Regardless of your overall feelings on Dragon Ball Super’s quality, it’s hard to deny the influence and impact it’s had on the Dragon Ball universe. From as early as Battle of Gods, Super has done an excellent job at fleshing out the world with new concepts. Gods of Destruction, angels, Super Dragon Balls, and multiple universes expand the series unlike anything before it. Of all these new concepts, few hold as much potential as the multiple universes. Acting as completely new worlds with their own stories, each universe can easily draw in fans of all kinds. Of these eleven new universes, though, only Universe 6 stands out as a clear favorite.

As Universe 7’s twin universe, U6 was the first new universe audiences got a chance to see. The Universe 6 Tournament marked the true beginning of Dragon Ball Super in many ways, and its colorful cast left quite an impact on fans. With the Tournament of Power coming to a close, and Universe 6 out of the picture, it’s time we took a look back on the first of many multiverses to change the landscape of Dragon Ball’s world.

25 Champa Might Not Have Been Born In Universe 6

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You can get a good sense of what a universe is like just by looking at their God of Destruction. Sidra’s passivity translates to his team; Heles’ love for love is a trait her she shares with her universe; and Belmod’s unorthodox sense of justice shines through the Pride Troopers. Each GoD has a clear identity and personality or design that shows the deep intimacy they have with their universe. Except for Champa.

It’s safe to assume Champa inherited the role of U6’s GoD and wasn’t born into it.

Since it is confirmed that you don’t have to be born in a universe to be their God of Destruction, it’s safe to assume Champa inherited the role of U6’s GoD and wasn’t born into it. If both he and Beerus were born into Universe 7, Beerus would naturally take the GoD role as the stronger brother, but that would be a waste of Champa’s natural talent. Instead of just living in his brother’s shadow, Champa defected to the sixth universe and decided to be a better GoD than even Beerus. Which is actually hilarious in-character for him.

24 Universe 6 Is The Good Version Of Our Universe

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If you ignore Earth’s total destruction in Universe 6, (or actually consider that a net positive for any number of reasons,) it’s pretty obvious U6 is the “good twin” in regards to Universe 7. Universe 6 has a higher universe rating, implying it’s better managed; the Saiyans there aren’t bloodthirsty monsters but instead heroic warriors who are actually naturally stronger than U7 Saiyans; and their Namekians likely haven't undergone any ferocious cataclysms.

While their Freeza analogue certainly isn’t a good guy, he at least has the decency to pretend to be one. On top of that, Hit’s managed to live for over 1,000 years with seemingly little to complain about. Given the sheer diversity of the Universe 6 team, it’s also likely most planets in U6 are still prosperous unlike Universe 7. Throw in a Kaioshin that actually knows how to do his job and it’s time we as audience came to terms with Universe 7 as the “evil twin.”

23 Cabba Is The New Tarble

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Don’t fret if you don’t recognize the name “Tarble.” Originally introduced for the Jump Super Anime Tour special back in 2008, Tarble was Vegeta’s estranged, younger brother who had as much Saiyan pride as a toddler Gohan. He was timid and meek, a far cry from the Prince of All Saiyans, which endeared Toriyama enough to reference, and by extension formally canonize, him in Battle of Gods. Come the Super anime, however, and all references to Tarble are gone, though for an arguably legitimate reason.

For all intents and purposes, Cabba is an “improved” version of Tarble. Not only do they share incredibly similar designs, both characters have an intimate relationship with Vegeta. Tarble is his younger brother, but Cabba is Vegeta’s protege. Since the brotherly connection is cut, but the intimacy isn’t, Cabba and Vegeta’s relationship has far more potential for depth than Tarble and Vegeta. In that regard alone, it’s easy to see why Toriyama swapped Tarble out for Cabba.

22 Caulifa Is The Goku Of Universe 7

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They have an unusual love for fighting, desire to become stronger, and naturally pick up new techniques like it’s nothing. Did I just describe Goku, or Caulifla? While the two certainly have their differences, Caulifla acting far more brash and crude than Goku ever intentionally would, she does serve as a Universe 6 analogue for our protagonist. Her ability to trigger Super Saiyan so easily isn’t so dissimilar to how Goku instantly picks up the Kamehameha after seeing Roshi do it once at the beginning of the series, and her sheer, genuine want of self-improvement pairs nicely with the crux of Goku’s character.

It’s really no wonder Goku naturally flocks to her during the Tournament of Power

Together, they’re almost like two halves of the same coin. It’s really no wonder Goku naturally flocks to her during the Tournament of Power and spends so much time acting like a pseudo-mentor. He can see in her what Roshi, Karin, Kami, Kaio, and Whis all saw in him: limitless potential. Plus, it’s just funny having a Goku parallel be best friends with a female Broly.

