Gokū Black

**Zamasu** (ザマス; *Viz* "Zamas"), also referred to as **Black** (ブラック, *Burakku*) was the name given to the former Kaiō of the north and Kaiōshin-in-training from the 10th Universe. After stealing the body of Son Gokū through the use of the Super Dragon Balls, he took to calling himself "Son Gokū," but was given his moniker (for which he would be almost exclusively known) by the futuristic Bulma prior to her demise at his hands.

## Background

Zamasu was originally the North Kaiō of the 10th Universe. However, due to his prodigious fighting skill, he was selected to become one of its Kaiōshin, and served as a Kaiōshin in training. He was originally a version of Zamasu from the alternative present timeline. Due to the powers of the Time Ring, the death of the other present Zamasu under Beerus' hand did not affect him. By killing Gowasu, he became a Kaiōshin and took the Time Rings for himself. At some point, Zamasu collected the Super Dragon Balls, and wished to switch bodies with the Son Gokū of his timeline, thus merging his soul with the Saiyan body. Upon his wish being granted, he killed Gokū, followed by his wife and youngest son, and took the name of Son Gokū for himself.

To put the "Zero Mortals Plan" into action, he traveled to the Trunks' future where he found the future version of himself. Killing the Gowasu of that timeline, he teamed up with the future Zamasu, initiating his future self into his plan. The two later collected the Super Dragon Balls to wish the future Zamasu immortal and used the Time Ring to jump forward one year in the future and had the balls destroyed themselves so that they could never be restored. Prior to arriving on Earth, along with his partner, he has already wiped out several planets and their inhabitants in the name of justice as well as killing all Kaiōshin throughout the universes, to subsequently eliminate all Hakaishin.

Using his Time Ring, he could travel between parallel worlds at will. At the time Kaiōshin succumbed to his injuries against Babidi's Forces and died, Zamasu appeared and maliciously chuckled now that timeline's Hakaishin was deceased. Sometime later, he started destroying humanity on Earth. Due to his attire and his resemblance to Gokū, Bulma decided to nickname him "Gokū Black". His rampage brought Earthlings to near extinction. In his first encounter with Trunks, Black deliberately spared the Saiyan in the hopes that he would grow stronger. From that point, Trunks fought him for one year but to no avail.

After causing destruction, Zamasu began to sense Trunks's *ki* and he then pursued him. After he found Trunks, Zamasu blasted several *ki* blasts at Trunks and managed to hit him while Trunks was attempting to get away. Zamasu declared that it was over for Trunks, but Mai saved him by throwing a flashbang at Zamasu and both Trunks and Mai quickly escaped. After regaining his vision, Zamasu stated that Trunks, the last of the Saiyans, could not run forever.

## Personality

Zamasu had thus far proven to be quite the ruthless individual, killing Bulma and Mai without hesitation. Curiously, Black appeared to have a preoccupation with Saiyans—as he sought to extinguish their race and refers to them, not by their given names, but simply with a derogatory "*Saiyan*". Unlike Son Gokū, his look-alike, Black had no regard for human life and believed that the death he brings them is a blessing. Additionally, Black saw the human race as "the god's only failure", considered his extermination of them "justice" and aspired to make a more perfect world.

During his brief time in the past, Black showed excitement at facing stronger opponents—a trait that Gokū notes to be just like him. Showing he'd truly inherited Gokū's love of a challenge, he finds the lack of any challenging opponents to be boring; this was best shown when he said Trunks fleeing the timeline, leaving no one strong to oppose him, made things boring in the wake of his deicide of the gods. Despite his ruthlessness, Black did display some manner of formality, as he addressed Beerus as "Beerus-*sama*" (ビルス様, *Birusu-sama*), a polite honorific. He also formally greeted Gokū when they first meet, and refered to fighting him as an "honor". After his battle with Gokū, Black gaind a notable fixation on learning more about the Saiyan, in an effort to gain more power. This is not present in the manga, where Black had no real personal connection to Gokū, and was more annoyed by the Saiyan, rather than retaining his respect and admiration that he had from the anime.

