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Verse Cosmology Categorizations
Introduction
The purpose of this page is for going over series having a multiverse and discussing why each series currently on the wiki falls under each type. One can find a full explanation of the multiverse types on our Multiverse page, though it will also be re-explained here for those who would like to remain on this page and learn. Do note that this isn't based off who scales in Attack Potency/tier to their multiverse or not but moreso to show the extents of each worlds multiverse.
Comes from here. Cosmologist Max Tegmark has provided a taxonomy of universes beyond the familiar observable universe. The four levels of Tegmark's classification are arranged such that subsequent levels can be understood to encompass and expand upon previous levels. They are briefly described below.
No Multiverse
These are for verses that take place within a singular universe and have no confirmation of possessing alternate universes.
- Examples
- A Pretty COAL Adventure: Set in only one universe with the creator noting there's most likely not a multiverse.
Undefinable Realities
These are realities with separate alternate planes of reality but no confirmed multiverse as we would define one, as Tegmark's model doesn't deal with the metaphysical aspects of existence, there's no real way to classify these realities under a multiverse.
- Examples
- Metroid: Metroid's reality doesn't have a direclty confirmed multiverse, rather it contains higher realities above the regular Metroid reality viewed as "temporal and fragile" within a single dimension, alternate universes created from rifts in time and spaces making transdimensional duplicates, though no actual confirmed original alternative universes exist in Metroid.
- Medaka Box: Medaka Box hasn't ever talked about alternative universes, however there are some abilities that create a new universe that Najimi Ajimu and Medaka Kurokami have used in the midst of all their other skills in combat before.
Level I
A prediction of cosmic inflation is the existence of an infinite ergodic universe, which, being infinite, must contain Hubble volumes realizing all initial conditions.
Accordingly, an infinite universe will contain an infinite number of Hubble volumes, all having the same physical laws and physical constants. In regard to configurations such as the distribution of matter, almost all will differ from our Hubble volume. However, because there are infinitely many, far beyond the cosmological horizon, there will eventually be Hubble volumes with similar, and even identical, configurations. Tegmark estimates that an identical volume to ours should be about 10^10^115 meters away from us.
Given infinite space, there would, in fact, be an infinite number of Hubble volumes identical to ours in the universe. This follows directly from the cosmological principle, wherein it is assumed that our Hubble volume is not special or unique.
Under our wiki's tiering, this would be a 2-C cosmology.
- Examples
- Dragon Ball Super: The Dragon Ball Super cosmology has all 12 universes apart of the same space[1], where each universe pairs up with another universe[2]. The universes are even shown later to be pocket bubbles in a vast space[3], with different timelines within Dragon Ball Super having their own 12 univereses[4], showing all 12 universes share the same space-time.
Level II
In the eternal inflation theory, which is a variant of the cosmic inflation theory, the multiverse or space as a whole is stretching and will continue doing so forever, but some regions of space stop stretching and form distinct bubbles (like gas pockets in a loaf of rising bread). Such bubbles are embryonic level I multiverses.
Different bubbles may experience different spontaneous symmetry breaking, which results in different properties, such as different physical constants.
Level II also includes John Archibald Wheeler's oscillatory universe theory and Lee Smolin's fecund universes theory.
Under our wiki's tiering, this would be a 2-B to 2-A+ cosmology on a case by case basis.
- Examples
Level III
Hugh Everett III's many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is one of several mainstream interpretations of quantum mechanics.
In brief, one aspect of quantum mechanics is that certain observations cannot be predicted absolutely. Instead, there is a range of possible observations, each with a different probability. According to the MWI, each of these possible observations corresponds to a different universe. Suppose a six-sided die is thrown and that the result of the throw corresponds to quantum mechanics observable. All six possible ways the dice can fall correspond to six different universes.
Tegmark argues that a Level III multiverse does not contain more possibilities in the Hubble volume than a Level I or Level II multiverse. In effect, all the different "worlds" created by "splits" in a Level III multiverse with the same physical constants can be found in some Hubble volume in a Level I multiverse. Tegmark writes that, "The only difference between Level I and Level III is where your doppelgängers reside. In Level I they live elsewhere in good old three-dimensional space. In Level III they live on another quantum branch in infinite-dimensional Hilbert space."
