The difference between Ki and magic

Key things

• People in the Demon Realm mostly use magic through ki, unlike those outside of it.
• Both Ki and magic can power similar abilities like telekinesis, they're basically just different sources of energy.
• Mastery of one power source does not guarantee proficiency in the other, as seen with Babidi and the Z Fighters.

Warning: The following content contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima Episode 5, “Panzy,” which is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Just when you thought you understood how Dragon Ballthe energy system works, Dragon Ball Daima comes and introduces a whole new system: magic. To be clear, magic has always been a part Dragon Ballbut it has always been used only sparingly and never really explained in any meaningful depth. An example of magic in the series is Babidi, the sorcerer who revived Majin Buu, who also used magic to turn people with evil in their hearts into his slaves. The dragon balls themselves are also magical and were created using Namekian magic.

But like Dragon Ball Daima reveals that the people living in the Demon Realm, where most of the show takes place, mostly exclusively use magic instead of ki, giving her a bigger role than she ever had in the series. And it's not just that they don't have any use ki; apparently the citizens of the demon realm, with a few rare exceptions, don't even know what ki is.

Demon Realm people generally only use magic

However, citizens of the Demon Realm still have Ki

As explained by Panzy in Dragon Ball Daima episode 5, “Panzy”, every Majin can use at least one magic spell. This is interesting because outside of the demon realm not everyone uses ki techniques and would have to train before doing so. In fact, aside from Z Fighters, most people probably live their entire lives without using one.

Now, while many people in the demon realm don't even know what ki is, they can still use it if they can learn it. Goku can still detect a presence in the Demon Realm, meaning humans and creatures live there do to have ki in the body; it's just that most of them never learned to use it. Likewise, people outside the Demon Realm can use magic if they study it, as the Babids, Baba Seer, and Namekians have.

Ki and Magic work similarly

Like two different energy sources powering similar objects

Think of it this way: a diesel-powered car and an electric-powered car use different sources of fuel, but at the end of the day, the main function of the fuel is to propel and move the vehicle. Similarly, some ki techniques seem to do the same thing as magic spells, but simply require a different kind of “fuel”.

For example, both ki and magic users can use telekinesis. Goku, Cell and Frieza used telekinesis with ki in the past, but Panzy, who didn't even know what ki was, can also use telekinesis with magic. Panzy also often mistakes Goku's moves, like his Instant Transfer and Kamehameha, for magic, meaning that there are likely magical abilities that do something similar.

“I still can't believe it. How strong are you? You even use magic… You transformed and shot a strange light from your hands.” Panzy talks about Goku's Kamehameha

Another thing, you can't plug a diesel car into a charging station and you can't just pump gas into an electric car. Likewise, you can't use ki to power up magic abilities, and you can't use magic to power up Kamehameha. First, you would have to find and use an equivalent move or technique that does something similar. But then there are hybrid cars that use both electricity and fossil fuels, and in the same way some people have trained to use both ki and magic, like Glorio and Supreme Kais.

Glinds in general are probably naturally adept at using both types of energy sources, having experienced life both inside and outside the demon realm. As mentioned above, Namekians use magic to create dragon balls, but are also generally well versed in ki control.

However, Dragon Ball Daima he still has a long way to go. Maybe somewhere down the line she'll delve deeper into the intricacies of magic and reveal some moves or properties she has that make her more distinguishable from ki.

Being a powerful magic user does not make you a powerful Ki user

And vice versa

Being a master at one energy source does not mean you will be good at the other. One example is Babidi, as the evil wizard could cast extremely powerful spells, but was not shown to be able to use any ki techniques to defend himself. On the other end of the spectrum, Goku and the rest of the Z Fighters are excellent at controlling their ki and using it to fight, but most of them have no experience using magic.

When it comes to ki, people often use physical and mental training to improve their power and control over it. This is why you always see Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo wrestling, exercising, or meditating to get stronger. When it comes to magic, it is currently unknown how much training one needs to do in order to become proficient in its use. Whether they need different types of physical training or need to literally study spells through scrolls or books, there is something Dragon Ball Daima hopefully it will be revealed soon.

Dragon Ball Daima is now available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix. The Dragon Ball Daima Episode 10 release date is set for November 13, 2024 at 10:00 AM PT.