Befitting his attitude, Black used very formal speech patterns, and uses the pronoun *watashi* (私) when referring to himself, which is gender neutral and but only goes to indicate his formal nature. However, while transformed into Super Saiyan Rosé, Black notably switches from *watashi* to *ore* (俺), a more masculine, casual pronoun which can be used to sound arrogant. Notably, this is also Son Gokū's personal pronoun.

Black has also shown a fixation on "beauty", considering the utter removal of humans as making the Universe into a beautiful paradise. Furthermore, he sees his Super Saiyan Rosé form as the height of beauty, valuing the form for both its power and its illustrious appearance. An additional quirk, most likely inherited from Gokū's body, was a comparison of fighting to food; Black has referred to Vegeta, Son Gokū, and Trunks as the opening dish, main course, and dessert respectively.

Many of Black's traits in the anime differ in the manga, down to his mannerisms and fighting style. Contrasting his polite demeanor in the anime, in the manga, Black leans more towards the side of shouting, and tends to lose his temper and control once things do not go his way. Furthermore, unlike in the anime, where Black enjoys the pain he endures in battle, as it makes him stronger, Black shows no such sadomasochism in the manga, though pain still provides the same effect. In both incarnations, manga and anime, Black has shown a fixation on power. It was his desire to become stronger than led him to take Gokū's body, and in the manga, this was referred to by the future Zamasu as exchanging his godly abilities for power. He also underestimated Vegeta in the manga, believing that a lower-grade Super Saiyan form could not surpass his Rosé.

## Appearance

* His appearance after switching bodies with Gokū.
* His original appearance.
1/2
In his original body, Zamasu was a green skinned Shinling with white hair, and he wore standard purple and black robes that other Kaiōshin wear.

After obtaining Goku's body, Black gained a sharp physical resemblance to Son Gokū. This included his Saiyan jet-black hair. Due to possessing Gokū's body, he also possesses the scar the Saiyan gained when he fell as a child. The notable difference resided in his facial expressions being more malicious, and his apparel's color scheme differs. Unlike Son Gokū, Black wore *gi* in various dark shades, consisting of a grey overshirt, a black undershirt, grey bottoms, though his boots were white. He also wore a red *obi* sash. His accessories consisted of a single green Potara on his left ear, and a silver Time Ring on his right hand.

## Equipment

* **Time Ring** (時（とき）の指（ゆび）輪（わ）, *Toki no Yubiwa*): A magical ring, belonging to the Kaiōshin, that allows Black to travel through time. Specifically, the ring allows him to follow distortions in space-time to the source, such as following Trunks from the future to the past. The ring has its limitations, however—if the distortion in space-time mends itself, he is forced back into the era he came from. Furthermore, the ring normally only permits the user to travel to the future and then back to the present and, thus, without a distortion, he is unable to travel back to the past.

* **Potara** (ポタラ): A mystical earring belonging to the Kaiōshin. Black wore a single earring, having given the other to his future self. When worn on the same ear by two individuals, the Potara enables fusion. Furthermore, wearing the Potara brands one a Kaiōshin, and allows Black to utilize the Time Ring.

## Abilities

As the 'fusion' of a incredibly powerful and gifted Shinling with the body of Son Gokū, **Gokū Black** was an extraordinarily terrifying enemy. Even without the ability to turn Super Saiyan Blue, Goku Black's power was equal to that of a post-Super Saiyan God Son Goku in Super Saiyan 3 according to Future Trunks. After fighting Goku in his Super Saiyan 2 form to a standstill despite being within his base form, Goku Black gained the ability to turn into his own unique Super Saiyan Blue form, Super Saiyan Rosé. With this form unlocked he was easily more powerful than Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta, sometimes being capable of defeating both at the same time. Before his fusion, Gokū Black had yet to experience a single loss in combat against the heroes, with only Future Trunks in his Super Saiyan Rage form being the closest to incapacitating him.

### Power

After his first arrival on Earth, Black immediately wiped out about half of humanity and eventually brought Earthlings to near extinction. His power is far greater than that of the Trunks' Super Saiyan 2 transformation, who's strength is comparable to Gokū's Super Saiyan 3 transformation. Despite this, Black had difficulty keeping up with Gokū in his Super Saiyan 2 state. By the time Vegeta and Gokū confront him, he could fight on par with Vegeta's Super Saiyan Blue transformation, and in his Super Saiyan Rosé, could overwhelm Gokū's own transformation. During his rematch with Gokū, he was momentarily overwhelmed when the Saiyan got enraged after he bragged about killing his family, but using his ability to recover and get stronger after a beating he effortlessly defeated Gokū once more.

