So who or what is Black?

[kaioken12]

So to collect some facts to get this straight:

- Black looks like Goku but is a different person (i.e. not just some "became-evil"-Goku)

- He is slightly skinnier than Goku
-> Speculation: Maybe he is younger? SSJG was skinnier as well and was subsequently referred to as looking younger.

- He seems to have a slightly darker skin color as well

- He is clothed in black, but in similar fashion to Goku

- Black seems to use Goku's techniques
-> Kamehameha vs. Trunks
-> He also took the stance for Instant Transmission

- He does not seem to transform to SSJ though
-> He is still able to keep up with SSJ2 Goku

- Black has one (potara?) earring

- Black stated he wanted to fight Goku "in this body"

- Black has a Kaioshin-exclusive time ring

- Black knows both Vegeta and Beerus
-> In contrast, he asked Goku if he was Son Goku - which could possibly be interesting

- Black is annihilating humanity (and possibly other planets before) for some sort of "justice"


-------------------

I think we can exclude a Ginyu-type take-over here, since Black can use Goku's techniques.
A fusion would be more likely there (Vegetto was able to use any technique). However, why would there be so little visual properties from the other fusion partner?

[Nejishiki]

Just to contribute to your fact sheet, Goku Black's earring has been confirmed to be a potara earring.

[HeroR]

I'm sure Broly's appearance would alert the gods more tbh. He's how Saiyans should be when the blood thirst and rage take over. A pure evil Saiyan that has no remorse for anything. His fighting style is more brutal and destructive than Blacks, and i'm sure if Broly was brought into the series, fans would be going crazy.

Cardboard is still more interesting and evil Saiyans had its own saga. No need for a repeat, especially if we're going the no personality but power route.

And Black is purposely more elegant in what he does and doesn't cause destruction for its own sake like Broly or most of the later villains in Z. He has an end goal.

[GodKaio-Ken]

One thing I've been noticing is that Black and Goku do share many personality traits in battle. I don't think Black is an alternate Goku but I found it interesting they both seem to have the same thirst and love for battle. Both looked to be taking it slow and relishing the fight.

[kaioken12]

So to collect some facts to get this straight:

- Black looks like Goku but is a different person (i.e. not just some "became-evil"-Goku)
-> Like Goku, he seems to love battle, i.e. he shares some personality traits with "our" Goku

- He is slightly skinnier than Goku
-> Speculation: Maybe he is younger? SSJG was skinnier as well and was subsequently referred to as looking younger.

- He seems to have a slightly darker skin color as well

- He is clothed in black, but in similar fashion to Goku

- Black seems to use Goku's techniques
-> Kamehameha vs. Trunks
-> He also took the stance for Instant Transmission

- He does not seem to transform to SSJ though
-> He is still able to keep up with SSJ2 Goku

- Black has one potara earring - Thanks, Nejishiki

- Black stated he wanted to fight Goku "in this body"

- Black has a Kaioshin-exclusive time ring

- Black knows both Vegeta and Beerus
-> In contrast, he asked Goku if he was Son Goku - which could possibly be interesting

- Black is annihilating humanity (and possibly other planets before) for some sort of "justice"


-------------------

I think we can exclude a Ginyu-type take-over here, since Black can use Goku's techniques.
A fusion would be more likely there (Vegetto was able to use any technique). However, why would there be so little visual properties from the other fusion partner?

Updated
(Could not edit the former post though.)

[Marlowe89]

A fusion would be more likely there (Vegetto was able to use any technique). However, why would there be so little visual properties from the other fusion partner?

What if there isn't a fusion partner? He's only wearing one earring, so what if this is a different type of potara that splits users into two halves instead of fusing them?

Although it's kind of a stretch, Black saying "in this body" could be him referring to a completely new, dark body formed from separating from his other half. That would explain certain things like the black Kamehameha, for instance.

I just hope it's not another Ginyu switch or possession type deal.

[UpFromTheSkies]

I think we can exclude a Ginyu-type take-over here, since Black can use Goku's techniques.

Just because Ginyu couldn't learn techniques from body swapping doesn't mean someone else can't.

[HeroR]

I think we can exclude a Ginyu-type take-over here, since Black can use Goku's techniques.

Just because Ginyu couldn't learn techniques from body swapping doesn't mean someone else can't.

Since he is the only one who has a body taking technique outside of Baby's possession, that is the only parallels we can make. As far as we know in Dragon Ball, techniques move with the soul, not the body. Otherwise, Goku should have been able to use Ginyu's body switch techniques when he was in Ginyu's body.

