Dragon Ball Super fans are freaking out right now, after this week’s batch of upcoming episode spoilers revealed that Toppo is set to become Universe 11’s new God of Destruction!
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The implications of this drastic twist in the final match-up of the Tournament of Power are far-reaching, as they could change the very nature of Dragon Ball Super‘s storyline and focus. After pondering this impending development for a bit, we’ve come up with 5 Big Questions About Dragon Ball Super‘s new God of Destruction:
5. What Happens to Belmond?
We know that Gods of Destruction aren’t like Supreme Kais and Angels: A Destroyer can be a mortal of any species, whose power and ki reaches certainly godly levels that make him/her worthy of candidacy for the God of Destruction role. However, the details of succession for a Destroyer are still currently unknown.
If Toppo becomes a God of Destruction, then what happens to Belmond, the current Destroyer of Universe 11? It seems that a warrior just has to reach god ki status to be worthy; on the other hand, it seems like there has to be some sort of official rite of passage that has to occur, as a new Destroyer inherits the title from his/her predecessor. In that sense (and given the nature of being a “Destroyer”), we’re a bit worried that Belmond’s “retirement” will also be a death sentence of sorts – whether his ki is absorbed into Toppo, or he’s simply released from his mortal form.
4. What’s Toppo’s Agenda?
The job of a Destroyer is pretty clearly outlined in the job title (…destroy things); however, how a God of Destruction goes about doing his/her job can vary greatly. Universe 11 has been an especially intriguing example in that Belmond uses his powers and Pride Trooper soldiers to enforce justice and peace in his universe, destroying only those races or planets that threaten the universe with great evil. That’s a far cry from, say, Beerus, who has a very… fluid morality, sometimes tapping evil beings like Freeza to be his agents of destruction.
Toppo is seen as a hero of justice in his universe, and one would think that he would follow in Belmond’s footsteps as a God of Destruction – but that’s not at all guaranteed! We all know the old saying about how power corrupts, and often the best villains are those who earnestly believe they are a force for order or righteousness. In Dragon Ball Super (especially the manga) we’ve already seen Toppo “revise his principals” to do whatever is necessary to win the Tournament of Power and avoid extinction; so how god-like power affects him, and what he plans to do with it, is a big question.
3. How Will Jiren React?
The Dragon Ball Super manga recently revealed more backstory of Toppo, Jiren, and the Pride Troopers, and we learned that Jiren was also a candidate for the God of Destruction job, ultimately turning it down because the nature of being a Destroyer conflicted with his selfless philosophy as a warrior for justice.
A closely related question to no. 4 above is how will Jiren react to Toppo’s new status as a God of Destruction, and will the current Pride Trooper teammates still be on the same page after the tournament? Depending on Toppo’s new agenda and vision as a cosmic Destroyer, Jiren could have a major disagreement to settle – which will be that much harder if Toppo’s ascension comes by way of a power-up that makes him more powerful than Jiren. Given the ways that Dragon Ball loves to turn former foes into unlikely allies (see: Piccolo, Vegeta, Freeza, Androids 17 & 18, Buu, Beerus…) it would be in keeping with tradition to soon see Goku and Co. fighting alongside Jiren, rather than against him.
2. Will Goku and Co. Die With Universe 7?
Right now, things are not looking good for Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power. It’s down to Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Android 17 and Freeza left for Universe 7, and Dyspo, Toppo and Jiren for Universe 11. Episode spoilers have already revealed that 17 is going to be eliminated fighting Toppo alongside Gohan, while Jiren will smash a Goku and Vegeta tag-team offensive. Gohan and Freeza don’t seem to have a good chance of defeating by Dyspo and Toppo, with the latter possibly achieving godhood by taking out Universe 7.
If Universe 7 loses the Tournament of Power, then it too will face erasure at the hands of the Zenos – but this being Dragon Ball, there’s always room for one or some of the Z warriors to survive, somehow. If Dragon Ball Super killed off its main characters for awhile, it would be a very bold move for the series to make, as fans would be forced to follow the Universe 11 characters in what would essentially be a soft (if only temporary) reboot of the show. If Goku or one of his comrades manage to survive erasure, or find themselves in some strange new realm, the mission to resurrect Universe 7 would explain why the “Universe Survival” arc is going to go on for so long.
1. Are We Headed to Universe 11?
Given the nature of the Tournament of Power, it seems that if Toppo becomes a God of Destruction, and Universe 7 is erased by the Grand Zenos, then Dragon Ball Super will need a change of setting as the “Universe Survival” arc goes on.
As laid out above, things really depend on the fate of Universe 7 in the tournament. If Universe 7 somehow survives, or is sent to one of the afterlife dimensions after erasure, then theoretically the show could forget all about the other Universe introduced during the tournament. But, it seems more likely that we’ll be taking either a full or partial trip to a new locale after the Tournament, and there have already been bread crumbs dropped in both the manga and anime that Universe 11 is going to get more in-depth exploration. Given that traveling to Jiren’s home realm may be the only way to learn more about the enigmatic warrior, we’re all all for this option!
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.
