Explanation of each type of Dragon Ball

Key points

• The Earth Dragon Balls grant wishes, but have limits on what can be requested and require a year to recharge.
• Namekian Dragon Balls are larger, have fewer restrictions, and reactivate after 130 days if used.
• The Super Dragon Balls, the original spheres, have unlimited power and summon Super Shenron for every wish.

What would it be Dragon Ball be without the Dragon Balls? These magical MacGuffins have been the solution (and sometimes the source) of everyone's problems in the various series of the franchise. They have been coveted by heroes and villains alike, as collecting all seven can grant a wish, either bringing the dead back to life or granting immortality.

Or at least that's the case with the original Dragon Balls. There are different sets of balls for different universes, not to mention different planets and realms, and they come with different conditions. Keeping track of them all can be tricky, so here's a handy list that helps explain each type of Dragon Ball in the Dragon Ball series.

1 Earth Dragon Balls

Dragon Ball

• Creator: Kami
• State: Canon
• Debut: Episode 1 – “The Secret of the Dragon Balls” (anime), Chapter 1 – “Bulma and Son Goku” (manga)

First things first, The Dragon Balls of Earth they are the ones the show is named after and have been in the series since day one. So, they probably don't need much explanation. Created by Kami, they are small orange balls patterned with 1 to 7 stars to help collectors keep track. Once all seven are reunited, they summon the divine dragon Shenron, who will grant one or three wishes, depending on his power.

His power has its limits, as he cannot make others fall in love with someone or kill enemies more powerful than the wishmaker. But eternal youth, immortality, resurrection of the dead, etc. are valid. People cannot make the same wish twice and once granted, they must wait a year before they can use the orbs again, as they disperse and turn to stone after Shenron is summoned.

2 Namekian Dragon Balls

Dragon Ball Z

• Creator: Great Elder Guru
• State: Canon
• Debut: Episode 44- “Brood of Evil” (anime), Chapter 53- “Planet Namek, Cold and Dark” (manga)

Kami was once part of a single being with King Piccolo, who was reborn as Piccolo Jr at the end of the original series. If the latter dies, so does Kami. So, if he dies, Earth's Dragon Balls will be rendered permanently inert. But the orbs can be reactivated if someone manages to bring the two back to life, which Krillin, Bulma and Gohan had planned to do. the Namekian Dragon Balls.

They learned from the Saiyans that Piccolo and God's species were from another planet, which had its own set of Dragon Balls made by their elder, the Great Elder Guru. They are much larger and summon a different dragon in Porunga, which can grant three wishes by default. As long as the collector knows how to speak Namekian and is on the good side. The balls remain inert once used, but do not disperse and are reactivated after 130 days.

3 Black Star Dragon Balls

Dragonball GT

• Creator: The Son of Katatz/The Nameless Namek
• State: Alternate timeline follows DBZ
• Debut: Episode 1- “A Devastating Wish”

Before Kami and King Piccolo split in two, they were a single nameless Namek, known only as “Son of Katatz”. He was more powerful than his divided halves, and he showed it in his creation: the Black Star Dragon Balls. They resemble Earth spheres but have black stars and summon Ultimate Shenron, a larger, more powerful dragon who has fewer restrictions on his desires.

For example, it could kill someone, regardless of their power level, if the collector wanted it. But if they did, they would put their planet on a time limit. If the balls are not reunited within a year, the planet will be destroyed. The balls scatter across the galaxy when used, so without a decent spaceship, the planet's inhabitants find themselves in the creek without a paddle. At least they don't become inert once used, so that's a plus.

4 Super Dragon Balls

Dragon Ball Super

• Creator: Zalama
• State: Canon
• Debut: Episode 29- “Fighting matches are a success! The Captain is someone stronger than Goku” (anime), Chapter 6- “Tournament Preparation”

How did Kami, the Great Elder Guru and the son of Katatz create their dragon balls? Shaving pieces off the Super Dragon Balls. These are the original balls on which all the others were based, created by the dragon god Zalama. Each of them is the size of a planet and has no limits to its power. Whatever the collector wants, he will get, even if it is the rebirth of entire universes.

Once collected, they summon Super Shenron, a dragon so large that it houses multiple universes within it but can shrink to a more manageable size. They must also be summoned in the Divine Language of the gods, which is simply Japanese/English backwards, with “nice pleasure/peas and carrots” at the end. The gods work in mysterious ways.

