Throughout Dragon Ball Super‘s Granolah the Survivor Saga, the Heeter family presented themselves as some of the series’ most interesting bad guys in a while. Their goals and the ways they went about achieving them would have made them much different from any kind of foe the Z Fighters have ever faced.
Unfortunately, the potential of the Heeters seems to have been squandered. Two of the most interesting members are dead and the other two are working in Frieza’s kitchen. It’s a shame because if they had been handled properly, they could have made for great long-term villains and opened the Dragon Ball universe up to all sorts of new possibilities.
What Could the Heeters Have Contributed to Dragon Ball?
A lot of the Heeters’ potential as antagonists came from their distinct roles in the series. They were planet brokers for the Frieza Force, which put them more on the business side of Frieza’s planet-conquering operation. Despite that, they were looking for an opportunity to usurp the galactic tyrant so they could take control of the Frieza Force and, with it, the universe.
This position is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it’s one of the rare times where it’s Goku and the gang who have the strength advantage. Not only does this allow for a much-needed de-escalation in stakes for the franchise, but it allows for the conflict between them to unfold much differently than it normally would. It would be about the weaker villains trying to find a way to beat the heroes that don’t necessarily involve brute force.
Gas was the perfect character to explore this inferior villain archetype. He had the ego and the insecurity to want to be the strongest and despise anyone who threatened that self-image. Now that Vegeta has come to terms with Goku’s strength, someone needs to fill that void as the rival who can’t stand that someone is better than them. Granolah could have stayed on as the primary antagonist of the Granolah the Survivor Saga and then Gas could have become a recurring villain who would eventually grow powerful enough to rival Goku and Vegeta.
The other interesting aspect of the Heeters is the implications they carry for the rest of the Dragon Ball universe. There are likely other organized crime factions in the universe who are similarly trying to get control of the universe through means other than strength; in the Heeters’ case, they believed they could be the most powerful by having the most intel and money. This new form of conflict could have added an aspect to the Dragon Ball lore that doesn’t necessarily involve fighting, or finding out who’s physically the strongest for that matter.
How Were the Heeters Wasted?
Elec was poised to be at the forefront of this form of crime throughout the universe. Besides the muscle of Elec, he was smart, manipulative, and business savvy. Seeing him scheme his family’s way to the top would have been both intellectually engaging and a refreshing change of pace for Dragon Ball.
Oil and Macki were the only ones who didn’t bring anything particularly special to the series. One is a basic brute character and the other might be a femme fatale if that. At least they’ll have more chances to do things now that they’re the only ones left.
Unfortunately, everything that made the Heeters unique to the Dragon Ball franchise was discarded for the continued thrill of high-level battles. Elec simply wished Gas into the strongest fighter, only for both of them to be killed by Frieza; again, this is after all their scheming to usurp the galactic tyrant. Whatever potential avenues these planet brokers could have opened up for the plot will have to wait for another day.