Warning: contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super chapter 75!

Despite already possessing a wealth of villains, Dragon Ball Super seems to be setting the stage for the return of Frieza. The current threat in the manga is the Cerealian known as Granolah - whose most fervent desire is to enact vengeance on all Saiyans for committing mass genocide against his people. Then there are the members of the Heeter Force intel group, who just began gathering the Dragon Balls for their own nefarious reasons, compounding the conflict further. But during all of this chaos, a name that many fans are very much familiar with has been popping up with unusual frequency: Frieza.

Although a major antagonist in Dragon Ball Z, Frieza has made quite a few appearances throughout Dragon Ball Super, enough to give credence to the theory that the villain might re-emerge as a major threat. The villain first appeared in Dragon Ball Super's Golden Frieza Saga when his army resurrected him, allowing the tyrant to achieve his eponymous new form after four months of rigorous training. Even though Goku killed Frieza, Earth's mightiest hero later ventured into hell to convince the villain to compete in the Tournament of Power to ensure the survival of their universe. After the tournament, the angel Whis granted Frieza a new life for his strategy in defeating Jiren, making it more than likely that Frieza would return in some capacity later on.

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In the current Granolah the Survivor arc, the titular antagonist isn't just obsessed with annihilating Saiyans. The Saiyans who slaughtered his people did so under the orders of Frieza, so naturally, Granolah yearns to destroy the villain as well. As such, Granolah has brought up the prospect of killing Frieza on more than one occasion, especially after the Dragon Balls granted Granolah's wish to become the strongest warrior. But that's not the only connection to the Dragon Ball Z villain in recent chapters. The Cerealian's employers, the Heeter Force, are also in business with Frieza and his army, but it is not an equal partnership by any means. The Frieza Force, unsurprisingly, benefits much more on most transactions due to his unrivaled power. This is a sore subject for the Heeters, who want to not only assume command of Frieza's army, but to rise to the top as the main dominating force in their universe.

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At the end of chapter 75, the Heeter Force began their quest to gather the Dragon Balls in an effort to expedite their vision. Although their wish has not been revealed, it can be assumed that the villainous business tycoons plan on making their most powerful member, Gas, the strongest warrior in the universe after seeing the effectiveness of Granolah's wish, which would allow him to go after their main target: Frieza. That said, Granolah does pose a major threat to achieving their goals, and they have spoken at length about the need to eliminate the Cerealian after the Dragon Balls made him so powerful. Although their plot is contingent on Goku and Vegeta eliminating Granolah, it can be assumed that the two major protagonists of the franchise won't die, forcing the Heeters to get involved in some capacity before confronting Frieza. Or they may face Frieza first, with Goku, Vegeta and Granolah somehow getting drawn in.

Although the above scenarios are just conjecture, it's difficult to imagine that with the major villains all having reason to confront Frieza for the next stage of their plans, fans won't see the character return sooner rather than later. Vegeta even recently evoked Frieza by essentially copying one of the villain's favorite attacks during his fight with Granolah. If Frieza doesn't make an appearance in the next few chapters of Dragon Ball Super, fans can still expect him at some point soon - Frieza is still very much alive and clearly has high ambitions, which were made apparent when he reintroduced himself to his army as the "Emperor of the Universe."

Next: Why Dragon Ball Super Fans Want Cell To Be Super Hero's Villain