Time Travelling in Dragon Ball Explained

Time travel isn’t the most discussed concept in Dragon Ball, but it’s still pretty important to certain key events in the series’ past, present, and all the alternate futures. The most brought-up examples of time travel in Dragon Ball are Future Trunks’ adventures between his time and the present, where most of the series happens. As such, much of the information available to viewers about how time travel works is based on Future Trunks’ experiences.

But Future Trunks isn’t the only time traveler in the franchise, as a couple of other characters have also shown the ability to move backward and/or forward in time. And though the instances of them traveling through time are few and far between, there’s still some useful information that can be gathered from them, especially since some details about the methods and results of their time travel are vastly different from Trunks’.

Related

The 15 Best Anime That Deals With Time Travel

For fans of traveling to the past or the future, these following time travel-themed anime shows are some of the best to watch.

Multiverse Theory

This Was When People Weren’t Tired of Multiverses Yet

Most people probably know or at least have heard of this principle since it’s been blowing up in most mainstream media, not just anime. If you used the time machine Bulma created in the future, changing the past does not change the future. Instead, it causes that past to split from its current trajectory and become an alternate reality. Multiverse theory is why when Trunks time traveled to the past to prevent the Androids from winning, his future remained the same. The Z Fighters in Trunks’ timeline stayed dead, and the Androids that changed their ways in the past were still evil in his world, and he had to deal with them again by himself.

However, multiverse theory does throw a wrench into Future Trunks’ time travel. In Dragon Ball Super, when Future Trunks goes to the past to warn Goku about Goku Black, how did he end up in the altered timeline he created in Z rather than his own past? Unfortunately, loopholes and inconsistencies will always pop up whenever time travel is involved, and sometimes, you just have to suspend disbelief and enjoy.

Alternate Timelines Are Different from Separate Universes in Dragon Ball

There are multiple concepts of multiverses in Dragon Ball, which makes it a bit confusing to understand. As viewers of Dragon Ball Super already know, there’s a different kind of multiverse in existence, where multiple universes exist at the same time, but different places. Universes that weren’t produced from an alternate branch in time due to time travel.

Initially, Rymus created eighteen universes that existed apart from each other. Each universe has a “twin” that holds some similarities to each other, such as the same worlds and races, but they are still clearly different. One example of twin universes is Universes 6 and 7. Both universes have humans and Saiyans, but at the same time, the humans and Saiyans from each universe don’t share a common history. Their relationship is different from something like Future Trunks’ “universe” to the one in which Goku and the Z Fighters are still alive.

Related

The Carbon Footprint of a Single Dragon Ball Z Fight

The immense energy output, collateral damage, and environmental repercussions of a single Dragon Ball Z fight could produce emissions comparable to those of an entire country.

Whis’ Time Travel Is Different

But Only Sometimes?

Whis, and presumably all the other Angels, can travel through time at will, no clunky time machine required. Even more amazing is the fact that Whis has at least two ways to travel through time, and each method produces different results.

The first method is Whis’ Temporal Do-Over technique, which allows him to go back in time up to three minutes. Unlike Bulma’s time machine, Temporal Do-Over does not create a new timeline, no matter what is altered in the past. Temporal Do-Over is more like a rewind rather than jumping to another point in time, which is why no duplicates of the people who traveled to the past will appear. Whis used Temporal Do-Over to prevent Frieza from destroying the Earth in Dragon Ball Super or the Resurrection ‘F’ movie.

Whis’ second method of time travel is similar to Bulma’s time machine. Any changes he makes while in the past when using this method will create an alternate reality from what was supposed to happen. Whis performed this method at the end of Dragon Ball Super‘s “Future” Trunks Saga when he went to Future Trunks’ past before Goku Black killed the Future Supreme Kai. Whis then warned Future Beerus of Goku Black’s plan, which led to Beerus erasing Goku Black before he could act on them. Doing so prevented the entire series of events that would lead to Future Trunks’ universe from being destroyed. Future Trunks and Future Mai then go on to live in that new timeline, which means there are now two Future Trunks and Future Mais residing there.

The Angels’ power isn’t the only way to travel through time without causing an alternate reality to occur. In the Xenoverse games, Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, also has the ability to venture across time and perform actions without creating a separate branch of reality. The Xenoverse games aren’t canon to the anime or manga though, so make of that what you will.

Time Rings

What Are They, and How Do They Work?

Another method for time travel without creating split timelines is through the Supreme Kais’ Time Rings. Largely used during the Dragon Ball Super “Future” Trunks Saga, Time Rings allow a Supreme Kai to travel to the future and back without consequences. Only those of the rank of Supreme Kai can use Time Rings, which is why Gowasu temporarily made Zamasu a Supreme Kai to go to the future in Dragon Ball Super episode 54, “He Who is of Saiyan Blood Trunks’s Resolve”.

Whenever a new timeline is created, an emerald Time Ring will appear next to the original silver ring. A Supreme Kai can then use the emerald ring to move to that timeline, which explains why Goku Black can go to present Goku’s timeline.

The Restrictions of Dragon Ball’s Time Travel

Just like in any other show, time travel in Dragon Ball can have grave consequences when mishandled, which is why the act is generally forbidden. Whis has mentioned this occasionally, and Jaco of the Galactic Patrol also mentions the rule during Resurrection ‘F’. Only Gods and Angels are allowed to use it, but even then, some unknown restrictions are in place.

The rule does seem to have some leeway because Trunks’ actions have gone unpunished even when Beerus and Whis knew of it. Whis himself has used time travel to help out Goku and the Z Fighters but has suffered no consequences yet.

Related

Dragon Ball Super Manga to Finally Get New Content

A special chapter for the Dragon Ball Super manga was just announced at Jump Festa!

Dragon Ball is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Your changes have been saved

Release Date

February 26, 1986

Creator(s)

Akira Toriyama