Goku VS Superman (2023)

This article is about the properly re-examined version of Death Battle's 25th episode. You may be looking for the original classic version of Goku VS Superman from 2013 or the publicly-stated-to-be-irrelevant sequel from 2015.
Goku VS Superman is the 186th episode of Death Battle, featuring Son Goku from the Dragon Ball series and Superman from DC Comics in a proper re-examination of the battle between world-famous alien heroes. Goku was voiced by Michael Kovach and Superman was voiced by Xander Mobus.
==Interlude==
The episode opens with the Death Battle transition card closing before opening again to show Goku and Superman charging toward each other before clashing arms, which pauses and grays out as Ringmaster shouts...
The screen then statics into playing the Death Battle intro.
Boomstick: Son Goku.
Wiz: Superman.
Boomstick: It's time to answer the ultimate question, and we're taking it all into play!
Wiz: We're examining Superman's extensive mainline comic book canon. Given Dragon Ball Super's contentious continuities, we'll include all three, just to be thorough, plus Dragon Ball Heroes.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
==Son Goku==
Wiz: Faraway in an enchanted land, an old master found a boy, and marveled at his uncommon strength. This is the story of Son Goku.
Boomstick: Chances are if you watched some localized anime, you can thank this guy!
Wiz: Inspired by martial arts films and his wife's interest in Chinese culture, Akira Toriyama crafted the story, and the character, that would define generations to come.
Boomstick: Dragon Ball! Kakarot was born a low-class Saiyan on the planet Vegeta, narrowly escaped its destruction by Frieza, and was raised on Earth by happy old Grandpa Gohan.
Wiz: Not just raised, but trained. Gohan began Goku's teachings in martial arts, which he would find to be his true calling under the guidance of Master Roshi. Specifically, he learned the Kame-Sennin Ryu style, which focuses on discipline and tenacity, both of which strongly define Goku's character.
Boomstick: The more he learned, the more he wanted to improve. This little low-class monkey boy would prove that hard work and dedication can beat raw talent. Within just a few years, he was so strong, the only worthy teachers left were gods!... and a talking cat, but mostly GODS! When you're training to dodge lightning, you know you're a few leagues over everyone else.
Wiz: He did have a slight advantage: Saiyans are naturally superhuman. They also take Nietzsche's famous words, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," very, very literally.
Boomstick: It's almost unfair how much of a boost in power they get after they're hurt.
Wiz: While Saiyans like Vegeta may have abused this trait, it suits Goku. No matter how many times you knock him down, he will get back up, stronger than before.
Boomstick: It helps that he knows so many cool combat moves, like the Kamehameha!
Wiz: An incredibly powerful technique that focuses one's ki into a single point for a devastating beam.
Boomstick: So challenging, it took Roshi decades to master, but Goku got it in like five seconds!
Wiz: It's incredibly versatile, with over 50 different variations. For example, Goku can curve the beam after firing, or even shoot it from his feet.
Boomstick: But unlike most Saiyans, he doesn't just use ki to blow shit up. Moves like the Solar Flare, Energy Landmine, and God Bind require a lot more strategy and planning.
Wiz: Because while Goku isn't exactly book-smart, he is a genius when it comes to martial arts. He doesn't just train to conquer his opponents, but to conquer himself.
Boomstick: He's also got some... different moves, like trapping you in a rice cooker!
Wiz: Well, pretty much any container could be used for the Mafūba sealing technique.
Boomstick: Then there's Kaio-ken, AKA instant steroids! Goku's multiplied his power by 20 with it before, and in a movie, he even got it up to times 100! What a badass!
Wiz: The Genki-dama, or Spirit Bomb, is potentially his strongest attack, but it requires considerable time. Unlike Instant Transmission, which is a teleport that's... uh, instant. The way it works is Goku detects another person, like a sort of beacon, then teleports to their location by launching himself through an alternate dimension where time stands still. Yes, according to the Daizenshuu guidebook, it's a dimension hop! You can actually see this in-between space in some movies and games.
Boomstick: And the dubs wanted us to think it shot Goku's molecules around at lightspeed. Silly English!
Wiz: The dubs did more than that. In fact, early dubs of Dragon Ball Z tried to rewrite Goku as a Superman figure. Even his famous speech on Namek about being "the light in the darkness" was originally about him coming to terms with his Saiyan heritage, accepting his anger and pride, avenging his people by defeating Frieza, and declaring himself the Super Saiyan.
Boomstick: Hell yeah!
Boomstick: If there's any scene that deserves the word "epic", it's when he went gold. Super Saiyan and its sequels all have official power multipliers, but they threw us for a loop by turning Goku into a god.
Wiz: Super Saiyan God certainly changed things up.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Wiz: Goku gained divine ki, a pure form of ki unspoiled by mortal hands. Unlike normal ki, it can't be detected and appears to have healing properties.
Boomstick: Kinda like Senzu Beans! Did you know one Senzu has so much healing juice, it can regenerate a person's lost limbs?
Boomstick takes a moment to show off his shotgun leg while Wiz looks at his robot arm, curious.
Boomstick: They're missing out.
We cut back to the analysis.
Wiz: God Goku reached a level of power that could compete with the greatest of deities, nearly shattering the whole universe with a single clash on his first go.
The screen then shows a .
