Dragon Ball Super chapter 67: Merus returns, Granolah arrives

Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 67 closed out the Moro arc and opened the Granolah arc. The chapter brought Merus back in an unexpected way and left Seven-Three's fate wide open. I found it a strange turn of events, and it left me with many unanswered questions. I read it through the translation by DBS Hype.

Goku's Win Over Moro Sets Off Celebrations Across the Universe

The chapter opens with members of the Dragon Team, including Krillin, Yamcha and Gohan, congratulating Goku for defeating Moro. Gohan is glad his dad is safe, while Piccolo and Vegeta watch from a distance. The scene then shifts to the people at the lookout and on Planet Yardrat, who are celebrating too. It plays like the end of Return of the Jedi, where everybody is happy everywhere.

Vegeta asks Goku about the source of that incredible power at the end of the fight. Goku doesn't know either and says there are still some amazing guys on Earth after all. He's talking about Uub, of course. Goku doesn't know much about him, even though he was the one responsible for Uub existing, since he asked Lord Enma to reincarnate Kid Buu. An angry Vegeta keeps pressing him, but Goku says he will understand when the time comes.

The Grand Supreme Kai Visits Uub Before Turning Back Into Buu

At Uub's village, the Grand Supreme Kai thanks Uub for helping save the universe. Uub doesn't know what he's talking about and asks who he is. The Grand Supreme Kai says he's a relative of sorts. Uub says that isn't possible because they don't look alike, which is true. The Grand Supreme Kai says goodbye and flies off, leaving a surprised Uub wondering if he was dreaming.

The Grand Supreme Kai then returns to God's palace, where Dende greets him politely. The dub calls this place the lookout, but the actual name of Kami's palace is the Heavenly Realm. The dub didn't use that name because of censorship issues back in 1999 and 2000. Suddenly the Grand Supreme Kai reverts back into Buu, and Mr. Satan is happy he's safe. Buu doesn't know what he's talking about, and it seems he has lost his memories of being the Grand Supreme Kai.

Mr. Satan offers a big feast at his home to celebrate, and everyone is invited. Later, Goku teleports to New Namek, and the Dragon Balls are used to revive everyone Moro destroyed. It's the typical end of an arc wish that we've seen a million times. Everything seems back to normal, except for a certain angel in training: Merus.

Merus Returns at the Galactic Patrol Medal Ceremony

Several days later, Goku, Vegeta and Buu are aboard Jaco's ship to receive medals for their role in dealing with Moro. It comes across like another Star Wars reference, even if maybe it isn't one. Goku says he doesn't need a medal, which upsets Jaco, who explains that these medals are for the true elites. Goku asks how many Jaco has, and Jaco admits this is his first time getting one. Of course it is.

At the Galactic Patrol headquarters, the Galactic King congratulates them for a job well done and thanks Goku for defeating Moro. As the award recipients are named, there's one more: Merus, read out with his full name. That isn't his birth name. Merus created it to fit in with the Galactic Patrol, because its members all have long last names, unlike most Dragon Ball characters. Briefs, for example, is not Bulma's last name, which is a huge mistranslation.

These names are all food puns. I think Merus's is for dried foods, like dried fruits. Goku is surprised to see him, and Merus is happy to meet them again. Vegeta asks how he's back, since he was supposed to have disappeared. That's what we're all asking. Merus says that yes, he did disappear, as an angel.

The Grand Priest Made Merus Mortal, and Shin Offered His Life

The scene moves to a few days earlier, with Whis and Beerus kneeling before the Grand Priest. The Grand Priest explains that angels who break the rules usually vanish forever. This time he took matters into his own hands and regenerated Merus as a mortal. In other words, Merus now has a lifespan and no longer has angel power. It's kind of sort of the Preacher's Wife storyline being done in Dragon Ball.

The Grand Priest says this was the only way of saving him. He adds that one person was willing to give up their life for it to happen, and it's revealed that person is Shin. Beerus gets upset and reminds Shin that their lives are linked, so if the Supreme Kai dies, Beerus vanishes.

The Grand Priest says the trio will have to pay a penalty for Merus losing his angel powers. The punishment is letting the Zenos ride them like horses, which is funny to me. A tired Beerus collapses after running laps, and Zeno tells him to go faster. Zeno is bullying Beerus at this point. The Grand Priest says the usual attendants are on vacation, so he's thankful for Beerus's help.

Beerus blames Goku, since it was his fault Merus ended up breaking the rules. He asks Whis what Goku is doing, and Whis replies that Goku is at the Patrol headquarters having a party with Merus and the others. Beerus isn't pleased. More scenes of the party follow as Goku, Merus and everyone pose for a picture, while Beerus vows not to forgive Goku and Zeno calls for him to go faster and faster.

