User blog comment:Pikazilla/Are DBZ Powerlevels BS?/@comment-3463132-20170626230336

No, Akira stated power levels are just numbers he makes up to sound cool, which is why they rarely state them after a certain point.

Akira himself is also a massive troll to his own fanbase. One of the best descriptions of his DBZ-working.

''Toriyama is an enigma in a league of his own... he's the frustrating, infuriating sort of authorly-figure who segues between plucking pearls of sagely insight from his own created worlds and bumbling through them ditzily leaving a path of destruction in his wake like Mr. Magoo. He's also got a mischievous side a mile wide, whereby he's happy to play on his reputation, and lead people to believe that he either knows everything or nothing at all. ''

I forget where the exact link is but I showed it to several users around the same time- it's likely what Jester/DBFan is referring to. Akira has a lot of interviews- but at one point he does mention ki actually changing your power level constantly. Damned if I remember the link though.

Essentially, for people who can't change how strong they are, power levels work. But once everyone starts getting boosts, transformations, and so on- they don't work.