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In the anime version of Dragon Ball Super we can clearly see how every single universe is mad at Goku for being the one that with his proposal to Zeno brought forth the Tournament of Power, and with it the risk for every single creature in 7 whole universes (8 universe took part in the tournament but the winner one would be saved) to simply be erased from existence.

Yet, despite Goku apparently triggering the biggest genocide in Dragon Ball history no one seems to really think of a way to save everyone, only focusing on their own universe survival. Later we actually discover that out of sheer luck the Tournament actually worked in favor of the 8 Universes because Zeno was planning to erase all of them anyway but initially no one was aware of that detail.
For this reason, I always wondered if someone actually realized the simple opt-out loophole in the rules. No universe needed to win to save themselves - they simply needed to fight at their best (since refusing to battle would make Zeno angry and result in immediate deletion) while working to ensure that the winner had at least a bit of ... moral? ethics? to actually use their wish for the the only decent thing to do and save everyone else. And apparently at least in the anime that was what Zeno expected since it is afterwards pointed out that had a selfish wish been made instead, he would have erased the winner too.

In the end, 17 wins and uses the wish to restore all the other universes that were erased during the tournament. Before that during the battle Vegeta had also pointed out that he intended to wish back at least the Saiyan race from Universe 6 (he promised that to Cabba). But.... had anyone else planned anything similar?
It seems something pretty basic to realize, and I am kinda baffled that at least the likes of "Maiden of Love" Ribrianne or "Warrior of Justice" Toppo wouldn't have that figured out...

Is there any indication that anyone in the tournament had planned in advance to use the wish to save all the universes?
It is worth noticing that even Frieza apparently handwaves that the wish could be used to bring back someone from another universe when he tricks Frost into a fake alliance (at least in the anime version he offers his alliance to other universes if they use the prize to wish him back afterward). Yet it should also be mentioned that in the manga 17 only uses the wishes to save the other universes in order to spite Zeno and their rule, unlike the anime version where he does that out of compassion showing a personal growth as a result of his new life.

SPArcheon
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2 Answers2

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In the anime version of Dragon Ball Super, it's not explicitly stated whether any of the participating fighters had planned to use the wish from the Super Dragon Balls to save all the universes. However, it's possible that some of the fighters may have had this in mind as a possibility.

Vegeta does mention that he intended to wish for the restoration of the Saiyan race from Universe 6, but it's not clear if he had any plans to extend this wish to include the other universes as well. It's also possible that some of the other fighters may have had similar thoughts, but it's not mentioned in the anime.

Ultimately, it's up to interpretation whether any of the fighters had considered using the wish from the Super Dragon Balls to save all the universes. However, it seems that the ultimate outcome, with 17 using the wish to restore all the universes, was not something that was planned or expected by any of the fighters. It was more of a fortunate coincidence that resulted from Zeno's decision to spare the winning universe.

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Out Of Universe Explanation

A lot of the tension in this arc hinges on the fact that the universes are being culled. Up until the first one is completely obliterated, we wonder if Zeno is actually going to do it... and then he does.

I know this is Dragon Ball, and they always just wish everything back in the end, but speaking for myself, I was honestly wondering if they would this time. Universe 7 was definitely going to survive, but I wondered whether there would be real consequences for the rest of the multiverse. And at any rate, the writers shouldn't totally give up on suspense, right? Thus, does it make sense to show any character contemplating wishing to restore all the universes ahead of time?

The answer is no. Once the audience is cued in that this is a possibility, the main source of tension is gone. The audience might wonder about it themselves, of course, which will make it frustrating to watch the tournament when the writers are deliberately avoiding talking about it all. Still, whether or not it is truly a shock, the writers have to at least try to make 17's wish a surprise.

Trying To Come Up With In-Universe Explanation

First off, I admit I'm not going to try to answer the actual question, which is to look for indications that someone contemplated this wish in either the manga or anime. I do not believe there are any beyond what has already been stated in the question (Vegeta, etc.) but I am unwilling to rewatch the arc (hopefully someone else will do that and provide an answer). Instead, I will be looking at what I think this question is actually pointing out, which is that this whole situation doesn't make sense.

Though it will be mostly speculation, I will try to provide a framework where this situation makes sense. Perhaps this is just my opinion, but I believe we should try to believe a story makes sense until the author blunders and contradicts themselves so badly it cannot be rectified and is undoubtedly a plot hole. Thus, if there are frameworks where a story makes sense and frameworks where the story does not, then we must reject the frameworks where the story does not.

