WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers from the Granolah arc of the Dragon Ball Super Manga. Read ahead at your own discretion!

Gas’ character is actually an interesting case study on psychology as his mind wavers between jealousy, hatred, primal instincts, pride, inferiority complex, and so on.

However, the addition of Gas to the list of antagonists of Dragon Ball Super isn’t appreciated by all the fans.

Some consider him the worst villain yet, but others value his ties to Granolah, Bardock, and Goku as well as appreciate his unorthodox techniques.

Personally, I think Gas is a decent antagonist but is definitely not the main one and he’s purposefully built up to be so.

We know so little of the guy but let me give a brief sketch of what is revealed so far about him.

Who is Gas in Dragon Ball Super?

Gas is presumably the youngest sibling of the Heeter family, the true antagonists of the Granolah arc. They are a wealthy and powerful intel group that exists in Universe 7 and operates as brokers for the Frieza Force, acting as intermediaries for worlds seized by Frieza.

Elec, the leader, and eldest sibling believe that military force is a thing of the past. So, their main agenda is to ultimately rule over the Universe not by raw might but with cash and information.

While looking at the plot proposal from Toyotarou and Victory Uchida, Toriyama came up with the Heeters and helped his apprentice design them. Amongst its members, only Gas showed considerable change between the 40-year time skip.

Gas is Elec’s right-hand man when it comes to muscle and boasts of great power and abilities.

But what’s interesting is Gas’ inferiority complex which exists ever since that humiliating loss against Bardock 40 years ago.

Gas, according to Monaito, was exceedingly powerful, so powerful that once he unleashed his primal instincts, he couldn’t control them. However, Bardock’s resolve was too much for the Heeter to handle.

Elec’s faith in Gas’ ability to complete the task dwindled, and some of that ‘confidence’ was diverted to Granolah.

Ever since he was little, the Cerealian worked hard in making a name for himself as a bounty hunter and performed all the jobs Elec told him to do with high precision.

Jealousy sprouted in Gas’ heart the instant Granolah declared himself to be the strongest warrior in the Universe. As a result, he felt inferior to the person he despised.

Elec, on the other hand, had never believed in Gas’s ability. Gas was confident that his own strength would be sufficient to defeat Granolah and Frieza, but Elec wanted insurance.

Despite his younger brother’s discontentment, Elec asked Toronbo to turn Gas into the strongest warrior in the Universe anyway.

Gas didn’t want to use the techniques that were gifted to him. His pride told him to overpower Granolah using the moves he honed for years.

Elec, on the other hand, insisted on finishing him off fast so that they could get back to more essential concerns. As a result, Gas grudgingly began to employ other tactics, such as teleportation.

This restored part of his lost trust as Elec saw Gas being stronger than Granolah. In fact, he assigned him another mission in which he will play the lead role. These statements dispelled any doubt in the younger Heeter’s mind, and he now has complete faith in Elec’s tactics.

But what if he’s falling into a trap? What if Elec has been using him all this while just to facilitate his bigger agenda? Is Gas’ blind faith in his lord and savior gonna be his downfall? Read our article on Elec’s true desire for more details!

The true meaning behind the title “Strongest warrior in the Universe”

Now, whether it was for using Gas for his real agenda or genuinely felt doing something for his “dear little brother”, Elec’s wish gifted Gas the title of “strongest warrior in the universe”.

Now some people were confused about what the wish actually meant. Does it mean just pure power or overall strength including techniques, skills, etc.? Ian from Kanzenshuu clears out that for us.

Gas’ true power was sealed deep within. But then Elec stepped in and removed the limiter around Gas’ forehead.
His true power and primal instincts unleashed, Gas lost all sense of himself and flew into a wild rampage.

Once again, the fans were divided with the whole “battle between the 2 strongest in the Universe”.

Some fans feel it doesn’t have that ‘oomph’ while having such a grandeur title while a lot of others feel the authors are doing a great job by connecting various characters and fleshing out a coherent story filled with life and stakes.

My sense is, this particular exchange between Gas vs Granolah or Goku vs Gas isn’t supposed to involve huge explosions or planetary storms because the focus here is mostly on hand-to-hand combat and techniques.

Goku Vs Beerus & Gogeta Vs Broly involved a lot of Ki blasts and fireworks because Beerus wanted to destroy the Earth and Broly is a bulldozer with no control over his explosive power.

Gas wanted to use the technique he honed for years. We’ve seen that kind of technique before but it’s never been used in this creative fashion.

Also, there’s one important thing fans fail to grasp regarding the central themes of the arc. The authors have time and again hinted at this and many of us fail to notice or have it at the back of our minds when we read new chapters.

