Dragon Ball: How The Series Is Wasting One of its Most Interesting Aspects

Dragon Ball: How The Series Is Wasting One of its Most Interesting Aspects

Key Takeaways

  • Dragon Ball Super introduced the concept of a multiverse with limitless potential for new characters and story arcs.
  • Despite the buildup in the Tournament of Power, the series largely ignored the multiverse concept in recent arcs.
  • Exploring the multiverse further could lead to incredible storylines, power scaling, and collaborations against greater threats.

As a longtime Dragon Ball fan who has been following the series since the days of Goku and his monkey tail, I can’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment at how the multiverse concept has been handled lately. The Tournament of Power was an absolute spectacle, showcasing the potential of this vast universe-hopping narrative, only for it to be largely ignored in favor of storylines that remain firmly within the confines of Universe 7.


In 2013, Dragon Ball made a triumphant comeback to the realm of anime with the release of the “Battle of Gods” film, serving as the beginning for the Dragon Ball Super series. This fresh installment showcased the Z-Fighters reaching power levels that surpassed anything they had demonstrated previously, and introduced characters who were significantly stronger than any seen in the past.

In this show, the climax was the Tournament of Power – a fierce battle involving fighters from eight out of twelve universes, all vying for survival to determine who would persist in existence. Yet, after the tournament concluded, the idea of multiple universes has mostly been left unexplored within the series. Let’s explore how this rich concept is being overlooked and discuss ways it could provide captivating storylines for the show’s future.

Wasted Potential Of The Multiverse

How Dragon Ball is Ignoring One of Its Best Aspects

Dragon Ball: How The Series Is Wasting One of its Most Interesting Aspects
First MentionedDragon Ball Super, Episode 28, “The 6th Universe’s Destroyer! His Name is Champa!”
Total Universes12

In the Dragon Ball Super series, the idea of multiple universes was introduced quite early on, but it’s still relatively fresh to the franchise. It’s explained that there are exactly 12 universes in total, with each pair adding up to 13 when their respective universe numbers are added together (like Universes 1 and 12, or 2 and 11). This concept of paired universes continues throughout all the universes.

Upon this disclosure, the Dragon Ball fanbase found themselves pleasantly shocked, as the myriad possibilities for the series’ direction became clear, along with the likelihood of numerous potent characters yet to be encountered by our heroes in each universe. In essence, this was accurate, as evidenced during the Tournament of Power, where the top fighters from eight out of the twelve universes battled fiercely for their lives.

Before the climactic storyline of the Super anime, there was a contest between Universes 6 and 7, where they held a match to determine who would claim Earth. This event was hinted at earlier in the Goku Black arc, as Zamasu originated from Universe 10. All these events culminated in the Tournament of Power, which showcased the incredible might of the multiverse.

After the anime concluded, the series expanded its narrative, yet surprisingly, it veered away from the multiverse theme. Instead, it delved deeply into the universe confined within Universe 7, starting with the introduction of Broly, followed by the Moro arc, then the Granolah arc, and ultimately, the Super Hero arc. Although these arcs were captivating in their own right, they didn’t explore the multiverse, thus limiting the story’s scope and potential for higher stakes. But hey, who knows? Maybe we’ll get a chance to explore the vastness of the multiverse someday!

Why The Multiverse Should Be Explored

Potentially Amazing Arcs Await

Dragon Ball: How The Series Is Wasting One of its Most Interesting Aspects

One way to rephrase the given sentence could be: “The idea of the multiverse was a highly cherished element in Dragon Ball Super, receiving much appreciation. This was primarily because it opened up possibilities for exciting storylines and enhanced power dynamics, as numerous new characters and plot twists were introduced, keeping the protagonists on their toes since they typically operated within their own universes.

For instance, consider Jiren. Before his unveiling, there was an exciting anticipation that perhaps one character from among the universes might surpass even the God of Destruction in power. If such suspenseful moments are repeated in any fashion, fans would be thrilled because it would significantly expand the lore and richness of the series.

There is a universe where there’s a mortal even a God of Destruction can’t defeat.

In these particular universes – 1, 5, 8, and 12 – the inhabitants are already exempt from the Tournament of Power because their mortal level is exceptionally high. This implies that the average being in these realms is more advanced compared to others. This might mean there are characters as powerful, or even stronger than Jiren, residing in these universes. The possibility arises that the Z-Fighters could encounter such formidable opponents by visiting any of these universes.

The scope for future developments in Dragon Ball is immense, given that the climax could involve a powerful, universe-threatening villain. This antagonist might require the Z-Fighters to join forces with their past adversaries from the Tournament of Power to defeat it. As we move forward, it’s crucial for Dragon Ball to delve deeper into the multiverse concept to truly exploit the rich and colorful universe that Akira Toriyama envisioned.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Read More

2024-11-05 23:34