The Dragon Ball Super series has introduced many intriguing and vital characters to the beloved story created by the late Akira Toriyama. From new deities that expanded the lore of this universe to new villains who forced the heroes to transcend their limits, this sequel has been an amazing addition to the franchise.

Still, despite all the good Super brought, a glaring problem was also introduced early in the series, revolving around the God of Destruction of Universe 7, Beerus. Ever since he was introduced in the Battle of the Gods movie, this mighty deity has been regarded as one of the series’ most powerful beings. Lamentably, the fact that his power seems to fluctuate according to the plot’s needs has made it hard to properly estimate the level of other characters.

Beerus' Inconsistent Power Level Causes A Major Issue

A Proper Answer About His Strength Has Never Been Revealed

As a God of Destruction, Beerus is hailed as one of the most powerful creatures in the Dragon Ball multiverse. He is an extremely powerful being who can fight against several other deities at the same time and still come out victorious. His skill and strength are such that some of the series’ mightiest fighters tremble in fear at the mere thought of this imposing god. Fans were introduced to his impressive abilities during the Battle of the Gods Saga, in which he fought against a newly awakened Super Saiyan God Goku.

This brief but intense encounter proved that Beerus was not one to be messed with, as he managed to defeat Kakarot even with his divine transformation. In the movie version of this fight, Whis revealed that Beerus had to utilize nearly 70% of his power to defeat Goku, making it seem as if the Saiyan was near his level. The anime never gave an official statement about how much of his true power Beerus had to use, but he still seemed to take his encounter with Goku seriously.

This battle is what has caused the most issues for fans when trying to accurately determine how powerful a character can be. For example, Goku’s Super Saiyan God transformation was hinted at being enough to force Beerus to put effort into their encounter. Nonetheless, when Kakarot and Vegeta awakened the next step, Super Saiyan Blue, the god was not worried about them reaching his level in the slightest. Beerus’ unknown power makes it hard to assess how strong Goku and his friends are, as there is not enough information to make an educated guess.

Beerus' Power Level Is Not Defined And Fluctuates as Needed

If The Story Needs Him To Be Stronger, He Will

Beerus’ unstable power level seems to be directly tied to the necessities of the story, increasing his powers whenever it is convenient. A perfect example of this issue is the Tournament of Power Saga and the subsequent appearance of the deity in the series. During the multiversal battle for dominance, Jiren was introduced. This stoic and righteous fighter was said to have achieved a power capable of suring even the Gods of Destruction themselves. He demonstrated this monstrous ability by overpowering almost all combatants, with Goku having to achieve the Ultra Instinct state just to stand a chance.

After learning to control and harness this unique ability, Kakarot was able to flip the script, being the one in control of the fight and shocking not only Jiren but the Gods as well. Since his opponent was supposedly more powerful than Beerus, it would stand to reason that Goku would be as well. Nevertheless, the next time Universe 7’ and Goku interacted, the deity was implied to still be several times more powerful. It seems that no matter what Kakarot or Vegeta do, Beerus’ level will remain an unreachable goal.

This makes sense narratively, as having the heroes reach the level of the most powerful being in their universe would turn any new enemy into a moot point. Goku could be able to handle any threat with ease, turning the exciting battles the series is known for into a thing of the past. What is more, Kakarot would lose his motivation to become better, as he is always trying to improve himself by fighting stronger opponents. While not as fulfilling as fans would like, hiding Beerus’ true power could be a good thing for the franchise overall.

The issue with Beerus also comes from how he was introduced in the franchise. Battle of the Gods was not supposed to birth a whole new sequel, so the statements made in that movie (including the infamous one that Beerus and Goku's blow create shockwaves that cross dimensions) were not supposed to be weighed against something in the future. Super Saiyan God was the ultimate form for Goku, so it made sense to make it almost as strong as the new strongest character introduced in the movie. Then, Dragon Ball Super came to be, and this all changed.

Power Levels Are Not Useful Any Longer in Dragon Ball

The Idea Of Quantifiable Strength Has Been Obsolete For Decades

During the original Dragon Ball series, as well as the beginning of Z, power levels were an excellent plot device to determine the growth of the protagonist as he encountered powerful opponents. Whenever a being more powerful than he would appear, Goku could estimate how much training he would need to defeat them by learning about their maximum strength. Power levels also served as a way to let audiences know how much of a threat an enemy could be, by having them wonder how the heroes would reach the threshold needed to overcome them.

This device began to feel obsolete with the introduction of Frieza and the Super Saiyan transformation. Instead of power levels being easily quantifiable by fans, like in the early days of the franchise, they began to become too big for anyone to imagine. Frieza’s final form was said to have a power of over 100 million, a number that not most followers would be able to visualize. These amounts just kept getting bigger, becoming more irrelevant with each new foe or transformation introduced. Even Toriyama himself itted regretting introducing power levels, and that by the Androids saga he stopped thinking about them altogether.

By the time Dragon Ball Super came around, it was easier to just deduce which fighter was stronger by their performance during combat. There is no more need for a mechanic such as power levels in the series anymore, as the threshold of ability has increased to unimaginable degrees. Although not having a true point of comparison between Beerus and the rest of the Z Warriors can be frustrating, this solves the issue of having to assign inconceivable levels of power to a character.

Beerus is likely to remain one of Dragon Ball Super’s most important and iconic characters, seeing as many of the conflicts in the series revolve around him. His true strength might never be revealed, yet this could have more positive repercussions for the story than negative. Whether his power level is confirmed or not, he will remain an inspiration for Goku and his friends to train hard and become stronger.