Within the Dragon Ball mythos, there are few artifacts more powerful than the Dragon Balls as they have the capability to grant nearly any wish someone could have–though Dragon Ball GT actually succeeded in upping the ante by introducing an upgraded version of the magical orbs, even if using them came at a terrible price.
Dragon Balls are mystical orbs (usually in groups of seven, but can be in as little as two) that summon a wish-granting Dragon once they have been properly crafted by a Namekian. The Dragon Balls that are most prominently featured in the series are Earth’s Dragon Balls, which were originally created by Kami before they were recreated by Dende when he took over as Earth’s god. While it was believed that Kami only created one set of Dragon Balls for Earth, Dragon Ball GT reveals that there was another, stronger set created by the Namekian.
In Dragon Ball GT season 1, episode 1 (written by Aya Matsui, directed by Osamu Kasai, produced by Toei Animation), Emperor Pilaf and his gang break into the Lookout to steal the Dragon Balls as Pilaf wanted to wish for world domination (as has been his dream since the early days of Dragon Ball). When Pilaf uncovers a group of seven orbs with stars that were numbered one through seven, he saw that they weren’t like the Dragon Balls he was used to seeing. These Dragon Balls had black stars rather than the usual orange–and that wasn’t the only thing that was different about them.
The Black Star Dragon Balls are Stronger than the Original, & More Deadly
While Pilaf was confused by these odd looking Dragon Balls at first, he quickly identified them as the Black Star Dragon Balls and told the rest of his crew that they held way more power than the original–with the reason being that Kami created these Dragon Balls before he split himself in two. Way before the continuity of classic Dragon Ball, a Nameless Namekian traveled to Earth to become the god of that world, but he couldn’t do that unless he rid himself of all the evil in his soul. So, the Nameless Namekian did just that–thus creating two of himself: Kami and King Piccolo. When Kami became Kami after splitting with Piccolo, he created the Dragon Balls as fans originally knew them. However, based on the information given in this episode, it seems as though Kami created the Black Star Dragon Balls when he was still known as the Nameless Namekian, and when he still had evil in his soul–and the price for using these Dragon Balls highlights that point.
Dragon Balls are only as powerful as the energy put into them by their creator, which is why the Black Star Dragon Balls are stronger than the original–because Kami (or the Nameless Namekian) was stronger when he made them. However, he was also more evil, which is why no one should ever want to use the Black Star Dragon Balls despite the fact that more can be done with a single wish–and that’s because after someone uses these Dragon Balls, they get scattered across the universe and must be collected again within a year or else the entire planet will be destroyed. Obviously, the price for using them far outweighs the added power of their wish-granting capabilities–proving that Dragon Ball GT’s upgraded Dragon Balls have a dark twist that makes them practically useless.
