Dragon Ball Super chapter 68 review: solid setup, some lore

Chapter 68 of the Dragon Ball Super manga, from Toyotaro and Akira Toriyama, continues the Granolah the Survivor arc. It is mainly a setup chapter for Granolah's quest for revenge on Frieza, and it brings some interesting and pleasant surprises in how it expands Universe 7. My verdict is simple: I liked it. It wasn't my favorite chapter, but it was good buildup.

Personally, I would have preferred the arc after Moro to take the story into another universe, like Universe 6 or Universe 11, or something different. But the series is clearly trying to make Universe 7 more important than we previously thought, or at least more interesting. Chapter 68 introduces a plethora of new characters who I'm sure will become players in this arc. It also expands the lore around the deities in ways we did not know before, although we did guess some of it.

Chapter 68 confirms angels like Whis are always in Ultra Instinct

A big chunk of this chapter is Goku in silver haired Ultra Instinct fighting Whis. I enjoyed those fight scenes. They show that even though Goku has displayed mastery of silver haired Ultra Instinct, he still has a long way to go before he catches up to Whis or any of the other top tier angels, and certainly the Grand Priest. Beerus himself says as much in this chapter.

What I found most interesting is something we had guessed but now know for certain: the angels, Whis included, are in a state of Ultra Instinct at all times. That fascinates me. We already knew they were strong, but this is a different level. Goku can trigger Ultra Instinct and transform into it at will, but that's not the same as having it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the way the angels do.

So the chapter establishes that Goku can still get stronger within Ultra Instinct. Does that mean he will eventually reach Whis's level? I certainly hope not, because that seems like too much. But improving his Ultra Instinct looked set to be his new goal as he trains to become a better fighter.

Beerus hints at other god powers for Vegeta beyond Ultra Instinct

As he has said for the past two arcs, Vegeta wants to do something on his own. He doesn't want to achieve Ultra Instinct; he wants a different power. In this chapter, Beerus reveals that the gods know other powers and abilities, not just Ultra Instinct. That almost hints at a different transformation, technique or state of being for Vegeta that could put him at Ultra Instinct level, or at least much higher than he is now, beyond mastered Blue, Blue Evolution or any version of Super Saiyan Blue.

To me, it feels like this establishes that Vegeta will go his own way in this arc and learn things Goku won't, similar to what happened with Yardrat in the previous arc. Hopefully Vegeta figures something out to catch up to Goku, or at least get close.

If I'm being honest, though, it does seem pulled out of left field. There haven't been any hints of this for several arcs. We've been trained to see Ultra Instinct as the ultimate power, so for the gods to know something else in the same ballpark is a little contrived. I feel it should have been foreshadowed better. Beerus also says he doesn't train other people, so Vegeta will have to find another way to learn these techniques, whether by following Beerus or by some other method. I could see a Beerus and Vegeta team being comedic and maybe a lot of fun to read.

Dragon Ball Super chapter 68 gives the side characters nothing

When it comes to the side characters, there's nothing for them here. "Dragon Ball Super is the Goku and Vegeta show," and when it comes to training and getting stronger, it's about those two. This chapter continues that tradition. I see nothing for anybody else, and I hope that changes.

Granolah's backstory: a Cerealian survivor who wants Frieza

The training is only one part of the chapter. The main story is Granolah's backstory and his new mission. We learn that Granolah is a member of the Cerealian race. At one time the Saiyans, in their Great Ape forms and working for Frieza, attacked his planet and presumably killed his loved ones. Because of that he wants revenge, and it seems to be aimed less at the Saiyans and more at Frieza. By the end of the chapter, Granolah is determined to hunt Frieza down.

Granolah learns that Frieza is indeed alive, having been revived. He believes the Saiyans are gone because he heard the story of the meteor. He wasn't told that Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta; he was told the fairy tale that had been going around for years, because nobody outside Frieza's inner circle had any clue Frieza was the culprit.

Granolah seems to have a short fuse and a hot temper. Even so, Elec tells him to calm down and form a plan before rushing off to attack Frieza.

The Oracle Fish senses a shift in Universe 7

Another deity revelation: the Oracle Fish can sense when something bad is going to happen. That is the big cliffhanger here. After Granolah says he isn't ready to face Frieza yet and needs to train and become stronger than anybody, the Oracle Fish talks in its sleep and says the balance of the seventh universe is shifting because the strongest fighter of the universe will be born. I feel this may have to do with Granolah, or perhaps another of the new characters introduced in the chapter.

The Heeters show Dragon Ball's criminal underbelly

One thing I legitimately loved about this chapter is how expanding Universe 7 shows us the underbelly of Dragon Ball: gangsters and bounty hunter types. It's not quite like Star Wars, but I see parallels, with previously unknown characters who all have schemes and all seem to be in it for themselves.

Granolah himself seems, at least for the first part of the chapter and probably for much of his recent life, to be in it for the money. He meets new characters named Elec and Oil, part of an underground gang of thieves. It's hard to describe what they are, but I wouldn't call it a cult. They call themselves the Heeters, and they seem to be the ones who sent Granolah to find Seven-Three and deliver him to them. Meanwhile, the Heeters plan to get information out of Seven-Three and then get to Zuno's place, because knowledge, information and money are what make their world go round.

The greed in this chapter is interesting, and I hope it becomes a bigger focus. Frieza has always been greedy, but we haven't seen much of the lower class scrounging and fighting each other to get ahead. That seems to be the picture Toyotaro and Toriyama are painting with the Heeters and Granolah. They aren't close buddies. They work together as a business proposition, there isn't much trust, and one could betray the other instantly. I like that the chapter is setting that up for later.

Even though I'm digging their backstory, the designs of these new characters come off like filler characters, the kind mostly seen in the DBZ movies rather than core characters. It will be interesting to see their role. The chapter seems to tease that Elec will harness Seven-Three's powers to make himself stronger, but by the end it looks like Granolah might be the one who wants to do that to get revenge on Frieza. It would only make logical sense for Granolah or somebody else to harness whatever power Seven-Three has in his circuits.

Is Granolah a villain or an antihero?

Granolah comes off as very determined, so he could end up being that strongest fighter, who might eventually challenge Goku and Vegeta, or maybe even the gods. But it could also be one of the Heeters. I think Toyotaro is purposely leaving it ambiguous so we can guess.

The arc is named after Granolah, but that doesn't mean he's going to be the villain. He could be an antihero or simply an important figure. The first few panels show Granolah, or at least his civilization when he was younger, being attacked by the Saiyans and Frieza. To me, that's "instant babyface heat." This guy can't be truly evil; he has to have a good side, because he's a victim of what the Saiyans did, including what appears to be Bardock. I think the chapter is telling us Granolah isn't like Moro. If Goku is going to give somebody a Senzu, Granolah might be a safer bet. I don't think he will be a straight up evil dude. However, "ultimate power corrupts ultimately," so if he gains a power higher than Goku's Ultra Instinct, he could be a problem.

That would come in later chapters. This one was meant to establish the Heeters, Granolah's motivations and intentions, and Goku and Vegeta's journey as trainees, and it was effective. I still wish more happened with the side characters and that the story expanded beyond Goku and Vegeta, because that is a little played out. Granolah, though, seems to be the centerpiece, so I expected many more Granolah panels than Goku and Vegeta ones until they eventually meet. It wasn't my favorite chapter, but "it was very simple but it was effective."