Just because Gas and Granolah are the strongest now doesn’t mean they’ll continue to be in the future.

Rankings don’t matter in the long run. It’s just a number that exists on the mental platform and has nothing to do with whether one will actually defeat XYZ. I elaborated about this further in another article.

Gas’ key powers and abilities

Gas’ techniques are classified into those he possessed prior to the wish and those he obtained as a result of the wish. The following is the list of Gas’ powers and abilities that stand out from the rest.

Materialization Sorcery

Object manifestation is a technique Gas honed since the beginning. It is not a technique he received due to the wish.

Also known as Butsushitsu Shutsugen Majutsu (物質出現魔術), the Daizenshuu defines it as a supernatural art where they materialize an object they picture by thinking hard or creating physical matter out of thin air.

Gas uses the ability to manifest various artillery like a pitchfork-like weapon, a sword staff, a jousting lance, a massive battle-ax, a size-altering morning star, a wrecking ball, a scimitar, numerous kunai, as well as several wrist-mounted swords, claws, spinning blades, and shields. As well as enormous spiked walls for crushing his prey.

Now, there are two ideas on how it works. One is “the objects are created by Ki” and the other is “the objects are magically summoned from another dimension“. Let’s discuss the first one.

According to Daizenshuu 4, there are many variations of Ki manipulation, one of which includes the “alteration-type”.

It includes techniques where the basic form of Ki manipulation is utilized according to one’s peculiar arrangement. They are fired with some additional value different from the traditional energy bullet-type Ki manipulation attacks.

In order words, the user creates weapons out of pure energy. Some examples are Vegito’s Spirit blade, Goku Black’s scythe, and even Krillin’s Destructo Disc or Kienzan.

Caway from Universe 4 creates weapons that are distinctively similar to Gas’.

One of Caway’s specialties is creating weapons out of energy. Out of the weapons she fabricated in the T.O.P (Anime), the hammer and spear are similar to those wielded by Gas against Goku and Granolah.

But if you notice closely. Caway’s weapons retain that energy glow whereas Gas’ tools solidify as soon as they appear. Vegito’s spirit sword (Gas uses a similar move which destroys Granolah’s ship) also retains that Ki-based effects, which is again, different from the Heeter’s weapons.

This leads to the 2nd proposed idea – The objects are manifested through magic.

Dabura, being the demon king, possesses magical powers. It’s a pretty common trope.

While dueling with Gohan and later with Fat Buu, Dabura summons a sword and a spear which almost exactly resembles Gas’.

In the Anime adaption, the way Dabura manifests his weapons is different from Caway and it doesn’t retain that energy glow. The initial glow is just to illustrate the sword being manifested.

The official Dragon Ball website explains this skill as the power to produce a variety of weapons out of thin air, which is exactly how Monaito characterized Gas’ ability.

The same is true from the Manga’s POV as well.

Also, the way Gas summons the huge platform of spikes is similar to Fused Zamasu materializing the cubes of Katchin or Klangite, the hardest known material in the Universe.

By observing Gas’ hand movements, it’s clear he’s using some sort of magical spell to manifest those weapons. Also, both the attack’s SFX is the same.

Speaking of SFX, Onomatopoeia is a type of figurative language that elevates imagery above and beyond the literal meaning of the word on the page. It attempts to denote sound effects on pages so we can hear them through our eyes.

While looking at the Japanese raws, the SFX Gas’ technique emanates is exactly the same as for teleportation. This hints at the possibility of our 2nd theory: Gas weaponry could appear and disappear in the same way that a person does when he teleports.

It’s also similar to Gowasu summoning the Time Ring box and Shin manifesting the Kachin cube to train Future Trunks. We know that the Time Ring box does exist in another dimension and can’t just vanish into nothingness after Gowasu de-summons it. Plus, the box isn’t made out of Ki.

Also, Gas dodging Granolah’s punch (and Dabura materializing his sword) has the same SFX as the box being summoned, basically referring to the weapons appearing from another location.

Notice how Gas weapons have a distinct style. All of them are medieval-type weapons and not some modern machine guns or something.

Therefore, I think Gas has some of these weapons stored up somewhere at the Heeters’ base and basically summons them from there.

However, I could be wrong about this instance and he actually has magical powers and manifests stuff out of literal NOTHING. It’s definitely similar to Dabura’s technique, but Gas took it to the next level.

Gas also materializes Gravity-cubes around his opponents’ limbs to force them to the ground, a technique similar to Hearts from Super Dragon Ball Heroes.