Wiz: Dragon Ball's cosmology is unique. This model is said to be an accurate depiction of Universe 7, but there's a wrinkle there. When all of humanity went to Heaven—
Boomstick: Because Buu went "Buu-zerk"—
Wiz: Videl commented that Heaven is just as large as a universe, and the Daizenshuu backs her up.
The Universe 7 map pops up again, zoomed on a large planetoid on the upper end of it, which Boomstick draws attention to.
Boomstick: And uh... that's Heaven. Big planet.
Wiz: So let's scale things up with that in mind. Doing so would make Universe 7 over 1,500 times larger than our own observable universe.Heaven Diameter: 1.8283126e+25 mUniverse 7 Diameter: 5.942016e+27 mVolume of Everything: = 6.0202265e+83 m^3Universe 7 Size (UNIVERSE VOLUME DIVISION): 1,505 x Our Universe
Boomstick: And Goku could destroy that much the first time he went God! And he didn't lose that power! He learned how to use it even better, even in base form!
Boomstick: Now, imagine how much stronger he became when he stacked that with Super Saiyan on Super Saiyan God, and became Super Saiyan Blue!
Wiz: Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan.
Boomstick: Yeah, not saying that. Or after he trained with some almighty angels. Or when he perfected the blue hairdo and stacked Kaio-ken on top of that!
Wiz: Goku has certainly performed great feats with god ki: breaking through Hit's time stop by forcing himself into the future, holding off Infinite Zamasu, who is a sentient timeline, defeating Jiren, who shook the entire World of Void by just walking.
Boomstick: He even tried out Hakai, the Destruction God move that nopes you out of existence. Your being, and your soul, erased from all of time and space.
Wiz: Culminating in his greatest form... Ultra Instinct.
Boomstick: Chrome Goku isn't a normal transformation; it's a state of mind. Ultra Instinct is the highest peak of martial arts, subconsciously making optimal choices 'cause you're in the zone. Doing without thinking.
Wiz: Something Goku has always been training to do. Technically, it can be used in any form, but when perfected, Autonomous Ultra Instinct makes you untouchable. No matter what comes his way, Goku will automatically dodge, block, and counter to the best of his ability, even pushing his body well beyond his physical limits. So far beyond, in fact, Ultra Instinct can summon a massive avatar to defend him when his own body can't.
Boomstick: That sounds really intense.
Wiz: It is, which is why he's developed incremental versions of it for specific uses. It's extremely difficult to maintain the full form for long.
Boomstick: Until you get to Dragon Ball Heroes, AKA Dragon Ball fan fiction gone Kaio-ken times a thousand!
Wiz: While technically a different continuity, CC Goku is functionally a stand-in for the mainline Goku. His history and powers are the same, making his story just as much a "What If?" scenario as the multiple Super continuities. The only real difference is Toriyama's not really involved.
Boomstick: This Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport through time and dimensions. He outsped a god who could see the future. He defeated Dark King Fu, who was gonna rewrite the entire universe! Hell, this series even makes GT cool! Xeno Goku can break space-time just by going Super Saiyan 4!
Wiz: Looking back at that goofy monkey boy chopping wood and punching dinosaurs, it's almost overwhelming to think about how far Goku has come. How much he's had to face.
Boomstick: But no matter the challenge, he takes it head-on and pushes through.
Wiz: Showing everyone, everywhere, how to go even further beyond.
==Superman==
Wiz: Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... Superman!
Boomstick: Geez, just a locomotive? People in the '40s needed bigger imaginations.
Wiz: Born on the far-off world of Krypton, the infant Kal-El was sent to Earth by his parents, narrowly escaping Krypton's destruction. Raised by farmers as "Clark Kent", he eventually became Superman: Champion of the Oppressed, the Man of Tomorrow.
Boomstick: If you've only seen the movies, forget 'em! Comic book Clark's not the perfect Boy Scout, and he's definitely not Jesus. Wait, weren't the guys who made him Jewish?
Wiz: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were sons of Jewish immigrants and grew up in a time when antisemitism went largely unchallenged.
Boomstick: And then that ugly mustache showed up.
Wiz: Understandably seeking escape from some truly terrifying horrors, the pair created Superman to be a simple solution to overwhelming problems.
Boomstick: A hero who could defeat any evil by just punching it! Hell yeah! That's how I live my life.
Wiz: After almost nine decades, Superman has been many things. At the core, his story is one of a refugee; a child who lost his home, left to the mercy of alien people. This new world accepted him, raised him, gave him a new home, because helping others in need is the right thing to do. That's why he became a superhero. The first superhero.
Boomstick: Everything's gotta start somewhere, but he was the first one to really take off.
Boomstick Uh, I mean, not... literally; it took a while actually before he learned how to fly.
Wiz: In fact, when Clark discovered his Kryptonian heritage, he struggled to accept it and subconsciously developed mental blocks, severing him from his true power which he would uncover throughout his life.
Boomstick: He's strong enough to shoulder-press the weight of the Earth for five days straight or crush coal into perfectly cut diamond.
Wiz: That's not how that works.
Boomstick: He's fast enough to reach the edge of the universe in seconds, or even . Wait, he can do all that, but Batman can punch him out? Really?
Wiz: You're probably thinking of Elseworlds stories outside main canon like Dark Knight Returns. It's a good question, though; Superman's powers have fluctuated over time for a variety of reasons. However, for Death Battle, we take the characters at their best.
Boomstick: Yeah, like how his breath is so powerful, he can , or blow air cold enough to freeze ghoooosts~!
Wiz: Speaking of, his x-ray vision doesn't just see through walls. He can see through your own body and mind to examine your soul.
