The ability to stop time is an incredibly powerful skill that very few fictional characters possess. In the Dragon Ball universe, one character that is speculated to have this ability is Whis, the angelic attendant of Beerus the Destroyer.
Whis’ Abilities
As an angel, Whis is one of the most powerful beings in the Dragon Ball universe. He has demonstrated:
- Incredible speed – Able to travel between planets and even universes instantly.
- Immense strength – Easily subdued Beerus in battle.
- Advanced techniques – Knows pressure point skills to disable opponents.
- Future vision – Can see events before they happen.
With his high power level and array of special techniques, Whis has exhibited abilities unlike any other character. This has led fans to speculate if he also has the power to stop time itself.
Evidence For Whis Stopping Time
There are a few instances in the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga that suggest Whis may be able to stop time:
- Whis is able to travel anywhere almost instantly, giving the appearance he is teleporting or stopping time.
- He dodged all of Vegeta’s attacks effortlessly, as if time was frozen.
- He drew symbols on the foreheads of Goku and Vegeta without them noticing.
Some fans take this as evidence that Whis briefly stopped time in these moments to allow himself to move freely while everything else was frozen. However, others argue there are different explanations.
The Case Against Whis Stopping Time
Despite the circumstantial evidence, there are several reasons Whis may not actually have the ability to stop time:
- No statements in the anime or manga explicitly confirm Whis can stop time.
- His incredible speed could simply create the illusion of time stopping.
- As an angel, Whis has divine abilities beyond most characters.
- His acts like dodging Vegeta could be ultra-fast movement, not time manipulation.
Additionally, characters like Hit and Guldo who can actually stop time exhibit noticeable limits and drawbacks when using their abilities. Whis has never shown strain stopping time the way other characters do.
Statements from Akira Toriyama
Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has never directly addressed whether Whis can stop time. However, in an interview he described Whis’ power:
“Whis has tremendous power. Of his staff he says ‘It can turn back time so let’s move ahead’ or something like that, so he can manipulate time however he wants.”
This indicates Whis has some form of time manipulation power through his staff. However, it’s unclear if this allows him to fully stop time, or just reverse and fast forward it.
Whis Reacting To Time Stoppers
Another point against Whis being able to stop time himself is his reaction to other time stoppers. For example, when Hit stops time against Goku, Whis appears unable to move or react until normal time flow returns:
“It’s so elegant. He’s stopping time while keeping his own time flowing.” – Whis observing Hit’s time ability.
If Whis could stop time himself, many argue he should have been unaffected by Hit’s time stop. The fact he was immobilized suggests Whis does not have the exact same time manipulation power.
Conclusion
Based on available evidence in the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga, as well as statements from the creator, there are a few key takeaways on whether Whis can stop time:
- Whis has never definitively been shown to stop time.
- He has some form of time manipulation power related to his staff.
- He was unable to move or react when Hit stopped time.
- His incredible speed and reflexes could create the illusion of stopping time.
In summary, Whis likely does not have the ability to completely stop the flow of time like Hit’s time-skip ability. However, through his angelic abilities and staff, he can manipulate time in other ways like accelerating, reversing, and possibly dilating its flow around him. But the evidence weighs against Whis having total time stop powers of his own.
Could Whis Obtain Time Stop Powers?
While Whis likely does not currently have the capability to stop time, it is possible he could obtain this power in the future. As an angel, Whis continues to demonstrate new abilities and mastery of his existing powers. Over time, gaining the ability to stop time may not be out of the question.
Whis’ sister Vados appears to have similar capabilities, so angels stopping time is likely possible. Additionally, Whis and Vados’ father is the Grand Minister, who oversees all of reality. If any being were to have authority over time itself, it would presumably be him.
So while Whis cannot stop time based on what we have seen so far, gaining this ability in the future would align with his continuously growing angelic powers. Only new chapters of the Dragon Ball Super manga can confirm if Whis eventually elevates to this level of mastery over time itself.
How Would Whis’ Time Stop Ability Work?
If Whis did obtain the ability to stop time in the future, what could we expect this skill to look like? Based on other time manipulators in the series, here are some possibilities:
- Limited time stop duration – Hit’s time skip can only freeze time for 0.1 to 0.5 seconds initially.
- Fixed future vision – Hit can see the next few seconds while time is stopped.
- Strain maintaining ability – Hit and Guldo struggle to keep time frozen for long.
- Affected by power levels – Hit’s time stop doesn’t work on opponents stronger than him.
- Only affects a limited area – Guldo’s time stop has a short radius.
