Dragon Ball Super Chapter 81 Spoilers: Goku Takes On Gas After Elec Shoots Granola

The full spoilers for Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 81 put Goku in a fight with Gas after Elec turns on Granola and shoots him from behind. Goku uses Ultra Instinct properties in his Super Saiyan Blue form, gets outmatched, and ends up teleporting Gas off the planet. Thanks go to DBS Chronicles and DBS Hype for getting this material out. I hadn't read the actual pages when I went through it, only the summary.

Gas pins Goku and Vegeta, then cripples Granola

The chapter starts with Gas increasing the gravity on Goku and Vegeta so they can't move. Vegeta notes that if they don't relax their ki, they'll be crushed by Gas's power. Elec orders Gas to kill them both, but Granola suddenly appears behind Elec and prepares a powerful punch. Just then, Gas teleports Elec to a nearby rock, saving his life. That's interesting to me, because something happens later in the chapter that kind of parallels it. All of this opening material is stuff we had already seen in the drafts.

Elec reminds Granola that it was him who decided to spare his life, and him who made Granola what he is, so Granola should be thankful. My answer to that is no, buddy, you also killed his mom. It's no different than Batman and the Joker in the 1989 Batman movie. The Joker killed Batman's parents and made the Caped Crusader, and then Batman threw him into the chemicals and made him into the Joker. It's like the Joker saying he spared your life after killing your parents. You still deserve to die.

I think the tone of that scene is probably going to be very arrogant when it's adapted to the anime. Granola prepares to fire a sniper shot with his finger, but Gas appears out of nowhere, breaks Granola's arms with a kick, and shoots both of his eyes, destroying them. That's a big game changer, and a good strategy on the part of Gas.

Elec shoots Granola from behind and vows to kill him like his mother, and Vegeta gives Goku his energy

From here we get into new material. Elec grabs Granola, thanks him for all the work he's done, and says that to repay him he'll kill him the same way he killed his mother. Then he fires the gun from behind. When I shared that scene online, I compared it to Tony Montana at the end of Scarface. That's what it reminded me of. It's done with a gun, and probably the same gun that killed his mom.

Granola falls into the river. Monaito, Goku and Vegeta are shocked. Goku tries to move his body but fails. They're teasing a Granola death here. Vegeta then gives all his remaining energy to Goku, and when asked why, he says it's better than both of them failing together, and tells Goku to go get him. My worry is that this turns into Goku saving everyone again. Hopefully not, though, because the story isn't over yet.

Gas thanks Elec for wishing for him to get the greatest power in the universe, but Elec tells him he did all that for his cute little brother. Elec then tells Gas to finish things quickly on the planet, as he has another important task for him.

Goku keeps his anger in check to use Ultra Instinct in his blue form

As Gas turns back, Goku is in his Super Saiyan Blue form and ready for battle. Gas is surprised to see him break free of the spell. Goku is angry, but he tries to calm himself down, takes a deep breath, and uses Ultra Instinct properties with his blue form, like he did in chapter 73. To be clear, that's the Ultra Instinct technique, not the transformation. This isn't silver haired Goku. It's blue Goku using Ultra Instinct.

Goku then offers Gas and the Heeters one last chance to leave the planet, since he has no reason to fight them. That's a classic Goku Frieza saga move, part two. Gas notes that Goku looks calm, not angry, even after Gas killed his friend in front of him. I love this part. Goku replies, "I am angry it's just that those emotions are an obstacle to my technique." Gas doesn't understand what he means.

He's talking about Ultra Instinct. Emotions and anger were the key to tapping into Super Saiyan and the old forms. Masterful control of your energy is how you tap into god ki, through training with gods and so on. Ultra Instinct is the opposite of that. Goku has to try not to get too emotional and to focus.

Gas throws spikes, houses and trains at Goku with telekinesis

Elec tells Goku there's no way he's letting him survive now that he knows their plans. Gas summons a huge wall of spikes above Goku and tries to slam it down on him, but Goku dodges it. Gas summons a number of spiked walls, and Goku dodges all of them. Then Gas uses his psychic powers to throw the planet's houses at Goku, and Goku dodges those too. That's awesome. He's throwing houses at him, and that's the kind of stuff I want to see more of in Dragon Ball.