[Luke Groundwalker]

Mt current theory based on the recent episode is more or less this happened:

- Zamasu did something to be banished to the Makaio Realm in the far past.
- A Makaioshin (or someone with some type of unique evil ki) that I'm dubbing "Black", teamed up with Zamasu after Zamasu felt wronged and wanted to get his just dues. Zamasu wasn't able to accomplish his goal on his own, and gave Black some Kaioshin stuff like the Ring of Time.
OR Black killed Zamasu and took his stuff.
- "Black" battles Future Goku in the afterlife, defeating him. "Black" fuses with Goku, making Goku Black.

Also the reason why Goku Black looks more like Goku than "Black" in this situation is that it's a possibility Black's design might be so generic facially that it wouldn't really make Goku look any different, lol. Afterall Toriyama nowadays is utilizing a lot of simple, but effective, character designs. Just look at Cabba, Magetta, and Botamo for example.

[UpFromTheSkies]

I think we can exclude a Ginyu-type take-over here, since Black can use Goku's techniques.

Just because Ginyu couldn't learn techniques from body swapping doesn't mean someone else can't.

Since he is the only one who has a body taking technique outside of Baby's possession, that is the only parallels we can make. As far as we know in Dragon Ball, techniques move with the soul, not the body. Otherwise, Goku should have been able to use Ginyu's body switch techniques when he was in Ginyu's body.

In Dragon Ball, one characters limitations do not necessarily apply to all other characters. For example, when Cell absorbed someone he didn't wear their clothes and take on parts of their personality, but Buu did.

[HeroR]

In Dragon Ball, one characters limitations do not necessarily apply to all other characters. For example, when Cell absorbed someone he didn't wear their clothes and take on parts of their personality, but Buu did.

Two different absorbing techniques. Cell sucked his victims through his tail and sucked them until only their clothes remained, and didn't changed until he took Androids 17 and 18 because he was design that way. Buu rip a piece of himself and took people whole.

Body switching, no matter how you cut it, takes another person's spirit and put it elsewhere. The body shouldn't know the moveset since the person who just been switch should in theory know the body switching technique too. In fact, body switching have been shown to be very dangerous if you don't know how the properly used the body, as Ginyu found out.

[UpFromTheSkies]

In Dragon Ball, one characters limitations do not necessarily apply to all other characters. For example, when Cell absorbed someone he didn't wear their clothes and take on parts of their personality, but Buu did.

Two different absorbing techniques.

And maybe this is a new body swap technique involving potara.

The body shouldn't know the moveset since the person who just been switch should in theory know the body switching technique too.

Black can absorb fighting style in battle, so maybe he fought Goku before body swapping and that's how he learned the kamehameha.

[HeroR]

In Dragon Ball, one characters limitations do not necessarily apply to all other characters. For example, when Cell absorbed someone he didn't wear their clothes and take on parts of their personality, but Buu did.

Two different absorbing techniques.

And maybe this is a new body swap technique involving potara.

The body shouldn't know the moveset since the person who just been switch should in theory know the body switching technique too.

Black can absorb fighting style in battle, so maybe he fought Goku before body swapping and that's how he learned the kamehameha.

Then wouldn't it be redundant for him to fight another version of Goku just so he can absorb the same technique? Why not fight Vegeta and get something new?

I will admit, it is possible that the potara could act as a different body switching technique, but then you wonder why the person who just been switched can't do it back. And on top of that, Black haven't shown any other moves outside of Goku's techniques unless we want to count his sphere energy move, which isn't anything unique. And when I think about, wouldn't his ki feel like Goku more? Krillin couldn't sense any difference in Goku when Ginyu arrived in his body, the same with Vegeta. Only Gohan noticed something was wrong and it seemed to be more of a bonding thing (child knowing there parent) than him feeling that his dad's energy was different.

[UpFromTheSkies]

Then wouldn't it be redundant for him to fight another version of Goku just so he can absorb the same technique? Why not fight Vegeta and get something new?

Just because he knows some of his techniques doesn't mean he knows them all, which he obviously doesn't. He also recognized Goku as being stronger than Vegeta.

I will admit, it is possible that the potara could act as a different body switching technique, but then you wonder why the person who just been switched can't do it back. And on top of that, Black haven't shown any other moves outside of Goku's techniques unless we want to count his sphere energy move, which isn't anything unique. And when I think about, wouldn't his ki feel like Goku more? Krillin couldn't sense any difference in Goku when Ginyu arrived in his body, the same with Vegeta. Only Gohan noticed something was wrong and it seemed to be more of a bonding thing (child knowing there parent) than him feeling that his dad's energy was different.

