There’s been a mystery slowly building throughout Dragon Ball Super‘s run, and its one that fans have long been keeping an eye on, and speculating about. That mystery concerns the role of one of Dragon Ball‘s most beloved supporting characters: the angel Whis, who is assigned to be the attendant of Universe 7’s God of Destruction, Lord Beerus.
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Since Dragon Ball Super began, Whis has seemed to know much more about the universe and its workings than he tends to let on. Whis routinely reveals some new angelic power or piece of divine knowledge that has helped Goku, Vegeta progress in their power, learn an important universal secrets, and even tip the scales of life and death (birthing Bulma’s baby, resurrecting Freeza). With all that angelic intervention, Dragon Ball fans have started to ask one major question: What is Whis’ ultimate goal for Goku and Vegeta?
The question has become relevant again, thanks to the latest issue of the Dragon Ball Super manga. The manga is just now finishing up its “Tournament of Power” story arc, as Universe 7 comes down to the final battle with Jiren of Universe 11. After Goku’s Ultra Instinct power can’t get the job done, Vegeta steps in to fight alongside Goku, and the two display a level of combat synchronicity that shocks and awes the tournament audience. When Beerus sees the two Saiyan fighters kicking ass, he realizes that the training they underwent with Whis was the angel’s secret way of endowing them with a crucial new technique – one that is playing a major role in helping Universe 7 win the ToP. It’s just one of the latest examples of Whis influencing the events and fate of Universe 7, while helping to pump up its greatest warriors. It’s also yet another clue that there’s some bigger purpose to the angel’s actions – one that could come into focus very soon.
Whis’ secret training of Goku and Vegeta for tag-team combat is an important reveal for the manga, as it is that branch of the franchise that is expected to push Dragon Ball Super into its next big story arc, after first providing its own version of the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie. In fact, it’s been rumored that Dragon Ball Super manga maestro Toyotaro could be planning the next arc after the Broly tie-in. If that’s true, then fans should be paying extra close attention to the seeds being sewn via the manga storyline – especially when it comes to Whis, or the other divine beings involved in the ToP.
The fandom has been all over theories about how the divine beings will factor into the next Dragon Ball Super story arc, and there seems to be a general consensus: It’s pointed out that in the current divine order, the characters of the angels, Grand Priest, and the Zenos, all have a very detached view of life in the cosmos, and a very guarded view of their place at the head of that order – even more so than the Kais or Destroyers. We’ve already seen the line of the Kais and Destroyers each produce a threat that Goku and Co. had to face (Zamasu and Beerus) – especially when provoked by the unprecedented gains in power by mere mortals (Goku and Vegeta). Now that Goku has achieved the divine power of Ultra Instinct, and even Vegeta is pushing the divine power of Super Saiyan Beyond Blue, the other divine beings have taken serious notice. Soon the “Ultimate Super Saiyan” power of Broly will unleashed on the universe, adding yet another piece of evidence that Saiyans may be a great power in the universe than the gods themselves. The all-important backstory of Dragon Ball Super: Broly will also provide hints that the elimination of the Saiyan homeworld Planet Vegeta was a divine hit job, carried out through Freeza, on Beerus’ order (and Beerus acting on someone else’s order?).
That new reality will not only set the stage for the Saiyan race and divine beings to go to war – but also for any of the divine beings’ evil counterparts (demons and devils) to also put a target on the backs of Universe 7’s Saiyans. The question then is: which one could Whis be preparing Goku and Vegeta to face? Has the eccentric spent enough time with the troublemakers of Universe 7 to break the mold an rebel? Or is Whis, as usual, five steps ahead of those around him, and already preparing for a new threat that’s coming down the pike?
What’s your take on this situation? Does Whis have some kindof larger plan, in your opinion? and what could it be?
Dragon Ball Super: Broly will hit Japanese theaters in December, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. around mid-January 2019. Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. ET. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete and available to stream on Funimation, VRV and Crunchyroll.