, spelled Zamas in

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

's English localization of the ''Dragon Ball Super'' manga, is a fictional character in the ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...

'' series. He is introduced as in the forty-seventh episode of

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

's ''

Dragon Ball Super is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. A sequel to Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Goku and friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Maji ...

'' anime series which first aired on June 12, 2016 and in chapter #14 "An SOS from the Future!!" from the manga. Within the series, Zamasu is originally an apprentice from Universe 10. In the series' original, unaltered timeline, Zamasu hijacked series protagonist Son Goku's mortal body by using the Super Dragon Balls as part of "Project Zero Mortals" (or "Zero Mortals Plan"). His plan is to attain supreme power and wipe out all mortal beings. He travels to an alternate future earth and encounters that timeline's version of Trunks. Zamasu proceeds to bring humanity to the brink of extinction. To complete his plan, he joins forces with that future timeline's version of Zamasu, who is made indestructible. The character has been positively received and is regarded as one of the best villainous characters of the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise.

Concept design

Toriyama got the inspiration for Goku Black from characters who are presented as evil "copies" of the hero character in classic ''

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

'' programs such as ''

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

'', ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media genera ...

'', and ''

Kamen Rider Black is a tokusatsu superhero- drama television series. It is the eighth installment in the '' Kamen Rider '' series and a co-production between Ishimori Productions and Toei. The series aired on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and the Tokyo Broa ...

''. Toriyama originally devised Zamasu as a character who is on par in single combat with an individual who has attained the Super Saiyan Blue form, whereas other elements such as the retconned time limit of Potara fusions and Zamasu's effective immortality were added to make the fight more interesting. Goku and Vegeta were depicted as struggling against Zamasu in combat due to his tricky nature, as well as their own lack of teamwork. Toei Animation Producer Atsushi Kido said Fused Zamasu is a "cheat" character for his massive strength, and that his one weakness could be that he was originally a single person.

Character

Zamasu is depicted as a green-skinned humanoid with grey eyes and a white

mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

. He gains Goku's appearance after switching bodies with him, with only slight physical differences. Aside from a single gold and green Potara earring on his left ear, he also wears a Time Ring on his right index finger, which allows him to travel between different timelines at will without the need of a time machine, and also protects him from being erased by

temporal paradox A temporal paradox, time paradox, or time travel paradox is a paradox, an apparent contradiction, or logical contradiction associated with the idea of time and time travel. The notion of time travel to the future complies with current understanding ...

es. After attaining the transformation, explained as a “Goku Black version of Super Saiyan” for the anime, his version of the Super Saiyan Blue form (Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan) in the manga, Goku Black's hair turns bright pink, due to Zamasu's status as a deity. After Goku Black merges with his alternate future self via the use of a pair of matching Potara earrings, the result is the even more powerful Fused Zamasu, described as a mixture of incredible power with a deteriorating, yet immortal, body and unhinged mind. The resulting fusion is later revealed to be flawed as Fused Zamasu later degenerates into a grotesque appearance with the right half his body turning into purple sludge. In the anime, this is explained as a result of an unstable and uneven cellular regeneration as the fused being is composed of a mortal and an immortal. In the manga, this form was explained to be a temporary form that Fused Zamasu assumed when he resisted being split apart after the time limit of the Potara fusion passed. Following the defeat of Fused Zamasu, he transcends into the even more powerful Infinite Zamasu form, though the character's depiction differs considerably between the anime and manga versions. In the anime, Infinite Zamasu is an incorporeal energy being while the manga version is an evolved form of Fused Zamasu, his regeneration ability becoming advanced enough to the point where he is capable of creating seemingly infinite fully grown clones of himself from each cell in his body within seconds, after both composite beings successfully and permanently merged at a cellular level.

Voice actors

Zamasu is voiced by

Shinichiro Miki is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo.Doi, Hitoshi.Miki Shinichirou. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 13, 2010. He is a member of 81 Produce. Miki is known for his distinctively smooth voice and often calm delivery in the roles he has landed. He often ...

in Japanese media. David Gray is credited as the English voice actor for the ''

FUNimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

''. Some sources speculated that David Gray, along with Sam Majesters who is credited as Zamasu's voice actor in ''

Dragon Ball FighterZ ''Dragon Ball FighterZ'' (pronounced "fighters") is a 2.5D fighting game, developed by Arc System Works and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Based on the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, it was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Micr ...

