Anime & Subculture
THE DBZ DESTROYERS: GODS OF DESTRUCTION
As we know from the anime, the Gods of Destruction are among one of the most powerful beings in the anime and they are not only given the title for the sake of it as they truly are the mythological destroyers who can create some serious damage in just a blink of an eye. Among all the Gods of Destruction that we see in the anime, the most common of them that we can relate to and see the side of the story is Beerus and with just a look at his character and attitude that he maintains we can understand that they are not the entity that our characters can casually mess with as they give no mind to those that stand around them, be it a man, a woman, a child or some other creature.
“A God of Destruction is an extremely powerful deity whose purpose is to destroy. While Dragon Ball’s Kais are expected to preserve and create life, the Destroyers are responsible for making sure the universe stays in balance by seeking out and destroying planets. Known for their chaotic natures, Destroyers aren’t required to have good reasons for wiping out civilizations; sometimes, these gods destroy planets based on whims. Possessing of divine energy, the gods are capable of easily spreading destruction throughout the cosmos and are both feared and respected by their respective universes.” This is a statement which could not have been said more better as it sums up the role of our Gods of Destructions and shares with us the goal of about why they really go around wreaking havoc and causing chaos. These beings serve as an entity that bring balance to the universe as something which has been created must also be destroyed and the Gods of Destructions are those weapons of annihilation that the universe has bestowed upon mankind and life itself. These Gods of Destruction create balance in the universe and serve as a Yang to Yin by completing their task of destroying life, where one creates it and the other destroys.
ROLE OF THE DESTROYER AND ANGEL
In the Dragon Ball series it is revealed that that are a total of 12 universe and each of this universe has a Destroyer of its own who are accompanied by an Angel, one of the divine children of the Grand Priest who are said to be the strongest in Dragon Ball Super. A prime example of this can be recalled by the teaming up of Beerus and Whis as the Destroyer and Angel of Universe 7.
Each of these Destroyers and Angels work in pair to team themselves up when time calls for it and destroy the lives and planets that are settled in their universe. Each of the divine children of the Grand Priest act as an accompanied bodyguard of the Destroyer who take over matters when things get tough and the Destroyer his put in harm way. They also act as a source of information to the Destroyer who provide information and facts on the things that are taking place all around the universe and which is the place that they should head for next after completing their previous task. More than working in a pair, these two works in a format of attacker and a secretary, where the Angel mostly only provides details regarding the events taking place in the universe and the Destroyer going on a rampage hunt to destroy the things that stand in his way.
RUNDOWN OF GODS OF DESTRUCTION
Reading the manga version of Dragon Ball Z, there is no doubt that the Gods of Destruction as we know it were in total of 18, where prior to Zeno’s destruction and rampage hunt, there were a total of 18 universes and 18 Gods of Destruction appointed to each of them individually. However, after Zeno’s event took place, we now only have a total of 12 universes and 12 Gods of Destruction that we see in Dragon Ball Super.
Unlike their personality and behaviour though, they are not completely insane maniacs who just wreak havoc. They are more matured than they seem and also indulge themselves in meetings and other such official works even if it is after every millennium. They also have a set of rules that they follow and abide by, among which travel through time is the biggest restriction faced by them as godly deities. Even though they have absolute authority over life and its destruction according to their mood, they too are only considered as strong opponents/beings when it comes down to the way of universe and mother nature or should we say the all so powerful Zeno.
Among all the other sets of rules that they have to follow, they are also prohibited from fighting each other unless requested or authorized in a safe area. In fact, if a God of Destruction violates these restrictions or isn’t doing their job to the best of their ability, Zeno has the authority to remove or even erase them from the position and appoint a new Destroyer. This are the rules that keep them in check and act as a nanny cam to the Gods of Destruction. Zeno here is being compared to a nanny cam because just the possibility that he is watching over the actions of these Destroyers Gods is enough to keep them in check (in line.)
PERSONALITIES OF DESTROYER GODS
By now it is needless to say that these Gods of Destruction act on their behalf and will and this is something which changes them to arrogant fools when it comes down to battles and wars but unlike the way that they behave when they are pissed off, these Gods are not inherently evil, as some can be somewhat benevolent and do not seem to revel in their destruction but instead use their powers to enforce “justice” in their own universe by destroying only planets or anything which they consider evil.
Though they are considered supreme beings in the Dragon Ball series, it is only convenient for us to know that they too are beings who love fighting and power and some of them can be kind of a nuisance when it comes down to calming them down. Like for instance we can take Beerus and Champa, these two are the Gods of Destructions to whom “food is their natural way to calm down and socialize, with them going as far as becoming friends with mortals if they are pleased well enough, though they remain serious and do not joke around when doing their job.”
This line explains to us the personality of Destroyer Gods and shows us just how each of them are different from the rest when it comes down to upholding their own attitude and ego. Also, unlike the other divine creatures like Angels and Supreme Kais, these Destroyer Gods also possess a set of emotions like the mortals which can sometimes result them in behaving like a child and causing a fuss over a small issue with revolts and rages. These times of revolt may seem meaningless to them but to the rest of the universe these revolts and rages result in extreme havoc as during these periods the destroyer Gods sometime go on to abuse their power and destroy everything onsite.
COMPETITION
Coming to the last point at hand, competitions and other such challengers like Goku, Vegeta and Jiren really seem to take a toll on the side of our Gods of Destructions as they then become the beings who can surpass these Gods making their seat shake in fear as it might get taken away and given to another worthy warrior that is stronger than them.
Like we know from the anime, Jiren was given this seat of a Destroyer God at one point in time, but according to the beliefs that he held, he went on to reject the offer and so is the case similar with Goku and Vegeta who rejected the candidate position by their universe’s guided angel on the terms that it seemed meaningless to simply take the seat because they wanted to get stronger.
Yes, this competition on the selection of the Destroyer Gods had always caused a havoc in the universe as it takes down a Destroyer God from his position and installs a new one on its place.