Similarly, all Level II bubble universes with different physical constants can, in effect, be found as "worlds" created by "splits" at the moment of spontaneous symmetry breaking in a Level III multiverse. According to Yasunori Nomura, Raphael Bousso, and Leonard Susskind, this is because global spacetime appearing in the (eternally) inflating multiverse is a redundant concept. This implies that the multiverses of Levels I, II, and III are, in fact, the same thing. This hypothesis is referred to as "Multiverse = Quantum Many Worlds". According to Yasunori Nomura, this quantum multiverse is static, and time is a simple illusion.
For more information regarding this one should read here.
Under our wiki's tiering, this would be a 2-A to 2-A+ cosmology on a case by case basis.
- Examples
- Super Mario Bros.: In Super Mario Bros changes done to the past do not affect the present and instead create alternate timelines. This has been shown when in Yoshi's Island DS, Bowser time traveled to the past to defeat Yoshi and Baby Mario, where Bowser remained unaffected from doing so. This happens again in Yoshi's New Island, where Mario and Bowser do the same thing. In Mario & Luigi Partners in Time, the Shroobs attack the past of the Mushroom Kingdom while the present is unaffected by this with it being stated in the sports games that the baby characters can appear without causing time paradoxes. In the Luigi's Mansion series it is revealed that during the time of Luigi's Mansion 2, E.Gadd sent his prototype Gooigi to the past for testing, which is mentioned in Luigi's Mansion 3, where it is shown the main timeline's Luigi is unaware of what Gooigi is.
- The Legend of Zelda: The Zelda timeline falls under results happening from actions and inactions, causing the creation of a downfall timeline due to Link losing to Ganondorf in one timeline and a timeline existing where he wins. Interestingly enough in the Zelda universe, all possibilities under many worlds interpretation already exist as shown in Four Swords where Link travelled into the downfall timeline of Hyrule despite the timeline split not happening yet.
- Dragon Ball: The overall Dragon Ball cosmology runs under many worlds theory where even action and inaction creates a parallel timeline, with Trunks noting that going back in time to stop the Androids wouldn't change the timeline he's currently in due to it just creating a new timeline.
Level IV
The ultimate mathematical universe hypothesis is Tegmark's own hypothesis.
This level considers all universes to be equally real which can be described by different mathematical structures.
Tegmark writes: Abstract mathematics is so general that any Theory Of Everything (TOE) which is definable in purely formal terms (independent of vague human terminology) is also a mathematical structure. For instance, a TOE involving a set of different types of entities (denoted by words, say) and relations between them (denoted by additional words) is nothing but what mathematicians call a set-theoretical model, and one can generally find a formal system that it is a model of.
He argues that this "implies that any conceivable parallel universe theory can be described at Level IV" and "subsumes all other ensembles, therefore brings closure to the hierarchy of multiverses, and there cannot be, say, a Level V."
Jürgen Schmidhuber, however, says that the set of mathematical structures is not even well-defined and that it admits only universe representations describable by constructive mathematics—that is, computer programs.
Schmidhuber explicitly includes universe representations describable by non-halting programs whose output bits converge after finite time, although the convergence time itself may not be predictable by a halting program, due to the undecidability of the halting problem. He also explicitly discusses the more restricted ensemble of quickly computable universes.
As a Level IV multiverse is one in which mathematics is everything, all possible mathematical structures that can be described exist at some level, which would include any possible level of reality that can be conceived of using set theory. As a result of this, the Level IV multiverse is the highest, most complex multiversal system that can be conceived of, and as such, it qualifies for 1-C on our system. Do note that due to the incomprehensible complexity of this level and its resulting tier, verses that make mention of a Level IV multiverse for their cosmology must be handled with immense scrutiny, and their portrayal of it must be blatant and consistent enough to be rewarded the tier, otherwise it will be given a much lower tier.
Disclaimer: Normally if an entire multiverse is pure data and information with mathematical structures, it's enough to be accepted as a level IV multiverse, however do note this is in a reality where all of reality is this, if it's based off a data world/video game universe and there exists a real world then it's not a level IV multiverse as the real world isn't comprised of data and thus not every mathematical structure exists.
- Examples
- Shin Megami Tensei: The multiverse is composed of information and data, with all things being made of information constructs further proven with Stephen having attacks that can code beings that the world, this would make SMT a Complex Multiverse falling under the level 4 multiverse, a multiverse where every possible mathematical structure and be described at some level, which would include any possible level of reality that can be conceived of using set theory.
- OFF: Competences are attacks that make up different ideals and concepts of reality, with character using competences to affect time, competences are used to use elemental attacks, that all hold an important part of reality and existence in OFF, with Secretaries having secratries use different mathematical attacks to affect reality in some way, such as "Division by Zero" causing poison or sleep.
