WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 78, "Gas's Wish," by Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou, Caleb Cook and Brandon Bovia, available now in English through Viz Media.
In the vast universe of Dragon Ball, many strive to be the strongest fighter in the world. However, this is often a temporary state, and the method you use to become the strongest will often decide just how long your position at the top of the food chain lasts. And, while the newest strongest being in the universe is extremely dangerous, they may find their reign quickly cut short. However, unlike most Dragon Ball villains, it is the actions of their allies that will decide their fate.
Chapter 78 of Dragon Ball Super is a rollercoaster. After learning about his past from Monaito, Granolah is furious. But things take a turn for the worse when the sky suddenly darkens as Elec Heeter, who has finally obtained all the Cerealian Dragon Balls, summons the dragon to make his wish. What he wished for is quickly revealed when his siblings when Macki and Oil appear and announce that they have the new strongest being in the universe with them: Gas. Gas quickly shows that his new title is no joke by absolutely wasting the heroes -- but he'd better get his punches in while he can, because there are just enough variables in play for Gas' new status to be precarious at best.
During the fight, Granolah admits that he used Planet Cereal's Dragon Balls to become the mightiest being in the universe. However, obviously, this wish was made moot when Elec wished for Gas to become the new strongest. However, the unique properties of Planet Cereal's Dragon Balls will heavily affect how long Gas remains the strongest. Unlike the Dragon Balls Goku and friends are familiar with, Planet Cereal set is a pair much smaller than previous Dragon Balls and, once used, they do not turn to stone, allowing someone to make wishes in quick succession if they can find them. Also, as shown by Elec's wish to make Gas stronger than Granolah, it is possible to use these Dragon Balls to override someone else's wish.
This makes Elec's wording especially important. If he merely wished for Gas to be the strongest being in the universe, then the next person to get the Dragon Balls can simply wish to be the new strongest being and overtake Gas. The wish only makes them the strongest being at that moment, ignoring future increases in strength. But of course, this could also open the door to the Heeter's regaining the Dragon Balls and wishing for another in their family to become the strongest in the universe. This, of course, would inevitably result in a never-ending arms race, with each person trying to one-up each other in a battle of power creep the likes of which Universe 7 has never seen.
However, if Elec was clever, he could have worded the wish to future-proof it against such a situation. He could, for instance, have made a wish that guarantees Gas is always stronger than a specific person, like Goku or Vegeta, meaning that even if they use a wish, Gas remains the strongest. He could also have wished for Gas to always be the strongest person or simply the strongest person on the planet no matter what happens in the future.
It should be remembered that Granolah's wish had a caveat. When he made it back in Chapter 70, the Cerealian balls' dragon, Toronbo, informed him that his powers had a limit -- he can only make someone as strong as their latent potential. Toronbo said that he could grant Granolah's wish by giving him all of his future potential power now, but it required Granolah sacrificing the rest of his lifespan, reducing it to a mere three years. This, of course, raises questions about Gas and what he might have had to give up to outclass Granolah.
Only time will tell how long Gas remains the strongest being in the universe. However, Elec's wording of this wish will be crucial to future chapters as, without knowing what the wish was, Goku and Vegeta will not be able to take down this powerful new foe. But who knows what the future holds and what other wishes these new Dragon Balls could grant.
