WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 74, by Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou, Caleb Cook and Brandon Bovia, available now in English through Viz Media.
So far in "Granolah the Survivor Saga," the titular Cerealian has used the incredible strength given to him by his planet's Dragon Balls to absolutely crush his opponents. Most recently, Dragon Ball Super Chapter 73 saw Goku faced off against Granolah, and while the Saiyan hero seemed for a time like he might pull out a victory, the last Cerealian held his own against even the Saiyan's Ultra Instinct form. Then, with help from a clever trick, Granolah turned the tide with a single shot to his opponent's vitals, taking Goku out of the fight. This then forced Vegeta to step in so as to save Goku and prove that his training with Beerus has truly elevated him to the next level. And in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 74, that fight kicks off. Here's a spoiler-filled recap of what happened.
As Dragon Ball Super Chapter 74 kicks off, the Sugarians flee the planet as a result of the battle between Goku and Granolah. Granolah then reveals to Vegeta that he plans to use his power to kill Freeza. The Saiyan Prince responds by saying he no longer works with Freeza and that he actually considers him an enemy. Still, Granolah thinks that Vegeta is lying, obviously having never seen Dragon Ball Z. The last Cerealian then confirms that he will get revenge on the Saiyans for the destruction of his people, regardless of if they were involved with the actual attack.
"If that's your stance," Vegeta says, "then why should I hold back?" He then powers up and starts attacking Granolah with his destructive powers. However, Granolah observes that Vegeta still isn't particularly skilled and is instead substituting any sort of strength for a sheer number of attacks. The fight then begins in earnest, and Granolah lands some blows on Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince, though, is able to survive and get some distance from his attacker.
After Granolah catches up to Vegeta, the last Cerealian remarks that the Saiyans are stronger than he expected, though boasts that he's still the "strongest in the universe." Vegeta then readily admits that Granolah is the more powerful of them, but claims he'll still win their battle. This confuses Granolah, who thinks that Vegeta's pride might be keeping him from understanding just how dire his predicament really is.
As their fight continues, Goku wakes up to see Granolah once again hammering Vegeta. After some seemingly unsuccessful energy blasts, Vegeta positions himself in such a way that Granolah's counterattack causes him to destroy one of the last remnants of a Cerealian city. This bothers Granolah immensely, and the Cerealian vows to kill Vegeta.
The Saiyan Prince, though, had a good reason for tricking Granolah into destroying the remnants of a Cerealian city. While Vegeta might not be stronger than Granolah, the Saiyan now knows that the last Cerealian only acquired his powers recently and lacks the experience to use them effectively. Unfazed by Vegeta's observation, Granolah claims that he has no need for training. "This power I've gained makes me the strongest," Granolah brags. "It's a given that I'll win here today."
Vegeta doesn't agree. The Saiyan Prince explains that he loves the fact that battle is unpredictable and that the outcome is never certain. Granolah then redoubles his efforts, and as they battle, Vegeta reveals that he's actually been getting stronger over the course of their fight. This seems to have some effect on Granolah, who decides to end the battle quickly and strike at one of Vegeta's vital points.
While Vegeta is able to keep the hit from catching him full on, Granolah's blow does enough damage to cause blood to spurt from the Saiyan Prince's mouth. Vegeta powers down, but he remains standing. Then he starts laughing. "There's no planet to protect. No people to save," the injured Vegeta says. "Just me, immersed in battle. My happy place. Just the thing to get a battle-crazed Saiyan's blood pumping."
Realizing something is terribly wrong, Granolah backs off as Vegeta starts accessing a new transformation that engulfs him in flames. Goku observes that this transformation changes Vegeta's chi in a way that resembles that of Beerus, the God of Destruction with whom the Saiyan Prince has been training. Granolah ineffectually fires some energy blasts into the pillar of fire, but nothing happens.
Then Vegeta emerges from the flames.
The transformation has radically altered Vegeta's body, making him thicker and more muscular. While his hair still appears to be black, his eyebrows have disappeared, making his face reminiscent of Goku's and Gotenks's Super Saiyan 3 transformation. "A God of Destruction taught me that power derived solely from instinct is unbounded," Vegeta explains. Dragon Ball Super Chapter 74 doesn't give any name for this transformation, but it's clear that this is something unlike anything that Vegeta has ever accessed before.
As Dragon Ball Super Chapter 74 concludes, Vegeta's fight with Granolah is far from over. The last Cerealian's powers make him the strongest fighter in Universe 7, but his wish came with the caveat that he would not be stronger than those with divine abilities. Since Vegeta's chi is now reminiscent of that possessed by Beerus, the Saiyan Prince looks likely to wreak some major havoc in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 75.
Vegeta and Granolah's fight will continue in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 75, which releases on Aug. 18 through Viz Media.