Trunks also notes that Black's power steadily increased after every battle, a fact that Piccolo confirms upon seeing Black's power rapidly increased while fighting Gokū. This, however, is an ability innate to Black's Saiyan body — as his body formerly belonged to Son Gokū.

### Fighting Style

Black's fighting style primarily revolved around ambush tactics, hiding in the clouds and attacking his enemies randomly with a vicious and violent attack patterns. He also appeared to be able to control the clouds to some extent, as even when descending from them he is seen to wrap himself in a vortex of clouds and debris. Black, after his battle with Son Gokū, claimed to have perfectly adapted the Saiyan's style into his body, as it "suited him", and thus adjusted his fighting style to incorporate Gokū's methods and movement.

### Ki Manipulation Techniques

By Whis' own admission, Black's *ki* had an overwhelmingly malicious quality to it, in spite of Black's claims of justice. Black had shown the ability to release basic Kikōha (which take on a green-black tint), as well as use the Air Dance Technique and sense *ki*, an ability Trunks implies he only recently obtained. Black was still a novice at sensing *ki*, however, as he required deep focus to locate Trunks, who was located in the building directly beneath him. After obtaining Super Saiyan Rosé during his battle with Vegeta and Gokū, Black was able to generate an rosé-colored aura of *ki*-formed blade on his hand. This blade allowed him to defeat Vegeta in his Super Saiyan Blue form with one attack. He was also able to use it to deflect several *ki* bullets from Gokū.

Black also had access to abilities commonly associated with the original owner of his body, Gokū, such as firing an (albeit black) Kamehameha. Additionally, he was capable of using Gokū's Instantaneous Movement technique.

### Saiyan Forms

#### Super Saiyan

*Main article: Super Saiyan*

Being in possession of Son Gokū's body, Black was capable of transforming into a Super Saiyan. In the manga, the full force of this form is seen, as Black transforms into a Super Saiyan to fight Vegeta. In this form, he notably as plasma in his aura, similar to a Super Saiyan 2. Trunks states that he hadn't seen Black transform in a long time, showcasing that Black had become strong enough and comfortable enough in Gokū's body to forego Super Saiyan entirely before meeting Vegeta. While fighting Vegeta, Black seemed equal as a Super Saiyan to Vegeta's own Super Saiyan, before it was revealed that he was truly outmatched, and Vegeta dominated the match entirely. Furthermore, this form proved inferior to Vegeta's Super Saiyan Blue power, and Black needed to be saved by Zamasu.

As he possessed the body of the Son Gokū of an alternative present timeline, Black had the potential to access his other available forms — Super Saiyan Second Grade, Super Saiyan Third Grade, Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, and Super Saiyan God.

#### Super Saiyan Rosé

*Main article: Super Saiyan Rosé*

After managing to completely control "Gokū's power" and make it his own, Black became capable of taking on a transformation which he dubbed Super Saiyan Rosé, due to the pinkish tint it gives to his hair. This form is the equivalent of Super Saiyan. This transformation allowed him to overwhelm Gokū's Super Saiyan Blue form, as well as Vegeta's initially. Furthermore, all of his techniques became enhanced by this form's power, and were powerful enough to completely render Gokū and Trunks unable to fight. The manga events differ from the anime in that in addition to Super Saiyan, Black was in possession of this unique form, which is his corrupt version of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan as opposed to being his version of Super Saiyan as such in the anime. The manga explains this form as the equivalent of Super Saiyan Blue, and is what occurs due to Black — who possessed true god status — surpassing the Super Saiyan God.