Boomstick: And yet, he can't see through lead. That's okay, though, he can just burn through it with his face! Since he gets his power from the yellow Sun, his heat vision burns with the fire of a star. And if beams aren't enough, he can blast it out of his whole body for a Super Flare. It used to totally drain him, but he's learned how to control it.
Wiz: Simply put, Superman's powers defy physics. My favorite examples of this are when he rebuilt the reality-warping Miracle Machine from memory. Or punched Brainiac so hard, every version of him felt it through all of time. Or when he gained 10 years worth of medical training through only five minutes of reading, and then successfully performed lung surgery.
Boomstick: Nice! My favorite example is 
Wiz: Even beyond his powers, Superman is no novice when it comes to the intricacies of battle.
Boomstick: He's trained in Kryptonian martial arts, which use chi, or as they call it, Shreearr. He even got summoned to Asgard to fight demons with Thor for a thousand years!
Wiz: Superman can resist being erased from existence, such as tanking Darkseid's Omega Beams. Even Retconn and the Time Trapper, both of which hijack and alter timelines, can't touch him, not because of his powerful mental defenses or healing factor, but because he's a cosmic lynchpin in the greater metaverse.
Boomstick: Timelines literally revolve around him.
Wiz: But let's address the S-shaped elephant in the room. You may have noticed we've covered a variety of Superman eras. Superman and DC Comics as a whole have gone through multiple retcons.
Boomstick: Golden Age, Silver Age, Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis, New 52, Rebirth, and so on.
Wiz: It would help to know which one is the main Superman, right? Well... they all are.
We cut to Boomstick.
Boomstick: Yeah, the latest reboots basically said everything in the main series is kinda canon. Even when he had wacky powers like changing his appearance with, uh... "super muscular control"! Ew...
We cut back to the analysis.
Boomstick: I guess he can still phase through almost anything, even people!
Wiz: Look, if you really dig into it, this isn't new. Plenty of characters have recalled events from supposedly retconned timelines before.
Boomstick: Yeah. Post-Crisis Supes did start as less powerful than in Pre-Crisis, but that was because of the mental blocks.
Wiz: Though he's not a complete composite; there's so many other Supermen out there.
Boomstick: Future Superman, Big Robot Superman, Commie Superman, Dinosaur Superman! There's a bunch.
Wiz: Still, this new canon has affected his abilities. For example, he and other Kryptonians can effortlessly travel through time! And while Superman's powers stem from the Earth's yellow Sun, exposure to a blue star increases them even further. In fact, upon visiting a white star, he attained a whole new level of power.
Boomstick: When that old baldy Lex teleported him to another galaxy, . He really just said that!
Wiz: Remember: Superman defies physics.
Boomstick: Like when he used heat vision to restart the universe by making an all-new Big Bang!
Wiz: We've seen that his universe has a radius of at least 100 trillion light-years, but we can calculate a more exact figure. The DC Universe is 15 billion years old and expands at 60 trillion light-years per half-second. This means its radius must be... over 50 nonillion light-years across.56.77 Nonillion Light Years
Boomstick: Non-li-what? That's 31 zeroes! And Supes helped make that happen!
Wiz: Well, about one-fifth of it. That's still immense power, but if you want something bigger, here's the Anti-Monitor Antimatter Universe. And then, Superman... y'know...
Boomstick: Punched him! So hard, it kickstarted another one of those reboots.
Wiz: Now, Superman does have weaknesses. There's Kryptonite, of course, and exposure to red starlight can fade his powers over time.
Boomstick: Not all at once. He has been able to move planets around while under a red star, soooo...
Wiz: And everyone knows Superman can't deal with magic, but it's more accurate to say he doesn't have any special resistances to it. He's defeated plenty of magic users before, even Shazam.
Boomstick: Superman challenges the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. He's the good-est good guy of them all, but there is nuance to being good, even if he is the ultimate power fantasy, unstoppable and incorruptible.
Wiz: Such as when he took on the World Forger, one of the most powerful reality shapers in all of creation.
Boomstick: Who was in the Sixth Dimension crafting a whole new multiverse to replace the one Clark calls home! Who's gonna stop him?!
Wiz: Superman could, and the Forger knew it. So he was trapped on a world with a sun so distant, he could never escape... Or so the Forger thought.
Boomstick: Instead, Clark found the strength he needed to fly at that sun, dip through a ton of stars, KO the World Forger, and shatter his new multiverse with a single punch! Because that's Superman: a simple solution to overwhelming problems.
Wiz: He's the kind of person to save a cat from a tree, answer Christmas cards from strangers, and tow hundreds of planets to a new galaxy, all in the same day. What's not to like?
Boomstick: Truth and justice has no better champion than the Man of Steel!
==Prelude==
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. We've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLEEE!!!
==Death Battle==
In a forest near a mountainous region, two fast streaks are seen constantly bouncing off each other, one wearing a red cape and the other an orange gi. The yellow streak, revealed to be Son Goku in his Super Saiyan form, smiles as he spins and lands on the ground to face the red streak ahead of him, Superman. Both alien heroes dash towards each other and clash arms with smiles on their faces and sparks flying between their eyes before an explosion from the clash sends them back.
Goku: Today's the day! We'll finally settle who's stronger!
Superman: (chuckles) If you say so.
