Summary
Dragon Ball Super’sTournament of Power arc was a competition housing the most powerful characters from across the multiverse who were tasked with battling it out for the survival of their universe. During this arc, fans were introduced to a multitude of whacky and interesting characters, ranging from serious and powerful God of Destruction contenders to goofy or cowardly characters who added little value to their overall team.
Among the rabble werethe Universe 6 Saiyans, who fans quickly took a liking to. Though Cabba had been introduced earlier inDragon Ball Super, Kale and Caulifla made their proper debut within this arc and proved themselves to be brave and capable warriors. However, only when they fused was their full power truly realized, so let’s break down who Kefla was and why she was so strong!
Kefla is the second-ever Potara Fusion between Saiyans
First Appearance
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 114, “Bloodcurdling! The Explosive Birth of a New Super Warrior!”
Story Arc
Tournament of Power
Caulifla and Kale were fairly powerful Saiyans. Without needing the proper training, Caulifla was able to unlock her Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 transformations within the time limit of the tournament, where she used her power to fight decently well. Kale, on the other hand,had powers similar to Broly, as she could transform into an extremely powerful berserker state that had an incredible amount of strength, enough to go toe-to-toe with some very formidable characters.
However, no matter how strong either of them got, they were significantly weaker than the top dogs of the Tournament. Knowing that they couldn’t make up this strength on their own, they fused using the Potara Earrings to form Kefla. Kefla was a merger of these 2 Saiyans blessed with not only a mix of each of their powers but also enjoying a substantial boost on top of that! Due to her newfound strength, Kefla was more of a challenge for stronger characters.
The Strength Of A Fused Warrior
Why was Kefla so strong?
As stated before, the true reason why Kefla suddenly became a serious contender in the Tournament of Power wasbecause of the Potara Earrings. These earrings allow the merger between any 2 characters for a brief amount of time if they are mortals (permanent if they aren’t), birthing a brand-new warrior who is the amalgamation of the personalities and abilities of both of their constituents.
Moreover, the strength of the fusees isn’t just added together, it receives an exponential boost on top of that, giving the fusion a sudden burst of power that either of the people simply couldn’t achieve on their own. This was on perfect display with Kefla, as both of her constituents were being held back together by Goku’s lower forms, while Super Saiyan Kefla had to be defeated by Ultra Instinct Omen Goku! However, this was extremely one-sided, as Goku was never in any danger while Kefla was going into overdrive.
Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! My power keeps rising, it’s incredible! I gotta say, it’s a real privilege to be born a Saiyan!
Moreover, this was only in the anime to show just how powerful Ultra Instinct truly was since, in the manga, Ultimate Gohan was the one to defeat her. Still, though, Kefla’s significant power boosts allowed her toreach the power of Ultimate Gohanin the first place, which is incredibly impressive considering how neither Kale nor Caulifla had ever used Super Saiyan forms or fusion in any battles before, and also since this was Kefla’s first fight ever!
Though the manga and anime continuities of the series are generally thought to be separate for most fans, many thought it to be incredibly impressive when Kefla was fighting equally against Super Saiyan God Goku while still in her base form. After this, she fights equally against Super Saiyan Blue in her own Super Saiyan form, showing just how substantial the boost from the Potara Fusion truly is.
Many fans had a problem with how easily she was able to close the gap between herself andSuper Saiyan Blue Gokuwith Kaioken x20 added on top of it, only being beaten by Ultra Instinct Omen. This is where the manga steps in, since it generally has better power scaling and narrative cohesion when compared to the anime.
Though still incredibly powerful, Kefla was seen more to be on Ultimate Gohan’s level, showing that even without training, she could reach the level of the person with the highest potential in the series. They had an amazing fight in the manga, with both Saiyans giving it all they had to knock the other one off of the stage. Gohan barely managed to defeat Kefla in his Ultimate form and was shown to be quite drained after, showing fans just how strong of a fighter Kefla truly is!
