WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 70, by Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou, Caleb Cook and Brandon Bovia, available now in English from Viz Media.
Each new arc of Dragon Ball Super has, historically, brought with it a new, more difficult threat against which Goku and Vegeta must contend. Now, though, Dragon Ball Super Chapter 70 has put the two Saiyans on a collision course with Granolah -- the lone survivor of the Planet Cereal -- but the coming battle may have an unexpected resolution.
At some point prior to the events of Dragon Ball Z, Freeza unleashed his army of Saiyans in their Great Ape form against the Cereal. While nearly all of the planet's inhabitants were killed, Granolah survived the attack, though he still harbors a major grudge against Freeza and the Saiyans. Although he believes both to be dead at the start of "Granolah the Survivor Saga," the titular Cerealian quickly learns Freeza has since returned to life. In response, Granolah gathers his planet's Dragon Balls and wishes to become the most powerful fighter in the universe.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 70 confirms that Cereal's dragon -- named Toronbo -- granted Granolah's wish, though the Cerealian had to give up pretty much all of life to accomplish the feat. Soon after getting his upgrade, Granolah goes to see the Heeters -- the gang from whom he learned Freeza was still alive. While previously the Heeters easily beat Granolah down, in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 70, the Cerealian showcases his new strength and defeats most of the group in combat.
This results in Elec -- the leader of the Heeters -- offering to give Freeza's location to Granolah, though he'll need some time to find the information. Granolah agrees to the deal, but after the Cerealian leaves, Elec reveals that he plans to renege on his promise. At dinner with the rest of his group, Elec explains, "If Granolah takes Freeza out, he'll just take his place as the next big boss. And that throne belongs to us, the Heeters."
The group's goal is to take control of Freeza's army, so allowing Granolah to defeat the tyrant's army would foil their plans. Thus, in the words of Elec, "Granolah's gonna have to die." In order to accomplish his nefarious plan, Elec decides to send Granolah to Goku and Vegeta, whom he knows are incredibly powerful. As Granolah has proven somewhat single-minded in his quest to destroy those who annihilated his people, Elec knows the young bounty hunter is bound to bite off more than he can chew against the Saiyan duo and thus pay the ultimate price.
While Elec's plan is certain to result in Granolah fighting against Goku and Vegeta, there's some question as to just whether it will actually work. Toronbo makes clear that, while Granolah is powerful, he's not as strong as the gods. This means that Goku and Vegeta -- who have been training in techniques that are generally exclusive to divine beings -- may still outmatch the fighter. However, when asked just who the most powerful fighter in the universe is, the Oracle Fish refuses to say either Goku or Vegeta. The manga doesn't make clear whether the Oracle Fish withholds this information out of spite -- as they've regularly wronged her -- or because Granolah is now stronger than them.
Still, Goku in particular has been successful in the past at bringing potential enemies to his side, and Granolah isn't the standard Dragon Ball villain looking to gain power for the sake of oppressing and dominating others. Granolah wants revenge against Freeza -- and that's the exact same emotion that caused Goku to first go Super Saiyan in his battle against the tyrant in Dragon Ball Z. As such, Granolah might just find he has more common ground with his enemies than he expected, which could result in them making peace sooner rather than later. And if that's what happens, Freeza might just find himself in deep, deep trouble.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 71 releases April 20.