Superman flies forward to deliver a light punch only for Goku to slap it downward as he leaps behind him. He smiles, acknowledging his foe's cunning strategy before Goku kicks him further into the forest, crashing through a tree. The two exchange a series of blows flying through the trees and leaving clouds of dust behind.
Clark eventually punches Goku towards the ground before flying up and unleashing his heat vision downwards, only for Goku to use Instant Transmission to avoid it and get closer to Superman. After landing two hits, he uses his Instant Transmission once more to avoid an attack and begins delivering a quick combo to Superman, noticing that he is not fighting at his full strength.
Goku: You're holding back! Give it your all! No regrets!
Goku eventually grabs Superman's cape and spins him around before tossing him with a Dragon Throw into the dirt. Clark brushes off Goku's concerns about his strength.
Superman: I'm doing just fine.
He is able to back it up by flying forward and punching Goku near a lake. Goku responds by yelling and transforming into his Super Saiyan Blue state. He narrowly dodges Clark's next attack and kicks him downwards into the water before putting his hands together and unleashing his signature attack.
Goku: KamehameHA!
The beam pushes Superman into the lake, prompting Goku to put more energy into his attack to keep him pinned. However, Goku notices something coming out of the water.
Goku: Huh?
Unfazed by the attack, Superman flies upward and punches Goku high into the sky. The two exchange rapid blows as they take their battle above the Earth to the edge of outer space. As Clark attempts to land another punch, Goku is able to predict where he is aiming and manages to land a one-inch Super God Shock Flash punch to his chest, sending Superman back. 
Now at a distance, Goku attempts to send multiple Ki Blasts forward, but Superman is able to dissolve some of them with his heat vision. He catches one of the blasts and tosses another to the side, only for him to realize with concern where he sent its crash course to: the Moon, which is blown up in the process. The two pause to observe the damage.
Goku: Oops! (chuckles) Well, I guess we can wish it back later!
Superman: World made of cardboard... 
Clark looks distraught at his fist before smiling and finally deciding to fulfill his opponent's request, now emitting a bio-electric aura from his body. 
Superman: Alright! I'll show you just how powerful I really am!
Goku giggles in excitement before immediately getting clocked in the face with a punch so hard, it forms a crack in reality that shows an alternate universe where GT Goku is battling Superman Blue in front of the Daily Planet.
GT Goku: Kaio-ken!
After the impact, Goku is sent flying across the horizon. Superman immediately appears where his opponent is being punched towards as Goku recovers and attempts to counterattack, but Superman phases through it before turning to deliver another devastating blow, this time showing a cracked reality where their evil counterparts, Goku Black and Ultraman, are locked in an intense beam struggle. Goku Black's Super Black Kamehameha and Ultraman's heat vision collide violently, creating a powerful burst of energy on Snake Way.
Ultraman: This looks like a job for—
As Goku is sent upwards, Superman flies upwards to deliver a devastating axe handle to send Goku back to Earth, with one more crack in reality featuring Xeno Goku charging a Kamehameha against a giant Thought Robot, who is attempting to grab him, his hand reaching out of the crack. As Goku is sent flying back down to Earth from Superman's attack, Superman dashes forward and grabs him, slamming him back down to the planet in a deserted canyon, creating a large explosion. Superman picks him up and tosses him into a nearby rock formation, destroying his Gi and knocking him out of his Super Saiyan Blue form and back into his normal state. As he stands up, Clark converses with him.
Superman: Well, what do you think?
Goku: (chuckles) That was awesome! (chuckles) Nice suit!
Superman: Oh, uh, thanks! Kryptonian fabric. My mom made it for me.
Using his compliment as a distraction, Goku Instant Transmissions and attempts to hit pressure points, only for Superman to barely feel his attempt and quickly brush it off with him being back in his base form. After swatting his last punch aside, Superman goes for one of his own, only for the impending danger that Goku is placed in to allow him to unleash his peak state: Ultra Instinct.
Now emitting a white aura, Goku effortlessly avoids Superman's attack at the last moment. After receiving a counter blow, Superman attempts to punch again, only for Goku to dodge once more with a backflip before using the Wild Dance Annihilation to land multiple blows at once.
With his cape torn and now taking the fight more seriously, Superman's bio-electricity strengthens as he and a smiling Ultra Instinct Goku exchange blows all over the canyon at high speeds. Clark tries using a powered-up version of his heat vision, missing Goku but cutting through dozens of mountains at once. 
Superman manages to land a punch, but as he attempts a follow-up, Goku catches his fist and punches him to the side. Clark begins missing more against Ultra Instinct Goku, who repeatedly counterattacks at high speeds, forcing Superman to the point where he unleashes his Super Flare. The entire canyon is caught in a bright red explosion that Goku manages to retreat and avoid.
Seemingly exhausted, Superman quickly flies away from Earth and begins flying through multiple suns scattered all across the galaxy to prepare for his ultimate attack. As he sees a glowing yellow light and an aurora high in the sky, Goku is happy as his opponent is finally unleashing his full power. 
Goku: Finally. Kaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeee... haaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
Goku begins charging the Kamehameha wave for the final struggle, the sheer brightness of it illuminating his entire body in a white light. Superman, now glowing yellow from his final sundip, begins charging towards Earth at full speed, prompting Goku to fire his beam towards the sky.
Goku: ...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Goku unleashes his final Kamehameha towards Clark, who fires his heat vision to clear a path through the beam. Knowing that he needs to go further beyond to win, Goku powers up one last time.
Goku: Kaio-KEN!!
