WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 78, by Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou, Caleb Cook and Brandon Bovia, available now in English through Viz Media.
As the shocking revelations continue in Chapter 78 of the Dragon Ball Super manga, Granolah's backstory gets more depressing with each panel. Despite his antagonism toward Goku and Vegeta and their bloody, vicious brawl, Granolah is not a villain so much as a tragic character. While there still appears to be more to the story of Granolah's escape with Bardock's help during the Saiyan invasion of Planet Cereal, the sharpshooting Cerealian is currently reeling from a betrayal on top of everything else he's learned about his past.
As if the extinction of his entire race by the Saiyans serving under Frieza wasn't bad enough, the truth about Granolah's survival -- and the choices he's made since -- are salt in the wound. Despite Bardock's best effort to save Granolah, his mother and Monaito, the Heeters' untimely arrival and a young Granolah's panic at seeing a Saiyan end up costing the child Cerealian dearly. When the Heeters find the group, Elec quickly executes Granolah's mother before Bardock manages to escape with Granolah and Monaito in tow.
Monaito had put Granolah to sleep in an effort to keep the Heeters from spotting them, so the child did not witness his mother's execution and spent his life unsure of what happened to her. It's not currently known how Bardock got Granolah and Monaito off the planet without being caught by the Heeters, but Monaito ultimately raised Granolah himself, even allowing the boy to train to become a bounty hunter despite still being a child. Their father-son relationship only adds to Granolah's fury when he discovers what Monaito has been keeping from him.
Granolah's life would go from bad to worse when the Heeters responsible for killing his mother happened upon him while he was training. Though Monaito recognizes the group, especially Elec as the man who killed Granolah's mother, it's clear the Namekian has never told Granolah the truth of what happened that day. Elec threatens Monaito that if he ever tells Granolah the truth, he'll kill them both. However, this is fine with Monaito, because he knows that if Granolah were to learn the truth, he would get himself killed in an attempt to take revenge.
Elec offers Granolah a job as their muscle, offering to pay him enough to provide a good life for the elderly Monaito -- the only family Granolah has left. The Cerealian accepts Elec's offer and begins to do grunt work for the very same man who killed his mother. Granolah is devastated to learn this truth from Monaito when the Namekian attempts to end the battle between him and the Saiyans, feeling thoroughly betrayed by the man who raised him. What's worse, the Heeters never saw Granolah as anything other than a useful tool, and they don't hesitate to try and kill him when they no longer have use for him.
So, to recap Dragon Ball Super's latest revelations, Granolah spent his life working for the man who killed his mother, while the Namekian who raised him held the truth from him, and the people he dedicated his life to working for are now trying to kill him. This is on top of being the sole survivor of his entire race and having sacrificed a great deal of his lifespan in his quest for revenge. It's a good thing the dragon balls made by Monaito can be used repeatedly, because when this arc concludes, Granolah should probably wish for a therapist.