As Goku tells himself to take a breath, a train lifts him from behind out of nowhere. Maki and Oil are amazed to see Gas control such huge things with his powers. I've been wanting to see telekinesis like this in Dragon Ball for a long time. We saw Frieza use telekinesis in the past, and Vegito and guys like that knew how to do it, but we never really saw something like this. It reminds me of the Palpatine and Yoda scene in Revenge of the Sith, where he's throwing the Senate chairs. That's the kind of thing I want to see.

Gas dominates the fight and questions whether Goku is Bardock's son

Goku gets on top of the train, where Gas is waiting for him, and Gas demands that he show his full power, taunting him with Bardock's name. Goku attacks with continuous punches, but Gas dodges all of them and hits Goku with a punch to the gut. He grabs Goku by the neck and tells him, "I don't see an ounce of fighting spirit left in you." As Goku frees himself from the grab, another train hits him from behind. Vegeta is angry to see Goku do nothing against Gas.

Gas is dominating Goku right now, and I'm enjoying what I'm reading. This arc needed a really good fight to close it out and something different, and that's what we're getting here. I've been very critical of this arc and it's not my favorite, but one thing I will say is that the fights have at least been pretty good.

Gas notes that Goku's father had a remarkable determination to fight, which he doesn't feel in Goku, and asks whether he really is that man's son. I know a lot of fans are excited about Goku finding out more about his dad. Goku tells him he hit his head when he was little, so he doesn't remember anything about the Saiyans or his parents. At least they're referencing that. Gas responds, "So you don't even know who you are, do you? I can't lose to a guy like that." I love it, because Goku does know who he is, and he's not a representation of the Saiyans.

Monaito heals Granola as Goku teleports Gas away, and I think Goku is stalling for time

Gas throws Goku into the river and comments, "what a fragile race you can't even breathe underwater." Goku fires a small ki blast at Gas, but Gas takes control of it and throws it back, adding some of his own power, which causes a huge explosion that splashes all the water out of the river. Goku admits he can't win against Gas and thinks he's done for.

Just then, Gas notices Monaito healing Granola at the riverside. Goku is happy to see Granola alive. Gas regrets not killing Monaito first, since he has the healing abilities. Remember, Frieza killed Dende first when he went to his fourth form, because he knew he had to take out their healing. If you're a monster in Final Fantasy going up against a party of heroes, you want to take out the white mage first. Those of you who play RPGs know what I'm talking about.

Gas dashes to kill Monaito and Granola once and for all, but Goku grabs onto him and teleports the two of them to another planet. We then see Jaco on a different planet, buying vegetables and fixing the bulb in a vegetable cellar. Goku suddenly arrives there with Gas. Jaco is shocked, but Goku thanks him for being on a nearby planet, which helped them teleport there. I guess Goku sensed Jaco's familiar ki and just went there.

The Jaco coincidence didn't bother me much

What a coincidence that Jaco happens to be in that area. I'm not going to criticize that too much, because unlike some of the earlier story contrivances in this arc, that one didn't bother me much. Jaco is a Galactic Patrolman, so it makes sense that he'd be out in the galaxy somewhere. It is a bit too derivative of him being there, but still.

Gas asks Goku which planet they're on, and Goku says he doesn't know either. Gas asks whether Goku still thinks he has the upper hand in this match with his techniques, and Goku replies that it took him many years to master instant teleportation with ease. That move is Instant Transmission, but the proper way to say it is instantaneous movement, Shunkan Ido. The dub name, Instant Transmission, sounds more like a car repair term than anything else.

Jaco wonders if Goku is fighting yet another bad guy. Of course he is, that's basically his job. Goku and Gas exchange a few blows on that planet, then Goku mocks Gas into following him, and both teleport to a different planet. We're not shown where they went as the chapter ends.

I think Goku is stalling while Granola heals

So where could it be? Could it be Beerus's planet, Earth, Namek or somewhere else? I don't think it would be Earth, because I don't think that would work out when Goku wants to protect people. The chapter closes by saying Goku vs Gas has finally begun and asking whether Goku will be able to overcome the overwhelming difference in power.

I don't think Goku is going to be the hero of this arc. He's probably not going to end up being the big hero; that's probably going to be Granola. I think Goku is basically stalling for time right now while Granola heals, and then we'll probably see the Granola versus Gas final fight. What happens with Elec and the other Heeters is still an open question.

Where do you think Goku took Gas at the end of chapter 81?