New Dragon Ball Super Flashback Sets Up Planet Vegeta’s Demise

New preview pages for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 83 have been posted online, and the new chapter continues to look back at the pivotal history between Goku’s dad Bardock, and evil warrior Gas of the Heeters crew. The battle between Bardock and Gas holds the key to Goku defeating the Heeters in present day, making that history all the more pivotal. Well, Dragon Ball Super just seriously upped the ante, by revealing that the battle between Bardock and Gas was pivotal in setting up the destruction of the Saiyan homeworld, Planet Vegeta! 

As you can see in the preview pages above, Gas let it slip to Bardock during their fight that there’s no good outcome for Bardock: Even if he escapes The Heeters on Planet Vegeta, the Saiyans days (as an entire race) are numbered – and Gas knows it. 

This small bit of dialogue is another big push to retcon Bardock’s place in Dragon Ball‘s mythology. Dragon Ball Super has been re-examining the character and history of Goku’s dad in both the latest manga arcs, and the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie. Bardock has been re-constituted as having a noble and heroic spirit underneath his gruff mercenary exterior. Bardock spared Granloah as a final survivor of the genocide of Planet Cereal that Freeza and the Heeters organized; he lovingly sent Goku off to Earth to escape the Saiyan genocide that came after; and Bardock stood on the front line against Freeza during the destruction of Planet Vegeta. Now we have further explanation for why Bardock began to question Freeza’s intentions – and why he ultimately knew to send Goku away. 

Dragon Ball Super has also connected Goku to the memory of his father’s heroic nature during the Granolah Arc, opening new doors for his development as a character. Goku has always been the hero of Dragon Ball, but he’s also leaned more into his identity as an Earthling, due to the bump on the head that all but erased his memory of his Saiyan heritage.

However, Dragon Ball Super’s Granolah Arc has been building a subplot about how Goku needs to reach the next evolution of the Ultra Instinct power. Since Ultra Instinct is an angelic technique, Whis has let Goku know that the key to him achieving the next stage of Ultra Instinct lies in unlocking his own Saiyan heritage and nature in order to make Ultra Instinct his own. By getting to know the (new) truth about his father Bardock, Goku will likely be able to achieve that next limit break. 

Dragon Ball Super‘s new manga chapters are free to read online.