For many decades, the Dragon Balls have been seen as an essential part of the Dragon Ball franchise, the entire narrative in the earlier parts was surrounded by the fact that gathering the Dragon Balls together would summon the wish-granting Dragon.
Eternal Dragon, Shenron | Credits: Toei Animation
The wishes that were granted range from reviving the dead to altering history itself. However, as they say, there is no such thing as a give without a take. Where are the Dragon Balls drawing their energy from, and what is the effect of their repeated use on the world itself?
What if the repeated and rampant usage of the Dragon Balls is secretly unraveling the fabric of reality itself? And worst of all, no one seems to be at the level at which they can grasp such things. Every wish, in some way, disrupts fate and natural order. And with so many drastic changes, the laws of the world might be in a tangle.
The hidden cost of using the Dragon Balls
Dragon Ball Super has introduced the concept of erased universes, and there is only one being in the Dragon Ball multiverse that can be called ‘omnipotent’, it is the seemingly innocent and ridiculous ruler of all existence, Zeno.
Seven Dragon Balls | Credits: Toei Animation
There was an instance in Dragon Ball Super that seemed extremely strange, as Zeno just up and erased Universes 13-18. He gives no reason for this and it seemed like he was acting on a whim or that he was just bored.
But no matter his personality, there is no doubt that Zeno has lived for an absurdly long time, and what if these universes weren’t just destroyed on a whim but because they were corrupted beyond repair due to the excessive Dragon Ball use?
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One of the strongest pieces of evidence to support this theory comes from Dragon Ball GT. The premise of GT essentially revolves around the negative energy buildup due to the overuse of the Dragon Balls.
Are the Dragon Balls a ticking time bomb?
Zenoi’s actions might have seemed cool and unconcerned, but it could be that he was compelled to erase them (the usage of the word is also peculiar).
Goku’s Super Saiyan form in Dragon Ball. [Credit: Toei Animation]
It is not destruction but erasure, presumably because even destroying them could have effects of corruption (negative energy or other such harmful energy) that eat away at everything and corrupt the entirety of the multiverse.
This ultimately created the Shadow Dragons, who were a bane to all existence. This suggests that every wish carries a hidden cost, this could be equally applicable in the world of Super as well.
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This event could mimic Marvel’s Secret Wars, in which the multiverse began collapsing as the universes within collided with each other due to cosmic instability. Dragon Ball may be heading down the same path if the corruption is not controlled soon, or Zeno might have to end up erasing them all.
Dragon Ball is available for streaming on Crunchyroll
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