Goku's body emits a red aura as he multiplies Ultra Instinct with Kaio-ken, which proves to be so powerful that the Earth explodes. Despite his heat vision being overwhelmed by the attack, Superman is still able to endure it as he pushes forward. Seeing his opponent come closer with his body under so much defenseless strain, Goku's body emits the Ultra Instinct Energy Avatar, who throws a punch at the incoming Superman as he throws his own.
The clash of their two most powerful punches proves destructive enough to annihilate their universe, enveloping everything in darkness before cracks in reality form and emit a bright, white light. The light then fades into Goku taking in a breath as he awakens in a white void, sitting down in his base form. He looks up only to see a familiar halo floating above his head, confirming that he has lost.
Goku: Huh? Ah, darn it.
He hears a voice next to him, then looks to his left to see the still-alive Superman standing beside him.
Superman: Heh, almost had me there. That was actually pretty fun!
Goku laughs as he stands up next to his victorious rival and friend.
Goku: Hee hee! Yeah, it sure was! But I'll be stronger next time.
Superman: I look forward to it.
The two alien heroes turn to see multiple cracks in reality showing off various alternate universes where the two continue their never-ending battle. After a moment, Goku reaches his fist out to his side.
Goku: Let's go again!
Superman: You're on.
Superman fist bumps his fallen opponent in support as the screen fades to black.
==Results==
Boomstick: That's it! The final, indisputable answer! Ah, who am I kidding? People are gonna argue this one forever.
Wiz: There's so many ways this battle could go, especially with all the other continuities.
Boomstick: Yeah, for real. Goku would kick almost every other Superman's ass, except for the main one.
Wiz: There's a lot to cover, so let's address the five categories most representative of this fight.
STRENGTH
Boomstick: First up, strength. Both could hit hard enough to break or make their whole universe. Or take it in stride, like when Superman got smacked by the whole Antimatter Universe.
Wiz: At most, Dragon Ball's universe is 1,505 times larger than our own. But based on the DC universe's officially established age and rate of expansion, it is 1.6 vigintillion times larger, over a novemdecillion more than Goku's.Prime Earth/Earth-0's Size (UNIVERSE VOLUME DIVISION): 1.62e63 x Our UniverseOver One Novemdecillion Times Greater Than Universe 7
Boomstick: At some point, you reach a number high enough that it just doesn't mean anything anymore. Anyway, Goku's obviously gotten stronger since the Beerus fight, even by billions or trillions of times. He's defeated Jiren, Broly, Moro, and Fu!
Wiz: But even if we highball Goku by quadrillions or quintillions of times, the gap is just too much, especially with the World Forger feat. Not even Heroes competes with that. Superman takes the edge in strength.
SPEED
Boomstick: But strength isn't everything. Let's talk speed. Both are obviously way faster than light, but Superman crossed the mega-sized universe of his in seconds and flew faster than infinity.
Wiz: Makes sense; he can keep up with the Flash, whose speed is so ludicrous, it's unquantifiable.
Boomstick: Don't count Goku out, though. Flying across the entire afterlife in base form and out-speeding Aeos' future sight takes some crazy speed.
Wiz: Fighting Zamasu as an omnipresent merged timeline also implies immeasurable speeds.
Boomstick: That combined with Instant Transmission and Ultra Instinct could probably keep up.
Wiz: Maybe. Quantifiably, Superman is faster, but both are immeasurable. The safest bet here is to say they tie in speed.
SKILL
Boomstick: Especially when we look at skill. Goku's a martial arts master; he's definitely got better battle instincts. He wants to fight and is dedicated to his training, while Superman sees training as a means to an end.
Wiz: Superman's knowledge in pressure point combat and Kryptonian martial arts are impressive, but he's only used them a few times. It would be disingenuous to say he's an equivalent master at them.
Boomstick: So Goku wins in skill, but not necessarily in experience.
EXPERIENCE
Wiz: Don't get it wrong, Superman is not a mindless brawler. He's trained with Batman and Wonder Woman. He's even defeated martial arts experts like Kobra without powers.
Boomstick: Goku has spent decades training, but Superman battled Norse demons for a thousand years!
Wiz: He's also astonishingly brilliant, like when he reassembled the reality-warping Miracle Machine from memory. Experience obviously goes to Superman. But perhaps less obvious is our last category: Powers.
POWERS
Boomstick: Hakai, Spirit Bomb, Mafūba, Instant Transmission, God ki, God Bind— how does Goku not win with those?
Wiz: In Dragon Ball, ki is dependent on physical ability, so it's different from magic. God ki is simply pure ki, and magic isn't an auto-win against Superman anyway, whose greater strength could break out of something like the God Bind.
Boomstick: Mafūba and the Spirit Bomb would take way too long, and Goku's never successfully used Hakai before. Even if he did land it, Superman's impossible to erase from reality. Like, he's tanked Omega Beams, which do the same thing as Hakai.
Wiz: Superman can time travel, countering Instant Transmission's similar ability from Heroes. And regarding teleporting him to a red star, ignoring the fact that Saiyans can't breathe in space — though Goku's certainly tough enough to withstand a vacuum — Instant Transmission requires another person to act as a beacon. He can't just warp to any red star.
Boomstick: Even if he did, Superman could simply fly away and find a blue or white star for a supercharge.
Wiz: And Goku could not pull off the same trick twice, as Superman could phase through his attacks.
Boomstick: So, that's it then! Clark has too many counters, so he takes the edge in powers and it's over.
