This is explicitly how it works in the series.
"Battle Power" is the unit, and it is a measurement of ki. For the sake of simplicity, strength and battle power units are completely interchangeable.
While I can understand how that logic doesn't work in regard to real world measurements, Dragon Ball simply doesn't use that logic.
On the TFS "battle powers are bullshit" line: It's great. The people who constantly parrot it are making the same mistake Vegeta is in that scene - talking shit about something they don't understand.
The problem with power levels is that we still rely on and argue about them long after Toriyama stopped caring about them. His comment about Goku, Beerus, and Whis being a 6, 10, and a 15 respectively to me said that he really didn't care all that much.
It's gotten a little ridiculous if after 50+ years people are still arguing about a concept that is fairly outdated. There are those that want to try and figure out the power increase of Super Saiyan God, when it's only discernible feats are energy nullification and letting Goku get punched in the face by Beerus and not black out.
People keep trying to make sense of a franchise that didn't make a terrible lot of sense to begin with. If the creator didn't and most likely doesn't care, why do the fans? Compare the Spirit Detective Items in Yu Yu Hakusho, Gon's fishing pole in Hunter X Hunter, Shikais in Bleach, actual ninja tactics in Naruto, Hamon in Jojo, and Alucard having actual weaknesses in Hellsing - be it Early-Installment Weirdness or So Last Season, most of these concepts lost meaning once the series progressed, and this was typically for the better.
edited 11th Aug '16 10:28:54 AM by Soble
I'M MR. MEESEEKS, LOOK AT ME!Power Levels weren't Early-Installment Weirdness; they were introduced halfway through the series' original run.
I mean, you're mostly right, but I find trying to make sense of this series' Power Levels fun.
I find the thread hijacking and taking headcanon used to fill gaps as truth (those gaps existed because covering them was irrelevant) annoying.
Feel free having fun, but don't expect me to take seriously a debate where somebody elaborates on why Krillin is stronger than Tien, because their functional power level is the same: Irrelevant.
If you don't like it then just don't participate in it. There are plenty of other threads on the fora and other sites on the net and other things to do.
Let the joy of love give you an answer! Check out my book!
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I mean, I get that. I used to sit down with a notebook and try to record all of the power levels myself, used to be obsessed with figuring out the numbers from the show, games, and films. I've just lost my enthusiasm for it.
But I'm not keen on generalizing anyone who dislikes power levels as "mad because their favorite character is underestimated" or "too lazy to figure them out" either.
edited 11th Aug '16 4:33:28 PM by Soble
I'M MR. MEESEEKS, LOOK AT ME!If Goku with a Kaio-Ken x10 Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan combination can't beat Black, what in name of heaven makes you think Vegeta and especially Trunks can do crap? Are we basing this on Goku softening Black enough for Vegeta to finish him like Golden Frieza? And if you mean Goku dies from the Kaio-Ken, Vegeta is still screwed since he is weaker than Goku even without the Kaio-Ken. So again, what do expect them to do except run.
As for power levels, I never cared about the numbers because really, they're worthless, especially when tacked on to the original Dragon Ball. I do like power scaling in which who is stronger than who, and how they would match up to certain characters.
edited 11th Aug '16 6:26:59 PM by Ramona122003
Ya know, it'd be funny if something like this happened:
- Gohan: HYAAAA!!!!!!
- Goku/Vegeta/Trunks/Black: Where did you come from!?
- Gohan: Oh, I gained Super Saiyan White, which makes me fast enough to time travel.
- Pan: HYAAA!
- Gohan: Pan can also go White.
- Krillin/Tien/Roshi/18/Satan/Videl: HYAAA!!
- Gohan: Also, they learned how to go Super Human, which is almost as powerful as White.
- Buu: Kikikeh!
- Gohan: Oh, and Buu can go pure at will now.
- Jaco: HYAAAA!
- Gohan: Jaco can transform too!
- Black: IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE WHO CAN TRANSFORM!?
- Monaka: Yo.
- Black: GYAAHHHHHH!!!
Yeah, there was a time when I'd probably thought making a Dragon Ball game sounded like fun but managing all of the super saiyan forms sounds like a headache now. I like how Budokai 3 did it, but I think I'd just go the Captain Ersatz Serial Numbers Filed Off Spiritual License I can't believe its not Dragon Ball route.
That, or go the Dragon Ball Online route and have no proper saiyans playable.
Buldogue's lawyerIt really shouldn't be that difficult to 'manage transformations'.
Xenoverse had a good idea in having different skillsets available with different costumes. I would say, allow a 'custom' option where you can match any era Goku costume with any skillset, for example, so that you can have the undershirt-less Goku who fought Radditz going SSJ Blue. And yes, I think SSJ Blue and God should be transformations and not entirely different characters.
Xenoverse had a big problem where one of the 'ultimate' slots was left unused, which I feel should've been the one where transformations went, instead of taking up an ultimate attack slot.
edited 11th Aug '16 7:42:00 PM by IAmNotCreativeEnough
himitsu keisatsu seifu chokuzoku kokka hoanbu na no da himitsu keisatsu yami ni magireru supai katsudou torishimariThere are two ways that Dragon Ball games tend to be made. There's the "Making a balanced fighting game" way which was accomplished best by the Budokai games. Then there's the "Represent everyone's moveset accurately" way which was best done by the second and third Tenkaichi games. Xenoverse tried to do both and had varying results.
This song needs more love.Ehm, how do I say this... Hi! Been a huge DB fan since I was a kid, so I thought I might try posting here once in a while. If anyone is wondering why my english is so clunky, I'm not a native speaker since I'm from Italy (in which the franchise has a very, veeery huge cult by the way) so apologize for the grammar mistakes I'll probably make every two lines of writing. Aaaaand, have a nice day!
P.S Regarding the discussion you had earlier, despite I loved Budokai 3 if I must choose which PS 2 game is the best, I'll probably go for Tenkaichi 3, because of the several playstyles. There were clones, yeah, but at least there were small differences that made every character a bit unique (and that is a good thing when you have three gokus, two piccolos and five-six vegetas)
What are you talking about? If anything, that shows that he still thinks in a similar mindset.

Well with two months left that's still plenty of time to show off the Buu, Ro F and GT stuff.