Grand Zeno is the Omni King of the entire multiverse, and Goku's most formidable and sinister foes.

Zeno made his first appearance in the Dragon Ball Super manga chapter titled 'The Winning Universe Is Decided!' by Akira Toriyama. In that storyline, Universe 7 within the Dragon Ball multiverse (which is the universe in which Goku and the other Z-Fighters reside) has a tournament with Universe 6. When the tournament ends, Grand Zeno himself appears at the ring and declares that there will be an even greater tournament to come with all twelve universes competing against each other - an event that would soon be known as the Tournament of Power.

Zeno is a Powerful But Capricious God

When Zeno first reveals himself to Universes 6 and 7, Goku immediately introduces himself, shaking hands with the god of the multiverse, much to Lord Beerus' concern. Zeno takes a liking to Goku, as the two share the same childlike outlook, seeing a potential friend in the Saiyan warrior. Some time later, Zeno s Beerus to bring Goku to the god-king's palace. Beerus does as requested and Goku appears before Grand Zeno, who gives him a special button that can transport Zeno to wherever Goku is; an advantage that soon thereafter saves Goku's life.

When battling Goku Black in Future Trunks' alternate timeline, Goku and Vegeta are on the verge of losing the fight along with the future world. Goku Black and the evil Kai of the tenth universe, who are technically the same being, merge bodies and become absolutely unstoppable. Just when all hope seems lost, Goku presses the button Zeno gave him, and a second later Zeno appears and helps Goku in his fight by obliterating the entire alternate future timeline, including Goku Black. Since this was an alternate version of Zeno from a now-defunct timeline, Goku asked if he wanted to tag along back to the present rather than live in an endless void. Future Zeno agreed, and from that point on the entirety of the Dragon Ball multiverse was run by two Zenos instead of one.

But Zeno isn't always so affable. While in Goku's time there are twelve universes within the Dragon Ball multiverse, there used to be eighteen. Zeno erased six universes from existence before briefly settling on twelve, and considered eliminating even more universes before giving them a chance to win their survival in the Tournament of Power. Lord Beerus had a very good reason to be so terrified of Goku's interactions with Zeno, as one slip-up could have meant Universe 7 would be next on the chopping block.

While Zeno seems cruel and capricious, he isn't a being of evil by any stretch of the word. Once Universe 7 won Dragon Ball Super's Tournament of Power, the wish that was granted through the Super Dragon Ball was for every universe eliminated within the tournament to be brought back, which was Zeno's plan from the beginning. It was even revealed that any winning universe that didn’t make that wish would be obliterated, while the other universes would be brought back anyway.

Does Zeno Have a Future in Dragon Ball Super?

Zeno hasn't appeared in Dragon Ball Super since the Tournament of Power arc concluded, but his role in the story is likely far from finished. As Dragon Ball Super's scope has expanded to the multiversal level, a character like Zeno who is tied to the multiverse will continue to be relevant. The threat of Black Frieza is still out there in the manga's present, and Goku and Vegeta are still training with Beerus, who could be called by Grand Zeno at any time. Given that Frieza is aware of Zeno, it's even possible that his latest evil scheme might involve deposing the Omni-King, setting himself up to become the god of all things.

Dragon Ball has always been concerned with characters growing more powerful, which means that the nature of its ultimate being has a lot to say about the franchise as a whole. Zeno is power without skill, filled with childlike wonder rather than vicious scheming. At once kind and irresponsible, unpredictable but true to his word, he's the perfect god for the Dragon Ball multiverse fans know and love. Having spent time with heroes like Goku and villains like Frieza, it's no surprise to learn that Dragon Ball's most powerful being, Grand Zeno, is basically a celestial child who likes smashing his toys together.