'', were in fact the aliases used by American actor

James Marsters James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962) is an American actor, musician, singer, comic book writer, and audiobook narrator. He is sometimes credited in various anime series and video games as David Gray and Sam Majesters in the series ''Dr ...

, who previously played King Piccolo in ''

Dragonball Evolution ''Dragonball Evolution'' is a 2009 American science fantasy superhero-martial arts film directed by James Wong, produced by Stephen Chow, and written by Ben Ramsey. It is based on the Japanese ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyam ...

''.

Sean Schemmel Sean Schemmel (born November 21, 1968) is an American voice actor, ADR director and screenwriter known chiefly for his work in cartoons, anime and video games. His most notable voice role has been the adult version of Son Goku in the Funimation ...

, who voices Goku and Goku Black, claimed in an interview that Funimation wanted to keep Marsters' involvement as a surprise. Marsters did not provide confirmation as to whether he is the English voice actor for Zamasu in ''Dragon Ball Super'' until a

Fan Expo Canada Fan Expo Canada is an annual speculative fiction fan convention held in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1995 Goku Black shares the same voice actors as Goku in all media. He is voiced by Masako Nozawa in Japanese, and Sean Schemmel in English. Kofi Outlaw from ''Comicbook.com'' noted that Schemmel's voice for Goku Black is very different in ''

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is an action role-playing fighting game developed by Dimps and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment based on the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, and is the sequel to the 2015 game ''Dragon Ball Xenoverse''. It was released on October 25, 2016, for ...

'' and ''

'' compared to his performance in the ''FUNimation'' dub, which was released after the video games. Schemmel indicated that he did not want to copy Nozawa's approach to portray Goku Black; instead, he wanted to emulate Marsters' performance, as he is supposed to embody the spirit of the same character, who happened to have taken possession of Goku's physical body. Outlaw described his voice in the anime dub to be very similar to his friendly, dulcet tones for Goku, but noted as more sinister and twisted.

Abilities

Both Goku Black and Zamasu possess several abilities including superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and energy blasts, utilized by the use of '' ki''. Zamasu and his various incarnations project an energy blade from their hand () as their primary form of attack. As Goku Black, Zamasu is capable of growing stronger from near-death experiences due to the host body's Saiyan physiology, and is able to perform most of Goku's abilities, in particular his

teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...

skill as well as a variant of his signature move, the . As Goku Black, Zamasu has the ability to transform into a pink-haired variant of the Super Saiyan Blue form, , after mastering his host body's power. This transformation also enhances his energy control, allowing him to refine his weapon forging skills, from creating a huge sword from his palm, to a long scythe capable of tearing holes in the fabric of space-time, summoning copies of himself. Later on, both versions of Zamasu merge via Potara earrings, creating an indestructible being who can increase steadily in might. However, due to the conflicting natures of a combined mortal and immortal body, this combined form becomes deformed after taking too much damage, giving Zamasu a deranged, grotesque, monstrous appearance that grew larger in size upon hitting himself with the so-called "Light of Justice".

Appearances

''Dragon Ball Super''

Goku Black first appears in the alternate future timeline where Future Trunks resides as a mysterious entity who is identical in visage to Goku, and refers to himself as such. He kills that timeline's

Bulma is a fictional character featured in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, first appearing in the manga series created by Akira Toriyama. She debuted in the first chapter "Bulma and Son Goku", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on June 19, 1 ...

after she gave her son the means to travel back in time to beseech the aid of Goku and Vegeta, momentarily pursuing him back in time through the Time Capsule's temporal distortion. Black momentarily engages Goku before being drawn back to the collapsing portal while destroying the time machine, realizing the fight has allowed him to become better accustomed to his new body. Goku,

Whis ''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the cha ...

