'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the Tournament of Power, Jiren from Dragon Ball Super was considered the strongest warrior. His strength rivaled that of the Gods, ranking him even higher than Universe 11’s God of Destruction, Belmod. His strength was a mystery for most of the fight as he spent time meditating within the arena.
In the anime, Jiren acted as the final boss, and the story portrayed him as the ultimate warrior. But often, the ultimate boss in an anime is someone who believes himself to have a significant purpose due to a rich backstory. However, in Jiren’s case, that was not how the story unfolded.
We first came across Jiren’s backstory in Dragon Ball Super episode 127, and the audience found it very flat. The backstory was nothing special as it followed a very common trope in pop culture, filled with loopholes that only left the audience with more questions than answers. So, let’s look at Jiren’s backstory and why it made no sense.
Dragon Ball Super: What is Jiren's backstory?
During the Tournament of Power, Android 17 asked Jiren what he would wish for if he were to win the Super Dragon Balls. While Jiren doesn’t respond to the question, Belmod begins narrating Jiren’s backstory and what shaped him.
One day, when a young Jiren was going back to his home, he found his parents killed and his village destroyed by an evil-doer. Jiren was rescued by someone who taught him how to fight, and the rescuer became Jiren’s master. As Jiren’s strength grew, he attracted more allies who were prepared to help him fight the evil-doer.
But their combined strength wasn’t enough as Jiren’s master and some of his companions passed away fighting the evil-doer. Jiren was devastated, but he survived as he looked forward to facing the evil-doer again. However, the remaining companions weren’t willing to join him in this mission as they were terrified.
Jiren felt betrayed and developed trust issues as he cast away notions like trust and friendship. He believed that if he were to get more powerful, he would attract stronger allies. Thus, Jiren vowed to get stronger, believing that strength meant justice.
Why Jiren's backstory made no sense
To start with, Jiren’s backstory gave us no explanation for how he became so strong. How did he become more powerful than the God of Destruction? How did he meet Belmod in the first place? Belmod mentions in the manga how he knew Jiren’s master, but we don’t know how that relationship came to be.
While in Dragon Ball Super anime, we saw Jiren have some companionship with Toppo and Dyspo, in the manga, Jiren himself eliminated some of his teammates. If he was uncaring towards the Pride Troopers, why did he join them in the first place?
Apart from having several loopholes, Jiren’s backstory is also very generic. We have seen countless anime and even superheroes like Batman and Superman, whose origin begins with the death or destruction of their parents or the place where they live.
If you look at the other characters in the Tournament of Power, they had a richer backstory. Namekians from Universe 6 wanted to protect their Universe and, thus, fused with their entire race. Caulifla was the leader of a distinct faction within the Saiyans in Universe 6, while Kale worked under Caulifla and harbored romantic feelings towards her.
If you look at Universe 7, we all know of the Saiyans’ origins. Goku and Vegeta had lost their home planet. They are now growing stronger, wanting to protect their new home. Back in Dragon Ball, Piccolo wished to rule the Earth, Android 17 and 18 were on a mission to annihilate everyone in Dragon Ball Z, and then there was Frieza, who had wanted to take down the Saiyans for some time.
Compared to such distinct backstories, Jiren’s backstory made no sense at all, especially when he was the final villain in the Dragon Ball Super manga.
