Dragon Ball Super Chapter 76 closes, or to be more precise, interrupts the battle between the Saiyans and the Cerealian as Monaito drops the shocking revelation of Bardock being Granolah’s and the Namekian’s savior 40 years ago.

Prior to this, Goku and Vegeta are in a tight situation in the battle against Granolah while the Heeters await the fight’s conclusion. With many twists and turn arounds (maybe some asspulls along the way too), the fight entered unchartered territories.

How will things move on from here? Is Goku and Vegeta vs Granolah finally over or will we see a second round? And what do the Heeters intend to do? These are prime questions that need answers.

Chapter 71 of Dragon Ball Super gave quite a build-up to the fated battle between Granolah and the Saiyans. Fans are very excited about how the Granolah arc is unfolding.

It’s pretty damn interesting. Granolah’s past in connection with the Saiyans and Frieza, The Heeters’ and their plan, Goku and Vegeta perfecting their respective Godly techniques. And of course, the wish with Toronbo, the Cerealian Dragon.

In this article, I’ll explain how Granolah’s wish could be his own undoing and later address the elephant in the room – whether Granolah is stronger than Goku or Vegeta. So buckle up, muster those carrots and Granola bars & let’s get right to it!

WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers from Dragon Ball Super Chapter 76. Read ahead at your own discretion!

What Is The Catch Behind Granolah’s Wish?

In another article, I did rant on how Granolah becoming the strongest warrior right now doesn’t make sense. But to my pleasant surprise, it did have a catch, in the form of reducing his lifespan.

The Cerealian Dragon said it can increase Granolah’s strength by condensing all the power he could have gained in his lifetime hereon. How the Dragon knew the quantum of power Granolah would gain in the future is anyone’s guess.

But it seems Granolah’s latent power is so huge that unlocking and condensing it made him the strongest warrior in the Universe.

It makes sense, given how effortlessly he was able to defeat the OG Androids which, according to Goichi’s men, have equivalent capabilities as OG73i. Goichi’s men copied the data of Seven-Three into all the other OG Androids.

When Toronbo granted his wish, he has become the strongest FOR NOW. This could change in the future as pointed out by Monaito. 

Is this foreshadowing that Goku, Vegeta, or Broly will become stronger than Granolah?

To recollect, Goku remaining in the Ultra Instinct state even in his base form is still a W.I.P and Vegeta has improved quite a bit in using Hakai.

From destroying a small speck of stone to a massive log, Beerus respects his progress (even if he smacks him on the head lmao). So much so that he even gave Vegeta an earring, which is a symbol of those who can use Destruction.

Could this mean Vegeta might become a future God of Destruction?

Now let’s start with Goku Vs Granolah and analyze how that turned out.

Is Granolah Stronger Than Goku?

In my opinion, Granolah is stronger than Goku in terms of physical strength, speed, endurance and techniques. However, it’s a different story when it comes to experience, psyche and Ki Control.

When Granolah asked to become the strongest Mortal around, Toronbo seemed to have made sure he won’t be surpassed anytime soon.

The Cerealian Dragon gifted Granolah with such OP combat abilities and techniques that they’re absolutely fantastic! And his knowledge of martial arts is considerably high.

He knew about Goku’s Ultra Instinct by just observing his movements. Now let’s break down the fight and analyze some key aspects.

The mystery behind Granolah’s techniques

In another article, I ran through the idea of whether Granolah has techniques like Ultra Instinct and Hakai. In Chapter 72, Goku asked whether Granolah can use his and Vegeta’s techniques. Not only can he brandish similar moves but use them better than the original users!

These include Hakai, the Yadrat’s teleportation technique, Moro’s energy absorption and MUI Goku’s cloning ability. He could have more for all we know! There are two possible ways the Cerealian could have gotten those powers:

• Toronbo took the important techniques equipped by the strongest Mortals alive (including Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Seven-Three), made them stronger and gave them to the Cerealian. Since the Dragon took 147 years of his life, he’d given him a body that was suitable to wield those moves properly (hence the long hair).

• Toronbo can see into Granolah’s future and saw the places he’ll visit, the people he’ll meet and so on. What if he meets the Yardrats, Whis or even Seven-Three in the future? What if he robs Seven-Three from the Heeters and fuses with him? Or somehow transfers Seven-Three’s powers to his body? Seven-Three may have the powers of Moro, Merus and Vegeta so it’s quite possible. Maybe Oatmeel could aid in this procedure.

Granolah’s speed might be greater than MUI Goku’s

In this battle, Goku combined the principles of Ultra Instinct and used them on his base form, Super Saiyan God and Blue. We thought this could be tough for Granolah to beat however; he outpaced Goku in all these forms.

Even after using base form + UI and SSG + UI, Goku was knocked out twice! He couldn’t track Granolah’s movements (or maybe Granolah was switching back and forth between his real and illusory forms?), thereby getting hit on his vital points.