Thus, what it comes down to is this: while it would seem that a wish to restore all the universes should be obvious, under close scrutiny, it is not.

Zeno is the highest level god in the Dragon Ball mutliverse. He is so powerful that all of the Destroyer Gods are afraid of him. And if Zeno truly is a being of which no greater can exist, then what he says is absolute and infallible. Whether or not this is actually true is not important. What is important is that many of the combatants will believe this.

The head angel (speaking on Zeno's behalf) states many times that the universes are going to be culled, that it is necessary, and that it is Zeno's will. Now, what does making a wish to undo Zeno's will amount to? It amounts to a rejection of his words and actions. Isn't that clearly the wrong thing to do? And if Zeno is the being who decides what is right and wrong, wouldn't it be immoral?

Consider the real world Abrahamic religons (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc), for instance. According to the tenets in these religions, there are no circumstances under which it is acceptable to defy the Abrahamic God. In their stories, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son to him. The correct answer is not to say, "Hey, this is wrong, I'm not doing that." Rather, the correct answer is to comply, and in the end God will say, "Okay, you can stop; I was just testing you."

Apply this logic to the Dragon Ball multiverse. These two cases offer answers that are exact opposites. So Zeno wants the winner to openly go against his will to destroy all but one universe? How can he expect that when even the Destroyers are afraid to speak out against him? And how can that possibly be what's right when Zeno is an infallible deity? The angels stated multiple times that Zeno wished to cull the universes because there were too many. Honestly, if I were in the position to make that wish, I would simply assume if I used the wish to restore the universes, Zeno would just blow up every single one all over again, and this time the winning universe would be included.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to call Zeno a being of whose will is absolute. He can blow up an entire universe in an instant, so what else could he be, at least in the eyes of the mortals? Some or maybe even the majority of the fighters from the universes must think of him as an unstoppable and immutable force that shouldn't be tested.

At best, Zeno's challenge is a riddle. To figure out what the correct wish is, one would have to put together the pieces: first, that perhaps the reason Zeno isn't the one saying anything is because the angels are not actually stating Zeno's will. And two, the reason that there are no restrictions on the wish is to use it to defy the destruction of every universe. But considering the destruction is in the first place being caused by the top-level god, who is supposed to determine what is good and moral, I don't think the answer to the riddle is obvious at all.

So to answer the question, I believe it is exceedingly likely that the majority of fighters did not plan on making a wish to restore the universes if they won. Unless they have zero respect or fear for the gods (like Goku and 17), it would have been a difficult idea to even conceive of.

As far as evidence goes, I admit I'm not basing this answer on the text of Dragon Ball Super, but rather on reasonable inferences drawn from how many people view gods in the real world (people who haven't ever seen their gods, I might add, compared to the people of Dragon Ball, who have). From memory though, I don't recall in the anime anyone saying they were going to make that wish, and I seem to recall my own frustration upon this point, particularly as the dialogue tended to steer completely away from using the wish to save every universe even being a possibility (Vegeta saying he would save Universe 6, for instance, seems to indicate using the Super Dragon Balls to save all universes probably isn't even possible). It does lead one to wonder, "Why aren't they even thinking of this?!" And I can't speak to the manga, as I haven't read it.

Trying To Scrounge Up Evidence

Since it has been rightfully questioned whether the people in the multiverse of Dragon Ball hold the proper reverence for their deities, I will try to examine the matter.

What I have is this: whether it's King Kai, Supreme Kai, or Beerus, the deities are constantly shocked at Goku's lack of respect. When Goku talks to Grand Zeno casually like they're buddies, Beerus has a total flip-out. This constant shock can only lead one to conclude that Goku's behavior is completely aberrant. The majority of the people in the multiverse would understand not to question gods.

Consider Vegeta and King Vegeta as well. When Beerus shows up, they both become groveling cowards to the point of becoming comic relief. This seems like a general adherence to the gods to me.

And here's a quote from Zamasu I found on https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Zamasu

"You give corruption far too much credit, evil does not inform good. It sullies it, like how the Babari sullied their world with violence, or how that arrogant Goku sullied this sacred ground by swinging his fists at a God. Mortals receive the divine gift of intellect, the potential for wisdom, but they misuse it to destroy the beauty of creation. Mortals do not succumb to evil, they are the evil. They create it, and spread it with minds they shouldn't possess. How can we call ourselves gods if we watch this plight and do nothing to stop it?"