### Other Skills

Black had implied that, by fighting with other combatants, he can incorporate their powers into his own — such as when he "perfectly incorporated" the powers of Gokū into his being after their fight. This was later displayed when Black displays a combat stance similar to Gokū, adjusting his fighting style and movements to incorporate the Saiyan's style. Futhermore, Gokū Black had the ability to travel in a funneling smoke cloud, and has been seen using this ability more than once. However Black's most devastating skill was his innate use of the Saiyan body he possesses: after being beaten in a battle he was able to instantly recover and gain a massive power boost. This was demonstrated after his first battle with Goku, which allowed him to unlock Super Saiyan Rosé, and the second time when Goku was enraged while fighting him but he was able to recover instantly after the beating and completely beat Goku in return despite rage boosting his power.

## Part IV

### "Future" Trunks Arc

*Main article: "Future" Trunks Arc*

Black appeared in the destroyed Western Capital, having developed the ability to sense Trunks' *ki*. He attacks the young half-Saiyan and his mother, killing the older woman and destroying her lab in the process, while Trunks barely makes an escape. Keen on pursuing Trunks, Black engages him in battle at the remnants of Capsule Corporation, and attacks Mai, gravely injuring the woman. Descending from the smoke, Black revealed his form to be identical to the hero, Son Gokū, and tells Trunks that the day for him to die has finally arrived.

Black taunts Trunks, goading him into attacking, which turned out to be a successful tactic. The young half-Saiyan transformed into his Super Saiyan state and rushed Black, managing to land an impressive blow in the process. Black counterattacks and quickly overwhelmsTrunks. Finally, Black prepares a energy attack to finish Trunks off, but the young Saiyan used his sword at the last minute to prematurely detonate Black's blast. He then launched a Masenkō at Black, blinding the villain long enough to escape. Black attempts to hunt Trunks by sensing his *ki* and catches the young Saiyan just as he is about to escape in his Time Machine. He launched a black Kamehameha, but the Time Machine activated at the last minute, causing him to miss. Confused, Black attempted to locate Trunks again, only to notice that his *ki* had completely vanished.

After attempting to locate Trunks across the planet, Black's Time Ring reacted and opened a dark portal to the past. Upon arrival, Black appeared confused as to where he was, but immediately recognized Trunks and Gokū. He went on to recognize both Vegeta and Beerus. Trunks attempted to ward Black off, and Black declared his intentions to kill the Saiyan youth, however Gokū intervened and flied up to fight him.

Black said that would be an "honor"—fighting Gokū in "this body," much to Gokū's curiosity. The two began trading blows for a little while before Gokū transforming into a Super Saiyan. Likewise, Black rose his *ki*, and asked the Saiyan to show him more of his power. The fight, however, recommenced as Gokū became more serious and Black took a beating. When Black's Time Ring began to act up, he realized that the distortion in space-time caused by the time travel is beginning to mend itself. Finally, he was forced back to the future, but not before noticing the Time Machine and blowing it up.

In the future, he marveled at his increase in strength thanks to fighting with Gokū and was further elated that Trunks was unable to return to the future—harping that there was no one left to stop him from eradicating humanity. Black later made careful adjustments to his movements and combat stance. Emulating the movements of Gokū, Black destroyed a faraway ruin with a single punch, commenting that Gokū's style of movement suits his body. Forming a Kikōha, he released it into the ruined city, watching the rubble burn beneath him. Black realized his next step — become even stronger by learning more about Son Gokū. After he returned to the future, Black once against laid siege to the Earthlings. Despite this, he cut his assault short after only killing a small number of the remaining Earthlings.

While overlooking the destroyed Western Capital and enjoying the human-free view, Black saw a vibrant flash of *ki*, he headed towards the source in a funnel of cloud, and was surprised to see Trunks and co.. He was then challenged by Vegeta, who transformed into a Super Saiyan Blue, much to his compliment. Vegeta unleashed the full force of his Super Saiyan Blue power on Black, however, the futuristic enemy emerged from the beating unscathed. Impressed, however, by Vegeta's strength, Black resolved to show him something as a reward, and transformed into a new state which he christened Super Saiyan Rosé, after Gokū and Vegeta's style of naming their form "Super Saiyan Blue". He explained to Gokū that he had now completely mastered the Saiyan's power, and achieved the pinnacle of beauty as a result, though Gokū did not understand. Despite Vegeta's insistence to fight him, Black no longer wanted anything to do with Vegeta, viewing him as only the opening act and said to the Saiyan prince that his turn was over. With that, the prince rushed Black, who stabbed him through the chest with a pink *ki* blade, fatally wounding Vegeta; also corrected Vegeta's such a a tasty appetizer and thanked him that he has now grown even stronger.

