Death Battle revisits the Superman versus Goku rivalry for a third clash between the two titans of pop culture. But does it finally settle the endless debate of who is more powerful?
The web series produced by Rooster Teeth Death Battle (often stylized as DEATH BATTLE) follows a simple premise: have two pop culture figures and have them fight and see who wins. Debates about “who would win?” are the most discussed by fandoms. And the match-up between DC Comics’ Superman and Toei Animation’s Goku from the Dragon Ball manga and anime are often at the top of those debates.
The series had previously explored this fantasy fight in 2013 and again in 2015. Both episodes resulted with Superman outmatching Goku. However, fans of the Dragon Ball franchise attempted to debunk the episodes’ examinations, stating Goku was lowballed while Superman had multiple feats that were not applicable to the version being compared by Death Battle.
As part of commemorating the 13th anniversary of Death Battle, Wiz (series creator Ben Singer) and Boomstick (Chad James) examine the rivalry of Superman vs. Goku a third time. Will the Saiyan beat the Last Son of Krypton this time?
The answer is no. After looking at the feats between the two, DC’s Man of Steel still overwhelmed over Goku’s own. For context, both versions for Death Battle’s comparison reflected their evolution and growth since they last held the match-up in 2015. This meant Goku has access to his Ultra Instinct from Dragon Ball Super and feats from video games like Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4, while Superman would be from Infinite Frontier (which DC has mandated is the timeline where all stories are canon, including events which occurred in DC Elseworlds).
The Death Battle hosts agreed that Son Goku had greater martial arts skills and that the two heroes’ speed were so ludicrously high that they were virtually evenly matched in that category. However, Superman simply had overwhelming advantages in strength, durability, intelligence, and experience. The Kryptonian also had abilities and powers that countered anything Goku had, such as the Theta State which matched Ultra Instinct.
The examination also presented a definitive scaling, as the Dragon Ball universe’s scale is considerably smaller than the DC Universe. For clarity, the Dragon Ball universe was mentioned as 1,505 bigger than the real one we live in. But the DC Universe is 1.6 vigintillion times the size of ours. Scaling the scope and power the two have displayed in being able to shatter the laws of physics, Kal-El straight up outclassed Kakarot.
This episode pitting Superman against Goku a third time quickly trended on the YouTube platform. Episode 186 of Death Battle was only overshadowed by the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer leaks and official release. Fans of the show and both characters also posted their own reactions to the results, praising the effort put in by the Rooster Teeth and Death Battle crew, particularly with the animation and soundtrack.
What do you think of the conclusion with Superman scoring a third victory over Goku? Do you agree with these results? Would you like to see a fourth Goku vs. Superman match between these icons of Eastern manga/anime and Western superhero mythos?
