'Dragon Ball Super': Why Is Jiren So Anxious to Get the Super Dragon Balls?

Dragon Ball Super just threw a high-octane episode at fans, with the first bout in the final matchup between Universe 7 and 11 showing off the potential to be a truly epic finale to the Tournament of Power. No doubt the centerpiece of the entire episode was Vegeta's fight against Jiren, with the Saiyan prince giving us the hint that he's on the verge of a major power-up. However, it's what transpired between Vegeta and Jiren verbally that really caught fan attention:

The question of why Jiren wants the Super Dragon Balls loomed larger and larger as we've come towards the ending of the Tournament of Power. The Dragon Ball Super manga has revealed that Jiren is powerful enough to have become a God of Destruction, but refused the job due to his noble ideals as a galactic peacekeeper. And yet, Belmond somehow convinced Jiren that leaving Universe 11 unattended would be worth it in exchange for the Super Dragon Balls, and as far as we can surmise, there would only be two reasons for that:

A Greater Good

Based on Jiren's intensely noble ideals, it's easy to assume that his reasoning for wanting the Super Dragon Balls is equally as noble. His statement to Goku that he's seeking 'that which is beyond strength" could definitely be viewed as a benevolent goal; however, a warrior like Jiren who is more powerful than anyone in his universe (even a God of Destruction) would only need a wish to further peace if there was some form of evil he could not defeat on his own.

It's that question that has us intrigued: if there's an evil that Jiren wants to defeat using the Super Dragon Balls, then any interruption to his victory would allow that threat to grow. We have to wonder: could that be the next big bad in the "Universe Survival" saga?

Jiren could also be the type who uses a Super Dragon Ball wish to establish some new form of order to his universe - or even the entire multiverse (if he's noble enough to resurrect all of the universes erased during the tournament). That could set Jiren and the Pride Troopers as an interesting set of antagonists for the next story arc: the type that seize power for noble reasons, only to become something corrupted.

A Personal Loss

The other reason for Jiren to want the Super Dragon Balls may not have anything to do with his ideals, and everything to do with his heart. We know so little about Jiren personal backstory, beyond his gig as a Pride Trooper; if there was someone he lost, or something he once failed to do, then the Super Dragon Balls may be his only way to right that tragedy.

The resurrection of a loved one seems too simple; the resurrection of a legendary warrior seems more in the style of both Jiren and Dragon Ball. A more interesting scenario would be a "second chance" wish that allowed Jiren (and perhaps the multiverse) some kind of do-over, where the Pride Trooper could team up with the Z warriors to correct some tragic wrong.

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Those are our theories - what are yours?

Dragon Ball Super's "Universal Survival" arc is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swim airs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and is now available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video.