Close-up of Zamasu, with pale green skin, white hair and orange earrings, smiling with his eyes closed, a purple collar under a gray and yellow tunic.

Zamasu: The Apprentice Supreme Kai at War with Mortals

CharacterGodsDragon Ball Super

Zamasu is Universe 10's apprentice Supreme Kai, trained by Gowasu in Dragon Ball Super. A combat genius, he believes mortals are evil by nature and dreams of a universe rid of them. Present Zamasu ends up destroyed by Beerus; Future Zamasu, allied with Goku Black and made immortal, later fuses with him. Here's a look back at his master, his ideas, these two paths, Merged Zamasu and the different endings the anime and the manga give him, then at the voices that brought him to life.

He serves his master tea and wears the garb of the gods, yet dreams of a universe without mortals: Zamasu is the god who declared war on the very beings he was meant to protect. Here's the story of this apprentice Supreme Kai, from Universe 10 all the way to his erasure by Zeno.

Contents

Zamasu, Universe 10's apprentice Supreme Kai

Zamasu is the apprentice Supreme Kai of Universe 10, serving Gowasu, that universe's Supreme Kai, in Dragon Ball Super. In Japanese, his rank is called Kaiōshin minarai, “apprentice Supreme Kai”; in the manga, the Japanese title of chapter 17 presents him as the candidate for the post of Universe 10's next Supreme Kai (Viz Media's English edition titles the chapter “Zamas: The Next Lord of Lords from Universe 10”).

Before that, he was the North Kai of Universe 10. A bonus page in volume 4 of the manga shows Gowasu paying him a visit to invite him to come and study under him in the World of the Kais; Zamasu accepts enthusiastically. Even as a mere Kai, he was considered a genius among all the Kais, noted for his ki, his raw strength and his fighting talent.

As a mere apprentice, he isn't allowed to use the Time Rings: in the anime (episode 58), Beerus points out that only official Supreme Kais can. In the manga (chapter 16), Zamasu spars with Kibito, who came from Universe 7 with Shin; Kibito struggles, and Gowasu stops the fight before his apprentice can land a serious blow.

In the anime, Zamasu has pale green skin, gray irises, white eyebrows and white hair styled in a mohawk. He wears a long-sleeved purple shirt under a gray and yellow coat, a light blue cloth sash, baggy dark blue pants, white boots and orange earrings that look like Potara.

Zamasu, with pale green skin, white hair and orange earrings, stands behind Gowasu, an old man with yellow skin, on a dirt path.
In the anime, Zamasu, with his white mohawk and orange earrings, stands behind his master Gowasu, the Supreme Kai of Universe 10, whom he serves as an apprentice.
Zamasu figure in a purple, black and light blue outfit on cracked stone ground, with three heads, four hands and a purple effect piece laid out on the ground.

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A god who believes mortals are evil

In the manga (chapter 16), Gowasu asks his apprentice what should be done about the aggressive creatures of the planet Babari; Zamasu answers that they should be eliminated. In the anime, he makes his entrance pushing a refreshment cart, and it's while serving his master tea (episode 53) that he says he wants to destroy humans. Gowasu replies that it isn't up to him to decide, and that Kais have no right to interfere with creation.

In episode 55 of the anime, Zamasu sums up his thinking: mortals don't succumb to evil, they are evil, which they create and spread with an intelligence they should never have had. Gowasu reproaches him for going against his teachings, the balance between good and evil; Zamasu maintains that exterminating them is justice.

The manga and the anime don't tell the story of his fall the same way. In the manga, Zamasu already hates mortals before he even knows Goku, whom he only meets after stealing his body, and he dwells on their concrete wrongs, such as the damage done to the environment. In the anime, his encounter with the Saiyan radically changes his outlook: his distrust turns into open hatred, bordering on delusional, and he speaks more broadly about cycles of injustice and the gift of intelligence.

In Japanese, his plan has the same name in the manga and the anime: Ningen Zero Keikaku, which appears in the title of episode 61, aired in Japan on October 9, 2016, then gives its title to chapter 20, published in January 2017. In English, it becomes “Project 0 Mortals” in Funimation's dub title for episode 61, and “The Zero Mortal Project” in Viz Media's English edition of the manga. In the anime, allied with his future counterpart, the Zamasu who became Goku Black wants to kill mortals, whom he deems sinners, and gods, whom he deems useless, in order to establish his own justice and a utopia.

Zamasu seen from behind, wearing orange earrings, and Goku Black, with a green earring, smiling as he leans over his shoulder.
In the anime, Goku Black leans over the shoulder of the Zamasu of Trunks's era, who still wears his orange earrings: as allies, they want to kill mortals and gods.

☕ In the anime, Zamasu serves Gowasu a cup of tea while confiding his contempt for mortals; for your morning tea or coffee, choose from our Dragon Ball mugs.