Wiz: Well, I think there's something else. Goku versus Superman breaches a broader zeitgeist. It's more than just two characters fighting. For a whole generation, especially in '90s America, superheroes represented an unyielding status quo. Spider-Man, Batman, Captain America rarely change who they are or what they believe in. For a lot of people, that's tiring, and Superman is an icon of that. Then along came anime! There was a whole other world of ideas and stories for us sheltered Westerners to experience, and Goku's an icon of that. So while many see this as a debate between characters, others see it as a debate of ideologies and culture. And if that's what's at stake... who wants Goku to lose?
Boomstick: Uh... you sure you're not overthinking this?
Wiz: It's not our intent, but i-it does call into question what we're doing. How can people agree with what we take as fact when fiction relies on interpretation?
The music begins to die down as Wiz continues his train of thought.
Wiz: Are we stripping characters of their importance by simplifying them to contestants in a vacuum of violence? A-A-And if so, then what's the POINT?!
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick, with the latter smacking the former in the face to talk some sense into him as the music picks back up.
Boomstick: Because it's fun, Wiz! Damn it, man! There's more than one way to appreciate something. We're havin' a great time talkin' about awesome characters and slammin' action figures together... and that's okay!
Wiz: Y-yeah. You're right.
Boomstick: I'm just Saiyan, no matter who you prefer, that battle was super, ...man!
Wiz: That's the worst pun!
Boomstick: What? It fits them both.
Wiz: It's so lame!
We cut to the "Winner" card. However, instead of Wiz announcing Superman as the winner, he continues to argue with Boomstick.
Boomstick: I don't see you doing any better.
Wiz: I do the math. The pun's your job!
Boomstick: Well maybe if you math'd as good as I punned then Goku would've won!
Wiz: What is wrong with you?!
The Death Battle card closes after, ending the episode.
==Comparison==
===Goku===
:+ Greater martial arts mastery
:+ More varied techniques
:+ Better mobility via Instant Transmission
:- Limited ki energy
:= Ultra Instinct is similar to Theta State
:= Potentially similar speeds
===Superman===
:+ Far greater strength
:+ More experienced
:+ Higher intelligence
:+ Superior stamina via sunlight
:+ Counters most of Goku's techniques
:- Limited martial arts mastery
:= Theta State is similar to Ultra Instinct
:= Potentially similar speeds
==Original Track==
Super Track Cover.png|Original Version
Super Track Cover (Remastered).png|Remastered Version
Super Track Cover (Instrumental).png|Instrumental Version
===Composition===
The track for this fight is "Super" by Brandon Yates, featuring Logan Adams (who goes uncredited on the track covers) as lyricist and vocalist, and with mixing and mastering done by Anthony DiGiacomo. It is a high-energy heroic rock track with lyrics that emphasize Goku's love for fighting and the long-lasting rivalry he shares with Superman. A rendition of the intro portion of "Dragon Dance" can also be heard throughout the track, while the main refrain of "Alive" is worked into the pre-chorus in the track's climax. A small bit of the Justice League Unlimited intro theme can also be heard as Superman takes the fight back to Earth.
The remastered upload of the track includes both the short instrumental break that plays after the Moon is destroyed in the battle and the entire chime outro after the fight ends, sections that weren't part of the original version's initial upload.
===Title===
The title references how the word is used in both combatants' titles (Goku's Super Saiyan transformations and Superman, respectively), as well as Dragon Ball Super.
===Cover Arts===
The original cover art done by John Mitchell depicts the golden dragon from Goku's Dragon Fist with his hair and donning Superman's cape emerging from and flying above the Sun. The dragon coming out of the Sun may be inspired by the first shot of the original Dragon Ball opening.
The cover art of the remastered version done by LaughingXenn (which had been created well before the track's remaster following Rooster Teeth's shutdown) depicts the golden dragon from Goku's Dragon Fist unleashing a Super Flare, both of which are forming the shape of Superman's iconic "S" insignia, as the seven Dragon Balls are seen launching in front of them. The background is a shot of the Earth from space, where the Attack Ball and Kryptonian Rocket that respectively housed Goku and Superman are seen flying toward the planet.
The cover art of the instrumental version done by LaughingXenn is largely the same as the remastered version's cover art, with the main differences being a custom look to the title and artist credit, the 4-Star Dragon Ball being closer to the camera, and the Solar Flare emitted by Goku's Dragon Fist dragon having a different design and showing Goku and Superman themselves within the blast.
===Lyrics===
==Trivia==
===Production===
*The core connections between Goku and Superman are that they are both beloved, god-like protagonists and considered to be some of the most powerful physical fighters in fictional history, as well as the most iconic of their respective mediums (manga/anime and comic books, respectively). Both are also amongst the survivors of an alien race (Saiyans and Kryptonians, respectively) and were sent from their dying planet (Planet Vegeta and Krypton, respectively) to Earth, where they took on the mission of preserving it. In addition:
**Both were born to notable fathers who were respected members of said race but were on the opposite spectrum of classes from each other (the low-class Saiyan warrior Bardock and the high-class scientist Jor-El, respectively).
**After arriving on Earth, both were adopted by a man/family who taught them the values of their powers and abilities (Grandpa Gohan and both Jonathan and Martha Kent, respectively), who would also give them alternate identities to differentiate themselves from their original names (Kakarot was named "Son Goku" and Kal-El was named "Clark Kent") and later inspire the names of their sons (Son Gohan and Jonathan Kent, respectively).
