Dragon Ball Super Delivers a Dark Warning About Saiyan Pride

Dragon Ball Super delivers a dark warning about Saiyan Pride in its latest manga chapter. (Spoilers Follow!) In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 71, we find Goku and Vegeta achieving new power levels, as they train with the angel Whis and Lord Beerus, God of Destruction (respectively). Goku manages to tap into a deeper level of Ultra Instinct power, while Vegeta develops his destruction techniques in a way that makes Beerus officially recognize him as a Destroyer. The new limit breaks spark that old competitive rivalry between Goku and Vegeta – but Whis cautions them that this time, their Saiyan pride could be their undoing…

By achieving new levels of their respective powers, Goku and Vegeta each get an outfit change. Beerus gives Vegeta the signature earring of a Destroyer, while Whis once again Marks Goku’s gi with his angelic symbol. This fashion change is a way of Beerus and Whis competing to see whether the angels or Destroyers have the greater power; a competition that Goku and Vegeta have no problem embracing.

Vegeta tells Beerus not to worry because he has “no intention of losing to Kakarrot.”

Goku responds with, “You’re gonna eat those words.”

As stated, this rivalry to be the strongest is nothing new for Goku and Vegeta – but what is new is Whis’ admonishment for the Saiyans’ prideful boasting. In the midst of the humorous trash-talk, Whis is all too serious about how Goku and Vegeta need to go into their next battle:

“You mutually beneficial rivalry is all well and good…” Whis tells Goku and Vegeta. “But excess confidence may be your doom.”

Whis drops that warning in reference to the ominous news that the “Strongest Warrior In the Universe” has appeared, and is going to face Goku and Vegeta all too soon. There’s no clear reason why Whis warns his Saiyan students about this potential pitfall (the angel demurs by saying “I cannot intervene in affairs of the mortal realm, but I will leave you with that warning,”) but it probably has to do with the nature of Granolah’s Dragon Ball wish.

Becoming the strongest warrior in the universe is a wish that comes with a lot of relative conditions. For instance: Does Granolah’s wish automatically move him to new levels of power, when others surpass their own limits, in order to keep him the strongest? And if so, how long does that stipulation last? For the entirety of Granolah’s now-shortened lifetime?

Those are some key questions we need to be answered, soon. Because if Granolah’s wish keeps him on the top of the power rankings for mortal warriors, it could indeed be Goku and Vegeta’s undoing. The Saiyans’ infamous pride is what helps them fight harder and break new limits – but breaking those limits and achieving more power may only fuel Granolah’s own power boost. The impulse to fight harder could actually be what ends up bringing Goku and Vegeta down, this time.

Dragon Ball Super Chapter 71 is now available to read online in Shonen Jump Magazine.