Zamasu is a bad guy, but this quote and Zamasu's disgust with Goku shows that the idea that mortals are bad, and thus that gods are good and determine good, is not foreign to the world of Dragon Ball.

Now, consider the fighters at the Tournament of Power. The most fervent believers in justice and love, such as Ribrianne and Toppo, have been questioned for seemingly not thinking of restoring all the universes with the wish. But oftentimes, the ones most dedicated to justice can be the ones most susceptible to blind obedience to higher authorities, including gods and angels, so I don't see this as contradictory. If Zeno is approving of what's happening, they might see the tournament as just, or they might simply see opposing Zeno as futile. Such thoughts will lead them away from contemplating this kind of wish.

Additional Comments

Another thing to consider is the level of trust between the universes. The gods and destroyers are all squabbling for survival, and not cooperating at all. It doesn't follow that the mortals would trust anyone from another universe to use the wish to restore theirs. Their distrust may even extend so far as to make them not want to restore any other universe. Regardless, there would be no cooperation; even someone contemplating making the wish, would not trust anyone else, and they would fight all the harder to make sure it's them who gets the prize.

We see Frieza making deals, but that's just him playing mind games, and it ends in backstabbing; that's because in the end, Frieza isn't going to trust his survival to the chance another universe would follow through on using the wish to revive him. It would be so easy not to once he's gone, after all. And that's true for any kind of deal regarding saving all the universes.

Shaymin Gratitude
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  • I don't really agree on the premise. There is no real evidence that "Zeno" is a "god" in the same way we consider god beings in the various religions. We don't know if the world of Dragonball actually has **any** religion in the first place (Enma exists, , Nam claims to be a Buddhist in the original manga and Christianity must exists too since Upa tries to do a cross-like pose against a vampire, but everything is then forgotten in Z and Super). – SPArcheon Jan 17 '23 at 08:55
  • Furthermore, even if everyone was scared to death by Zeno ***asking*** him seems to be a valid option. During the Zeno Expo Bergamo had the audacity to ask for a change in the rules directly to Zeno, bypassing even the Grand Minister. He was very polite in his request but it is still worth noticing that he was not castigated for doing that, he received an equally polite response with no sign of anger and Zeno even **agreed**. At the very best that should have prompted someone to ask - beforehand or after winning - if they **could** use the wish that way without fearing to make Zeno mad. – SPArcheon Jan 17 '23 at 09:15
  • @SPArcheon Hmm... I don't find that criticism valid because everyone present at the tournament has been informed that Zeno is a god, and no doubt the Kais and Destroyers emphasized how scary he is. Plus, as the tournament progresses, they've seen him wipe out whole universes. At that point, he's clearly very far above them. And sure, they can ask him if they're allowed to make that wish, but after the tournament starts, the only chance to do that is after someone has won, which makes the question of whether they planned in advance to make the wish moot. – Shaymin Gratitude Jan 17 '23 at 15:54
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    Anyway, if anyone finds anything in the text of Dragon Ball Super that shows someone contemplating a wish to restore all the universes, I will gladly upvote it as the correct answer. I suspect there is no such content, however, due to my (admittedly flimsy) memory, as well as to the fact that the story seems to necessitate it coming out of left field from 17, to surprise the audience. – Shaymin Gratitude Jan 17 '23 at 15:56
  • "the only chance to do that is after someone has won, which makes the question of whether they planned in advance to make the wish moot." I don't see why that would be a thing. I could have "planned" that idea and yet decided to "check the water" after seeing what Zeno did during the tournament. To put that in context, Frieza is implied to have planned to use the wish against some god - probably Beerus - if he had the chance to do so. Yet... I doubt he would blindly make that wish before trying to confirm the consequences. – SPArcheon Jan 17 '23 at 16:46
  • @SPArcheon You specifically mention morals and ethics in your answer. Thus, I would contend that there is a difference between planning on asking if it's okay and planning on wishing to restore the universes. Is verifying the god's wishes what is right or is defying the god what's right? – Shaymin Gratitude Jan 17 '23 at 17:01
  • sorry, I think it is time to disengage. I will just agree that we disagree. As for your final question, unless you want to turn this into discussing what ethics is in the first place (in which case we seriously risk of running a live action remake of Euthyphro dialogue...) I will simply state that imho even if I felt the right thing would be make the wish.. it is a little futile to do so if it only end up making MORE victims. So in that case I would try to find another way. – SPArcheon Jan 17 '23 at 17:20