Dragon Ball Super: Will Goku Finally Have to Deal With Bardock's Legacy?

Dragon Ball Super's new "Granola The Survivor" arc just got a whole lot more interesting. Previews of the upcoming Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 68 have revealed some pretty big new details of new character Granola's backstory - and his connection to Android Seven-Three from the Moro Arc. As it turns out, Granola comes from a race called the Cerealians, who were wiped out by "barbaric monkeys" under the command of Lord Freeza. Obviously, Granola has a major grudge with the Saiyans - and especially with Goku. Previews of a Granola flashback sequence reveal that it was Bardock who attacked Granola's home and presumably killed his family.

Given all of the calamity that is likely to come with Granola and his mission to capture Android OG73, we can't help but wonder: Will Dragon Ball Super's new arc finally force Goku to face Bardock's legacy?

One of the biggest curiosities of the Dragon Ball franchise has been Goku's total disinterest in his Saiyan heritage and bloodline. In the official canon storyline, Goku has never really done much to investigate or honor his father Bardock, and mother Gine, or honor their memories as a warrior. In fact, it wasn't until the recent Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie that we ever heard Goku even speak his true Saiyan name: Kakarot.

However, Dragon Ball Super: Broly has admittedly given the series much more to work with when it comes to Goku being able to bond with Bardock. Broly retconned the entire history of Planet Vegeta's destruction, as well as Bardock's role in that event. This updated telling has positioned Bardock as much more of a sympathetic anti-hero figure, who cared about his wife and sons, resulting in a Superman-style origin for Goku, as Bardock sent his infant son off to a world where his Saiyan power would thrive. More importantly, Bardock ended up opposing Freeza and led the final stand against Freeza's annihilation attack. It was a heroic moment - but does it erase a past of murder and destruction across the universe?

That's the question that Dragon Ball Super will hopefully make Goku grapple with, in this new "Granola The Survivor" arc. Goku's denial of his own family issues is about to come back on him in a big way, and hopefully, Akira Toriyama and Toyotaro open up some new dimensions of the character, beyond just fighting to get stronger. It will be interesting to see if that reconciliation makes Goku reassess the legacy of pain Saiyans have left in their wake - and what he may need to do about it.