'Dragon Ball Super' Introduces Mortal Level, a New Ranking System

Dragon Ball has given fans plenty of ways to line up its strongest fighters, and it seems the franchise has another left to share. Over on Toonami, the Dragon Ball Super dub just revealed a new form of "power" ranking that has fans scratching their heads.

Recently, the latest dub episode of Dragon Ball Super went live, and it focused on Gohan's match with Universe 9. The Saiyan was asked to battle with a fighter named Lavender, and things got heated as their battle kicked off.

With Lavender using poison to blind Gohan, the pair battled hard. Eventually, Gohan got the upper hand to take down Lavender, but the duo ended the battle in a tie as the Saiyan passed out before the match could be called.

With the match done, fans were ready for Zen-Oh to start Goku's battle, but the pair took a moment. It was there the Grand Priest made an announcement on behalf of his charges. The two Zen-Oh are pleased that Universe 7 and 9 can put on such good battles despite their love Mortal Level. Of course, this term confuses Universe 7, and the Grand Priest sheds a bit of light on what the rank refers to.

As it turns out, Zen-Oh uses Mortal Level to rank all of the universes. The Grand Priest says Universe 7 has the second-to-lowest level with a score of 3.18 while Universe 9 sits in last with 1.86. According to Zen-Oh, the Tournament of Power will allow one universe with a failing Mortal Levels to escape annihilation by winning the event. Every universe aside from 1, 12, 5, and 8 will have to fight given their below-average score. So, it seems Goku's squad has some tough opponents to go up against.

While this is the dub's first mention of Mortal Level, the anime has yet to explain how it works even in the sub. Fans believe Mortal Level is a general ranking of a universe's life cycle and its mortal civilizations. A higher Mortal Level doesn't equate to a stronger pool of fighters either. So, even if Goku wills it, there is no telling whether Universe 12 has a fighter powerful enough to scare the Saiyan.

So, are you surprised by Universe 7's failing grade here? Who do you think is to blame for the low level? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!