The clash between Universe 7 and Universe 9 in Dragon Ball Super became one of the earliest major highlights of the Tournament of Power arc. Although the battle initially looked like a chaotic team fight between evenly matched universes, it quickly demonstrated the overwhelming difference in strength, strategy, and teamwork between the two sides. The confrontation also introduced fans to the Trio of Danger, Universe 9’s wolf-like fighters who became some of the most recognizable new characters introduced during the tournament.
The fight mattered far beyond simple action scenes. It was the first time the Tournament of Power truly showed the terrifying stakes involved. Until that point, many fighters still viewed the tournament like a normal martial arts competition. However, once Universe 9 was erased completely after losing, the atmosphere of the entire arc changed dramatically. Suddenly, elimination no longer meant defeat alone. It meant total annihilation for an entire universe.
Universe 7 ultimately won the confrontation decisively, but the battle still revealed important weaknesses, strategies, and character dynamics that influenced later stages of the Tournament of Power. Goku and Vegeta’s teamwork, Universe 9’s desperation tactics, and the terrifying reality of erasure all combined to make this one of the arc’s most important early conflicts.
Why were Universe 7 and Universe 9 already enemies before the tournament
The rivalry between Universe 7 and Universe 9 started before the actual Tournament of Power officially began. During the Zeno Expo exhibition matches, Universe 9’s fighters faced Universe 7 representatives in a preview event organized for the Omni-Kings.
The first major battle involved Majin Buu fighting Basil, one of the Trio of Danger brothers. Initially, Basil appeared to dominate because Buu treated the match playfully instead of seriously. However, once Mr. Satan was injured during the fight, Buu became enraged and overwhelmed Basil completely. Even after Basil used enhancement drugs provided by Universe 9’s Supreme Kai Roh, Buu still won decisively.
The second exhibition match featured Gohan against Lavender. Lavender relied heavily on poison-based attacks and temporarily blinded Gohan during combat. Despite fighting at a disadvantage, Gohan adapted strategically and secured a draw by ring-out. This battle was especially important because it marked the beginning of Gohan rebuilding his combat abilities before the Tournament of Power.
The final exhibition match involved Bergamo fighting Goku. Bergamo possessed the unique ability to grow stronger by absorbing damage from opponents. Goku eventually countered this ability by transforming into Super Saiyan Blue and defeating Bergamo with overwhelming force. These losses deeply humiliated Universe 9 and created strong resentment toward Universe 7 before the tournament even started.
Universe 9’s main strategy was targeting Goku
Once the Tournament of Power officially began, Universe 9 immediately focused on eliminating Goku. Their reasoning was simple: if they removed Universe 7’s strongest fighter early, the rest of the team would become far easier to defeat.
The Trio of Danger brothers, Bergamo, Basil, and Lavender, coordinated attacks against Goku simultaneously. Their teamwork initially created problems because each brother specialized in different combat methods. Basil relied on powerful kicking attacks, Lavender used poison techniques, and Bergamo acted as the tactical leader with size-enhancing abilities. Together, they temporarily pressured Goku into defensive movement.
Importantly, Goku intentionally avoided using his strongest transformations early in the tournament. Beerus and Whis specifically noted that Goku needed to conserve stamina because the Tournament of Power could last much longer than normal battles. This decision gave Universe 9 a brief opportunity to pressure him strategically.
However, Universe 9’s biggest mistake was becoming overly obsessed with revenge. Rather than focusing on survival and tactical positioning, they devoted too many resources toward attacking Goku directly. This left other members vulnerable elsewhere across the arena.
That obsession ultimately became one of the main reasons Universe 9 lost so quickly.
Vegeta completely changed the momentum of the fight
The battle shifted dramatically once Vegeta joined Goku against the Trio of Danger.
Until Vegeta entered the fight, Universe 9’s coordinated assault was causing genuine problems. Goku was defending against attacks from multiple directions while trying to avoid unnecessary stamina loss. Once Vegeta arrived, however, Universe 7 immediately gained the advantage because the numbers became more balanced.
Universe 9 attempted to compensate by sending additional fighters against both Saiyans. Roh ordered several weaker warriors from Universe 9 to overwhelm Goku and Vegeta through numbers rather than individual strength. For a short time, this strategy worked moderately well. Vegeta was even briefly trapped when Hyssop froze one of his arms using ice-based abilities.
However, Vegeta quickly exploited the overconfidence of Universe 9’s fighters. After dodging a coordinated attack, he created an opening that allowed both Saiyans to counterattack aggressively. Goku and Vegeta then transformed into Super Saiyan simultaneously and began eliminating weaker opponents rapidly.
This sequence highlighted a major difference between the universes. Universe 9 relied heavily on gimmicks and coordination, while Universe 7 possessed fighters individually strong enough to dominate once momentum shifted.
Android 18 and Frieza quietly helped destroy Universe 9
Although Goku and Vegeta received most of the attention during the battle, other Universe 7 fighters also played important roles in eliminating Universe 9.
Android 18 quietly eliminated Sorrel during the chaos, reducing Universe 9’s numbers further without much direct focus from the episode. This moment reinforced one of Universe 7’s greatest strengths: multiple experienced fighters capable of operating independently across the battlefield.
Frieza contributed in a much darker way. Rather than immediately eliminating his opponent, he psychologically tortured Roselle until the terrified fighter panicked and jumped off the arena voluntarily. This scene reminded viewers that Frieza remained extremely dangerous despite temporarily fighting alongside Universe 7.
Universe 9 struggled because its fighters lacked comparable depth. Outside the Trio of Danger, most members were significantly weaker and depended heavily on group tactics. Once Universe 7 disrupted their coordination, the remaining fighters collapsed quickly.