Present Zamasu, from Goku to Beerus's Hakai

In the anime, Present Zamasu makes his debut at the very end of episode 52: a god from Universe 10 appears, dressed in clothes very similar to Black's. This god truly takes the stage in episode 53, which aired in Japan on July 31, 2016, where Whis, who thinks he has figured out Black's identity, introduces Zamasu as a Kai with a genius for combat and Gowasu's apprentice.

Gowasu then makes him fight Goku, who goes Super Saiyan 2. Goku, Beerus and Whis notice that Zamasu's ki resembles Black's, then Goku gains the upper hand. This test match is exclusive to the anime.

In the manga (chapter 17), Gowasu entrusts Zamasu with one of his Potara earrings; the apprentice puts it on the same ear as his master, the left one, because on the opposite ear they would fuse, which he doesn't want. Promoted to Supreme Kai for a time, he can use the Time Ring and travel with Gowasu a thousand years into the future of the planet Babari. There, despite being ordered to leave, he momentarily loses his reason and kills, in cold blood, a Babarian who was attacking them.

In the anime (episode 57), he watches the recording of the tournament between Universes 6 and 7 and is outraged that a mortal like Goku can master divine energy. In the manga (chapter 18) as in the anime (episode 58), he goes to see Zuno and threatens him; Zuno ends up revealing that one must wait a cockroach's lifespan, about a year, before the Super Dragon Balls, which were used recently, can be used again.

His end differs from one version to the other. In the anime (episode 59), Beerus, Whis, Shin and Goku watch him from afar: Zamasu kills Gowasu, and Whis turns back time to undo the murder. Unmasked, Zamasu tries to attack Goku; the God of Destruction blocks the attack, raises his hand and says “Hakai”: Zamasu's body disintegrates.

In the manga (chapter 19), Gowasu isn't murdered: it's Shin who, using a Time Ring, has traveled across the multiverse to spy on Zamasu's future and confirm his crimes. Cornered, and refusing to die just as his plans are coming to fruition in the future, Zamasu tries to attack; Beerus stops his blow effortlessly and destroys him.

Beerus, seen from behind, holds Zamasu's wrist and raises his palm toward his face in a flash of white light, while Goku, also seen from behind, looks on.
In the anime, once unmasked, Zamasu tries to attack Goku: Beerus blocks the attack, raises his hand and says “Hakai,” and the apprentice's body disintegrates.

Future Zamasu, immortal and allied with Black

In the original timeline, where Beerus didn't unmask him, Zamasu pulls off his plan: he kills Gowasu and takes his Potara earrings and his Time Ring. After taking Goku's body with the Super Dragon Balls, this Zamasu becomes Goku Black, whose story has its own article.

Future Zamasu, meanwhile, is the Zamasu of Trunks's era: his life follows the same course as his counterpart's until the death of that era's Goku, carried off by heart disease. In the anime, while serving tea, this Zamasu finds his master Gowasu killed by a stranger, who turns out to be a Zamasu from another timeline: Black.

In the anime, the two Zamasus gather the Super Dragon Balls to make Future Zamasu immortal, then destroy them so that no one can undo the wish. In the manga (chapter 20), Future Zamasu reveals to Goku that he destroyed the Super Dragon Balls after asking them for one last wish, immortality. This Zamasu wears a green Potara on his left ear, given to him by Black.

The two Zamasus' hideout is a tall wooden chalet on a hillside, far from any town, with a large balcony where they discuss their plans over tea; the manga draws it smaller, with a reddish roof.

Zamasu in profile, with green skin, a white lock of hair and a green earring, drinks from a white cup with a blue pattern in front of a wooden railing.
In the anime, Future Zamasu, a green Potara earring on his ear, drinks his tea on the wooden balcony of the chalet that serves as the two Zamasus' hideout.

🛋️ An isolated wooden chalet and tea outdoors: the two Zamasus' hideout feels like a retreat; for your quiet evenings, on the couch or out on the balcony, wrap yourself up in one of our Dragon Ball throw blankets.

Merged Zamasu: two endings, anime and manga

In the anime, Future Zamasu's immortality comes to light in episode 57 (“A God with an Invincible Body – The Advent of Zamasu” in the English dub), which aired in Japan on September 4, 2016. To stop him, the heroes then pin their hopes on the Evil Containment Wave (Mafuba). In both versions, the technique does trap Future Zamasu in a jar, but the seal is missing and he escapes. In the manga (chapter 22), Goku uses the technique, then realizes that instead of the talisman left at Master Roshi's, he mistakenly brought a discount coupon for a cabaret; in the anime (episode 64), it's Future Trunks who uses it, and the talisman was left behind at Master Roshi's.

Black and Future Zamasu fuse with the Potara into Merged Zamasu, most often simply called “Zamasu.” In the anime, the fusion takes place in episode 64 (“Worship Me! Give Praise Unto Me! The Explosive Birth of a Merged Zamasu!” in the English dub), which aired in Japan on October 30, 2016: Future Zamasu takes his earring off his left ear and hooks it onto his right ear. In the manga (chapter 22), the two Zamasus argue, and it's Black who calms his counterpart down and reminds him of their last resort.

