'Dragon Ball Super' Uncovers the Secret of Goku Black's Identity

Dragon Ball Super dub got much deeper into the mystery of behind "Future Trunks Saga" villain Goku Black, and his connection to Zamasu, the Supreme Kai in training, who has a dark, spiteful view of mortals. As this latest chapter was mostly just backstory filler, question of who Goku Black is was pretty much the centerpiece of the episode.

So what did we learn?

Well, the combined heads of Whis, Beerus, Bulma and even Goku came up with a pretty substantial theory: Goku Black is a perfect copy of Goku, which Zamasu created by using the Super Dragon Balls!

The episode opened where the previous one left off - with Zamasu storming Lord Zuno's castle, to learn everything about what the Super Dragon Balls are. After learning how the balls work, and where they are hidden, Zamasu disappears for the main stretch of the episode, only to reappear at the end, coming to serve his master Gowasu tea, as Whis, Beerus, and Goku all arrive to face Zamasu again.

The theory that the Universe 7 crew wants to put to Gowasu is that his student Zamasu's current "misguided views" toward mortals will one day blossom into a dangerous weed of hatred and violence, that results in Future Trunks' timeline. This leads the Future Zamasu to use the Super Dragon Balls twice, to make two key wishes:

1. That he, Zamasu, become invincible, so that he cannot die or be injured.
2. The creation of Goku Black, a fighter with Goku's potential for power-up and transformation, giving Zamasu offensive and destructive powers he never had before.

Of course, there was still one piece to the puzzle that didn't fit the theory: how is Goku Black able to use a Time Ring, an artifact only designed for Supreme Kais to use - and to that point, how is Black's energy so similar to Zamasu's?

Naturally, the answer to the mystery has already been revealed in the Dragon Ball Super Japanese and English sub series - read on below if you want the SPOILER-FILLED answer!

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As we revealed in our original explanation of the Zamasu and Goku Black connection - Whis and co. were almost right about Black's origin, but they missed one important detail: Goku Black isn't a copy of Goku, he is Goku.

The idea of Zamasu's two-part plan for the Super Dragon Balls was sound - it's just nature of one wish that was wrong. Instead of a copy of Goku, Zamasu wishes to become Goku, and uses the Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with Saiyan warrior. He then promptly eliminates his old body (with Goku in it), and thereafter begins his "Zero Mortals Plan," killing Gowasu and taking his Time Ring

So what's the connection to Future Zamasu?

Well, for reasons that get very complicated, Goku Black/Zamasu ends up existing as a time anomaly, who is only able to avoid erasure by wearing his Time Ring. In order to bolster his own existence, Goku Black travels to a different timeline - one where Goku is long dead as a result of the heart disease of he suffered during Dragon Ball Z's "Cell Saga." Because Goku is gone in that timeline, he never sparred with Goku, and never felt spurred to enact his "Zero Mortals Plan," instead continuing his training under Gowasu.

Goku Black shows up in Future Trunks timeline because the Supreme Kai and Destroyer (Beerus) of that timeline are both dead. After Black kills Future Gowasu, the villain reveals to Future Zamasu who he truly is, with full confidence that his future counterpart also yearns to kill all mortals. This proves true, and the pair use the Super Dragon Balls to grant immortality to Future Zamasu, and then destroy the Super Dragon Balls to prevent any corrective wishes. That leads into the events of the 'Future Trunks Saga" as we've witnessed them.

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Does this explanation help clarify the story of Goku Black and Zamasu? Let us know in the comments!

Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.