How would you fix the power creep in the series?

[DanielSSJ]

Getting rid of numerical power levels and would make the power escalation a lot less noticeable. Another way would be to get rid of the higher tiered Super Saiyan forms. The only ones would be Super Saiyan and Grades 2 and 3. Cutting out Freeza's in-between forms would work as well.

[emperior]

Toriyama fixed the power creep by removing power levels after Freezer's death. Last power level we have is the 5 of suppressed Future Trunks. Luckily Freezer's PL line on RoF was cut out of Super.

The only way to fix power creep is to stop trying to guess power levels.

[Lionel]

Well for starters, I would put less emphasis on how large each person's numerical value is and stress the importance of teamwork and ability instead. Characters would find ways to oppose stronger threats via what they know as martial artists. Secondly, keep the power increases grounded to a more realistic level. The Saiyan arc wasn't too bad in this regard, but once Freeza and the wacky Zenkais started popping up things got out of hand. Like it was suggested -- I wouldn't let Freeza get any higher than one million at his absolute strongest. Vegeta after his last Zenkai would put him ahead of the regular Ginyu Force members but still greatly behind Ginyu himself. He would need to depend on his temporary allies and personal craftiness to survive against Freeza long for help to arrive. Super Saiyan multiplier is greatly lessened, as is the Kaioken.

[jcogginsa]

Okay. Keep everything up to the Saiyan Saga the same, with the exception of turning Oozaru. into a 3x power boost

Define Zenkai as doubling A Saiyans power.

Frieza's form on PL: 500,000
Zarbon: 30,000->40,000
Dodoria: 30,000

Post Zarbon Vegeta: 72,000

Guldo: 60,000
Jeice, Burter, and Recoome: 80,000 with a caveat: Each of them has a different specialty. Jeice is attack, Burter is speed, and Recoome is durability

Post training Goku: 100,000, with his maximum Kaioken being x5

Captain Ginyu: 100,000

Post Recoom Vegeta: 164,000

Post Guru Krillin: 70,000

Post Guru Gohan: 70,000

Post Recoom Gohan: 140,000

Post Nail Piccolo: 300,000

Frieza's second form is actually only a cosmetic Change, his power staying exactly the same. His Third form is excised, leaving only the forth form, here refered to as True form

Dende healed Vegeta: 328,000

Post Ginyu Goku: 200,000

True Frieza: 1,000,000

Super Saiyan is changed to a 10X Power Boost. Additionally, Zenkai boosts cease functioning after achieving Super Saiyan form

SSJ Goku: 2,000,000

Full-power True Frieza: 1,500,000

-----
Android saga

Mecha Frieza: 1,200,000

King Kold: 900,000->1,800,000

Trunks: 250,000-2,500,000

Android 19 and Dr. Gero: 1,000,000

Vegeta: 400,000-> 4,000,000

Piccolo: 1,000,000

Gohan: 500,000

Goku: 100,000 (Heart Virus)->1,000,000. 500,000 (Healthy)-> 5,000,000

Android 17 and 18: 5,000,000

Android 16: 6,000,000

Post Kami Piccolo: 5,000,000

Imperfect Cell: 5,000,000

Semiperfect Cell: 7,500,000

Vegeta and Trunks do not obtain stronger forms in the Rosat. Goku and Gohan to get FPSSJ, but it's more of a stamina thing than a power boost

Post-Rosat Vegeta: 800,000- 8,000,000

Post-Rosat Trunks: 750,000- 7,500,000

Perfect Cell: 10,000,000

Post Rosat Gohan: 1,000,000-> 10,000,000

Post Rosat Goku: 7,500,000- 7,500,000

SS2 Gohan: 20,000,000

-----
Buu Saga

Neither Goku nor Vegeta Achieve Super Saiyan 2 during this saga. Additionally, Goten and Trunks cannot use Super Saiyan at the start, but unlike them when Gohan seemingly dies and Vegeta actually dies

Goten: 200,000

Trunks: 210,000

Piccolo: 8,000,000

Vegeta: 1,000,000->10,000,000

Goku: 1,000,000-> 10,000,000

Gohan: 800,000-> 8,000,000->16,000,000

Dabura: 10,000,000

Majin Buu: 30,000,000

Gotenks: 510,000-> 51,000,000

Super Buu: 60,000,000

Mystic Gohan: 100,000,000

Super Buu w/ Gotenks&Piccolo: 119,000,000

Super Buu w/Goten&Trunks&Piccolo: 68,510,000

Super Buu w/Goten&Trunks&Piccolo&Gohan: 168,510,000

Vegito: 2,000,000-200,000,000

Kid Buu: 30,000,000

-----

BoG saga

Goku: 1,500,000-> 15,000,000

Vegeta: 1,500,000-> 15,000,000

Beerus 1,000,000,000

SSG Goku: 500,000,000

Whis: 1,500,000,000

RF saga

Goku: 100,000,000-> 500,000,000

Vegeta: 105,000,000-> 525,000,000

Frieza: 55,000,000-> 110,000,000- 550,000,000

[MetaMoss]

I'd probably keep the scouters and power levels mostly how they are, but I would add more emphasis on how relying on them is useless. Probably have some more moments where someone's reliance on scouter readings really bites them in the ass. However, the biggest part of the power creep in my opinion isn't the numbers, it's that the side characters get pushed to the sidelines when they can't keep up. Instead, maybe Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Krillin are actually able to hold their own against the Androids, Cell, or even Buu to an extent. I could see this really working where they learn to fight as a team against the stronger foes, which allows the Super Saiyans to keep their status as the absolute single-person dominators, but keeps the B-team relevant. Another idea I have is shifting the emphasis of the battles away from simply over-powering opponents. Add a layer of wit and tactics to the fights, which was there to an extent in Dragon Ball, especially in the Budokais.