Again, this could be a new kind of body swap technique, so the same rules don't apply.

[ryou766]

King of Lightning mentioned the idea of the person who's controlling the body of Black actually being embedded in that one potara earring he wears. It does sound interesting, and if this is the case, it would explain the significance of said earring.

[HeroR]

Then wouldn't it be redundant for him to fight another version of Goku just so he can absorb the same technique? Why not fight Vegeta and get something new?

Just because he knows some of his techniques doesn't mean he knows them all, which he obviously doesn't. He also recognized Goku as being stronger than Vegeta.

I will admit, it is possible that the potara could act as a different body switching technique, but then you wonder why the person who just been switched can't do it back. And on top of that, Black haven't shown any other moves outside of Goku's techniques unless we want to count his sphere energy move, which isn't anything unique. And when I think about, wouldn't his ki feel like Goku more? Krillin couldn't sense any difference in Goku when Ginyu arrived in his body, the same with Vegeta. Only Gohan noticed something was wrong and it seemed to be more of a bonding thing (child knowing there parent) than him feeling that his dad's energy was different.

Again, this could be a new kind of body swap technique, so the same rules don't apply.

Which techniques from Goku doesn't he knows and why wouldn't he know them if technique are past along the body like you are suggesting. And being stronger is one thing, but we're taking about fighting techniques he can gained from Vegeta, instead of repeating himself with Goku.

That is a lot of 'it could be new' going on. Even with the difference between Cell and Buu's absorption there were still several similarities. Namely, even after absorbing people, they still felt like themselves, they just added the ki of the people they absorbed. They also gained the techniques from the people they absorbed. In otherwise, just because different methods are used, doesn't mean the all the stuff from one method doesn't apply.

Also, you seem to be trying to make two points at once. On one hand, you say that Black could have taking Goku's techniques from a new form of body switching. When I asked if that was the case, it would be redundant to fight Goku again if he already knew his techniques, you then say he doesn't know all of them. So, it's a body switching technique that allows someone to know some of the body's techniques but not all of them, why? And why would Goku's body function differently that he can absorb techniques from being hit? Goku learns techniques from observation, not getting smacked around.

[Kishido]

Well something which is even more interesting... He knows Vegeta, who in Trunks timeline is long dead, and Beerus as well... Beerus most likely cuz he still exists in his timeline.

But Vegeta is bothering me...

[DainIronfoot]

A friend of mine just told me he read an interesting theory of Black and Zamasu. I personally don't think this is the case but I found it very interesting nonetheless.

"I'm curious, was it the supreme Kai that we know from our timeline that gave instructions to Trunks on how to kill Dabura? What instructions could he have actually given him? Ki blast deflect the spit? Just seems odd to me that he received instructions by "Kaioshin sama". Where is the Supreme Kai when Black showed up? Surely him being a Kaioshin he would know of the time ring and such. Maybe the Kaioshin that Trunks heard from is actually Zamasu? I'm still going through the details in my head but something just seems fishy about why Super would bring that up in an episode out of nowhere."


I found this very interesting as I mentioned and I'm amazed by all the theories people are coming up with. I personally don't think Super would get as creative/complicated to do something like this but can't wait to see what actually gets revealed!

[ClinicalBM]

Looking at Black and his fighting technique and I now feel that Black isn’t Zamasu who has taken Goku’s body somehow, but an Alien of the Hit race, his universe 7 counterpart basically. I draw this conclusion as his instant improvement ability is similar to Hit if not the same next to also absorbing his opponents fighting techniques and their KI energy looks the same as well. He referred to this saying “I wanted to fight you (Goku) in this body" in the last episode. Thus we can practically safely assume that he has stolen Goku’s body in that timeline.

So, the universe 7 -strongest Hit-race being somehow took Goku’s dead body while he was training in other world. How? I don’t know. Maybe the Ginyu body-swap technique (but he would be dead then no like dead Goku in that time-line) or the Super Dragon Balls.
God King Zamasu (likely an evil green supreme kai /Evil Makaiōshin) is involved as well. I think if he’s evil, he plotted something here as well. He might also be a good guy who tried to stop it all from happening. We shall see.

[Savage68]

He's not one of Hit's race (if there's even a race of Hit-type people); there's no way an adversary with an identical ability to a guy in the last arc would be introduced like this. Your whole theory sounds way too convoluted to be likely.