An Overview of Beerus

In a franchise brimming with interesting and quirky characters, one that never fails to stand out is Universe 7's God of Destruction Beerus.

A regally dressed purple cat, Beerus is known to be one of the strongest characters in Dragon Ball Z. Everyone is scared of him, even the angsty Vegeta and the giant dragon Shenron. He's been an antagonist to our leading man Goku, and later on a mentor and (sort of) friend. He has a fiery temper, can destroy planets as he feels like it, and he, somehow, managed to nap for over 30 years—a skill I'm sure we all wish we had.

But what makes Beerus tick? What are his intentions for Universe 7 and the next? Is he truly a top Dragon Ball Z villain, or a character with deeper layers? An overview of Beerus, the God of Destruction, might just be all you need to piece together the puzzle of who this character is and what his intentions really are.

Dragon Ball Super: Battle of Gods

Beerus made his first appearance in the movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. After being told by the Oracle Fish that he would be faced with a powerful opponent in 39 years, Beerus decided he would sleep until that day came—seeing as 39 years with no challenges is nothing to be awake for anyways. When his attendant Whis wakes him up, he spends the entire movie in search of a worthy adversary, and in his search, he pummels Goku (who doesn't stand a chance even in his Super Saiyan 3 form), defeats the Z Fighters Android 18, Tien Shinhan, and Piccolo with ease, and is even able to bring out the rarely seen "loving husband" side of Vegeta... by slapping his wife, Bulma. Vegeta's temper explodes. His energy sends shockwaves through the floor, his eyes turn pure white and his hair bright gold, and Beerus was still disappointed in him. Goku has to absorb energy from five other Saiyans and transform into a Super Saiyan God just to compete.

Yet, with all that energy, God Goku isn't enough in the end. Beerus overpowers him and drives him back to Earth. And, in true Dragon Ball fashion, there is a ton of screaming and even more balls of light. For a moment there, it really looks like Goku has failed to save Earth.

However, Beerus winds up deciding not to destroy the Earth since he kind of likes Goku—and because he likes Earth's food.

Beerus's Relationship with Food and with Champa

Beerus has an unapologetic love of food—it's a major aspect of his personality, and one he shares with his twin brother, Champa.

Champa is the God of Destruction of Universe 6. Much like Beerus, he is a purple cat with Egyptian royalty-inspired clothing, but he's also shorter, chubbier, less mature, and less well-mannered. In an episode of grandiosity, he visits Beerus's planet to show off some special cuisine from Universe 6, eggs of the Don-Don bird, convinced it will prove that his universe is the best universe. (For what it's worth, Vegeta, upon tasting the egg, thinks to himself, "It looks and tastes just like a normal egg.")

But this is an overview of Beerus, not Champa.

Though less flamboyant than his brother, Beerus is equally as eager to prove that his universe is superior. To do this, he brings out a plate of instant ramen—from none other than planet Earth. Beerus brags about the food from Earth while Champa pretends to be unimpressed. Considering Earth is devoid of life in Universe 6, it's clear who won that contest.

Their rivalry doesn't stop there, though. They like to see who is the strongest of the two—who can win in a fight. This isn't unusual. They're brothers. Brothers fight. When those brothers are powerful deities is when problems arise. The two are so powerful that when they fought, with Beerus creating a giant sphere of destruction and Champa reciprocating, they risked destroying the universe and had to be stopped by their attendants Whis and Vados.

In the Tournament of Power arc of Dragon Ball Super, Champa teases and yells at Beerus from across the stands, not taking it seriously in spite of the stakes. Beerus, for the most part, doesn't respond, instead choosing to berate his fighters from the sidelines. In his defense, Goku and the rest of the team do tend to lose their focus, though forgetting Krillin's name and telling him cheering for the others was the best he could do felt a bit unnecessarily harsh.

This all seems to make Beerus out to be a bad guy, but he's a bit more complex than a cookie cutter, overpowered deity. Throughout the franchise, the part of him that decided not to destroy Earth in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is explored further. He (thankfully) never loses his short fuse, but he also uses his strength to help out Goku and others more often.

Goku and Beerus develop something along the lines of friendship—in the show Dragon Ball Super, Beerus and Whis have Goku and Vegeta come to Beerus's planet for training, and Beerus later saves Goku when Frieza, returning to participare in the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super, tries to kill him. When Champa and the rest of Universe 6 is eradicated in the Tournament of Power, Beerus neither gloats nor cries, instead only gazing at his brother as he's erased—which seems to be enough.

From holding the King of the Saiyans under his foot to restoring Champa's Earth, Beerus's code may not be readily apparent. He's not as selfless as Goku is, nor is he the scheming, self-serving snake that Frieza is. Rather, he seems to operate on a level of his own, demanding the respect that his level of power deserves and holding people to standards higher than maybe they can hope to attain.

But if Goku was able to become a God to face him, maybe everyone else is out of excuses.

SO, as a shorthand overview of Beerus, he's one of the more fascinating characters in the Dragon Ball Universe, if not a tad mysterious, but that makes the antcipation of seeing him in Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission that much more exciting. In the seasons of Dragon Ball on TV today though? Who knows what Beerus will do next.