While it’s true illusory Granolah was no match for MUI Goku, can we say the same for the real Granolah? He was able to get off his ship, zip towards Goku and strike at his vital area, circumventing his sturdy body (which was capable of casually breaking Moro’s hand). All of this happened before MUI Goku’s body could react. This was very similar to Merus going behind Goku and zapping him with a stun gun.

Regarding MUI Goku’s reduction in speed and accuracy, there might be something more than just “stamina” issues. I could think of two possibilities:

• What if Granolah is slowly absorbing Goku’s energy without him knowing about it? Granolah has similar techniques to Moro. If he can you planet energy absorption for direct attacks then he probably can utilize it for individuals. So with every punch, kick and tap on Goku’s body, he could be silently absorbing his energy and sending it to his real self, but not too much for Goku to notice. But just the right amount to slow him down, see his vital points and strike.

• Goku could be facing the long-term effects of pressure point hits. In pressure point fighting, a powerful attack on vital points can lead to physiological symptoms like Motor dysfunction and reflex response. UI’s speed depends on the reflexive response of the body. If that is affected, then the body movements can slow down.
  • According to traditional Yoga and Ancient Martial arts, there are 108 Marmas or Vital junction points. Out of which Granolah has struck Goku on 3 locations – Nabhi (seat of all vein transfer points), Stanmula (Kapha, pitta, blood circulation) and Amsa (affects the brain). All these parts are vital to ensure proper body movements and control. If one of them is disturbed, it could affect its reflexive speed. This is what exactly happened to Goku.

Yes, you could argue that a fresh MUI Goku could beat the real Granolah. And it’s quite possible… in the first half or so.

Granolah’s endurance would hold until MUI Goku’s accuracy begins to drop. And then the Cerealian can muster the strength to give the finishing blow.

Granolah’s sniping abilities are off the charts

The Cerealians are known for their evolved right eyes, capable of seeing things no Mortal could. And amongst them, Granolah’s right eye is a cut above the rest according to Oatmeel.

His right eye aids him in observing the target’s blood flow and muscle movements. This enables him to pinpoint the target’s vital points.

Also, Granolah’s eye could detect the hidden power Goku is concealing within.

As an expert sniper, he’s able to conceal or suppress his Ki which not even the Saiyan duo could perceive. With his speed and sniping abilities, Granolah’s able to locate and strike Goku’s vital areas.

In the fight against Vegeta, Granolah managed to evolve even his left eye. This would further improve his observational skills and the accuracy of his pressure-point attacks. That is… if he wasn’t physically and mentally exhausted.

After a brief period of snoozing and partial healing, Goku rejoins the fight. And he figured out a way to tackle the Cerealian’s signature technique.

Goku can slightly shift his vitals to endure the pressure point attack

It kinda resembles the hardening ability of the Female and the Armoured Titan to protect their vital areas.

These are strictly my speculative ideas and are not confirmed yet.

Inspired by using Ki to close up the wound in his chest, Goku used Ki from the inside to temporarily move or strengthen his nerves and muscles covering the vital parts.

According to Granolah, it is the kind of move that Goku can use while in the Ultra Instinct mode. 

Following his partial recuperation, Goku would have gained a large quantity of Zenkai Boost. Our hero struck quickly in the time interval between Granolah locking in and striking at Goku’s crucial areas, thanks to Granolah’s weariness.

Plus Goku kinda knew where Granolah’d strike. So that is an added advantage. However, the pure-hearted Saiyan still couldn’t defeat Granolah. 

Note that Granolah had been fighting constantly without any break whereas Goku had such luxury. Therefore, if both of them clashed at the peak of their power and stamina, Granolah might have the upper hand.

For more information on Goku Vs Granolah, check out my review articles for Chapter 72, Chapter 73 and Chapter 76.

Is Granolah stronger than Vegeta?

“Vegeta is going to get his ass whooped”
“Granolah is gonna job his overconfident smug face”
“Granolah beats Vegeta, Goku recovers, gets a power boost and steals the victory. Same old formulaic bullshit”

These were the usual responses to the Vegeta Vs Granolah matchup. And boy, were we wrong on so many levels. Before any of you drop the L argument. Read on as I elaborate on the controversial clash.

I think my opinion would be similar to the matchup against Goku. Granolah is stronger than Goku in terms of physical strength, speed, endurance and techniques. However, it’s a different story when it comes to experience, psyche and Ki Control.

Vegeta vs Granolah – a psychological warfare

Goku Vs Granolah focused on power and technique.
Vegeta Vs Granolah emphasized on experience, psyche, endurance and speed.

Even before the Saiyan Prince transformed into his brand new form, he began attacking Granolah’s emotional attachments and mental stability.

He borrowed this strategy from his mentor Lord Beerus himself. In fact, the Destroyer God used the same tactic against Vegeta earlier in this arc.

