There have been plentiful rumors surrounding Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and its highly anticipated DLC. As numerous leaks have suggested, the upcoming DLC will likely cover the Gods of the Universe arc, shown in the Battle of Gods movie and Resurrection F. That certainly makes sense as the next logical step in the narrative told by Kakarot, but it still leaves a lot of room for speculation on what will actually be included in game's interpretation of the movies.
One of the most tantalizing tidbits suggested in the next Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC is the possibility of a playable Beerus or even Whis. While playable Whis might seem unlikely, there is at least some scant evidence that he could be playable, and a lot of reasons that it would be a phenomenal addition to the game. After covering all the events of the Dragon Ball Z anime, there is little else to turn to next but the movies. Luckily for eager fans, the Dragon Ball Z movies include some of the most powerful and interesting characters in the series, of which Whis is one.
There has even been some evidence of Whis having a moveset in the upcoming DLC, leaked in early debug versions of the game. Of course, this is by no means a direct or trustworthy confirmation that he will be playable in the game, only a strong suggestion that it is possible. The most likely new playable characters are Gotenks and Vegito, along with the strong possibility of Beerus because of his role as the primary antagonist. The fact remains that even in all the events of Dragon Ball Super, there has been almost no footage of Whis in combat. Even so, that only serves to make the prospect of his inclusion as a playable character in Kakarot more exciting.
Why Playable Whis in Kakarot is Exciting
The Gods of the Universe arc contains some of the most powerful characters in Dragon Ball Z. From Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue to fusions, Golden Frieza, and Beerus, the scale of power expands to new heights throughout the arc. The prospect of being able to play in new Saiyan forms or experience the power of fusion characters is one thing, but playing as incredibly strong enemies like Beerus is also tantalizing. However, at the pinnacle of all the powerful beings displayed in the Gods of the Universe arc stand Whis, the Angel who accompanies god of destruction Beerus as his handler.
Even when subduing the rampaging god of destruction, Whis needed only a single chop to the neck to knock Beerus out completely. Every one of the Angels is one of the most powerful beings in Dragon Ball's entire canon. However, they have yet to be seen fighting at full power because of their role as passive observers who simply exist to keep gods of destruction in check. That means that outside of speculation, shockingly little of Whis's moveset has been seen by players. The most that we have seen was in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie when a furious Broly tried to fight Whis in his blind rage. Even then, all Whis had to do was casually avoid Broly's attacks until another target came into view. While impressed by Broly's power, Whis didn't even bat an eyelash while easily avoiding his strikes.
This presents a great opportunity for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot to expand the Dragon Ball cannon in a very interesting way. By showing Whis's moveset and giving a true sense of his power in the hands of players, the developers could shed more light on one of the most mysterious figures in the series. How much ki does he have? Does he fight with his staff? Is he a brawler, or does he just blow opponents away with beams and ki blasts? From the preliminary leaked movesets, it seems that the developers have him using the staff and overwhelming energy attacks, but no one knows for sure how many techniques he possesses.
How Likely is Playable Whis in Kakarot?
Unfortunately, there are a few reasons that Whis is likely not to be playable. The first and foremost is that he hasn't been shown to fight at any point in the manga or anime, even Dragon Ball Super. So far, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has focused on being an accurate re-telling of the story of Dragon Ball Z, taking very few liberties with the story, and even then only to reveal minor side details in the narrative. It would be amazing for the game to make such a huge leap and reveal the true power of such an enigmatic character, but short of the developers taking some serious creative licence it is very unlikely.
There are only a few times in Kakarot's story that Whis might be playable. When Beerus goes out of control and needs to be subdued, Whis does step in. While it's brief in the movie, it could be a moment for a fight in the game. However, the most likely scenario for a playable Whis is in some type of training section. Whis does train Beerus and other characters in Dragon Ball Super, so playing as him as part of a transition that includes a training sequence would be a convenient way to fit him into the game. It is doubly convenient for the developers because in training, Whis would not have to release his full power. He could be playable in the game, but never remove the veneer of a casually disinterested trainer. That way, revealing the upper limit of his power could be easily avoided while still giving players what they want.
Even if Whis is not playable in Kakarot, he will be present in the game if the Gods of the Universe arc really is the new DLC. That means that modders will almost certainly make him playable sooner or later. It wouldn't be the first time that modders have unlocked characters in Kakarot, but Whis will be the most interesting character with the most room for interperetation.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
