Bringer of Death

Bringer of Death Special: Exclusive Interview with Son Gohan

Bringer of Death Special: Exclusive Interview with Son Gohan

This week, we're taking a break from our story to bring you this one-of-a-kind interview with Gohan himself. We've been collecting questions over the past few months, and now it's finally time for answers! Enjoy.

Welcome, everyone, to this interview, and special thanks to Dr. Son for joining us today. It's a real honor to meet you, sir.

I'm pleased to be here. But...just call me Gohan. That's what everyone knows me by, anyway.

Sure thing. Speaking of names, I understand most people in your world only have one name?

That's right. My wife Videl didn't have a family name at all; most people don't. My family is a bit of an exception, I guess. Even my father-in-law usually goes by a stage name, Hercule Satan. His real name is Mark.

A long time ago, everyone had family names. But that was before King Piccolo tried to take over the world the first time, about three centuries ago. He messed up a lot of stuff, reducing the Earth's population to only a few hundred million before Master Mutaito trapped him with the Mafūba Wave. Afterward, it took the Earth a long time to rebuild; we lost a lot of the old traditions.

That makes sense. Okay, before we go any further: this might seem like a strange question, but which Gohan are you? We, uh, know quite a few Gohans.

Haha! No, it's not a strange question at all. I'm the Gohan from the main timeline shown in the manga. I attended the Multiverse Tournament; my universe was number 18. But I've read through the accounts from other universes, including Bringer of Death, so I can answer questions about those worlds in addition to my own.

Great! That's awesome. So, let's start with something we all wish we knew about: ki. What is ki energy? How do you use it?

What ki is and how ki is used are two very different questions! People who are very skilled in the use of ki, like my dad, can go their entire lives without understanding what it actually is. Everybody—except maybe Lord Slug in Bringer of Death—has ki and can learn to use it. It's just an extension of everything you do. Life is ki.

As far as what ki actually consists of...that's a bit more complicated. It has to do with physics and quantum mechanics...is that something you're familiar with?

Well, yes. David has a degree in physics, so he's pretty familiar with quantum mechanics.

So do I! I have three PhDs: one in physics, one in philosophy, and one in literature. My mom made sure of that.

Anyway, on to the question. Ki is the same thing as vacuum energy. Quantum physics has shown that empty space—a vacuum—constantly creates and destroys billions of trillions of particles like photons and electrons and protons every second. It's happening all around you right now. A single gallon of empty space contains enough vacuum energy to destroy the entire universe.

Yikes! That's a little scary. But...how do you access that energy? I thought that energy couldn't be created or destroyed.

Vacuum energy always maintains the same average value, so nothing is being created or destroyed. Plus, it's totally chaotic; there's no consistent pattern to it, so you can't access it directly or use it to produce anything.

But that's where life comes in. Life is more than just a random assortment of chemicals; it has a metaphysical component, a sort of "spiritual energy". Because living cells are all connected spiritually to Otherworld, they can borrow spiritual energy and use it to control and align the particles produced by vacuum energy. When living organisms use spiritual force to channel vacuum energy through their bodies, we call this ki.