Telekinesis/Psychokinesis

Referencing the Daizenshuu, telekinesis is a technique in which they move items with their thoughts without touching them. Characters such as General Blue utilize their eyes to steer the movement of the objects, whilst Gurudo/Guldo and Frieza use their arm movements.

I’m not sure if he had the move before the wish was made, but Gas appears to be able to lift significantly heavier objects, including numerous buildings and trains. Even yet, Frieza was able to lift a massive boulder and push it towards Goku, so this isn’t all that remarkable either.

But making multiple trains fly all over the sky definitely looks badass. And the force seems strong as well, pushing Super Saiyan Goku on his back. The whole scene gave me strong Spiderman 2 vibes.

He can also do it longer than before cause’ he doesn’t need to utilize hand motions to direct the objects, and his duel with Goku doesn’t interfere with his focus at all.

Gas is also able to manipulate the movements of people, lifting Goku in the air by choking him from afar.

Instant Transmission/Teleportation

One of the Yardrats’ chief Spirit controlling techniques. Goku learned this skill from the aliens who dwell on Planet Yardrat, which he happened to visit while he escaped from Planet Namek.

This teleportation detects a person’s Ki and moves to where they are. As a result, it is impossible to move off-planet without encountering people or Ki you are familiar with.

It’s pretty clear that Gas received this technique after Elec made the wish. He didn’t have it prior to that moment.

If you’re at a distance from your opponent, you can close in and use a sneak attack via instant teleportation. In chapter 72 of Dragon Ball Super, Granolah was able to use a move even faster than Instant Transmission. 

Yes, it sounds weird when someone says “I’m faster than an instant” cause’ nothing is faster than an “instant”. However, this can be clarified when you dig deep.

To describe the technique, the Japanese word 瞬間移動 (Shunkan idō) is used. It translates to “Teleportation” and not “Instant Teleportation” (try Google translate if you want).

The reason why people get confused is that, in the Anime, it’s called “Instantaneous Movement” and in the Manga, it is “Instant Teleportation”. The word Shunkan (瞬間) means “second” or “moment” and idō (移動) means “movement”.

Warriors like Goku, Vegeta, Gas, and Granolah move pretty fast, reaching their targets and reacting to moves in less than a second or a moment. So it’s not surprising they could teleport to immediate locations in fractions of a second.

Think of it as the Yardrat’s teleportation technique and its speed varying from user to user. In short, Granolah’s teleportation technique is faster than Goku’s teleportation technique. This is one way of looking at things I suppose.

Gas was not planning to use it against Granolah but circumstances forced him to do so.

His awakening enabled him to match and surpass the Cerealian but a couple of rugs below Goku as the latter has years and years of experience in using Shunkan idō. In fact, the Saiyan even stated in Chapter 81 that Gas would never be able to make it to another planet with his version of the technique.

Now, “his version” seems to indicate that Gas uses a variant different from Goku’s. There are different variations of teleportation, such as Supreme Kai’s “Kai-Kai”, which Kid Buu mimicked in the Manga.

In the same way, Gas could be using a different kind of move that doesn’t necessarily require sensing the target’s Ki signature. Nobody taught him how to do it properly. His desire to move to a particular location automatically transports him without him knowing how it works.

Also, he’s able to teleport his target from one position to another by first pointing at them and then at the destination he wishes to move them to.

Hakai/Destruction

Hakai is the signature technique of the Gods of Destruction. Beerus says it basically erases the target from existence including both inanimate and animate objects. However, it cannot destroy immortal beings such as the Angels, the Omni-King, and those who became immortal by the Dragon Balls (eg: Garlic Jr., Future Zamasu).

Again, this is another technique gifted to Gas by Toronbo. The way he used it was almost exactly how Beerus blew away a part of Vegeta’s armor in Chapter 69, so fans immediately came to the conclusion that Gas indeed has Hakai.

My stance on the matter is, he’s using the principles of the technique. Only the Gods of Destruction or their students (Vegeta and Toppo), who can wield the Energy of Destruction, can use Hakai in the proper sense.

Divine techniques like Hakai and Ultra Instinct cannot be pulled off by any Tom, Dick, or Harry. It necessitates having proper consciousness and training from an expert.

Gas stares at his hands after using it against Granolah and says, “I see now.” This tells me he has no idea how to use Hakai like how the G.O.Ds would.

It’s kinda like Roshi using the principles of Ultra Instinct against Jiren due to his experience in Martial Arts but it’s not the real thing, as Whis remarked. Plus, Roshi doesn’t have God Ki so yeah, the principles are in play.

However, even Granolah fell flat after such an explosive after-effect so it’s still very potent.