and Beerus travel to the Tenth Universe after the two deities sense the similarities between Black and Zamasu, an apprentice of the resident Supreme Kai Gowasu of the Tenth Universe. Both the encounter and news of the present timeline's Zamasu inquiring about the Super Dragon Balls and Goku adds further depth to the mystery as Goku, Beerus, Whis, and the Seventh Universe's Supreme Kai stop him from murdering Gowasu with Beerus believing he solved the crisis by completely destroying Zamasu which would negate future versions of himself. By the time the Saiyans reach Trunks's time, they are forced to retreat back to their time after being outmatched by Black in his Super Saiyan Rosé form and the period's version of Zamasu. It is later revealed that Black's Time Ring, which he claimed after murdering Gowasu, allows him to survive his past self's demise as he and Zamasu reveal their true origins, triggering Future Trunk's transformation into Super Saiyan Rage by revealing that their actions were made possible by his previous time travel. Zamasu clings onto his fanatical belief of mortals as being inherently evil despite his mentor's attempts to show the good in them, which worsens since his defeat by Goku and his descent into madness as his hatred for mortals extended to the deities allowing them to exist. Upon learning of the Super Dragon Balls prior to killing Gowasu to acquire his Potara Earrings and Time Ring, Zamasu uses the Super Dragon Balls to exchange bodies with Goku before killing him and his family. Later called "Goku Black", he traveled to Future Trunks' timeline where he joins forces with an alternate future version of himself who never encountered Goku and used the Super Dragon Balls to make his mortal body effectively unkillable. The two versions of Zamasu proceed to wipe out the other deities so nothing can interfere in them systematically exterminating all mortal life before reaching the Seventh Universe's Earth, believing that utopia could only be achieved for the multiverse by bringing about the annihilation of humanity and all other mortal beings which he views as corrupt and violent. Goku Black and Zamasu combat Trunks while Goku and Vegeta return to the past, with Goku learning the ''Evil Containment Wave'' while Vegeta trains in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. They two quickly return as the two versions of Zamasu nearly killed Future Trunks. But the failed attempt to seal Future Zamasu by Trunks and Future Mai and Black being defeated by Vegeta causes the pair to realize they have underestimated their enemies, using their Potara Earrings to fuse into Fused Zamasu. Fused Zamasu easily overwhelms everyone, forcing Goku and Vegeta's fusion into Vegito, who is able to match him in strength and even overpower him, before the fusion abruptly ends. Trunks then gains power from every remaining living thing on Earth, generating a Spirit Bomb that he channels into his sword to slice Fused Zamasu in half, destroying his body. Zamasu survives the death blow and his essence transcends into a more dangerous form known as "Infinite Zamasu". The anime depicts him as an energy being that gradually consumes the future multiverse, while killing off everyone on Earth, save Goku, Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, Mai, Gowasu, and the Supreme Kai of Universe 7. The manga depicts Infinite Zamasu as the splintered Future Zamasu and Goku Black, each transformed on his own into an enhanced version of Fused Zamasu, as a cellular side-effect of their fusion, with their regenerative powers becoming advanced enough that Vegeta unintentionally created an army of Infinite Zamasus that overwhelms the heroes. Both versions of the story result in Goku summoning the alternate future's version of Zeno, who expresses disgust towards Infinite Zamasu and completely wipes him out by erasing the entire multiverse of the alternate future timeline. Whis later goes to the new alternate timeline he intends to send Trunks and Mai to warn that timeline's Beerus of Zamasu's intentions, thus making sure his plans never come to be.

In Toriyama's films and in other media

Goku Black briefly appears in '' Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' - 'Future Trunks Special Edition''' and attempts to kill Trunks, but was stopped by Mai's intervention. This takes place before his debut in ''Dragon Ball Super''. An event called the ''Dragon Ball Tenkaichi Budosai 2017'', which ran from August 10, 2017 to August 27, 2017 was held in the Sunshine City building complex in

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. The free-entry event was based on the ''Dragon Ball Super'', with Zamasu and Goku Black being the central antagonists. The venue was divided into several areas, with the mystery-solving event titled “Beat the Merged Zamasu!”. Zamasu appears as a cybernetic version of his Fused Zamasu form in ''

Super Dragon Ball Heroes is a Japanese trading card arcade game based on the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise. It debuted on November 11, 2010 in Japan. In 2016, an update launched that improved the user experience in the form of enhanced graphics and easier acc ...

'', a promotional anime for the ''

Dragon Ball Heroes is a Japanese trading card arcade game based on the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise. It debuted on November 11, 2010 in Japan. In 2016, an update launched that improved the user experience in the form of enhanced graphics and easier acc ...

trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other ...

