WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 73, by Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou, Caleb Cook and Brandon Bovia, available now in English through Viz Media.
Since his introduction in Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta has had one main goal: Prove that he's better than Goku. And while their relationship has come a long way in that time, Vegeta still takes all the opportunities that he can to prove himself better than his Saiyan counterpart. Now, in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 73, Vegeta may just have a chance to outdo Goku, as he's forced to step up and face Granolah in combat.
After using his planets Dragon Balls to become the most powerful fighter in the universe, Granolah began a quest to wipe out Freeza and the last of the Saiyans as revenge for the destruction of his people. Dragon Ball Super Chapter 72 showed Granolah's power-up definitely made him worthy of the title, as he used his incredible abilities to put Goku and Vegeta on the defense. However, as is their way, Goku and Vegeta opted to fight Granolah separately so as to prove themselves. Goku then stepped up for the first bout with the last Cerealian.
Much of Dragon Ball Super Chapter 73 explores Granolah's fight with Goku. Initially, Goku -- who is using his Super Saiyan Blue form in tandem with Ultra Instinct -- proves pretty equal to Granolah, though the Cerealian ends up getting the edge at a decisive moment. This then prompts Goku to use Perfected Ultra Instinct, which puts Granolah on the ropes. However, when it looks like Goku has finally beaten Granolah, Vegeta realizes something is terribly wrong.
During his fight with Goku, Granolah's power hasn't been diminishing. This prompts Vegeta -- who has already figured out Granolah is the last surviving member of a race wiped out by the Saiyans and Freeza -- to investigate further. He soon finds Granolah's real body and discovers Goku has been fighting a clone. Just as soon as he shares this information with his compatriot, Granolah teleports and downs Goku with a single, well-placed blow, taking him out of the fight for the time being.
Granolah then walks up to Goku, intending to kill the Sayian and get revenge for the Cerealians. However, Vegeta descends to confront hiim, deciding to test his own strength against the strongest fighter in the universe. Vegeta -- who loves to aggro his opponents -- then taunts Granolah about his dead tripe, saying, "If you're so intent on killing every last Saiyan, then I'll use all I have to put you in the ground. The tribe that's about to go extinct is the Cerealians."
While Vegeta knows why Granolah is attempting to kill him and his companion, the Saiyan Prince doesn't seem to actually have much sympathy for his opponent. Instead, as Dragon Ball Super Chapter 73 draws to a close, Vegeta embraces his role as a trainee under the God of Destruction and prepares to wipe an entire species from the universe. So while the Saiyan Prince has come a long way since Dragon Ball Z, his intention here certainly has echoes of Vegeta's time as a villain.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 74 will release on July 20 through Viz Media.