Ki Astral Projection

Through the wish, Gas’ handle on Ki and Ki Control grew so much better that he’s able to manipulate Ki to create massive spectral arms and legs with which to strike his opponent. This is indicated when he said “my power has been liberated from my flesh”.

Of course, Gas pulled this stuff only after transforming into his “Ancient/Old Man-like” final form. We haven’t seen him pull this off in his previous ones.

It is similar to Goku’s Giant Ki Avatar but not as refined. He cannot create a Ki version of his entire body but only parts of it.

This is because, like Instant Trasmission, Gas can only imitate of whip out a fraction of the techniques he was gifted by Toronbo. Plus, you need God Ki + enhanced Ki Control training to unleash what Ultra Instinct Goku did. So it’s a partial representation of Goku’s Avatar technique.

Energy Shield

From the looks of it, Gas definitely had this technique at his disposal before the wish.

According to the Daizenshuu, it is a technique where they use Ki to create a barrier around themselves, guarding against their opponents’ attacks. It can protect against nukes, Ki-based and physical attacks.

However, in order to cancel them out, they must constantly emit at least twice their opponents’ Ki. In other words, it cannot guard against the attacks of those who have Ki far stronger than one’s own.

In the story, Gas quickly materialized a shield to block Bardock’s Kiai attack, indicating his Ki is stronger than that of the Saiyan. The shield must be more potent now that he’s able to control his instincts along with the power boost.

Energy Blast re-direction

A different type of Ki-deflection technique where the user hijacks an opponent’s attack, tweaks, and launches it back as their own.

With his own power, Gas was able to transform Goku’s Ki blast into an energy sphere and toss it back at the Saiyan. This suggests that the Heeter commands a high level of Ki Control.

Regeneration

The more his cells burn, the faster he regenerates, along with the depletion of his lifespan. This ability of Gas’ is not directly mentioned but derived through implied meaning.

No wonder he comes around again and again after being beaten to the ground.

Other Techniques

Gravity Manipulation

In some ways, this move is a subset of Telekinesis, which involves manipulating objects or controlling the target. A flare from Gas’ eyes cast a spell on Goku and Vegeta, making them feel heavy and causing them to stop in their tracks.

I presume Gas got this technique after the wish was made cause’ it’s something to do with magic. And who else knows about it better than Moro?

Speaking from a story standpoint, I think Toronbo took Moro’s magical powers to push down Vegeta to the ground, making him feel heavy and giving a different version of it to Gas.

The way Goku broke from its grasp is akin to him and Vegeta increasing while controlling their Ki at the same time in that weird dimension Whis transported them in the Anime.

Flames and Fire

The metaphysical power to manipulate life energy and influence the planet’s life energy for offensive and defensive attacks. It’s one of Moro’s special techniques.

Granolah received it as part of his wish and used its variant on Goku. The Cerealian wanted to erupt the ground below which Goku was standing by using the planet’s life energy to unleash a volcano-like blast.

Since Gas mentions he has all of Granolah’s attacks at his disposal, he should be able to use it as well.

Electric Shock

Also known as Dengeki (電撃), the user transmits a wave of electrical discharge to the target’s body while physically holding them. The targets will feel the after-effects in the form of numbness or shock.

Cloning

It’s the art of splitting your body into a number of duplicates to fight as a group. Granolah’s cloning ability bears resemblance to Tenshinhan’s Multi-form technique or Shishin no Ken [Fist of Four Bodies].

But the difference is, Tien split himself into four copies and the power and speed of each copy is only 1/4th of the user’s full strength, while the quantity of the power taken by Granolah’s clone is unknown.

Granolah was able to split into 10 duplicates against Gas however, the more number of times he splits his power, the more damage he receives whenever his duplicates receive the same.

The cloning ability he possesses also bears a striking resemblance to the cloning ability MUI Goku uses against Whis.

The Cerealian received it as part of his wish and used it on Goku and Gas. Since Gas mentions he has all of Granolah’s attacks at his disposal, he should be able to use it as well.

Vital Point attack

Granolah’s special and strongest technique. He utilizes his sniping ability to lock onto the target’s vital points and strikes them with high precision. He was able to knock out Goku thrice with little to no effort.

Since Elec wished Gas to become the strongest warrior in the Universe after Granolah, Gas would possess the Cerealian’s pressure point attack as well.

Can breathe in a vacuum

After being left behind by Goku on a planet Whis was at, a frustrated Gas zooms into space, flying towards Planet Cereal at top speed. This means he had no trouble breathing in space.