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade vi ...

. He was brought back by Fu, and is recruited by Hearts alongside four other dangerous criminals from the Prison Planet, as part of their plot to obtain the Universe Seed and destroy all the deities. They eventually succeed in completing the Universe Seed, which Hearts absorbs to acquire his Godslayer form, but immediately afterward, Godslayer Hearts turns on Zamasu, erasing him from existence, as he wishes to terminate all deities, regardless of their affiliation. Later in the series, another alternate timeline version of Zamasu appears in his Goku Black guise. This version of Zamasu had his history altered, after Fu told him about his future. This incarnation of Goku Black killed 99 alternate timeline Gokus and also attempted to complete Project Zero Mortals, obtaining the Super Saiyan Rosé 2 and 3 transformations in the process, before he was finally finished by

Gogeta ''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, '' Dr. Slump''. While many of the ch ...

in his Super Saiyan Blue Evolved form. Goku Black is a playable DLC character in ''

'' as a pre-order bonus, while Zamasu and Goku Black (Super Saiyan Rosé) are playable characters in the Pack 3 DLC, and Fused Zamasu is playable in the Pack 4 DLC. They also appear in ''

Dragon Ball Fusions is a role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS, based on the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise. It was released in Japan on August 4, 2016 with a localized version being released in North America on November 22, 2016. ''Dragon Ball Fusions'' was rel ...

''. Goku Black in his Super Saiyan Rosé form is available as part of the base roster for the fighting game ''

'', while Fused Zamasu is later added for purchase as part of FighterZ Pass 2.

Reception

Various sources have speculated on Goku Black's origins prior to the revelation of his true identity. The character has received a positive reception, particularly after the full reveal of his backstory and motivations. The Goku Black incarnation of the character is particularly popular, placing fourth by fan vote in a poll of ''Dragon Ball'' antagonists published by the March 2018 issue of ''

V Jump is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine, focusing on new manga as well as video games based on popular manga. The magazine's debut was in 1993 by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. History A prototype magazine called '' Hobby's Jump ...

''. ''

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'' staff praised the design of Goku Black's hair, and consider Zamasu and his incarnations to be "easily some of the best villains in ''Dragon Ball'' history". Jay Gibbs from ''

ComicsVerse ComicsVerse is a comics journalism website covering comics news, reviews, analysis, and interviews with artists and writers. In addition to original written content, the site produces podcasts, videos, original webcomics, and covers news related ...

'' formed the view that Zamasu is the greatest ''Dragon Ball'' villain of all time. Gibbs opined that Zamasu smartly planned ahead and exploited the most overpowered elements of the series that its own protagonists had ease of access to, such as Saiyan powers and the Dragon Balls, and argued that he didn't really lose in the traditional sense since an entire timeline and all life in it had to be erased by Zeno in the process. Nick Valdez from ''Comicbook.com'' thought Zamasu's elitism, which sees the character falling from grace through an initially noble idea, and his Goku Black persona helped him stand out over previous villains in the franchise. Joseph Ocasio from CBR ranked Goku Black and Zamasu as the best characters introduced in the ''Dragon Ball Super'' series and drew a comparison to

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

character

Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant warl ...

, a self-righteous "hero" who attempts to bring balance to the universe by getting rid of those he perceives the impure or unworthy. Stefan Sgarioto from Madman Entertainment ranked Goku Black the sixth most memorable villain of the ''Dragon Ball'' series and praised the design of his Super Saiyan Rosé form. Simon Alvarez from ''

The Inquisitr Inquisitr, a website started in 2007 for news and entertainment stories, was relaunched in May 2011. It is owned and operated by Inquisitr Ltd. History The web domain for Inquisitr was registered in Iceland on August 6, 2007. The company was fo ...

'' praised the fight between Vegito and Fused Zamasu and considered it one of the best animated battle sequences in the ''Dragon Ball Super'' series. Shawn Sharis from IGN considers the final blow delivered to Zamasu by Trunks to be one of the greatest moments in ''Dragon Ball Super''. Schemmel's performance as Goku Black has been praised by series fans. Valdez noted that it differs from Nozawa's performance in the original Japanese version, and that Schemmel has twisted his Goku voice to frame the character in a "destructive and disturbing light."

References