Dragon Ball's Room of Spirit and Time could exist in real life according to Japanese physicist

Modified Jul 16, 2024 21:44 GMT

The Dragon Ball series has several phenomena that do not exist in the real world. But surprisingly, as per a Japanese physicist, one of the most outlandish phenomena out of them, i.e., the Room of Spirit and Time, also known as the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, can theoretically exist in real life.

The Room of Spirit and Time is a special dimension that exists outside Universe 7 but can be accessed via a special doorway. When accessed through the Earth's lookout, one year inside the dimension equals one day on the outside. The gravity within the room is ten times stronger than that of Earth. In addition, the air density is very thin, and the temperature tends to change rapidly.

How can Dragon Ball's Room of Spirit and Time exist in real life?

The Room of Spirit and Time as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

As per Physics Professor Nobuyoshi Ohta, the Room of Spirit and Time can exist in real life as each of its special features is theoretically possible.

The most well-known aspect of the Room of Spirit and Time is its effect on time, i.e., one can spend a year's worth of time inside the room with only a day passing in the outside world. In terms of physics, this phenomenon was possible, albeit in an opposite manner.

Goten as seen in the Dragon Ball Kai anime (Image via Toei Animation)

As per Nobuyushi Ohta, time flows slower when gravity is stronger. Hence, in terms of Dragon Ball, if one were to throw their opponent in a region with strong gravity and train in a region where the gravity was optimal, they could ideally get more time to train than the opponent thrown into the strong gravity region.

The most optimal real location where one could experience a strong gravitational field is the event horizon of a large black hole. However, as one could guess, going into outer space is impossible for most people. Moreover, a black hole itself is quite dangerous; hence, going close to it can prove fatal.

Trunks as seen in the Dragon Ball Kai anime (Image via Toei Animation)

As for the one-year time gap like the Room of Spirit and Time, one would need an enormous planetary body with a mass of one billion Earths to make it possible. While accessing such a location is quite improbable, it does exist as the largest black hole in the universe, which is said to have a mass of about 10 billion suns.

Another aspect of the Room of Spirit and Time is warping. As evident from Goku's explanation, the area within the room was as big as the Earth. This meant that they had warped into another dimension.

The concept of warping as explained through a diagram (Image via Dragon Ball official website)

According to Professor Ohta, warping is possible if a fourth dimension existed. If one were to draw two points on a piece of paper, one could connect the two points with a line. This is what happens in real life as people move linearly to reach their destination.

There is also another way to connect the dots on the paper: fold the paper and have the dots touch each other. However, one would need a fourth dimension for such a phenomenon in real-life transit. Unfortunately, research hasn't found any worlds with more than three dimensions. But theoretically, warping would be possible if such a dimension existed.

Gohan as seen in the Dragon Ball Kai anime (Image via Toei Animation)

However, there is another way to increase a space's gravity, i.e., by constantly accelerating at an extremely high speed. One must have noticed how one's body is pulled back when a vehicle accelerates. Similarly, if a said space were to move at a fast enough speed, it would have the same effect as that of increased gravity.

The final aspects of the Room of Spirit and Time are its air density and temperature range. According to Son Goku, the air density within the room was about a quarter the amount on Earth. In addition, the temperature within the room would range between -40 degrees to 50 degrees Celsius.

Gohan and Goku as seen in Dragon Ball Kai (Image via Toei Animation)

As per Nobuyushi Ohta, both aspects were possible. While high gravity meant that the air density would be high, it is possible that someone extracts the air from within the dimension to make it difficult for one that trains inside it. As for the temperature, when there isn't a lot of air, the sun has a much greater influence on the temperature. Thus, a temperature ranging between -40 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius was possible.

Therefore, theoretically, the Room of Spirit and Time can exist; however, it is very difficult to fulfill its requirements.