Gokū stepped up, transformed into a Super Saiyan Blue, and their second battle began. Despite seeming evenly matched, Black had the advantage, and managed to knock Gokū into the ground, forming a Kamehameha to finish him off. However, Zamasu descended from the sky, ordering Black to stop, as Black agreed that Zamasu would be the one to finish off Son Gokū. Despite their agreement, Black butted into Gokū and Zamasu's battle, attacking from Gokū's blind-spot. Zamasu argued that Son Gokū was supposed to be his prey, and Black told Zamasu that "this body wants Gokū," and he was unable to repress that strong desire. The two agreed to work together, claiming the kill of Gokū for both of them; tag-teaming Gokū, the two forced him into a helpless position. Black pursued a follow-up attack but is blocked by Trunks. The enraged Saiyan-half furiously attacked Black, sending the man into the nearest building.

Black emerged furiously from the rubble, and he and Zamasu respectively released two Kikōha towards Gokū and Trunks, forcing the two into the air to dodge. Black and Zamasu managed to separate their opponents, and Gokū and Black had a brief exchange, with the latter taking Gokū by surprise with his use of the Teleportation, blasting him into the rubble. When Trunks stabbed Zamasu, Black intercepted by irritably blasting Trunks' sword away, and proceeded to attack him, only to be blindsided by Gokū. As Trunks and Gokū gathered in one place after Trunks' failed attempt to kill Zamasu, Black began to charge a Kamehameha again, and Gokū urged Trunks to run. Zamasu, however, kept the duo in place, allowing Black to release his technique uninhibited.

With Gokū and Trunks critically weakened, Black and Zamasu form a large sphere with which to kill both Saiyans. However, their blast was ruptured when a Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta used his Final Flash to destroy it before collapsing once more. In the smoke, Trunks and Gokū was rescued, leaving Black and Zamasu to dispatch the weakened Vegeta. However, Mai's soldiers released a tear gas grenade, blinding Black and Zamasu and taking Vegeta away. Black tried to sense their *ki*, but the other humans' *ki* gets in the way. When Trunks' Time Machine appeared in the sky, Black could do and immediately teleported to them with Instantaneous Movement. However, they managed to escape, leaving Black angry. Zamasu insisted his partner not worry, as they will come back, and when they do, they will arrive in their Utopia.

Back at their cabin in the woods, Gokū Black and Zamasu discussed their plans. Black was lamenting that he was unable to finish off Son Gokū, but Zamasu suggested that Black took his time killing Gokū, so he could absorb more of the latter's power. Zamasu berated his partner for not using the Super Dragon Balls to gain immortality like him, but Black, transforming into Super Saiyan Rosé, replies that he's happy with his supreme battle power. He stated that his infinitely rising battle power is key to their plan, the Zero Humans Plan; Zamasu merely noted on the irony of a human's power being key to the plan to erase all humans.

Sometimes alter, at their cabin, while Zamasu was pouring tea, both Black and Zamasu sensed the return of the Saiyans, and went to confront them. Black was pleased that their arrival meaned he can become stronger; Vegeta immediately transformed into a Super Saiyan Blue, rushing in to fight Black, who responded by transforming into a Super Saiyan Rosé. The two clashed briefly, and Black insinuated that Vegeta wants to defeat him to make up for his failing in their last encounter; Vegeta, however, told Black to be quiet, as his purpose to defeat Black is only for the sake of his son, and the future, which Black commented that's a very un-Saiyan sentiment.

Gokū told Black and Zamasu that they also acknowledged what Zamasu did with the Super Dragon Balls — used them to grant Zamasu immortality and created a fake of Son Gokū. Black claimed that he, however, is not a fake Gokū — has the real Gokū's own body, but with Zamasu's mind inside and explained that his wish to the Super Dragon Balls was that he, Zamasu, would switch bodies with Son Gokū, shocking everyone. When Gokū asks what Black did to the Gokū with whom he switched bodies, Black states that he killed that Gokū with his own hands, much to Gokū's shock.

