Did Bardock save Granolah in Dragon Ball Super? Explained

Dragon Ball Super presents the question "Did Bardock save Granolah?" because of the way that Goku's father was introduced in the past of the titular antagonist. Furthermore, considering that Granolah has a notorious disdain for the Saiyan race, it is weird for a lot of newcomers that he would want to destroy the people who saved him when he was a child.

Dragon Ball Super reveals that the Saiyans and the Frieza army destroyed Granolah's race, the Cerealians, but Bardock chose to spare little Granolah and his mother Muezli out of compassion. Once he helps them to find a place to hide, they have to deal with Elec and the rest of the Heeters, resulting in Goku's father having a one-on-one battle with Gas, although Granolah, for a long time, didn't know all of this.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga/anime.

Bardock and Granolah's history in Dragon Ball Super

Granolah and Bardock met years before the beginning of the story (Image via Shueisha and Toei Animation)

As mentioned earlier, the Dragon Ball Super manga reveals that Bardock was one of the Saiyans who attacked and destroyed the Cerealians decades ago, with him deciding to spare the lives of Granolah and Muezli out of a sudden moment of compassion.

This was because of the influence of Gine, Goku's mother and a kind Saiyan by nature, resulting in the barbarian warrior choosing to keep them alive because he "felt like it," as per his own words to Monaito.

However, since a passed out Granolah wakes up and screams when seeing Goku's father, they are found by the Heeters, led by Elec, and Bardock has to engage in combat with Gas to protect the survivors. While the Saiyan gives a formidable performance, the circumstances of the fight lead to Muezli's death, with Monaito never telling her son that he indirectly caused the death of his mother.

Therefore, Granolah grew up to become a bounty hunter who was eager to take down Frieza and the remaining Saiyans, guided by Elec who wanted to use him so he could take down his enemies for him. All of this serves as the backdrop of the arc in question where these events are revealed in the Dragon Ball Super.

The significance of their meeting, explained

Bardock fighting Gas to protect Granolah and his mother (Image via Shueisha)

Perhaps why people who haven't read this Dragon Ball Super arc ask the question "Did Bardock save Granolah?" is because the entirety of this storyline hinges on the latter's attempt to take the lives of Goku and Vegeta.

In that regard, while Bardock did his best to save those two Cerealians, he was still involved in the genocide of their race, and his son and the Saiyan Prince had to deal with the consequences many years later.

This meeting also leads to, arguably, one of the most celebrated moments in Dragon Ball Super, which is when Goku finally remembers his parents. It also helps to explore the concept of what constitutes being a Saiyan and what this means for the two main characters of the series.

Final thoughts

Dragon Ball Super presents the question "Did Bardock save Granolah?" and provides a different interpretation for a fan-favorite character, although that has been divisive to some degree. This event is also the heartbeat of this arc, which wouldn't have happened if Bardock had never made the choice to save Granolah.

About the author

Kevin is an expert anime writer at Sportskeeda who endeavors to keep readers apprised with the latest news and trends in the genre via his content. The groundbreaking Dragon Ball series captured a young Kevin's imagination, introducing him to the entrancing world of Japanese animation. Since then, he has been a staunch follower of the works of many artists, including Berserk's creator, Kentaro Miura, who he admires greatly for his unparalleled work quality.

With a BA in Public Accounting, Kevin’s dip into the world of content began 7 years ago when he took up writing. Since then, he has written for numerous websites, including Nerdgenic, Stretty News, MusikHolics, and BookNerdection.

He maintains very high ethical standards in his content by placing a strong emphasis on transparency, and obtaining comprehensive information off the web to fully capture nuances.

Kevin has has had the privilege of interviewing several musicians, including metal band Stryper’s Michael Sweet, Bobby Blitz of Overkill, and Saxon’s Biff Byford.

When not immersed in the anime world, Kevin writes comic book scripts and books for his own projects. He also enjoys reading and watching football.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay