What Are Potara Earrings And Why Every Dragon Ball Fan Wants Them

In anime and manga, it's common to find certain artifacts that give the wearer different types of abilities. In general, those abilities tend to be desired for the other characters in the same universe. Sometimes, the artifact can be extremely hard to find, but other times, the relic has magic and appears at its own will.

Believe us! Fantasy and science fiction movies, TV shows, and books are full of tropes like that. In anime, being a type of media, it also happens.

Before getting one step further, let's get one thing clear. We are not talking about a specific accessory that gets to be almost trademarked. For example, Harry Potter glasses in the Harry Potter movies. His glasses didn't bring him any benefits, so these accessories don't count in what we are talking about.

We are talking about anything that can give the wearer an ability that it didn't have before using the artifact. Is that concept clear? Let's keep going then!

In Dragon Ball, there is one specific accessory that is very wanted. They are some earrings. They can look simple, but in-universe, everyone wants them. (In real life too, but we will talk more about that later).

 The main reason why everyone in the Dragon Ball universe wants the earrings is because of the effects they have on the wearer. Maybe if you are a hardcore Dragon Ball, you already know what we are talking about. Those are the potara earrings.

What Exactly Are Potara Earrings?

First things first, we need to explain everything from the beginning. As it happens with any anime, Dragon Ball has different power systems. Power systems allow the characters to fight with each other, and we, as the viewer, have the certainty that the more powerful character is the one that will win. Does that make sense? It's something that creators make so everything has a balance and there is nothing left to the imagination. It also helps to avoid making one character way stronger than everyone.

In Dragon Ball, one of the most influential divinities are the Creation Gods, also called Supreme Kai. Those people are literal Gods, and as any existing god, they have the responsibility to take care of the universe and everything that compounds it. They are very godly to live among mortals, so they live in their own universe. Another curious thing about the Supreme Kai is that, even if in Dragon Ball they are not explicitly called that way, they are the counterpart of the Gods of Destruction. 

Okay, But I Still Don't Know What Potara Earrings Are!

Let's have some patience, should we? You already know what the Supreme Kais are, so now you are a step closer to knowing what the potara earrings are and why everyone wants one of those.

Look. If you picture how those Gods are, you'd think: they need something that shows how powerful they are. Something with the ability to show how different they are from mortals. How their powers don't even come close to anyone in the world. Here is when the potara earrings come into action.

Those accessories are one of the things that distinguish the mortals from Supreme Kais. Along with their apprentices, all of them wear earrings.

Although the earrings are a way to show off their magnificence, there are also other reasons why characters in Dragon Ball want the potara earrings. The thing is, they have lots of abilities. Or like, they grant abilities to the wearer. One of the most famous ones includes allowing fusion and the ability to use travel rings, another powerful accessory that allows characters to travel in time.

Was All Of This The Creator's Idea?

Yes, but not quite. Potara earrings started as an accessory every Supreme Kai wore to show status. As time passed, Toriyama wanted to introduce the Vegeta and Goku fusion. In the series, that kind of fusion was supposed to be final. Of course, none of us can imagine an anime where the Goku and Vegeta fusion was the main character. It would be a nightmare, we think. Even if it would make a potent and interesting character, we like how things are going right now. (We are sure there are fan-made stories about Vegito being a whole person, but that's out of this conversation).

So, going back to the earrings. Toriyama didn't know what to do. So he suddenly decided that the earrings would have specific abilities. That's how potara earrings were created.

What Kind Of Abilities Give The Potara Earrings?

The main one is fusion, and the result of this is called Potara Fusion. For the fusion to work, both parts need one earring, and they have to wear the earring in opposite ears. If the two parts are away from each other, they will feel the attraction pulling them both until they get to fuse. 

There are also different conditions, terms, and outcomes of this. For example, a dead person and a living one can fuse, but if two people fuse and then one of them dies, the result will be permanent. It sounds hard to understand, but it is relatively easy.

The main reason people prefer earrings for fusion is that the power is even better. The Potara Fusion doesn't have specific rules, and besides, it feels more like an actual fusion than the Fusion Dance.

The Potara Fusion basically gives birth to a new person. It's like the two fused people had a child.

If someone wants this fusion to work, there is something that gives the Potara earrings an advantage. The individuals do not need to have the same energy levels. Most of the time, the fusion will work for about one hour unless one of the participants is a Supreme Kai. In those cases, the fusion is permanent.

Another curious thing about the Potara Fusion is that it will merge the clothing of the two people. This is a thing that doesn't happen with Fusion Dance, for example. Kudos to the Potara earrings for that!

Sounds Cool. Do Those Earrings Have Any Weakness?

As with any super unique accessory, the earrings have their cons. The main one is that the fusion will last an hour. Maybe it sounds like a lot of time, but in Dragon Ball, where the fights seem to last days, this is anything but practical.

Another con is that if someone in the fusion transforms, there is no way to go back. This would mean someone being in a Super Saiyan transformation as long as the fusion lasts, straining this person and even shortening their lifespan. 

There is also another con that it exclusively happens in the anime. When a mortal and an immortal fuse, the regenerations abilities of the immortal person will not be the same. If there was an enemy that damaged this fusion enough, the body would be eroded or corrupted. It sounds wrong, but thankfully it only happens one time in the anime with Fused Zamasu.

The other extraordinary ability of the earrings is to travel in time with the Time Rings. Still, this ability is delegated almost to the background if you compare it to the Potara Fusion.

Why Every Dragon Ball Fan Wants Them?

As you can see for yourself, Potara earrings are very badass. First, every God of Creation has them: it is a way to scream to the world how influential they are as Gods. That would be the main point.

Besides that, you have to remember another thing. During the Dragon Ball plot, central characters wear earrings to make fusions. An example of this is Vegito: Goku and Vegeta fusion. The first time they fuse is with the help of the earrings, and it helps them defeat Majin Buu. So, that's part of the reason.

The other reason you could deduct is that those accessories are earrings. They are easy to use, easy to remove and look good. It's a subtle way to wear Dragon Ball merchandise without being too flashy or looking like a weeb. We mean it. It's not the same to wear a training Goku costume, for example, as to wear some earrings.

In the manga, the Supreme Kais and their apprentices had to wear different colors, and there were particular rules on how to wear them. In the anime, the colors go from yellow to green. In the anime, the rules are forgotten. Still, fans were okay with the changes since it doesn't alter the primary function of the earrings. The earrings still do the main thing Toriyama intended them to do: look good in the Supreme Kais, and help to make fusions.

We think the Potara earrings can work wonders as a gift for someone who likes Dragon Ball but doesn't want a shirt or backpack. (We sell all of those, don't worry. We got you covered).

Do you have your potara earrings yet? If you don't, what are you waiting for?