Gokū wondered how Zamasu survived as he saw the present Zamasu in the past destroyed by Beerus, but Black explained that thanks to the Time Ring, nothing that happened in the past could affect him, and later told them his backstory: how he killed Gowasu, inheriting his role as Kaiōshin and taking the Time Ring. The two interrupted their explanation to attack Gokū's group. While Gokū counterattacked, Zamasu's immortal body immediately recovered from the damage; Black then revealed that in order to bring his idea of justice to fruition he needed someone who shared his ideals, himself, and told them how they teamed up and made the future Zamasu immortal, destroyed the Super Dragon Balls and killed the gods in all universes to become superior in that world.

The fight continued, but Gokū's group was still outmatched. The future Zamasu cornered Gokū, told him what happened to his family, shockingly immobilizing the Saiyan as Black approached and stabbed him in the chest through his future self's immortal body. That story naturally made Gokū furious, and his rage gave him the strength to overwhelm both Zamasu at the same time for a while. However, Black soon counterattacked and defeated Gokū with his newly improved version of his *ki* blade technique, and noted that due to the Saiyan body, the newfound challenge gave him a boost up in his power. As Trunks showed disgust with Black's actions, the two Zamasu claimed that Trunks is guilty of a greater sin — changing the past, violating the gods' taboo against time travel as the Time Ring is proof of his guilt; and that they would cleanse the world of his sin by eliminating him and all Earthlings. The talk, however, enraged the half-Saiyan as he admitted the sin and furiously powered up into a strange Super Saiyan form.

Trunks' rage has increased his power greatly. Using this power, Trunks is able to hold off Black. However, Black still has the upper hand in the battle. Trunks' advantage is nullified when Zamasu starts working together with Black and they overwhelm him. Black and Zamasu fire a combined ki blast, but Trunks is able to destroy the ki blast. Vegeta attempts to help only to be knocked down by the two Zamasu. Seeing that the battle isn't in their favor, Trunks launches a barrage of ki blasts onto Black and Zamasu in order to hold them off. Trunks asks Vegeta to use the Time Machine to go back into the past. Mai is given the bag of Senzu and vows to protect Trunks. Bulma, Vegeta and Gokū get into the Time Machine and begin traveling back to the past. Black attempts to destroy the Time Machine but Trunks blocks him off which allows the Time Machine to successfully go back to the past. Black and Zamasu are not concerned with their escape as they will return. The enraged Trunks prepares to fight Black and Zamasu.

The battle concluded in Black and Zamasu's favour, but Trunks escaped them yet again. Black and Zamasu returned to their hideout, drinking tea. Black is pleased at the idea that Son Gokū will return even stronger, believing that, when Gokū does, he will defeat him this time and reach an ultimate combat strength. He goes on to state that this will be the last time Gokū and company will defile the world of the gods with their time travel. Excited at the prospect of their return, Gokū Black misses Mai's presence, and is nearly shot off the table with a special bullet. He immediately recognizes the attack for what it is, so he and Zamasu retaliate with a "Warning" that would heve killed Mai and her cohorts had Trunks not intervened.

Sensing Trunks, Black jokes that Trunks might be immortal as well. Trunks' engages the two in battle, and Black transforms into a Super Saiyan Rosé to meet the Saiayan-half, Zamasu following him. Black bats away the sword Trunks threw as a decoy, but is hit by a solid combo from Trunks, and sent careening away by a Garlic Cannon. Black wasn't killed by this, however, and stabs Trunks from behind, stopping the latter's attempt to kill himself and Zamasu. He does, however, compliment Trunks' effort. The Time Machine returns, carrying Gokū, Vegeta and, Bulma leading to Black's glee.

He and Zamasu go confront Gokū and Vegeta, and his first action is to destroy the Time Machine, making it impossible for Gokū and Vegeta to return home. Black notes that Gokū and Vegeta are ignoring Zamasu's monologue, but the latter doesn't care; he's talking for the sake of hearing himself. Black finds this very god-like. The groups of two prepare to fight, until Gowasu and Shin arrives to intervene.

