Dragon Ball: Destruction Energy, Explained

Ever since Beerus’s first introduction in Dragon Ball, the power of the gods beyond earth and beyond space has always been a subject of discussion for many fans. As the arcs pass on, the Power of Destruction that Beerus and his fellow Gods of Destruction exhibit is unique, compared to ki or God ki, in that it is able to destroy just about anything that exists in the multiverse. Which usually begs the question as to the specifics of who can use it.

Before the Tournament of Power, we all thought that only Gods could use Destruction Energy, before the manga and the anime both proceeded to show mortals using this energy. Dragon Ball in particular has three candidates that can use it; Goku, Vegeta, Toppo, and Freeza to varying extents. However, how exactly does this energy work, and what does it do?

The Basics Of Destruction

Giving And Using Destruction

A major theme surrounding destruction of energy, is that it is immensely volatile as an energy, and it can particularly destroy even the holder if they aren’t careful. The Gods of Destruction spend their long lives mastering this energy, not just through manipulation but also embracing their roles as destroyers. Destruction energy can be condensed into orbs, and handed to other mortals by the Gods of Destruction for their own purposes, such as guaranteeing the destruction of an area, a planet, or even a strong individual. Depending on the amount of destruction energy being produced and overwhelming the target, the individual or the planet may be permanently erased from existence and the afterlife, never to come back.

A major theme around Destruction Energy is to be able to target what you want to destroy specifically, allowing greater control and more targeted elimination. As shown by the Gods of Destruction, and infamously by Beerus, they can use a technique that both languages in Dragon Ball refer to as ‘Hakai’. The word itself already means destruction, so it’s really a simple technique to be used in theory. However, it is not an easy technique to use as shown in the manga and by Top, since the ability doesn’t always guarantee immediate and indefinite erasure if it is performed by a less than experienced user of Destruction Energy. In the case of Goku, he used Destruction Energy to attempt to destroy the Immortal Fused Zamasu as a last ditch effort, which shows and implies that Destruction Energy is also a good choice to get rid of immortals. With these applications of Destruction Energy, it is easy to think only a few mortals or Gods of Destructions can use the energy effectively. However, it’s a bit more nuanced and complicated than that, as is shown later on.

In The Case Of Ultra Ego

Its Use of Destruction Energy

Later in the Dragon Ball Super manga, Vegeta undergoes training by Beerus, where he learns to embrace his more destructive tendencies as a Saiyan and channel them into a new form by using Destruction Energy. Ultra Ego uses Destruction Energy and the mindset of a Destroyer that can be compared to the polar opposite of Ultra Instinct’s mindset, which not only is what Vegeta uses, but can be considered what Toppo originally might have used if he were in more control. The point to be made, is that Destruction Energy is ultimately an energy not many can use, but it also has varying usages depending on the person and how that person wants to use it. A major theme surrounding Destruction Energy, is that, despite being volatile, it can be used in ways that are more favorable for the position and in ways that are indicative of the person’s true individuality.

Dragon Ball manages to show Destruction Energy in a well-paced manner, and particularly through characters of a higher scale using this power in ways that mortals have scarce access to, or incapability to use as well as they can. In fact, throughout the story, Destruction Energy is an ability that even the Gods of Destruction do not use haphazardly or without respect; Vegeta uses this ability with respect as well. That indicates a lot of the potential he was able and willing to tap into, and Destruction Energy manages to be the wild-card ability that even Goku has attempted to use, but ultimately would be relegated and given to Vegeta for better usage and better mindset. Dragon Ball as a story manages to provide once again a power that may be explored in more detail in the future, and with potentially a lot more results.