Dragon Ball Super 2 is Officially Reuniting Goku & Bardock

Despite being one of the most popular characters in the franchise, it’s easy to forget that Bardock was actually a very small part of Dragon Ball Z. In the Dragon Ball manga, he only appears in two panels. Goku never learns who his father is, Bardock dies an unceremonious death failing to prevent Planet Vegeta’s destruction, and his legacy in DBZ was very much the fact he had none. Dragon Ball Super 2 is changing all that.

For the first time in Dragon Ball history, Goku is finally going to be reunited with his father and learn everything about Bardock. Dragon Ball Super 2 is taking the father of Goku in a new direction, building off Dragon Ball Super: Broly’s more heroic and loving (but still ostensibly Saiyan) version of Bardock. Once Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol wraps up the Moro Saga, DBS 2 is bringing Goku on a collision course that’ll lead him directly to Bardock.

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Bardock Returns as Dragon Ball Super 2’s Explores Goku’s Saiyan Heritage

The Granolah the Survivor Saga picks up just a few months after the events of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga. While the arc focuses primarily on the eponymous Granolah, the last living Cerealian who wants revenge on the Saiyans for committing genocide against his people. The arc gives a lot of focus to how Goku and Vegeta feel about their Saiyan heritage, and their unique relationships with where they came from. Bardock ultimately takes center stage, coming back in the story to become a living embodiment of all the good and evil that makes a Saiyan a Saiyan.

For Vegeta, being a Saiyan means accepting the sins of his people, while still fighting on his own terms and taking pride in who he is. For Goku, the Granolah Saga continues a thread Dragon Ball Super: Broly started where Goku gradually embraces more of his Saiyan heritage. Over the course of the saga, Goku learns that Bardock actually protected Granolah during the initial assault. Although Bardock was more than happy to kill as many Cerealians as possible, Granolah reminded him of the newborn Goku.

Goku takes immense pride from the fact that Bardock not only took a huge risk to send Goku off-world, but that he fought to save someone else’s life. For the first time ever, Goku finally understands who he is and why he’s that way. He may not have ever met them, but Goku very much inherited his personality from his parents, Bardock and Gine. He’s kind and compassionate just like Gine, but a brave thrill-seeker like Bardock.

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Bardock Will Temporarily Become Dragon Ball Super 2’s Main Character

On top of weaving Bardock back into the narrative in the Granolah the Survivor Saga, Dragon Ball Super 2 will also be making him the protagonist for a few episodes. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Bardock briefly takes over the plot in a mini-flashback arc that gives context on Granolah’s backstory, allows Goku to learn more about his father, and grants Bardock the only opportunity he has to be in the limelight before dying against Frieza.

Dragon Ball Super’s version of Bardock is definitely heroic compared to his DBZ counterpart, but he’s still a bloodthirsty soldier more than willing to wipe out an entire race. It’s only because Bardock makes a personal connection to Granolah that he lets him live – not because of any sense of morality. Along with giving Bardock the lead role, Dragon Ball Super 2 will also give Bardock a variant of Ultra Instinct in his fight against Gas: which’ll surely go down as one of the best battles in anime history once animated. There’s never been a better time to be a Bardock fan.