Dragon Ball Super has introduced a series of new characters alongside the beloved Beerus. Two notable characters include God of Destruction Beerus and Angel Whis.
Whis and Beerus were originally created by Akira Toriyama for the film Battle of the Gods. In this film, Goku faces off against Beerus in a thrilling battle. During this encounter, Goku achieves the transformation into Super Saiyan God, elevating his power to a whole new level, surpassing what any Saiyan had previously been able to achieve.
Following Toriyama’s style, character names often derive from puns based on food and drinks, especially those that are quite common such as vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. For instance, many members of the Frieza family have names related to cold or ice (such as Frieza, Cold, Frost), while Saiyan names often reference vegetables (like Vegeta, Kakarotto, Nappa, Raditz, etc.).
The names Beerus and Whis also follow this naming convention. Initially, it was thought that Beerus and Whis were puns on the word “virus,” but that is not the case. In reality, Beerus and Whis were inspired by beverages.
While Whis was named by the creator Akira Toriyama, Beerus was named by screenwriter Yusuke Watanabe, who worked on the script for The Battle of Gods. It is clear that Beerus originates from the word beer in English, while the name Whis comes from whisky, a type of alcoholic beverage.
In his creative process, Toriyama often develops characters through unique storytelling methods. The process of naming characters is not just arbitrary; it reflects his thought process and creativity. This is why many characters do not have names created by Toriyama.
Moreover, the naming convention based on drinks is also applied to Champa (from Champagne) and Vados (from Calvados), who are characters originating from Universe 6.
The Dragon Ball Super franchise is currently on a hiatus. The anime concluded in March 2018 with the end of the Tournament of Power saga. However, the manga continues to be published monthly with new adventures.