Merged Zamasu wears the green Potara earrings of the original timeline's Gowasu on both ears, and a Supreme Kai outfit close to Future Zamasu's, but in Black's colors, with a red cloth sash.

In the anime, his body heals badly: the injured parts turn into a viscous purple substance across the entire right half of his body. Gowasu explains that Future Zamasu's immortal body and Black's mortal body clash with each other, which slows down and hampers his regeneration: in the anime, Merged Zamasu is only half immortal.

In the manga, by contrast, he is truly immortal. In chapter 23, he learns that his fusion will only last an hour, since he isn't a true Supreme Kai, and curses Gowasu for not telling him. When the hour is up (chapter 25), the two Zamasus refuse to separate: Gowasu supposes that, being originally the same Zamasu, they are bound at the cellular level. Split apart by a sword stroke from Future Trunks, Black and then Future Zamasu each transform into Merged Zamasu, and the two relentlessly gang up on Goku.

In the anime (episode 66), Future Trunks, whose energy sword has gathered the energy of the Earthlings as well as Goku's and Vegeta's, runs Merged Zamasu through, then slices him in two. Yet Zamasu's will survives the destruction of his body: this final form, Mugen Zamasu in Japanese, often called Infinite Zamasu, appears in the sky as an infinite number of faces of Zamasu.

Summoned by Goku, Future Zeno puts an end to Zamasu: in the anime, he erases that era's universes; in the manga, he erases the entire timeline, and with it the Time Ring tied to it. Merged Zamasu returns once more in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, the promotional anime and manga for the card game: brought back by Fu, he ends up among the prisoners of the Prison Planet.

Trunks, with golden hair and a blue energy sword, seen from behind facing Merged Zamasu, whose arm and side are purple and misshapen, pierced by flashes of light.
In the anime, Future Trunks, wielding his energy sword, slices through Merged Zamasu, the right half of whose body has turned into a purple substance.

Zamasu's name, creation and voices

His name is said to come from the Japanese verb “zamasu” (ざます), a way of saying “to be”; his master Gowasu's name is believed to follow the same logic. According to Akira Toriyama, Zamasu is at heart a fundamentally good character, on the same side as Shin, but his excessive sense of integrity works against him.

The bonus page in volume 4, the one showing Gowasu's visit, also gives Zamasu a pet from his days as North Kai: a small winged pig, like King Kai's monkey Bubbles.

In Japanese, Zamasu is voiced by Shin'ichirō Miki, who also voices Future Zamasu and Merged Zamasu; Goku Black, meanwhile, has Goku's voice, Masako Nozawa. In Funimation's English dub of Dragon Ball Super, Zamasu, Future Zamasu and Merged Zamasu are voiced by James Marsters, credited as David Gray; it was only in October 2021, at a Fan Expo Canada panel, that Christopher Sabat publicly revealed that the pseudonym hid the actor who had played King Piccolo in the live-action movie Dragonball Evolution.

Zamasu at a glance

Key fact Zamasu
Japanese name ザマス Zamasu; rank: Kaiōshin minarai, “apprentice Supreme Kai”
Universe Universe 10, Gowasu's apprentice; formerly North Kai
First appearance As himself: chapter 16 of the Dragon Ball Super manga; episodes 52 (glimpse) and 53 of the anime, July 2016
Plan Ningen Zero Keikaku: Project Zero Mortals (anime), the Zero Mortal Project (Viz manga)
Versions Present Zamasu, Future Zamasu, Goku Black, Merged Zamasu
Voices Shin'ichirō Miki (Japanese); James Marsters, credited as David Gray (English)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who is Zamasu?
    He's Universe 10's apprentice Supreme Kai, serving Gowasu, in Dragon Ball Super. He believes mortals are evil by nature and wants to wipe them out.
  • Are Zamasu and Goku Black the same character?
    Goku Black is the Zamasu of the original timeline, who took Goku's body using the Super Dragon Balls. Present Zamasu and Future Zamasu keep their own bodies.
  • What is Project Zero Mortals?
    It's Zamasu's plan: to kill mortals, whom he deems sinners, and gods, whom he deems useless. In Japanese, the plan is called Ningen Zero Keikaku, in both the manga and the anime.
  • Who destroys Present Zamasu?
    Beerus, in both versions: in the anime, after Gowasu's murder is undone by Whis; in the manga, after Shin has seen his future crimes.
  • How does Merged Zamasu meet his end?
    Future Zeno erases him: in the anime, along with that era's universes, after Trunks slices him in two; in the manga, along with the entire timeline.
  • Who voices Zamasu?
    In Japanese, Shin'ichirō Miki. In English, James Marsters, credited as David Gray, in Funimation's dub of Dragon Ball Super.

🃏 Merged Zamasu returns in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, the series based on the card game; to store your own collectible cards, choose from our Dragon Ball card binders.

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