**Both initially rejected their alien heritages after learning about them before gradually accepting them over time.
**Both practice styles of martial arts that involve channeling life energy through their bodies (Kame-Sennin Ryu and ki for Goku and Torquasm-Rao and Shreearr for Superman) and learned to enter a state of heightened mental control (Ultra Instinct and the theta state, respectively), which lets them move and fight without thinking.
**Both were the founders of teams made for the purpose of protecting their new home of Earth (the Dragon Team/Z-Fighters and the Justice League, respectively), with whom they have fought against alien invaders (Frieza and Brainiac, respectively), genetically enhanced monsters (Cell and Doomsday, respectively), childish yet dangerous supernatural entities (Majin Buu and Mister Mxyzptlk, respectively), antagonistic members of their own species (Raditz and General Zod, respectively), literal gods (the God of Destruction Beerus and the New God Darkseid, respectively), and evil versions of themselves from alternate universes (Goku Black from Universe 10 and Ultraman from Earth 3, respectively).
**Both married a human woman and started a family with them (Chi-Chi and Lois Lane, respectively), developed a close relationship with a human martial artist (Krillin and Batman, respectively), powerful green aliens from another planet (Piccolo and Martian Manhunter, respectively), and even a friendly rivalry with an ally of their team (Vegeta and the Flash, respectively).
**Both use the word "Super" in their titles (Goku's Super Saiyan transformations and Superman, respectively).
**Both gained the ability to form a giant energy avatar construct of themselves for combat (Perfected Ultra Instinct and a , respectively) long since the release of the second episode, though only the former made an appearance in the episode proper (as Clark's was far more context-specific, and thus not applicable to his standard power set).
*Ben Singer had previously stated that, while he initially made Goku VS Superman 2 to be the team's final word on the match-up[Convention Hopper ConBravo 2016 - Death Battle Q&A] (as well as any Dragon Ball VS DC-themed episode prior to Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash), he was open to doing a re-analysis at some point due to how much the show has grown since the first two seasons. He also said that it wouldn't be a Goku VS Superman 3 if they did, being closer to the (then upcoming) Mario VS Sonic revisit.User blog:CrossoverKing96/Road to 100 Archive: Goku vs Superman
**He reaffirmed this in a tweet on the day of this episode's announcement, saying that it is "wholly removed" from the original episodes.https://twitter.com/BenBSinger/status/1726704404357877930 He would also later state in a blog on Rooster Teeth that he does not consider this episode a "part three," but rather something "separate from the originals."User blog:AwesomeEthan48/ARCHIVE: Ben Singer's Goku VS Superman (2023) Rooster Teeth Blog
**He also stated in 2018 (on the original episode's fifth anniversary) that he wished he could revisit and fix the problems he had with the episode. In a later blog in 2023, he confirmed that the idea of doing a third episode has been considered since 2020.
**In a blog on Rooster Teeth, he explained that his reasoning for making a third episode was that he wanted to do the matchup justice, as he considers the first two episodes flawed for different reasons:
***The first one was made in an era when the show as a whole was completely different, as they had a very small staff and the first season as a whole was originally meant to be a joke. He also considered the "man without limits versus the man who breaks limits" concept used in the episode to be interesting, but also "ironically a rather limited way to approach the characters."
***The second one was intended to be an epilogue rather than a rematch (reiterating his main problem with the episode that he brought up in the Road to 100 Blog), and was originally proposed just to be a special event for the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention. After the episode became the convention's main attraction, however, Ben felt his original intent could not meet expectations, and "In [his] frustration, [he] made a lackluster episode that accidently derides Superman and unintentionally kicks Dragon Ball fans while they're down," with him considering it his worst episode.
**Shortly after this episode's reveal, Ben tweeted that this re-examination would include material from Dragon Ball Heroes (the stronger Dragon Ball timeline previously used for Trunks VS Silver and Gogeta VS Vegito), and Infinite Frontier (DC's current mainline comics continuity, which is effectively an in-universe composite of all prior mainline Supermen, from the Golden Age all the way to Post-Rebirth).https://twitter.com/BenBSinger/status/1726673588219203885 He also teased that Superman would be given limits in this episode (unlike the previous two, where he was stated to have no limits) in another tweet, which was likely referring to the inclusion of the "Weaknesses" slide and the segment going over said weaknesses in his analysis.
***DJTiki also stated in a tweet after the reveal that "there were a lot of missteps in GvS2" that they're "doing [their] damndest to avoid," such as the treatments of both charactershttps://twitter.com/slashtiki/status/1726768027771765111 and their powerscaling, reaffirming the removal of Superman being considered limitless.https://twitter.com/slashtiki/status/1726767399175598360
***According to Matthew Jones, the initial idea for this episode when it was first pitched in early 2020 only used the Dragon Ball Super manga and anime for Goku and Post-Crisis, New 52, and Rebirth for Superman, similar to the second episode. However, when the team was told the matchup was going to be done for Season 10, he pitched the idea of "composit[ing] every version of Goku and Superman into one" to "make the fight 'definitive'" and "allow [them] to focus on more unique material than the first two fights," to which Ben agreed to. As a result, Jones made the commitment in the winter of 2022 to research every single piece of Superman media, taking notes on feats found in each comic, TV show, movie, and video game in order to be as conclusive as possible.Death Battle Retrospective: Ep 186 Goku vs Superman
*After this episode was revealed at the end of Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, the previous Goku VS Superman episodes had their YouTube titles changed, giving the respective subtitles of "The Original Classic" for the first and, humorously, "The Irrelevant Sequel" for the second, which not only refer to the long-standing high regards the former episode is held in and both the Death Battle community and official team's shared animosity over the latter episode, but the fact that both videos became outdated upon this third episode's reveal.
