Warning: Possible spoilers for Dragon Ball Super ahead.
Now that the Tournament of Power's final showdown between Universe 7 and Universe 11 just started in Dragon Ball Super, the spotlight is back on Universe 7's strongest opponent, Jiren. Unlike most typical Dragon Ball villains, however, Jiren doesn't evil intentions and although the manga provides more background for his character, his intentions and what he would wish for if Universe 11 wins the Super Dragon Balls are still shrouded in mystery. If you're wondering what he's really up to, you have to check out this excellent theory that Redditor jl_theprofessor brought up recently.
The theory claims that the entire Tournament of Power is a misdirect, leading us to believe that the tournament arc will lead to an ultimate battle between Goku and Jiren. He claims that Jiren wants the Saiyans to become more powerful so he provokes them to reach their highest potential without eliminating them from the tournament in hopes to eventually recruit them in a war against the current cosmic order of Angels of Gods of Destructions.
You can read the proposed storyline of this amazing theory below:
What if Jiren is genuinely interested in the Saiyans' potential and wants them to get more powerful? Maybe he truly is above the God of Destruction tier but still finds himself at the mercy of the cosmic order and the Angels. We've already seen Vados and Whis act relatively unconcerned about the potential elimination of their universes. Anytime Beerus has seemed stressed about it, Whis has simply accepted the potential for them all to be wiped away (except for himself) as a simple part of the natural order. Vados did give a respectful bow to Champa, but it's not as if she was broken up about her entire universe disappearing.
This is an uncaring cosmic order in which the Angels, not matter how much we might like their personalities, aren't particularly invested in the survival of the people that live in those universes. No matter how much Whis might like Earth's food or Vados might enjoy banter with Champa, at the end of the day, they will (most likely) be around long after their respective universes are gone. The Angels aren't anybody's friends, not really, no matter how kind and respectful they might be in general. We have to remember these are entities far above the plane of mortals. And maybe Jiren understands that better than anyone and wants to break that current order.
Maybe he's looking for people like Goku and Vegeta that can break the current cosmic order, to tap into something beyond mere strength. We already understand the priority Jiren places on meditation. There have been moments in Dragon Ball Super our attention has been drawn to the spirit inside of people, not their ki. Even the first appearance of Super Saiyan God required pure spirit, not ki. Maybe the entire tournament is to emphasize that strength is not enough so long as the universe could be wiped out in a moment. They need more than strength. Jiren doesn't quite know what that is, but he's looking for it in people like Goku. He keeps provoking Goku into stronger and stronger feats as he searches for this quality beyond strength that could maybe be used to defeat the current cosmic order of Angels and Gods of Destruction over mortals – essentially waging a divine war to permanently secure the safety and lives of the mortals who live in the universes.
The Super Dragon Balls could still play a role in that, wishing back all the universes that were eliminated – including his own, if that actually happened. But even then, their safety would still be precarious. Jiren needs to find something in people that goes beyond strength and that can be leveraged against the cosmic order. He thinks he sees something in the Saiyans that could help him in his cause, but whether that's the case or not, we have yet to find out.
That's definitely the best Dragon Ball Super theory I've heard, and I hope that's what actually happens. Some fans on the thread argued that the theory is too complex for Dragon Ball, a franchise known for its linear and simple storylines. Hopefully, this new arc will break expectations and give us a satisfying twist that this theory speculates.
Another Redditor, Hydrox2016, pointed out Jiren's mastery of energy, explaining how deliberately he uses measured amounts of energy to provoke Goku and Vegeta, so that they could achieve their highest possible forms.
"I believe that Jiren has deliberately forced Vegeta to achieve his new form," he explains. "He knows now what it takes for a Saiyan to reach the next level of power and by blasting Vegeta to within an inch of his life, he is trying to coax that same level of power out of him." He pointed out Jiren's reactions in episode 122, saying that the Pride Trooper thinks he's overdone his attack on Vegeta at the end of that episode.
So if Jiren really needs Goku and Vegeta to be stronger so that they could challenge the current cosmic order, then we're probably going to see some epic battles against the Angels and Gods of Destructions in the next arc. This kind of reminds me of the tournament in the early episodes of Naruto. It turned out that there was a problem bigger than the tournament itself, so the ultimate outcome of the competition didn't really matter. The tournament was used as a setup for a more serious conflict.
Well, let's take this with a grain of salt for now. It would probably take a few months before we find out what Jiren's true motivations really are.
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Read more: New Dragon Ball Super Preview Teases Vegeta's New Form
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