Jaco's Peaceful Patrol Leads to a Question About Seven-Three

That ends Goku and company's mission with the Galactic Patrol, and the universe enjoys some peace for a time. We don't know how much time. It could be a year, a month, a week or three days, and I would say it's probably a few days. At headquarters, Jaco yawns in his chair, noting that today is peaceful too. He plans to do a cyber patrol on the internet until it's time to clock out. Big mistake, Jaco.

It turns out he's looking at auction sites, Dragon Ball's version of eBay. What kind of patrolling is that? Another officer says he has business and that Jaco should go with him if he's free. Jaco tries to stand but gets dragged along anyway. There's a lot of Jaco in this chapter.

At the Galactic Prison, Jaco passes the female prisoners who escaped before. One asks how he's doing, and he says things are peaceful every day thanks to them. She teases him about wanting to play again, but Jaco shuts her down and says she won't get away again. The other officer then asks a prisoner about a faint distress signal the radar caught near the crater where Moro exploded. Nobody knows what it is, and the prisoners end up arguing about food.

Then one prisoner speaks up, saying he hasn't forgotten that the Patrol killed their companions. These are the prisoners Moro freed, so they may possibly be involved in this arc. The officer explains it was actually Moro who killed those guys, and Jaco adds that Moro ate and killed Seven-Three. The prisoner scoffs that Seven-Three isn't a person, so he can't be killed. He reveals Seven-Three was something they had stolen. They put data in his empty shell and strengthened him from scratch. So Seven-Three wasn't created by them; he was stolen from somebody else. Interesting. I like that.

Seven-Three's Head Is Taken From Moro's Crater on Earth

Back on Earth, we see pieces of something inside the crater left by Moro's explosion, and the substance begins moving. In the prison, one prisoner asks Jaco if they confirmed Seven-Three's destruction. Jaco says it isn't necessary, because Moro and company disappeared without a trace. The prisoner replies, "you didn't check, did you".

On Earth, Seven-Three's damaged head lies in the crater. The substance attaches to him, and his eye begins to glow. These seem to be his mechanical parts, which reminds me of Super Android 13. Jaco and the officer decide to investigate the crater but find no trace of Moro or Seven-Three. Jaco suggests they get some cheese since they're on Earth anyway.

On the other side of a rock formation, two aliens hold a jar with Seven-Three's head inside. As Jaco and the officer fly off, the two aliens escape to their ship with the stolen head and blast off from Earth. Jaco and his partner leave too, but not before picking up some souvenirs.

Months Later, Granolah Raids a Ship Full of Seven-Three Soldiers

A few months pass, so there's a time skip, but not a big one. The setting is described as being in the universe far from Earth. It doesn't say which universe, but I think it's still Universe 7, just somewhere else in space far from Earth, not a different universe.

The men who took Seven-Three's head are back aboard their own ship. It turns out Saganbo stole Seven-Three from them in the first place. His data has since been copied into new models. They had lost hope when Seven-Three was stolen, but now he's powered up far beyond expectation, and they believe it's their time to rule the universe.

Then another ship comes into view. The pilot, a character I'm calling Oatmeal for now, since the name is a pun, tells Granolah to stay sharp. Granolah acknowledges and says he's relying on Oatmeal for support. The crew of the other ship panics and deploys its troops. A group fires on Granolah in the hallways, but he takes them out with his gun and an electrical attack. The boss calls for all the OG soldiers to be activated, and they emerge from many pods.

These seem to be their own Seven-Three units rather than clones of the original, but I'd have to see the chapter to be fully sure, so don't take that as certain. A battalion that looks like Seven-Three approaches. Granolah tells Oatmeal to find the target, and they note this one is OG-73I, not their target. Granolah breaks its gem, and it collapses. He takes out the other numbered units by blasting their crystals, which makes sense. He destroys more soldiers, blasts a door panel and finds even more inside, until he sees the regenerating Seven-Three encapsulated in the back. Oatmeal tells Granolah he has found the target.

Why I Think Granolah Wants to Take Seven-Three Rather Than Destroy Him

I'm guessing the idea is to take Seven-Three, not destroy him. This was different from what I expected, because I thought Granolah would be the one making clones of Seven-Three. That isn't the case at all. The other Seven-Three robots were already there, and if they are clones, it was the boss and the men who took Seven-Three doing it, not Granolah.

I doubt Granolah will destroy him. I think he'll take Seven-Three and maybe reprogram him, or maybe take his power. Who really knows. Seven-Three is still regenerating slowly. If he still has powers like Piccolo's, he hasn't fully regenerated, even though months have already passed, so it's going to be a very slow regeneration.

There are many unanswered questions here, and we probably weren't going to get answers in this chapter. I don't know where this is going, but I'm curious, because this is a very strange turn of events.