21 Kefla Is The First Female Fusion

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Dragon Ball has always done a so-so job with female fighter representation so it’s nice to see that Dragon Ball Super has made a conscious effort in introducing women who manage to stay strong without turning into accessories for the male characters. With the introduction of Caulifla and Kale, we’ve gotten two, fairly well developed female characters who manage to pack a serious punch. On top of that, they also fuse into one of the strongest characters in the series; and the first female fusion altogether.

After decades of movies, Dragon Ball GT, and spin-offs, it wasn’t until Dragon Ball Super that we got our first fusion between two female characters. It’s long overdue, and despite some of the dislike Kefla gets, she’s a very welcome character with a fun personality and a great set of moves. Goku needing Ultra Instinct to beat her is an especially nice touch that doesn’t undervalue her, either. We’ve come a long way since Chichi in the 23rd Budokai.

20 Cabba Fights Exactly Like Vegeta

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If Caulifla is the Universe 6 version of Goku, Cabba is the Universe 6 version of Vegeta. They may not have the same kindred connection as Goku and Caulifla, but their fighting styles are strikingly similar. Taking that into account, it’s no wonder Vegeta felt an immediate attachment to Not-Tarble. The moment Cabba strikes Vegeta’s iconic pose from the Saiyans arc, there’s no question to his identity: he’s a well adjusted and well mannered Vegeta.

The moment Cabba strikes Vegeta’s iconic pose from the Saiyans arc, there’s no question to his identity

Just take a look at his signature Ki blast if you need more evidence. Pulling his hands back in a manner familiar to any Vegeta fan, Cabba’s main Ki technique is blatantly the Galick Gun, an observation made in-universe. Given this is a technique Vegeta developed himself, we can assume Cabba likewise developed his personal version. It’s plain as day why Vegeta chose such a comparatively mild Saiyan as his one and only apprentice.

19 Kale In The Manga Is Vastly Different From Kale In The Anime

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With two different continuities of Dragon Ball Super running concurrently, it’s always interesting to check in on the manga and see how it differs from its vastly more popular anime counterpart. One such difference is the surprising characterization of Kale. In the anime, she’s depicted as Caulifla’s overly passive foil. She does very little without being goaded by her “sister,” and her character’s innocence is played up considerably. The manga drops this approach almost altogether, instead giving her an intentionally closed off, yet not harsh, personality. She has actual agency and acts in the best interests of Caulifla, but not in a way that undermines her own motivations. As far as changes go, the manga’s got the anime beat here.

18 Dragon Ball Room Specifically Designed Kale To Win Over Broly Fans

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Back in June of 2016, Shueisha revealed an all-new element of Dragon Ball’s ever-growing revival: the Dragon Ball Room. Envisioned as an all-new department involved with all things Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Room’s goal became to “expand and optimize the globally popular Dragon Ball franchise.” While we know very little of what Dragon Ball Room actually does, we do know it was in charge of developing one of Super’s more noteworthy characters: Kale.

Dragon Ball Room created Kale, a female interpretation of the Legendary Super Saiyan with a berserk form to boot.

In an attempt to cash in on Broly’s overwhelming popularity, Dragon Ball Room created Kale, a female interpretation of the Legendary Super Saiyan with a berserk form to boot. Given the fan clamoring for more “canon” movie characters, it’s safe to say Dragon Ball Room’s Broly gambit paid off. Time will tell what DBR will work on next, but hopefully it’ll be what every fan truly desires: canon Slug.

Initial reporting of Dragon Ball Room’s existence can be read here

17 Saonel Is The Only Character To Take On The Makankosappo And Live

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Speaking of slugs, Saonel is the only character in the entirety of Dragon Ball to take on the Makankosappo, otherwise known as the Special Beam Cannon, and live. In a way, it’s fitting that the only character to get pierced by Piccolo’s signature technique but not die is a Namekian. They can regenerate, which might explain why he survived a gaping hole in his chest, but it’s nevertheless impressive. It’s easy to overlook how big of a deal it is since the force of the Makankosappo does knock Saonel out of bounds, but just to survive is worthy of praise. In a way, it does, unfortunately, undermine Piccolo’s best Ki attack, but if anyone’s going to trivialize it then Toei made the right call with a Namekian from Universe 6.

16 Universe 6 Scares Goku

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What do Raditz, Freeza, Hit, Jiren, and Kale all have in common? At one point or another, they all terrified Goku. Normally ironclad in confidence, the few moments Goku shows fear tend to be some of the most impactful. Raditz set the stage for a new era of fearsome opposition; Freeza brought with him an overwhelmingly hostile tension only a prophetic transformation could change; Hit had his seemingly unbeatable time skip; and Jiren was just super strong.