Beerus rattled him up, making him lose his composure and closing in without thinking. To accomplish this, The Strongest God of Destruction manipulated Vegeta’s emotions by claiming he (Beerus) was the main culprit in the annihilation of the Saiyan race.

And he apparently has no hesitation to destroy the survivors. This is the same approach Vegeta is using against Granolah.

First, he emphasized on the gap in experience and training. Vegeta clearly is ahead in that department. 

He then spoke ill about the Cerealians and purposely led Granolah to destroy some parts of the ruins. 

All of this riled up Granolah further and further. This made him lose his focus, hence decreases the precision of his attacks.

But the Saiyan Prince isn’t done yet! Later on, he went on about how Frieza annihilated the Saiyan race and he had nothing to do with the Cerealian massacre.

This raised doubts in Granolah’s mind about the validity of the information Monaito gave him.

Vegeta questioned the Cerealian’s reason for living.

“Is it only for seeking revenge?” That was Granolah’s sole purpose in life. He literally gave 147 years of his life for this singular cause. If that is taken away from him, he’s lost. Uncertain of what to do next.

The proud Prince purposefully bringing their battle into one of the Sugarian cities was the last straw.

The Sugarian mom and her child saw Granolah, an agent of protection and peace, changed into an agent of destruction and chaos. Granolah is shaken as he realized what he has become.

Fearing the possibility of the worst-case scenario (becoming the thing he hated the most), Granolah decided to kill himself along with his enemy as he feels there’s no turning back.

Along with mental damage, Vegeta did inflict some considerable physical injuries as well. His performance in this whole battle was better than Goku’s and his new form aided in the process.

Ultra Ego Vegeta shows his tough love. But…

Vegeta stepped into the shoes of his ruthless self and instigated the transformation taught by Beerus. It shook Granolah to his very core.

Initially, the Prince was gaining momentum, whacking Granolah left and right. However, things changed as he voluntarily took damage and he started to weaken.

I thought to myself, “What if Vegeta dodged the attacks instead of taking them all in?”

It may not have stirred up Vegeta’s blood and his lust for battle. Plus that huge adrenaline rush would be missing.

He definitely chewed more than he could swallow. 

However, if he dodged some of those attacks, he’d lasted longer in this battle. He pushed Granolah to unleash his hidden power and he in turn, gained momentum.

Another question – “What if Goku didn’t intervene in their conflict?”

Vegeta might have been in a deeper predicament. He’d been out for a longer period. The little time gap he got while Goku tagged in was the only recuperation period he received.

Even though he survived the point-black rapid-fire Ki blast attack later on, he’d faced severe damage if Goku didn’t step in.  

In the end, Vegeta couldn’t defeat the vengeful Cerealian. The latter would have almost killed both of them if it wasn’t for Monaito. However…

Vegeta lost the fight but won the war

Granolah may be physically stronger than Vegeta but the latter’s psychological tactics are what decided the conclusion of Saiyans vs Cerealian.

He succeeded in breaking Granolah’s psyche to make him commit Kamikaze. If he managed to pull it off, the Cerealians would have been fully extinct, whereas the Saiyans will continue to survive. 

However, if both were to clash at the peak of their power (Ultra Ego Vegeta vs double red-eyed Granolah), Granolah might have the upper hand. He’d lasted longer than Vegeta enduring all those attacks voluntarily. 

For more information on Vegeta Vs Granolah, check out my review articles for Chapter 74, Chapter 75, Chapter 76 and my analysis of Vegeta growth in the entire battle.

Conclusion

As Monaito said, Granolah may be the strongest NOW. But who knows what tomorrow will bring? Likewise, Granolah being stronger than Goku and Vegeta as of this moment could change in the future.

The Cerealian has nothing new to learn (other than gain experience) and needs to merely tap into the power within.

On the contrary, Goku and Vegeta have so much to learn from their teachers, which would make them stronger and stronger, inevitably surpassing Granolah. This is why Whis tells them this important statement:

Even if the Saiyan Duo overpowered Granolah, the matter doesn’t end there. The Heeters’ are being built up as the main antagonists of this arc and they could pull off something unexpected.

They have some vital pieces of information, including the weaknesses of Goku, Vegeta and even Granolah. For all we know, this fight between the Saiyans and the Cerealian might be just the tip of the iceberg for what’s yet to come.

Now that Vegeta and Goku know the ploy of the Heeters’, they could get Granolah to join their team to attack the real villains. Meanwhile, Elec plans to make Gas stronger and use him, Seven-Three and the Cerealian Dragon Balls to take over Frieza’s army.

Frieza is still yet to make his appearance so that’ll be interesting.

The final battle might be between Granolah, Goku and Vegeta VS The Heeters and Frieza. This is assuming Granolah doesn’t take to evil and goes on a rampage, completely giving his mind to hate and vengeance.

Is Granolah stronger than Goku or Vegeta or have they surpassed him? What do you think of the fight so far? Let us know in the comments below!