Dragon Ball: What if Majin Buu didn't fall asleep before the Tournament of Power

Dragon Ball Super left fans with a few questions. The series teased a slimmer Buu who had been working out hard before the tournament, and by the end, a number of "What if" scenarios emerged, one of which revolved around Buu. What if Majin Buu hadn't fallen asleep before the Tournament of Power?

Anime watchers are aware that Buu sleeps for an indeterminate amount of time and cannot be roused from his slumber. The same "What if?" is explored here, this time considering what may have transpired if Buu had never gone to sleep.

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Dragon Ball: Universe 7 contestant number 10 - Buu

Before delving into the topic, here's a quick look at Buu's abilities

Powers and abilities

Majin Buu was the antagonist of the Majin Buu Saga in Dragon Ball. Initially, an evil entity known as Kid Buu, he absorbed the Grand Supreme Kai and turned into Innocent Buu. Later in the series, however, the two became unmoored when Buu expelled the evil from his body in order to give birth to skinny Evil Buu. What remained was Good Buu, who had no influence over him.

Kid Buu as seen in Dragon Ball Z (Image via Toei Animation)

Speaking of his powers, Buu possesses a powerful regenerative ability, allowing him to heal any kind of damage almost instantly. He is able to absorb incoming attacks and even victims at times. Buu is able to freely manipulate his own body structure, however, he likes.

He is also capable of using the Kamehameha Wave, albeit in his own way, i.e. Majin Kamehameha. Of course, there's the Candy Beam as well. When Goku battled him, he remarked that Buu was much faster. Buu's ability to easily handle a base from Goku indicates that he has grown stronger. The disadvantage of such a form was a long slumber, which reverted him to his fat state.

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Who would he replace?

Angel Golden Frieza as seen in Dragon Ball Super (Image via Toei Animation)

Goku approached Buu to join the Universe 7 team in Dragon Ball Super as he knew the kind of edge the team would receive upon his joining. He found a slimmer Buu, termed the "Shape-Up" form. When he went to formally recruit him, he found him sleeping, so Goku had to rush to bring Frieza on board.

Had Buu not fallen asleep, he would have been recruited instead of Frieza. That would have been a fair outcome since he was considered before the tyrant anyway.

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Buu representing Universe 7

Shape-up Buu as seen in Dragon Ball Super (Image via Toei Animation)

Right off the bat, Buu would be one of the major fighters in the tournament. Given the abilities he possesses, his universe would surely have an edge over others. Then, he would have charged against strong opponents, which would have made for interesting fights.

We would have probably seen Buu take on the likes of Ribrianna, the Pride Troopers Toppo and Dyspo, Kale and Caulifla, Hit and others. Not to mention that Buu versus Jiren would have made for an exciting battle. It should be noted here that Jiren would eventually overpower Buu, but the latter would not have gone down without a fight.

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Final Thoughts

Full Power Jiren as seen in Dragon Ball Super (Image via Toei Animation)

Buu was left out of the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super for obvious reasons. As intriguing and powerful as he would have been as a fighter, his abilities would have given Universe 7 an almost unfair advantage.

Not to mention, since he had training, it is only understood that he was much stronger. He could easily knock out a number of opponents and have a significant impact on many battles.

He would not have been able to defeat fighters like Jiren, Hit, or God of Destruction Toppo, but he would undoubtedly have contributed to their defeat. As a result, he was dropped from the roster, and Frieza took his place. After all, who doesn't like Dragon Ball's tyrant finally using his powers for good?