly built up as the greatest threat in the future of the series.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
One Piece: Shanks' Ultimate Battle In The Final War Won't Be Shamrock Or Garling
Although many have pegged Shamrock or Garling as Shanks' ultimate foes, the truth is that his final enemy has been revealed far earlier!
Dragon Ball Super
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2015 - 2018
