InDragon Ball Super, we are introduced to the 12 Universes that make up theDragon BallMultiverse. Ranging from the parallel universe of Universe 6, which parallels the main universe we are familiar with, to Universe 10, which has presented us one of the most dangerous villains inDragon Ballhistory that is only challenged by Freeza. Zamasu’s reign of absolute justice and near omnipotence started out as a rather misguided path towards his ideals of justice, however, many characters would argue that outside factors contributed to his eventual rise to infamy as a villain and mass-murderer across universes.
Goku’s arrival and interaction with the Supreme Kai in-training inspired the major factor of how he felt about mortals, but it was Zamasu’s master and mentor, Gowasu, who contributed as well to the ideology that Zamasu would soon uphold and take in response to Gowasu’s own lessons and teachings. Whether intentional or not, Gowasu seemed to be responsible for Zamasu’s extreme ideology.
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Gowasu’s Mistakes
Not many can disagree, that despite the mentorship that Gowasu provided to Zamasu, it wasn’t of great quality or even addressing the concerns which Zamasu had in the beginning. It was this debatable neglect of Zamasu’s own self-ideals and mindset, as well as Gowasu’sbad choice in exampleto prove that mortals can grow and change for the better that drove Zamasu to action that would lead to disastrous consequences. But could you say that Gowasu meant to do such a thing, or was it simply an oversight on his part as well as unfortunate circumstances out of his control? If it is, then it seems there wouldn’t be a problem, but his attitude in the early stages of Zamasu’s development were unaware and unsurprisingly dismissive of his worries and overall viewpoint. What this means for the world ofDragon Balldepends on how you look at it, so lets look at some of the facts and a bit of the early states of Gowasu and Zamasu’s dynamic.
While many characters like Gowasu usually have good intentions, if not albeit poorly misguided ones, this doesn’t mean that they are immune to making mistakes that could cost invaluable things, or the lives of all beings in theDragon Ballmultiverse. Gowasu’s initial mistake came in the form of when he noticed Zamasu’s clouded thoughts through the tea that he served, asking and noting that Zamasu’s worries were understandable, but he stated the same rhetoric many were familiar with. As Kai’s, they were meant to simply observe and not involve themselves in the affairs of mortals to keep the world in balance, but mostly becausethis is the same rulethat every Kai has to uphold in some way or another. Despite the intentions to put Zamasu’s mind at ease, this only led to even more confusion in the young trainee’s head, and it certainly was exacerbated thanks to Goku’s involvement.
However, while Zamasu’s ideals were bordering on incorrect and dangerous, he was still clouded by hesitation as he still had a connection Gowasu. However, when Gowasu attempted to ease his concerns by proving that the Babarians could change with time, Gowasu didn’t count on the fact that the Babarians would be theworst example for Zamasuto learn from. After that disastrous lesson, Zamasu’s concerns and doubts were relieved from his mind but his ideals and extreme methods did not. As we have seen, Gowasu eventually would be eliminated by Zamasu in an attempt to get rid of any obstacles in his way.
The Final Decision
Overall, there is no doubt that Gowasu may have had a huge part to play with Zamasu’s decision to eliminate all mortals, albeit indirectly as opposed to encouraging it actively. After all, while Gowasu certainly didn’t mean to lead Zamasu into the wrong methodology as well as was careless when teaching Zamasu through example, it didn’t change the intention that if Gowasu had known the future, he would have attempted his best to guide Zamasu back on the right path. Even so, there is an unfortunate side to this, considering that Gowasu and Zamasu seemed to have a good dynamic ofstudent and mentor before Goku’s appearanceand Zamasu’s doubts towards mortals. Especially since Gowasu trusted and had faith in Zamasu’s ability to improve and learn from his teachings, however flawed they were and somewhat neglectful, it has its own tragedy to it considering how Gowasu tried to help Zamasu as good as he could.
Dragon Ball Super, ultimately, manages to provide for us a story where we witness the descent of a Kai whose failed by his teacher, and Gowasu represents this in some way. The important part about this, however, is that Gowasu’s actionscontributed to Zamasu’s descent, which inevitably had consequences for an entire timeline as well as entire universes. These consequences are harped on a lot, and yet to see them in action due to the failings of Gowasu as a teacher and Zamasu’s actions because of Gowasu’s and examples, showsDragon Ball Superhas great strengths in terms of storytelling it demonstrates.