This contrast became even clearer as the battle progressed. While Universe 7 spread responsibility across multiple powerful fighters, Universe 9 became increasingly desperate and disorganized.
The psychological pressure of potential universal erasure also clearly affected Universe 9 more severely than Universe 7 during these moments.
The Trio of Danger’s final attack failed against Super Saiyan Blue
The climax of the battle centered around the Trio of Danger’s desperate final assault.
After most of Universe 9 had already been eliminated, Bergamo, Basil, and Lavender found themselves cornered near the edge of the arena against Goku and Vegeta. Realizing they were losing badly, the brothers combined their powers into a coordinated beam attack known as the Triangle Danger Beam.
The attack initially appeared impressive because it demonstrated genuine teamwork and synchronization between the brothers. However, Goku and Vegeta immediately responded by transforming into Super Saiyan Blue together. The resulting power difference became overwhelming instantly.
The two Saiyans combined Vegeta’s Final Flash with Goku’s Kamehameha into a devastating counterattack often referred to by fans as the God Final Kamehameha. The combined blast completely overpowered Universe 9’s attack and launched the Trio of Danger out of the arena simultaneously. (turn0search2,
This moment confirmed decisively that Universe 9 simply lacked fighters capable of matching Universe 7’s elite warriors directly. Even their strongest coordinated effort failed immediately once Goku and Vegeta used higher-level transformations seriously.
The scene also served as one of the earliest reminders of how absurdly powerful Super Saiyan Blue remained compared to most Tournament of Power fighters.
Universe 9 became the first erased universe
The most surprising part of the battle happened after Universe 9 lost all ten fighters.
At first, many characters assumed eliminated universes would simply leave the tournament area quietly. Instead, the Grand Priest announced that Universe 9’s defeat meant total erasure. Moments later, the Omni-Kings erased Universe 9 entirely from existence in front of everyone. (turn0search3,
This scene completely transformed the atmosphere of the Tournament of Power.
Before Universe 9’s erasure, several fighters treated the tournament casually or arrogantly. Watching an entire universe vanish instantly forced everyone to understand the true consequences of failure. Even gods became visibly terrified during the sequence.
Universe 7 itself reacted with shock. Although Goku already understood the tournament’s stakes intellectually, seeing universal erasure happen physically created a very different emotional impact. Characters like Gohan and Android 17 immediately began approaching the tournament more strategically afterward.
Universe 9’s destruction therefore served an important narrative purpose beyond simply removing weaker fighters early.
It established the Tournament of Power as a survival scenario rather than a traditional martial arts competition.
Why Universe 7 won so easily
Despite Universe 9’s creative tactics, Universe 7 ultimately dominated because of overwhelming individual power and superior versatility.
The biggest difference involved fighter quality. Universe 7 possessed multiple warriors capable of competing at god-tier levels, including Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, Android 17, and Gohan. Universe 9 relied too heavily on the Trio of Danger while the remaining fighters functioned mostly as support attackers.
Universe 7 also adapted more effectively during combat. Goku and Vegeta quickly identified Universe 9’s coordination patterns and exploited openings once weaker members became separated. Fighters like Android 18 and Frieza independently eliminated opponents elsewhere simultaneously.
Another major factor involved mentality. Universe 9 fought emotionally because they wanted revenge against Universe 7 specifically. This caused them to make reckless decisions, including overcommitting resources toward attacking Goku early.
Universe 7, while not perfectly coordinated initially, maintained much better battlefield awareness. Once Vegeta entered the fight, the balance shifted decisively because Universe 9 lacked equivalent high-level fighters capable of responding effectively.
The power gap simply became too large once serious transformations entered the battle.
Universe 9 still introduced memorable characters
Even though Universe 9 lost quickly, the universe still left a strong impression on many Dragon Ball fans.
The Trio of Danger especially became popular because of their unusual designs and coordinated fighting styles. Unlike many generic Tournament of Power fighters, Basil, Lavender, and Bergamo each possessed distinct personalities and combat gimmicks. Reddit discussions years later still debated whether the characters deserved more screen time or future appearances. (turn0search4,
Bergamo’s size-increasing ability, Lavender’s poison techniques, and Basil’s enhanced kicking attacks made them visually different from traditional Dragon Ball fighters. Their sibling dynamic also added personality rarely seen among minor tournament opponents.
Universe 9’s gods also stood out. Supreme Kai Roh’s aggressive personality contrasted sharply with the calmer Sidra, creating an unusual god pairing that many viewers found memorable.
Although Universe 9 existed mainly to demonstrate the danger of erasure early, the universe succeeded at introducing creative new fighters and helping establish the larger multiversal setting of Dragon Ball Super.
The fight changed the Tournament of Power permanently
The Universe 7 versus Universe 9 battle accomplished far more than simply eliminating one team early. Narratively, it established the true tone of the Tournament of Power. The arc stopped feeling like a celebratory crossover tournament and became a desperate survival battle involving entire universes. Watching Universe 9 disappear permanently surprised both characters and viewers alike.
The fight also highlighted key themes that continued throughout the tournament. Teamwork mattered, but overwhelming individual strength still remained decisive in Dragon Ball combat. Universe 9 coordinated attacks creatively, yet Universe 7’s elite fighters ultimately overpowered them once serious transformations appeared.
Most importantly, the battle established Universe 7 as one of the tournament’s strongest teams immediately. Goku and Vegeta’s combined power, Frieza’s cruelty, Android 17’s efficiency, and Gohan’s tactical growth all became obvious during this confrontation.
While Universe 9 technically lost quickly, their battle against Universe 7 remains one of the Tournament of Power’s most important early moments because it permanently changed how everyone viewed the competition and its terrifying consequences.