Summary
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The scale of destruction inDragon Ball Zhas captivated audiences for decades, with characters capable of obliterating mountains and leveling cities in seconds. However, when these intense battles are analyzed through a real-world environmental lens, their hypothetical carbon footprint becomes staggeringly clear.
The immense energy output, collateral damage, and environmental repercussions of a singleDragon Ball Zfightcould produce emissions comparable to those of an entire country. However, it’s relatively difficult to put that into context, especially when the closest thing the fans have to a potential metric is the planet being blown up into absolute bits and pieces.
Energy Output of a DBZ Fight
Estimating Energy Per Blast
The energy blasts frequently seen inDragon Ball Z—such asGoku’s Kamehameha—display an unprecedented level of destructive power. To estimate their environmental impact, the energy required to destroy a mountain serves as a baseline.
For reference, the1980 Mount St. Helens eruptionreleased approximately4 × 10¹⁵ joulesof energy. Considering that a single Kamehameha can cause exponentially greater devastation, a conservative estimate places its energy output at roughly10 timesthat figure:
If fighters likeGoku and Vegeta launch 10 energy blasts each during a battle, the total energy output becomes:
To contextualize this figure, producing this amount of energy through the burning of fossil fuels provides an approximate measure of its carbon footprint.
Converting Energy to Carbon Emissions
Where the Numbers Lose Logic
When fossil fuels are used to generate energy, significant amounts of CO₂ are released. Coal, for example, produces24 megajoules (MJ)of energy per kilogram burned, while emitting approximately2.4 kilograms of CO₂per kilogram of coal.
This results in approximately80 million metric tons of CO₂ emissionssolely from the energy output of energy blasts.
Comparisons With Different Events
Forest Fires
The collateral damage from a singleDragon Ball Zbattle often includes the destruction of vast landscapes, including forests. Suppose a fight ignites1,000 km² of forest. Based on NASA wildfire data, forest fires emit approximately100,000 metric tons of CO₂ per km²burned:
Destroyed Cities
In addition to natural landscapes, cities frequently become casualties of these battles. Urban destruction releases significant carbon emissions from debris, building materials, and reconstruction.
Estimates from studies on major earthquakes place the emissions from rebuilding a city at approximately200 million metric tons of CO₂.
Vaporized Oceans
If a battle were to vaporize1 km³ of ocean water, the energy required would be immense. Vaporizing water requires2.26 megajoules per kilogram, and1 km³ of waterhas a mass of1 × 10¹² kilograms:
Converting this energy to CO₂ emissions using the same fossil fuel model results in:
This equals approximately226 million metric tons of CO₂.
Total Carbon Footprint of aDragon Ball ZFight
Adding these emissions together provides a clearer picture of the total environmental impact:
Contextualizing the Emissions
The carbon footprint of a singleDragon Ball Zfight is extraordinary. For comparison:
WhileDragon Ball Zbattles exist in a fictional universe, their hypothetical environmental impact is far from trivial. The massive energy outputs, collateral damage, and devastation of natural landscapes would result in CO₂ emissions on a scale comparable to major industrialized nations.
If such fights occurred in reality, the carbon consequences would be catastrophic for the planet. More than anything, theZ fighters wouldn’t be in as good of a lightas they are currently. However, it’s also worth remembering that the science, technology, and even the planet inDragon Ball Zare different from reality, so it’s still up for debate whether it would be “planet-shattering”.
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is a franchise by Akira Toriyama which follows the adventures of Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the earth with his group of friends. A recent title from the series is Dragon Ball: The Breakers, an action style game where 7 players have to survive being hunted by the Raider.