As an exceptionally powerful being, Whis could exceed these limitations. But stopping time would likely still have some constraints to prevent it from being overpowered.
Potential Drawbacks
Here are some potential drawbacks Whis’ time stop could have:
- Constant focus required – He risks losing control if his concentration lapses.
- Significant stamina drain – Stopping time rapidly drains his power.
- Unable to directly harm others – Whis can only move objects and people while time is stopped.
- No ability to see the future – He has no foreknowledge of events after stopping time.
By introducing weaknesses like these, Whis’ time stop ability could remain balanced and not make him invincible.
How Time Stop Could Affect Fights
If Whis gained the ability to stop time, how might that impact his fights and training of other characters?
- Use time stop to casually dodge attacks he would normally block or deflect.
- Make subtle changes to the environment that take effect when time resumes.
- Write teachings or draw symbols on opponents without them knowing.
- Temporarily freeze time to explain techniques to Goku and Vegeta before having them resume fighting.
With creative use, Whis’ time stop could give him intriguing new options and advantages in combat and training. But overall his power level and skills likely wouldn’t change dramatically since he is already so formidable.
Table of Potential Time Stop Powers
| Time Stop Ability | Potential Whis Version |
|---|---|
| Limited duration | Can freeze time for minutes instead of fractions of seconds |
| Future sight | May or may not have vision of events after stopping time |
| Fatigue | Minimal stamina drain due to angelic abilities |
| Power suppression | Unaffected by target’s power since Whis is extremely powerful |
| Range | Galactic or universal radius based on his reach |
This comparison shows how Whis’ time stop could differ from limitations faced by mortal time manipulators.
How Time Stop Could Change Dragon Ball Super Stories
If Whis gained time stop powers, how might it impact Dragon Ball Super storylines?
- Provide more comedic moments – Whis could play harmless tricks on characters by stopping time.
- Allow Whis to defeat lower enemies instantly – Skipping longer fights by freezing time.
- Give Whis new training methods – Stopping time to instruct students mid-fight.
- Provide minimal impact against top-tier foes – Likely would have limited effects on characters near Whis’ level of power.
Overall the ability to stop time may not drastically alter the wider Dragon Ball plot. But it could give Whis some new convenient options to change up fight pacing and training sequences.
Table of Time Stop Effects
| Story Element | Impact of Whis’ Time Stop |
|---|---|
| Fight length | Shortens fights against weaker foes |
| Comedy | Provides gags of Whis messing with stopped time |
| Power scaling | Minimal change since Whis is already extremely powerful |
| Training methods | Allows Whis to directly stop and instruct mid-fight |
| Beerus | Little effect on Beerus who is near Whis’ level |
This table summarizes how Whis potentially gaining time stop abilities could alter parts of Dragon Ball Super’s typical patterns.
Comparisons To Other Fiction With Time Stop
Freezing time is a power that exists in other fictional worlds as well. Here is how Whis’ time stop could compare:
Hit vs Dio Brando from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
- Both can stop time for a limited duration.
- Dio’s time stop increases over time from 5 seconds to 9 seconds.
- Hit’s time skip seems to stay constrained to under 1 second.
While their time stop abilities share similarities, Dio’s appears to have the potential to expand to longer durations.
Whis vs Clockblocker from Worm
- Both can freeze time in some capacity.
- Clockblocker can only freeze objects in place, not stop time’s flow.
- Whis (hypothetically) can stop time entirely.
- Clockblocker’s ability lasts indefinitely until he deactivates it.
While Clockblocker can “freeze” aspects of time, Whis has the potential for true global time stop ability.
Whis vs Hiro Nakamura from Heroes
- Both can manipulate time in some way.
- Hiro can stop, reverse, and travel through time.
- Whis likely cannot reverse or travel through time without his staff.
- Hiro does not have superhuman abilities beyond time control.
While their time abilities have similarities, Whis’ additional combat power gives him an edge.
Conclusion
In summary, evidence suggests Whis does not currently have the capability to outright stop the flow of time in Dragon Ball Super. While he can manipulate time in other ways, he has never demonstrated the ability to completely freeze it like Hit can.
However, Whis could plausibly obtain some form of time stop power in the future as his angelic abilities continue to expand. This could provide intriguing new techniques and advantages in fights, as well as changes to his training methods.
But time stop would likely carry limitations and drawbacks as well to prevent it from being too overpowered. Overall, Whis gaining the ability to stop time could be an interesting development, but is not something conclusively confirmed to exist in his current skillset.