Dragon Ball Super Improved GTs Biggest Villain

Dragon Ball Super's Granolah is like GT's Baby in that they are both victims of the Saiyan race's violence, but Granolah's story is much better.

One of the few good things to come out of Dragon Ball GT was the villain Baby, and now Dragon Ball Super is improving everything he represents in almost every way imaginable with the introduction of the villain Granolah.

A belief commonly held among Dragon Ball fans is that the best aspects of anything after the Frieza Saga incorporate the franchise's preconceived history and build upon it. Dragon Ball GT achieved just that during the Baby Saga by delving into the heart of the Saiyan-Tuffle war, a profoundly pivotal moment in history as this conflict eventually led to the christening of a planet that's notorious for both its namesake and eventual demise, Planet Vegeta. Baby is a genetic, parasitic life form created by the obvious losers of the conflict, the Tuffles, and his sole purpose is the eradication of the Saiyans. Aside from his ties to such a monumental time period, Baby also stands out for possessing Vegeta later on.

Dragon Ball Super's Granolah shares a similar history with Baby. He's the sole survivor of the Cerealians, a race that the Saiyans destroyed while under the employment of Frieza. So Granolah has a beef with both the Saiyans like Baby, but with also Frieza, who's currently on the prowl. Additionally, the Cerealian lives with a Namekian who originally fled to Granolah's home world after Namek was destroyed by Frieza. And of course, this Namekian created his own Dragon Balls. Unlike Baby who was genetically crafted to be superior to other life forms, Granolah is inherently weak and only gains his abilities by wishing for the Dragon Balls to make him the most powerful warrior in existence.

On his own, Baby is a standout villain in Dragon Ball GT and even the franchise as a whole due to his connection to the past. And yet, there are some major flaws with his character. Namely, he isn't an actual Tuffle survivor. And this only accomplishes removing him one place further from a history that fans want to get closer to. Baby also contains nothing more than the DNA of the Tuffle King, limiting his ability to feel anything other than anger. Though he is driven by his need to eradicate all Saiyans, Baby doesn't possess any of the Tuffle King's memories or desires. And while his ability to possess Vegeta is an interesting development, it fails to reach the same psychological level as when Vegeta willingly becomes Majin Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z to surpass Goku.

Dragon Ball Super's Granolah, meanwhile, has more connections to numerous crucial moments in the franchise's history. He's an actual survivor of the Saiyans' wrath on Cerealian and wasn't just created by one. He's living with a Namekian who was directly affected by events from the Frieza Saga. And he not only uses the Dragon Balls, but wishes for something that fans have been waiting for a villain to make since the beginning of the show. Additionally, Granolah is forced to relive the horror of what the Saiyans did to his people so long ago. He not only lives on the same planet that the Saiyans destroyed, which only serves as a constant reminder of what happened, but he's an outsider in his own home. After the attack, Cerealian was later sold to a race known as the Sugarians, and although they continually invite Granolah to live among them, he can't bring himself to do so and instead lives on the outskirts with his old Namekian friend.

Although Dragon Ball GT's Baby almost saved an unsalvageable series, he could have been so much more, and Granolah is exploring all of those ways and then some in Dragon Ball Super.