Kale striking fear into Goku is quite different from those other instances as she doesn’t have the same level of narrative importance as the other characters. Instead, her Berserker form mostly serves as a benchmark for Goku to inevitably overcome, though without the same fanfare as the aforementioned antagonists. Still though, it’s worth noting how Goku was afraid of 20% of Universe 6’s final roster.

15 Frost Is The Only Character To Be Personally Erased During The Tournament Of Power

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Not only is Frost the only character to be erased during the Tournament of Power, he’s also the only one to break one of Zeno's many rules and actually get punished for it. After dedicating a huge chunk of the tournament to plotting with Freeza, he finds himself utterly betrayed as Gohan and Freeza work together to trick Frost into believing he was in a position of security. Once knocked off the stage by his Universe 7 counterpart, Frost becomes livid and tries to fire a Ki Blast from the stands. Without missing a single beat, Zeno catches this and erases him on the spot.

For as unrepentantly awful as Frost is, the circumstances around his erasure still manage to be quite unsettling. He genuinely trusted Freeza and seemed to believe he was in a position where he could actually make it through a tournament after such a humiliating defeat during the Universe 6 arc. Taken over by a moment of pure rage, he actively breaks a rule and is erased. What’s worse, Zeno’s erasure isn’t as instantaneous as it seems and we see Frost’s brief horror before fading out of existence.

14 Hit Is Arguably Stronger Than Goku

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It probably goes without saying that a 1,000 year old boxer-assassin who can control time may actually be stronger than Goku. Ignoring the awful Hit related mini-arc which preceded the Universe Survival arc, Goku has yet to fight Hit at full power. Their fight at the end of the Universe 6 Tournament can hardly be called legitimate when Hit has to hold back considerably so not to murder Goku, and the two never get a chance to actually fight during the Tournament of Power. From what we can deduce from their only (meaningful) match, however, Hit trumps Goku in power.

Their fight at the end of the Universe 6 Tournament can hardly be called legitimate when Hit has to hold back

Throughout the fight, Hit is constantly improving his time skip. As Goku pushes his body further, Hit masters his centuries old technique. When Goku finally decides to let loose and pair Kaioken with Super Saiyan Blue, Hit still manages to put up an even fight. While Goku does ultimately overpower him, Goku admits that he was on the verge of wrecking his body completely and a victory wouldn’t have mattered anyways since Hit was never actually putting his all into the match.

13 Botamo Is Unstoppable In A Life Or Death Fight

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In a series with dozens of ridiculously powerful characters, there are none as hilariously broken as Botamo. Impervious to damage and virtually immovable, Botamo might not be a huge threat in a tournament setting, but he’d make an incredibly fearsome opponent in a life or death duel. Since he no longer feels pain nor takes damage, it’s almost impossible to hurt him.

Each punch, kick, and Ki blast is transferred from his body in contact to another dimension. It is mentioned that a Super Saiyan Blue Goku could actually manage to damage Botamo, but very few living beings can actually use God Ki. Botamo may not be able to take on Gods, but he likely isn’t picking fights with them anyways.

12 Hit Is Considerably Weaker In The Manga

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Hit might give Goku a considerable amount of the trouble in the anime, but the manga draws a very different picture. Instead of struggling against Hit even with a paired Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken, Goku manages to put Hit in his place by fighting through the time skip with the sheer ferocity of Super Saiyan Blue.

At best, Hit could maybe rival Goku in power

Understanding exactly how the skip works, Goku is able to counter it reliably. He still ends up forfeiting the match, citing his same reasons from the anime, but the manga doesn’t leave you with the impression that Hit could totally eclipse Goku in power. At best, Hit could maybe rival Goku in power, but it’s unlikely he’d ever give him the fight of a lifetime like the anime seems to imply.

11 Cabba: Lanky Or Lean?

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Muscular men have been a core part of Dragon Ball’s world since the very beginning. One of the first few chapters involves an overly muscled Roshi blasting a fire away with an enormous Kamehameha. While characters never get to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure levels of ridiculously built, Toriyama consistently drew a fit, toned cast. Come Super, though, and those defining features have taken a back seat. The cast has become considerably thinner, and several characters have adopted lanky limbs. One of the most grating examples is Universe 6’s Cabba. Saiyans have always been depicted as muscular, so his spaghetti arms and legs can be quite jarring.