Gowasu attempts to interrogate Black, and asks him why he would do such a thing. Black firmly believes that with the humans dead, true beauty will return to the Universe. He killed the gods due to the fact that they would try to intervene in his plans. Casually, he attempts to kill Gowasu for the third time, with he and Zamasu stating there need only be one god. Gokū and Vegeta save Gowasu, however, and the latter implores Black to use the Dragon Balls of the future to resurrect those he's killed. Black simply tells him that he has destroyed the Dragon Balls, which is more than Gowasu wanted to hear.

The battle resumes, Black being challenged by Vegeta. In spite of his previous superiority, Black is being overwhelmed by Vegeta's strength, and is impressed by how quickly he's improved, commending the Saiyans for being a warrior race. Zamasu intervenes in an attempt to help, but Vegeta recovers from the sneak attack to resume fighting Black. Despite Black's attempts to land a solid blow, Vegeta retaliates and keeps Black on the defensive. Vegeta outright insults Black for stealing Gokū's body, stating that the only one who can use that body correct, and its Saiyan cells, is Gokū. Black cannot comprehend how he's losing, but Vegeta gives him answer; Black is a fake Saiyan, but Vegeta is the Saiyan prince.

## Creation and Conception

According to Akira Toriyama, the inspiration for the concept Gokū Black stems from Kamen Rider and Ultraman. Specifically, the inspiration stems from Kamen Rider Black and Ultras. Akira Toriyama noted that when creating him he was aiming to make a "False Son Gokū.

## In Other Media

### Video Games

Shortly after his appearance in *Dragon Ball Super*, Black debuted in *Dragon Ball Heroes,* appearing in the God Mission 9 trailer, hunting down Mai and Trunks. Similarly to the series itself, Black pursues both the heroes with the intent to kill.

He later appears as a pre-order bonus, and later downloadable content in *Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2*. Black was later also confirmed for DLC in *Dragon Ball Fusions*, where he can fuse with Broli.

Black is playable in the following video games:

## Trivia

* Zamasu's name likely comes from *zamasu* (ざます), which means "to be", shares with Gowasu the same name pun scheme.
* Interestingly, Gokū Black uses the katakana for "Gokū" rather than the kanji used in Son Gokū's name (悟空).
* While in the shadows, Black appears to be a mysterious living shadow, looking much more like a reptilian figure than Gokū. Similarly, the Androids were silhouetted in a similar manner before they were first revealed, showing a recurring theme for villains from the future.
* Whis hypothesised that he is a copy of Son Gokū created by Zamasu with a wish on the Super Dragon Balls.
* Black's mannerisms in the localization of the series are markedly different than the Japanese. While he maintains his motivations, the localization seems to stress his strange obsession with food comparions more than the original, and dropped his persistent use of Gokū's full name — with Black being the *only* main villain to consistently refer to Gokū as "Son Gokū".
* In *Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2*, Sean Schemmel uses a voice for Zamasu that is nearly identical to the voice he used for Super Saiyan 4 Son Gokū.
* According to *Dragon Ball Super* series producer, Atsushi Kido, he believes that Gokū Black is the strongest fighter in *Super* beside Beerus, at least at that time.
* According to the *Dragon Ball Super* rival 'danger scale', Gokū Black tops the list at twelve stars out of twelve.
* In the anime, Whis and Beerus explained they could not kill Zamasu just from his killing intent as he is the next kaiōshin. In the manga, Beerus said he didn't need just cause to destroy Zamasu due to his title.
* Before becoming "Black", the stance Zamasu took during his battle with Gokū was highly reminiscent of both Baguazhang and Xing Yi Quan.
* In *Dragon Ball Fusions,* Zamasu is stated to have a "pure heart", as it is one of the character perks he possesses. This is reinforced in the series itself, with Zamasu himself truly believing his actions to be just and righteous (therefore lacking traditional evil intent), and Gowasu himself noting the flavor of Zamasu's tea stems from his pure heart.
* Black's personality in the manga adaptation of the anime is in stark contrast to his portrayal in the anime, and, notably, bears resemblance to Xicor, a villain from one of Toyable's previous works, *Dragon Ball AF*. These similarities are down to the point of Toyable actually copying panels from his own manga in Chapter 22, and Black's aforementioned personality shift.