Plus he doesn’t seem to be disturbed by any obstacles within space. To reach Planet Cereal from that afar in 20 minutes suggests his brute speed and endurance is one of the highest in the Universe.

Tranformations

Primal Instincts unleashed

Seems this form isn’t exclusive to just Gas but applies to all the Heeters. Gas first used this form against Bardock 40 years ago but ultimately lost. What could have transpired between Bardock Vs Gas?

After seeing his little brother getting washed up, Elec stepped in and removed the limiter around Gas’ forehead.

Gas lost all sense of himself as his sealed power and primal instincts were unleashed, and he flew into a frenzied rampage. Elec believed Gas’ll be able to control himself since he’s the strongest in the Universe.

It caused his muscle mass to skyrocket, his eyes to go blank, his incisors to turn into fangs, and horns to sprout from his temples. In this state, he transforms into a ferocious animal incapable of distinguishing between friend and foe.

Granolah and Vegeta bore the brunt of the untamed might of the universe’s strongest fighter, and even Gas’ siblings were attacked when they attempted to calm him down! At this rate, it appeared as if no one could stop him until Elec reminded him of his promise.

Fans recognize that Gas with his primal instincts unleashed bears a great resemblance to Broly in his Ikari form. But one should know that both are based on the animal instincts to fight the strongest and mindlessly attack anyone in their way.

Gas has similar urges when it comes to:
-> Boost his ego to regain the lost respect for his humiliating defeat against Bardock
-> To impress Elec and show him he can be relied upon

Broly, on the other hand, was actually feeling very hurtful due to the overwhelming flow of power and S-Cells soaring through his body.

Also, many fans wondered by Gas targeted Vegeta instead of Goku or Monaito after he left Granolah in the dust. Check out our Tweet to know the answer!

Awakening

Gas’ primal instinct form left him totally blind to reality, not able to differentiate between friend and foe. But that changed when Goku zoomed towards him to strike.

Gas, upon seeing Goku’s face, remembered Bardock and his final attack, which resulted in Gas’ humiliating defeat. His PTSD made him move back and struggle to recognize his self-identity or ego. The last push came in the form of Elec appeared again and reminded Gas of the events that happened 40 years ago:

“You swore to never lose again, right?”

Hearing his ‘master’s words’, Gas regained control of himself, thereby also finally becoming able to wield the true power of the strongest in the universe!

He has the same appearance as in his base form, but his evolved horns remain.

In his awakened state, he’s able to use not only his techniques but also Granolah’s moves much better than before, in fact even better than Granolah himself.

Gas quickly disposed of the Cerealian by breaking his arms and piercing his eyes with laser Ki blasts, rendering him motionless. The Heeter faced our hero from Earth in the final battle of the Granolah the Survivor arc but still couldn’t defeat him in his new version of Ultra Instinct.

That’s when Elec grabbed his head and hammered into him “I don’t care if you even die, let out more power necessary to accomplish the task of finishing off our immediate obstacle!”

Oil and Macki did not like Elec treating his brother that harshly but Gas’ utter devotion to Elec made him decide to burn and burn until he looked old and wrinkly.

Final Form (Ancient-like)

Gas’s physical appearance deteriorates in this form, becoming thinner and more gaunt, while his strength increases dramatically, making him stronger than Goku at that time.

In this state, Gas’ body cells burns like fuel, resulting in a dramatic rise in power with a decline in physical health. It throws his strength and physique entirely out of whack, as pointed out by Goku.

Gas, however, remains in a state of ecstasy rather than pain as a result of this activity. It is probably due to the huge rush of adrenaline caused by the burning of cells.

However, this results in his lifespan shortening much further. Elec even mentions that Gas cannot do another round of fighting, even if he wants to. His soul would have left his body by that time.

Final Form Gas was thrashing Goku about but through the combined effort of the Saiyans and Granolah, the youngest Heeter faced his humiliating defeat once again.

Final Thoughts

Towards the Granolah arc’s climax, Gas is the strongest mortal in the Universe but will that change in the future? Remember, Whis said that in order for Goku and Vegeta to get stronger and stronger, they need to surpass themselves from what they were a day ago. This foreshadows the Saiyans eventual rise above the Heeters.

But don’t forget, Elec is the main antagonist of the story. After finishing off business on Planet Cereal, I think Elec plans to take Gas to confront Frieza and overtake his army. But since Gas is now out of commission, Elec has to find a replacement.

Do you think Elec will conjure another warrior to take over Gas’ position? Will he eventually betray his little brother, thereby making Gas target Elec in the end? Only time will tell.

So what do you think of Gas’ powers? Let us know in the comments below!