Interestingly, the manga takes a different approach with Cabba’s body. While he’s still definitely thinner than Goku or Vegeta, he’s clearly got some muscle on his body. Toyotaro’s Cabba is more lean than he is lanky. In giving Cabba a fighter’s physique, it’s easier to take him seriously and see him as a competent warrior in the manga than the anime. You can clearly tell why he’s Universe 6’s strongest Saiyan at just a glance. In an inherently visual medium, that’s an important distinction.

10 Universe 6 Has The Strongest Team In The Tournament Of Power

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Universe 6 may not have the strongest fighter in the tournament but, if you remove Jiren, their team is easily the strongest on a whole. Every single participant in their roster has some ability that allows them to contribute in a meaningful way. The only weak link is Dr. Rota, but that’s only because he gets knocked out before he can use his special ability.

Every single participant in their roster has some ability that allows them to contribute in a meaningful way.

If you look at Universe 7’s team, you can easily tell the deadweight apart from the heavy hitters. Tien gets knocked out before doing anything susbtantial, Krillin doesn’t make it very far at all, and, while he does manage to get a few knockouts, Roshi falls relatively fast and almost dies. There’s no fighter in Universe 6 who wouldn’t be able to handle their own. Honestly, Universe 6 is incredibly unlucky participating in a tournament with both Jiren and UI Goku.

9 Frost Has Broken The Rules In Both Tournaments He’s Participated In

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Frost holds the honorable distinction of being the only character in the franchise to cheat in every single tournament he has participated in. Previously, the record for most rule breaks belonged to none other than TaoPaiPai, who brought a knife to the 23rd Budokai. Frost, ever the one to assert his superiority, laugh at TaoPaiPai’s puny one rule break and decided to double it. To Champa’s utter horror, and to no surprise to Vados, Frost used the Universe 6 Tournament and the Tournament of Power as a means of defying the gods.

His lawlessness is harmless enough in the Universe 6 Tournament, hiding a poison needle in his body and using it as a means of easily knocking opponents unconscious. It’s how he beat Goku, and he might have managed to knock everyone else out had Piccolo not figured out the trick. In the Tournament of Power, he foolishly fires off a Ki blast from the bleachers after having already been eliminated. At the very least, you don’t have to worry about someone breaking the rule if they don’t exist anymore!

8 Caulifla’s Hair Is Modeled After Broly’s

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Kale may be obvious Broly reference, but Caulifla also shares some of Broly’s traits: specifically, his hair. Her wild mane is incredibly similar to Broly’s when he’s in his first tier of Super Saiyan. Looking at a picture of them side by side, it’s clear that Caulifla’s hair is referencing the Legendary Super Saiyan. Why though? Isn’t Kale the Broly reference? Yes and no.

Kale is meant to represent the LSSJ side of Broly, but Caulifla herself is also part of the reference. Kale, Cauliflower, and Broccoli are all a part of the same family. It’s easy to see the references in Kale, but it’s important to recognize the role Caulifla plays in referencing Broly, as well. Especially since their fusion is the actual Broly reference.

7 Kefla Is The Real Broly Expy

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How is it that Kefla can be the real Broly expy when Kale is literally just female Broly? Simple. Kale isn’t unstoppable. While we see her do an undeniable amount of damage, she isn’t nearly as big a threat as she’s presented to be. Kale, at her absolute worst, was someone who could be subdued with enough effort, nothing like the actual Broly who took almost impossible means to defeat. Kefla, on the other hand, is so overpowered that it takes Ultra Instinct to finally knock her out.

It’s that near impossibility of defeat that makes her more like Broly than anything.

Not only that, it takes an Ultra Instinct that’s been improved. Before, Goku only did minimal damage with UI. Against Kefla, however, he needed to charge his Ki and actually master how to attack in order to beat her. As he was in the state he fought Jiren, his punches did little to no damage. It’s that near impossibility of defeat that makes her more like Broly than anything. She’s basically a fusion of two Brolys.

6 Caulifla Is The First Canon Female Super Saiyan

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Before Dragon Ball Super, there was only one female Saiyan of note: Pan. Bra did exist, but she was never relevant enough in the franchise proper. Pan, on the other hand, played a sizable role in the last few chapters of the original manga and went on to become the deuteragonist of Dragon Ball GT. Despite her importance, however, Toei never felt it was necessary to give her access to the Super Saiyan transformation. It wouldn’t be until Super, decades later, that we would see our first canon female Super Saiyan.

Caulifla triggering the transformation is a big deal for the series. There have been female Super Saiyans in spin-off titles like Dragon Ball Heroes, but the whole concept of the female Saiyan has been ignored in the mainstream entries. It’s a frustrating underrepresentation that’s never been properly justified. Thankfully, Super gave us Caulifla, and it’s likely we’ll be seeing more of her in the future. (Even if she has been erased.)