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The Dragon Ball franchise has created a sprawling multiverse, blending martial arts, gods, and cosmic lore. In Dragon Ball andDragon Ball Z, the universe is a vast realm governed by deities like King Kai, Supreme Kai, and the mighty King Yemma, with a distinct afterlife where heroes and villains face judgment.
As the series expanded, so did its cosmology.Dragon Ball Superand Dragon Ball Daima each introduced unique interpretations of the multiverse, with parallel universes, celestial beings, and alternate dimensions. Here, we’ll unravel the intricacies of each universe across these series.
The Universe Of Dragon Ball Z
In Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, the universe is depicted asa structured hierarchy overseen by divine beings.Earth exists withinthe mortal realm, which is part of a larger cosmologycontrolled by Kais. Above the mortals arethe Supreme Kais, protectors of the universe, and below themlies the afterlife. Souls of the departed are guided to the Check-In Station, whereKing Yemma determines their fate— Heaven for the virtuous and Hell for the wicked.
The afterlife includeskey locations like Snake Way, leading to King Kai’s tiny planet, and realms likeGrand Kai’s Planet, which serves as the home of deceased warriors. This early depiction of the Dragon Ball universe isvast yet singular, without references to alternate dimensions or parallel worlds.
Originally, there were several Supreme Kais,one for each cardinal direction, but after the creation of Buu there ended upbeing only one. That is the Supreme Kaiknown as Shin, and during the Z era he was consideredthe ruler of the universe.
Space Travel
There areseveral alien racesthat exist in the Dragon Ball universe, and they are allsubjected to the same afterlife.It isn’t known if the ‘other world’ existswithin the observable universe, but the instant transmission technique can teleport someone to iteven if they aren’ta Kai or dead, as long as they can sense a familiar ki.
Time Travel
Time travel is possiblein the Dragon Ball universe at this stage,explored during the Cell Saga. To avoid any paradoxes, whenever someone travels through time,they do so to a parallel universe; therefore, any changes made would not affect their original timeline.
This does mean that each time someone travels through time,a new parallel universe is created. However, since bothTrunks and Cell are traveling through time, trying to wrap your head aroundhow many parallel universes were createdwill only lead to a headache.
The Universe Of Dragon Ball GT
Not much is added in Dragon Ball GT, with space travel working much the same, althoughhaving more of a focus, especially on the first arc. The afterlife,and Hell in particular, play a key role in the middle arc, with villains from times of oldinvading Earth from that hellish landscape.
A soft connection is made betweenkarmic balance and the Dragon Balls, with Gokuascending to a higher stateby the end of the final arc. This is the only aspect that aimed atexpanding the cosmology of the series, but it is used more as a sendoff and less as an exploration.
The Dragon Balls would continue to be no more than magical items in both Super and Daima, with each having their own creation myth around them.
The Universe Of Dragon Ball Super
Dragon Ball Superdramatically expands the Dragon Ball cosmologyby introducing the multiverse. Instead of one universe,there are 12, each with its own set of mortals, Kais, and Gods of Destruction.Universes are paired, such as Universe 7 (Goku’s home) and Universe 6, with counterparts sharing thematic similarities like Saiyans and Namekians.
This multiverse is governed bythe Omni-King, Zeno, and his angelic attendants. Major events like the Tournament of Power highlightthe relationships and rivalries between universes, but also show them working pretty much the same: they all havetheir own Supreme Kai,God of Destruction, andcorresponding Angel.
While the Kais and the Angels all look similar to one another, the Gods of Destruction are very different, and it is sometimes implied that most of them were once mortals before ascending to godhood.
The God of Destruction is oftenthe mostpowerful creatureof its universe, second only to its appointed Angel. Angelsaren’t native to the universethey are assigned to, and when we see Zeno destroy a universe,the assigned Angel is the only survivor.
Multiversal Travel
The Angels arethe masters of travel among the stars and between universes, with their homes so far deep into the cosmos thatthe instant transmission technique has difficulty reaching there.Traveling between universes seemsimpossible for mortals, since only Angels are capable of doing so.
Time travel works much the same, withseemingly simple logicthat can hurt your brain if you think about it too much. The Time Rings area new item introduced in Superthat allows Kais totravel to the future and observe it, keeping everything unchanged and preventing the creation of a new universe.
The Universe In Dragon Ball Daima
Dragon Ball Daima introducesyet another interpretation of the Dragon Ball universe, focusing on a magical and possibly divine dimension. While details are still emerging, this series emphasizesa mystical take on the universe, with an apparent shift from martial combat to themes of destiny and transformation.
This reinterpretation presents the cosmology as more whimsical and magical, adding yet another unique layer to the Dragon Ball multiverse. However,it conflicts with Super in many key respects, and therefore you should only considerhow the world worked up to Dragon Ball Zto understand Daima.
The Demon Realm depicted in Daima isa different universeoutside both the known mortal universe and the Other World, since it seemscompletely unrelated to Hell(even though Dabura was the leader of both Hell and the Demon Realm), and you need to travel to itthrough unique spaceships.
While the universe where the Earth resides is still considered Universe 7, this is likely a coincidence since 7 is a number often associated with Dragon Ball.
The Demon Realm hasnothing to do with the afterlife, and it is insteadthe original universewhere all other life was created from. The ruler of all universes is no longer Zeno, butRymus, a Supreme Majin(all Kais are Majin now) whocreated the other universesfor his people to inhabit.
While most other races in the universeevolved after this creation, the Namekians wereoriginally from the Demon Realm, and seeminglyany creature with pointed earscan trace its origin to the Majin. The Demon Realm issplit into three layers, with the innermost layer being the one meant for the ruling class.
Special permits and codes are neededto travel through the multiverse, even when going to theother layers of the Demon Realm. Doing so not only requiresMajin’s specific spacecrafts, but alsofinding a Warp-Sama, massive fish-like creatures that seem to be a living machine.
The smaller versions (still the size of a modest vessel) workas attendees of portals, checking that all permits are in order. The more massive ones actas portals themselves, swallowing spaceships whole and having travelersexit through their other endto reach their destination.
