Thread by @Herms98

Tens of Thousands of Years Ago: legend has it that the living word is connected to the next world by the smoke from the Furnace of Eight Trigrams atop the Mountain of Five Elements. Throughout these millennia, the furnace has been overseen by the exalted Annin. #HistoryofEver

Should the furnace go out, the world would fall into chaos! So to fan the furnace flames, Annin uses the Bashō Sen (Banana Leaf Fan). Over the years though, chemical spillage gradually opens up a hole in the bottom of the furnace. Trouble is brewing...

Annin appears during the Wedding Dress filler arc that ends the original DB anime. She is based (very loosely) on Laozi, the founder of Daoism...specifically the version of him that appears in Journey to the West, where he and his Furnace of Eight Trigrams tussle with Sun Wukong.

Around the same time, Demigra’s secretary Rober (Robelu) begins working as a double agent within the Demon Realm’s Dark Empire, spying out their secrets so that Demigra’s faction will have the upper hand in the inevitable clash between these two evil groups.

In the Super Dragon Ball Heroes manga, Rober says she’s been spying for “tens of thousands of years”, putting her career length on the same scale as Annin’s. Sadly though, no other connection exists between these two characters (so far).

Meanwhile, or before, or later, the scientist Towa schemes to revive the dark king Mechikabura, while her older brother Dabra somehow gets the title “king of the Demon Realm” (possibly taking Mechikabura’s place?). Sadly, in time even Dabra deserts his post. Why? A wizard did it.

We know that Dabra has been working for Babidi at least 300 years by the Buu arc (more on this way later), but precisely how long is anyone’s guess. Although we might assume it was well after Buu’s rampage and Bibidi’s death 5 million years ago.

On Earth (according to conventional reality), this is the Pleistocene epoch, aka the Ice Age. The saber-toothed tigers flourish during this time, and in the DB world keep on doing fine right up to Goku and co.’s day.

So far as we know, the saber-toothed tigers were never rude to Beerus. But stay tuned! The Granolah arc has only just begun.

Tomorrow: league of legends!

Thanks again to @DBReduxTDC for helping me keep the Heroes/video game stuff straight. To the extent that it can be kept straight. A characteristic conversation: “Hey, do they ever clarify/explain/expand on X?” “No, not really.”