Dragon Ball Superhas a massive cast consisting of hundreds of named characters. This is because the series features most characters from the previousDragon Ballseries as well as a load of new additions. Of all these new characters, Beerus and Whis are by far the best, as they elevateDragon Ball Superin several important ways and quickly became beloved fan-favorite characters.
Beerus and Whis debuted in the 2013Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Godsmovie, where they were the film's antagonists. However, the pair would return when the first episode of theDragon Ball Superanime "A Peacetime Reward Who Gets the 100,000,000 Zeni?!" debuted in 2015. Beerus is the God Of Destruction of Universe 7. As the God Of Destruction, it is Beerus' job to destroy people or planets that put the universe at risk.
Beerus and Whis Have A Special Place In The Universe
As a God of Destruction, Beerus is terrifyingly powerful; he is able to destroy planets with a single tap or an errant sneeze. In combat, Beerus is even mightier. He has access to many devastating moves, including powerful physical attacks and deadly energy attacks like the Beerus Ball (sometimes called the Sphere of Destruction). However, Beerus' most terrifying attack is the Hakai. The Gods Of Destruction's signature move, the Hakai allows Beerus to instantly destroy anything, from humans to rocks. This power is so immense that it can even destroy ghosts and other supernatural beings, making it one of the most terrifying threats inDragon Ball.
Whis is Beerus' Attendant and Martial Arts tutor. As an Attendant, Whis' has to help Beerus perform his duties as God Of Destruction and deal with his day-to-day needs. Due to this, Whis is rarely seen away from Beerus, as he refuses to leave him alone for long periods unless he is performing a task to help him. As his role as Beerus' martial arts tutor suggests, Whis is a formidable fighter who knows many powerful techniques. Due to being an Angel, Whis exists in a permanent state of Ultra Instinct. His limbs can move separately and without conscious thought, allowing him to dodge incoming attacks in the blink of an eye and making him nearly impossible to hit.Whis' Ultra Instinct strength was proven when he trained Goku and Vegeta, as he effortlessly dodged both fighters' attacks, even when they tried to fight him two-on-one. Whis also knows many strikes and grapples that allow him to take down even the mightiest theoretical foe. Even more interestingly, Whis can teleport, travel through time, and rewind time by three minutes. Even if Whis ever found himself in a sticky situation, he can easily escape and live to fight another day. On top of this, Whis is also functionally immortal, so he never has to worry about being defeated, making him one of the strongest characters in the Dragon Ballmultiverse.
However, Whis has one massive weakness: Angel Law. Like all Angels, Whis is bound by a series of laws. If he breaks one of these rules, he is instantly destroyed. The most important law states that Angels must be neutral and can not side with good or evil. Plus, they must obey the commands of the person they are duty-bound to. So, while Whis is very strong, he does have quite a few limitations he can't overcome, simply due to this code.
How Beerus and Whis Improve Dragon Ball Super
One of the best things about Beerus and Whis is their comedic personalities. Beerus is a dangerous warrior who takes great joy in his destructive work and often uses his immense power to coerce people into giving him what he wants. On top of this, he is also very lazy, loving nothing more than lounging around and taking long naps. Due to this lazy streak, Beerus becomes grumpy and irritable if someone wakes him up or denies him his rest time. Beerus is also a glutton, always looking for delicious new foods. His love of food is so all-consuming that it is said that he has destroyed planets because the people on them served him a dish he didn't enjoy.
Whis is the opposite, having a calm and aloof personality and being a stickler for rules of formality and etiquette. However, those who spend more time with Whis will find that he has hidden depths, often becoming fixated on tasks that interest him. Plus, he has a bubbly and eccentric side that emerges when he is having fun. Like Beerus, Whis is also a lover of food. In fact, the quickest way to see Whis' more bubbly side is to give him fun or unusual food that delights his palate.Due to their contrasting personalities, Beerus and Whis function like a traditional comedy double act in the vein of theOdd Couple,with Whis frequently getting annoyed at Beerus' demanding nature and general rudeness. This opens up many fun comedic scenarios that can easily be slotted into the show without breaking the overall pacing, leading to the pair getting plenty of spotlight time without ever feeling like they're taking the focus away from the main characters.
Unlike otherDragon Ballcomedy characters, Beerus and Whis stand out, as their personalities make them perfect foils for the rest of the cast. Their immense combat skill, combined with Beerus' love of fighting strong opponents, means that Beerus and Whis bounce off Goku and Vegeta well, allowing for plenty of amusing training montages and fight sequences. Plus, their love of food means the writers can easily find reasons to have them interact with the lower-power characters, letting them take part in funny domestic events without it feeling weird. This is best seen with Whis as he develops a friendly relationship with Bulma, leading to him helping her deliver her baby in a moment that is as funny as it is heartwarming.