[buutenks]

Power levels r fine as they r,since they stopped in the freeza saga.Last official PL was 5 and second last was freeza's 1 mil PL.

Afterwards all PL were removed from DB,so we dont know what PL ssj3 goku for example has.

For all we know he could only have 2-3 billion due to small difference in ki making a huge impact on the fight so no need to raise ssj3 goku to 30 billion or what not.

An example:

Yadrat goku 165 mil/ssj trunks 150 mil.

Post 3 year gap

ssj goku 180 mil/ssj vegeta 190 mil

Androids:210 mil for 18#/215 mil for 17#/237 mil 16#

Cell:Imperfect(post human absorbtion) 237 mil/Semi perfect cell 270 mil/Perfect Cell 330 mil(suppressed)

Ussj vegeta 300 mil/Ussj2 Trunks 350 mil

Cell Games:

Fpssj goku 370 mil(half power,goku says its about half and trunks is shocked by it,so I'm guessing it was more than his ussj2 BP)/Full power 700 mil

Perfect Cell powered up 705 mil/Full power 847 mil

ssj2 gohan 1.5 billion

Buu saga:

ssj2 goku 1.7 billion
ssj3(depends on how much u think the multiplier is,based off the majin vegeta vs fat buu fight and ssj3 goku vs fat buu i dont think ssj3 is higher than a 2.5x boost)

So ssj3 goku would be around 4 billion perhaps,maybe under 4 billion but above 3 billion.

Ofc this is just an example that just popped into my head a few minutes ago hehe ^^

But it would reduce the big numbers most throw around.

[apex_pretador]

Power levels r fine as they r,since they stopped in the freeza saga.Last official PL was 5 and second last was freeza's 1 mil PL.

Afterwards all PL were removed from DB,so we dont know what PL ssj3 goku for example has.

For all we know he could only have 2-3 billion due to small difference in ki making a huge impact on the fight so no need to raise ssj3 goku to 30 billion or what not.

An example:

Yadrat goku 165 mil/ssj trunks 150 mil.

Post 3 year gap

ssj goku 180 mil/ssj vegeta 190 mil

Androids:210 mil for 18#/215 mil for 17#/237 mil 16#

Cell:Imperfect(post human absorbtion) 237 mil/Semi perfect cell 270 mil/Perfect Cell 330 mil(suppressed)

Ussj vegeta 300 mil/Ussj2 Trunks 350 mil

Cell Games:

Fpssj goku 370 mil(half power,goku says its about half and trunks is shocked by it,so I'm guessing it was more than his ussj2 BP)/Full power 700 mil

Perfect Cell powered up 705 mil/Full power 847 mil

ssj2 gohan 1.5 billion

Buu saga:

ssj2 goku 1.7 billion
ssj3(depends on how much u think the multiplier is,based off the majin vegeta vs fat buu fight and ssj3 goku vs fat buu i dont think ssj3 is higher than a 2.5x boost)

So ssj3 goku would be around 4 billion perhaps,maybe under 4 billion but above 3 billion.

Ofc this is just an example that just popped into my head a few minutes ago hehe ^^

But it would reduce the big numbers most throw around.

I agree, and your approach is what I do in my power level lists. I take a minimum route, and hence , unlike many other people, my list doesn't get in trillions with even SS vegetto.

Even ulitmate gohan is 25 billion by my new numbers.

[emperior]

Yeah small increases would also be better. Some people just exaggerate their power levels lists. If Goku got "only" 5-10 milion stronger in his SSJ form in the 3 years of training before the androids, that would still be a HUGE power increase.

[Desassina]

I would do exactly what RoF did after BoG, the latter having far increased their scope: join the weakest against the henchmen; use the strongest against the main villain. It works well for the narrative, like battle powers were kept as a parody of the franchise.

[Saturnine]

Yeah small increases would also be better. Some people just exaggerate their power levels lists. If Goku got "only" 5-10 milion stronger in his SSJ form in the 3 years of training before the androids, that would still be a HUGE power increase.

Uhh... no, no it wouldn't. Unfortunately proportions are what dictates the outcome of a battle. Becoming 7% stronger after 3 years of training doesn't mean you'll be able to beat many more guys than you could before.

[BlazingFiddlesticks]

All that I'm getting from this discussion is that it's perfectly reasonable for a 12 year old to be immune to gunfire, break boulders with his bare hands, and wipe out a modern military with nothing but a stick - but the moment you express it by a numerical value you've ruined the series forever.

A twelve-year old boy destroying a private army with his bare hands and a stick is a funny, outrageous martial arts story. Meanwhile martial arts super fights dependent on increasing levels of intangible fighting power lose a lot of their punch when characters become so powerful that the fights no longer reflect their strength for fear of damaging the very planet their standing on. The problem is not quantification, its scale. Early Dragon Ball did this too, but everything was still "terrestrial" at that point.

[Cursed Lemon]

Planet-busting was introduced far too early. This is the greatest source of power level tomfuckery.

Nevermind the fact that size of explosions literally doesn't change from the Namek arc all the way through...well, modern day.