## Quotes

* (To Trunks) "*It's about time, Saiyan. You've been running around making messes for far too long, and now I'm going to choke the life out of you. I can't wait to watch you die.*"
* (To Trunks) "*If you had any sense, you'd know your death is a mercy — for you, and this world.*"
* (To Trunks) "*Are you finished? Considering you represent the end of your proud warrior race, this a pathetic showing from you, boy!*"
* (to Gokū) "*Your power is the only good thing your warrior race ever produced. I want to feel that close-up.*"
* (about Son Gokū) "*I can remember every moment. Each blow in that battle is burning like a bright flame in my body and mind. So, is this the true might of Goku? Now I want more. If I can keep studying Goku, my destructive power will grow even greater!*"
* (to Son Gokū) "*Go on Goku, rejoice! Only through me will you finally reach the pinnacle of beauty you have sought for so very long!*"
* (to Son Gokū) "*Your kind is incapable of understanding the grandeur of my success or the glory of my cause! It's like staring into the sun, you cannot see! The vast beauty of my being overwhelms you...for I am a breed apart, and divine!*"

* (To Trunks and Bulma) "*And now, I'll annihilate the Earthlings for the sake of justice!*"
* (after Trunks escapes) "*You can't run forever...last of the Saiyans.*"
* (To Trunks) "*Finally… today is the day you take your final breath… Saiyan.*"
* (To Trunks) "*Death is a blessing for foolish human beings.*"
* (To Trunks) "*What a miserable end for a proud warrior race…*"
* (after Trunks escapes) "*Now is not the time for me to rest on my laurels. The tenacity of a Saiyan is something to fear and feel apprehensive about...I, of all people, know that best.*"
* (To Son Gokū) "*The power of the warrior race's ultimate warrior...let me see more of this.*"
* (About Son Gokū) "*The memory of the battle is gradually embedded deeply in my mind and body. This movement suits this body. Is this Son Gokū? More...I want to learn more about Son Gokū. Learning more about Son Gokū will make me even stronger!*"
* (to Son Gokū) "*I've finally mastered Son Gokū's power completely! Rejoice, Son Gokū. You have reached the height of beauty at my hand.*"
* (to Son Gokū) "*Such is the taste of mere humans. They have no capacity to understand the dignity of my speech. Nor my desires, nor my beauty...! That's right! My whole existence...is simply vastly superior.*"
* (to Son Gokū) "*This is the genuine Son Gokū. Your actual body. But the heart beating within, belongs to me, Zamasu. With the first wish I made to the Super Dragon Balls, you and I switched bodies!*"
* (to Vegeta) "*It's anger, isn't it? The anger that your son was hurt made you strong, didn't it? Now that I realize it, it's simple...turn anger into power. It's an ugly method that only a mortal could think up, so I had overlooked it. I see...anger. Anger at the humans who disrespect the universe. Anger at the gods who overlook that disrespect. And...anger at my powerless self for losing to a mere human.*"

## References

1. ↑ "*Dragon Ball Super* Box 6"
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 49
3. ↑ Dragon Ball FighterZ
4. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 19, page 13
5. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 22, page 20
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Daizenshū 7*
7. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 16, page 33
8. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 53
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 61
10. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 19, page 25
11. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 16, page 16
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Toei Announces "Future" Trunks Arc
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 47
14. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 18, pages 22-23
15. ↑ *Dragon Ball Z: Revival of "F" — "Future" Trunks Special Edition*
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 48
17. ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 51
18. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 16, page 23
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 50
20. ↑ 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 56
21. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 19, pp. 27
22. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* Key Visual
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 *Dragon Ball Super* episode 57
24. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 61
25. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 54
26. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 15, page 8
27. ↑ Toriyama's character design sheet.
28. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 19, pp. 6-17
29. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 19, pp. 36
30. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 20
31. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 49
32. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 61
33. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 59
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `ep60`
35. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 62
36. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 63
37. ↑ *Toriyama-Toyotaro Free Talk Volume 2*
38. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 58
39. ↑ Animedia Magazine
40. ↑ “Dragon Ball Super” Rivals Super Biographies!!!
41. ↑ *Dragon Ball Z: Revival of "F" — "Future" Trunks Special Edition*
42. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* chapter 16, pp. 25
43. ↑ *Dragon Ball Super* episode 64