Beerus also develops vibrant relationships with the other characters, especially when they start going to his planet to train, leading to him coming into contact with a massive proportion ofDragon Ball'scast. Because of this, Beerus and Whis get into many varied scenarios, meaning the jokes don't get stale or feel like they've overstayed their welcome; the pair feel like modernized versions of originalDragon Ballcharacters. Beerus and Whis bring that classic Akira Toriyama humor into the more action-heavy Dragon Ball Super,giving the show a tonal balance that modernDragon Ballprojects often lack.
But while Beerus and Whis work well in the main cast, they also remain slightly separate from them due to their unique status, adding a lot of intrigue to their interactions with the other characters. A big reason for this is that Beerus and Whis started as antagonists, only befriending Goku and his friends after Goku earned Beerus' respect through a hard-fought battle. But even after this, Beerus never misses a chance to remind the crew that he could destroy them all if they annoy him or go against his wishes. This is proven during the Universe Survival Saga, where Beerus comes within seconds of destroying Goku after Goku admits to talking with Zeno.Beerus' intimidating strength reminds viewers that there is always a chance he and Whis could turn on Goku and his friends, leading to another massive battle like the one seen inDragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods.By leaving this plot option, the writers add lots of tension to the story, enhancing the overall experience while maintaining Beerus' dangerous aura. This aura enhances the comedy moments as Beerus feels like a well-rounded character rather than a walking punchline, even though he's featured in many comedy scenes.
Another great thing about Beerus and Whis is that they help expand the world and progress the plot in a naturalistic way.Dragon Ball Superdramatically changes the status quo ofDragon Ballby introducing the multiverse concept. Much to their surprise, Goku and his friends are told that their universe, Universe 7, isn't the only one. According to the lore, there are 12 universes, each with its own fighters and quirks. Introducing this concept this late into the series could feel like a desperate attempt to extend the plot.
However, by having Beerus and Whis introduce the multiverse concept, the idea feels more natural and less tacked on. It makes sense that Beerus and Whis would know about metaphysical things like the existence of the multiverse because they are much more powerful than everyone else. Due to their immense power and the fact that they rarely befriend random people they meet, it makes sense that they wouldn't have shared the information with many people. This logic excuses Goku's, Vegeta's, and Frieza's ignorance about the multiverse until the start ofDragon Ball Super.
Plus, Beerus and Whis act as fantastic exposition delivery systems during these multiverse arcs, which is excellent as the show has to quickly introduce many new characters. This is seen best in the Universe 6 Saga and the Universe Survival Saga, where the pair help introduce the viewers to the fighters from other universes and the gods leading them into the battle. However, thanks to Beerus and Whis' stunning writing, these dumps don't feel boring or obnoxious as the writers make it sound like Beerus and Whis have experience with these other gods and universes, with them liking some and loathing others (especially Champa). This means that these exposition dumps are enjoyable scenes that feel natural as they make these new worlds feel like a living, breathing place rather than something newly introduced just for the sake of the plot.
In a similar vein, Beerus and Whis also introduce a whole new level of power to the world of Dragon Ball: Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego, two powerful forms that have quickly become iconic in theDragon Ballfandom. Much like the multiverse reveal, having Beerus and Whis introduce these concepts makes their introduction feel much more natural, as it makes sense that the two godly beings will know moves that no one else does. Furthermore, they likely wouldn't go around divulging their techniques to random people, simply because most fighters have no chance of ever learning how to pull them off.
What makes Beerus and Whis even cooler is their status as tutor figures for Goku and Vegeta. While Goku has had tutor figures before, by the time Whis was introduced, Goku had been lacking one for quite a while. On the other hand, Vegeta hasn't had a long-term on-screen tutor, making this a first for him. The best thing about having new tutors is that it gives the series time to dig into Goku and Vegeta's characters, letting viewers learn more about them and their desire to grow stronger — something that allows the audience to see how the characters have changed since the end of Dragon Ball Z.This is especially true for Vegeta; training with Beerus gives fans a look into Vegeta's mental state that they've never had before, really helping cement that Vegeta had dramatically changed as a person. This Vegeta has embraced his new position as a father and a hero, a long cry from the person he was when he debuted in the Saiyan saga.
Beerus and Whis areDragon Ball Super'sbest new characters by far. Their unique position within theDragon Ballworld makes them stand out from the rest of the cast and gives them access to knowledge that no one else has, allowing them to act as a bridge to the franchise's new multiversal era. This is enhanced by their personalities as their comedic qualities lead to them getting into many funny and memorable situations. But, at the same time, these personalities allow them to easily slot into the existing dynamics, meaning they enhance rather than overshadow the existing cast members. Finally, their position as trainers means they're crucial to one ofDragon Ball Super'smost fascinating plot points, Goku and Vegeta's journey to Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego. Because of these factors, it's easy to see why Beerus and Whis have become fan-favorite characters and the most-loved new additions inDragon Ball Super.
