Dragon Ball Super Sets Up a Major Grand Priest Cliffhanger

Dragon Ball Super has finally come to the end of its longest storyline yet, the “Galactic Patrol Prisoner” arc. The climax of the story saw Goku finally achieve the ultimate state of Perfected Ultra Instinct, in order to take down new villain Moro, after the ancient evil sorcerer laid waste to countless planets and beings across the galaxy. However, the final clash with Moro on Earth cost Goku dearly: his new friend and mentor, the angel Merus, sacrificed himself to protect Earth from Moro. Now, even as Moro has been defeated, the loss of Merus has created a major situation with Grand Priest that still needs to be addressed.

Warning: Dragon Ball Super Manga SPOILERS Follow!

Goku being Goku, used Ultra Instinct to beat down Moro, only to offer the villain mercy. Moro being a villain, used that moment of weakness in Goku to fuse with Earth itself and, become a literal planet-sized threat to the universe. In Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 66, the Z-Fighters have a ticking clock hanging overhead, as Earth-Moro is swelling with the unstable divine energy of Ultra Instinct. If Goku doesn’t destroy Moro (and earth with it), the villain will explode and destroy the universe. To make matters worse, Moro’s energy-draining abilities are working on a planetary level as well, and Goku is quickly sapped of his Ultra Instinct energy.

Thanks to the saving grace of Vegeta, as well as a donation of godly energy from Uub (yes, Dragon Ball Z ending Uub!), Goku is able to rekindle Ultra Instinct and finish Moro off, using some bizarre new god-level techniques. Earth is saved, Goku has achieved godly, power, all’s well that ends well, right?

Not so much.

One key turn of the final battle with Moro was when Lord Beerus nearly intervened in the fight against the villain. Beerus didn’t want Earth getting destroyed (for his own gluttonous reasons), but before he could act, his hand was stayed by a greater power: Grand Priest. Whis gets an alert that his “father” has summoned Beerus to the angelic realm, in order to answer for what happened to Merus. Beerus is shocked that the Grand Preist already knows Merus is gone and rushes back to answer the call.

Now there is a dangling thread in the epilogue of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc: Beerus’ meeting with Grand Priest. It’s not just the fact that Merus is gone: Goku’s battle with Moro has crossed a threshold: mortals now have full access to divine power and are already threatening the universe (and divine beings) in the process. That call can’t go unanswered – Dragon Ball Super could be headed vor the Divine War that fans have seen coming since the start.