5 Dark Dragon Balls

The super heroes of Dragon Ball

• Creator: Xeno Dende
• State: Not Canon
• Debut: The super heroes of Dragon Ball (video game), episode 33- “New Space-Time War! The Ultimate Fierce Battle Begins!” (anime), Chapter 2- “Dark Dragon Ball” (Realm of Dark Demons manga)

Another problem with Earth Dragon Balls is that multiple wishes can cause a buildup of negative energy. In GTthis causes the orbs to summon the evil Black Smoke Shenron, who then divides into seven Shadow Dragons based on humanity's varying desires over the centuries. The video game, Dragonball Heroesplays on this theme with the Dark Dragon Balls.

Created by Xeno Dende, an evil counterpart to Kami's successor, they are red balls with black stars that can summon Dark Shenron. Only this time, since they are based on negative energy, they can produce evil Shadow Dragons with a single wish instead of multiple wishes. Furthermore, once used, they disperse in both time and space, making memory a difficult task.

6 Special Dragon Balls

The super heroes of Dragon Ball

• Creator: Fu
• State: Not Canon
• Debut: The super heroes of Dragon Ball (video game), episode 1- “Goku vs. Goku! A Transcendent Battle Begins on the Prison Planet!” (anime), Chapter 1- “Prison Planet” (Mission to the Universe manga)

The super heroes of Dragon Ball also brought the Special Dragon Balls. They are essentially the same as Earth's Dragon Balls in that they summon Shenron. But instead of being MacGuffins for treasure hunters, they serve as keys to escape Prison Planet, a group of worlds edited together that trap anyone its creator, Fu, deems fit for his social experiment.

The only way to escape the Prison Planet is to collect all seven Special Dragon Balls, each held by a different prisoner. Ultimately, the series' Dragon and Time Patrol teams use their power to defeat Fu and the evil Saiyan Cumber and break the seal of Prison Planet. The balls are then used to free everyone and return the separated planets to their original orbits.

7 Cereal Dragon Balls

Dragon Ball Super (manga)

• Creators: The Cerealian Namekians
• State: Canon
• Debut: Chapter 69- “The evolution of the cereal planet”

The series saw the Dragon Balls get bigger and bigger. So, it's kind of refreshing to see the Cereal Dragon Balls go in the opposite direction. Made by the Namekians on the planet Cereal, they are the size of marbles and there are only two to collect. They play an important role in the Granolah story arc, where the titular character wants to use them to bring back his massacred Cerealians.

It's a sympathetic goal, but Cereal's last Namekian, Monaito, thinks the return of the Cerealians could spell doom for the planet's Sugarian refugees. This may be why his dragon, Toronbo, is surprisingly polite and will advise the collector on the ramifications of his wish and offer alternatives if they prove more palatable. Ultimately, if the collector is 100% sure of their wish, good or bad, Toronbo will grant it.

8 The Crystal of Omnificence

Legends of Dragonball

• Creator: Zalama (allegedly)
• State: Not Canon
• Debut: Legends of Dragonball mobile game

Every Dragon Ball in the series' existence is ultimately tied to the Super Dragon Balls. But if the mobile game Legends of Dragonball is anything to go by, they were simply Zalama's result after working on a prototype: a singular giant sphere known only as the crystal of omnificence. It is formed by combining a smaller blue and red crystal to form its yin-yang symbol.

It does not summon a dragon, nor does it split or scatter. The crystal will grant as many wishes as its energy can power, which became a problem when the swordsman Zahha took control of it. He used his power to nullify Beerus' Hakai power, eliminate the concept of Ki Detection in Universe 7, and make Saiyan Shallot's new allies forget about him and instead think he is a villain. Good thing DBL It's not canon…yet.

9 Dragon Balls of the Demon Realm

Dragon Ball Daima

• Creators: The Namekians of the Demon Realm
• State: Canon
• Debut: Episode 1- “Conspiracy”

Finally, the latest set of Dragon Balls to join the series is the Dragon Balls of the Demon Realm. While not as massive as the Super Dragon Balls, they are still much larger than the Namekian Dragon Balls. Luckily there are only three. Unfortunately, they are all owned by the Tamagami, powerful warriors created by the Namekian of the Demon Realm, Neva.

The Tamagami have managed to keep the balls out of the hands of everyone else in the underworld, suggesting that they are even more powerful than demon kings like Dabura. However, King Kadan of the 3rd Demon World thinks that Goku might be powerful enough to defeat them, even as a child. Only time can tell what will happen when the three balls are collected and what they will conjure.