Jiren Isn’t Your Average ‘Dragon Ball’ Villain

Dragon Ball is full of just as many memorable villains as the heroes. But the latest addition to the big baddie line up is the most stand out one yet, Jiren. Fans have been debating what exactly make Jiren then past foes in the series, and they now have the clearest picture yet.

Jiren is quiet and subdued in every scene he’s been in so far in the Tournament of Power, and he doesn’t necessarily fit into Dragon Ball‘s normal villain tropes either.

If you rundown the list of the villains over the series, you find a string of arrogant and boastful violent individuals. Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz all reveled in violence and strength, and Freeza, was taken down at the height of his hubris.

The Androids were strong and confident in their strength as well, but their violence was only to stake their boredom and Cell was a being who only sought to strengthen and challenge himself. The Android arc provided a new kind of villain that wasn’t just a pure envoy of violence, but sought fulfillment through it. Which is a stark contrast to Majin Buu’s eventual nihilism.

But what makes Jiren so special? A number of things. He’s a hero, even as part of a hero troupe, in his own Universe, and he doesn’t seek violence. Though past villains have had different motivations, it brought them to fight opponents while Jiren chooses to avoid fighting for fighting’s sake.

There is an argument to be made that Universe 7 could actually be the villains in the “Universal Survival” arc as there are no more clear cut good and bad guys. Just like Jiren, the series is in a gray area. Jiren may not want to fight, but as Universe 7 proves its strength, he’s becoming more and more agitated at the notion. And just because Jiren is getting the majority of the focus, does not necessarily mean he’s the endgame for this arc either.

Dragon Ball Super‘s “Universal Survival” arc is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. DragonBall 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.

There is also currently a new Dragon Ball film in the works for 2018. Not only does it aim to be the best film in the series, original creator Akira Toriyama will be contributing to the film’s script and new character designs. There have also been details shared over its possible story. The film will focus on the Saiyans, the “origins of Goku‘s power,” and potentially the story of the very first Super Saiyan God.