**Additionally, the taglines in the descriptions for both episodes were replaced with the following message: "This episode is outdated & inaccurate. See the all new Goku VS Superman on Dec 4, 2023." After the episode's release, the descriptions were updated to "This episode is outdated. See the all new one here:" with a link to the episode.
**After the episode's release, Goku VS Superman 2's subtitle was changed to the less deriding-sounding "The Original's Sequel".
*This is the fourth episode since Black Adam VS Apocalypse whose Next Time trailer wasn't reuploaded as a YouTube Short, after Ant-Man VS Atom, Frieza VS Megatron, and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor.
*Unlike both prior versions of this match, Lawrence Simpson and Michael Agrusso do not reprise their respective roles of Goku and Superman, with both being recast with Michael Kovach and Xander Mobus, respectively (with the former having voiced Goku in some regard starting with Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash). In spite of this, both Simpson and Agrusso still appear in the final episode, providing the voices for GT Goku and Ultraman, respectively, for their cameo appearances when Superman first hits Goku with his full power partway through the fight.
**Interestingly, Agrusso's cameo as Ultraman is credited as him playing "Other Superman". While not using Ultraman's actual alias, he has been officially named as an alternate Superman by DC before,https://mcfarlane.com/toys/superman-earth-3/ so this isn't necessarily an error.
*Oddly, Goku and Superman are not given any epithets in the interlude, making this the second episode to exclude them since Goku VS Superman 2, after Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor.
*This episode was revealed one day before the birthday of Sean Schemmel, Goku's Funimation voice actor.
*This episode's release date, December 4th, is two days prior to the 13th anniversary of Death Battle's first episode.
*This is the sixth episode whose track references a previous one (or in this case, two: "Alive" and "Dragon Dance"), after Madara VS Aizen, Scarlet Witch VS Zatanna, Deku VS Asta, Gogeta VS Vegito, and Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, and with the next one being Omni-Man VS Bardock.
**This is the second episode whose track references more than one previous original track, after Gogeta VS Vegito.
**This is the second episode to reference Alive in its track, after Gogeta VS Vegito.
*Interestingly, Goku's model has the symbol on his gi on the opposite side of where it's traditionally placed. Unlike this match's initial revisit, however, this isn't an error, as Dragon Ball FighterZ has the symbol there by default and properly flips it (while keeping the text intact, unlike Goku's Xenoverse model in the rematch) when Goku switches sides.
*As revealed on Twitter, MORØ almost worked on the episode, but couldn't make it in time due to most of the fight's shots already being assigned, as well as him stating that he needed to polish his 3D animation skills.https://twitter.com/moro_production/status/1732082462820323461
*The version of Super released on YouTube and Spotify and the version within the fight itself are slightly different, with the fight version adding in a short instrumental break after the Moon is accidentally destroyed and an entire chime outro section after Goku and Superman's final punch clash, as well as cutting out some of the lyrics after Goku enters Ultra Instinct, all of which were changes made so that the track better fits with the fight animation.
**The fight version of the track would later be uploaded to the Death Battle channel as part of their series of AMVs exclusive to Death Battle Champions, and Brandon Yates would eventually release a remastered version of the track on June 24th, 2024 that combines the downloadable and fight versions together after the original track got taken down following Rooster Teeth's shutdown.
*At the beginning of the season, a teaser trailer was released which included a Gravity Falls-inspired zodiac wheel with 16 symbols on it, each representing and hinting toward an episode in the season. After the release of the Season Finale, the Death Battle YouTube channel began revealing the answers to the zodiac wheel by posting the answers in pinned comments under the symbols' respective episodes. This episode was revealed to be represented by the recycling symbol.♻♻♻ RECYCLING ♻♻♻ This is because of how this is the third time that Death Battle has tackled the matchup. As recycling is a term used for the act of converting waste into reusable material, it may also refer to how this episode is a proper re-examination of the matchup that avoids the mistakes made by the widely disliked and criticized Goku VS Superman 2.
*This is the last episode David Fischer worked on for Death Battle, as his contract with Rooster Teeth was not renewed after the season ended.
*Chad James has considered this Death Battle episode to be his favorite, citing it as "the perfect example of DEATH BATTLE" and praising its script, direction, and animation.https://www.reddit.com/r/deathbattle/comments/1ec7blw/comment/ley2hn3
*In an instance of the Death Battle Curse striking, three days after this episode's release, a new Dragon Ball fighting game, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, was announced at the Game Awards.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSCANspTDeE
*The YouTube upload of this episode was initially sponsored by BetterHelp, though the sponsor sections have since been trimmed out, likely in response to rising controversies surrounding the service. This also ended up disabling the episode's premiere Chat Replay.
===Easter Eggs===
*In Goku's "Background" slide:
**One of the things listed as one of his favorite foods is "orange soda," referencing this commercial for orange-flavored Kirin Mets cola made to promote Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’.
**The "Not a bad dad, you guys are just mean" bullet point is a reference to the running joke that Goku is a bad father for neglecting to take care of Gohan and Goten, despite that not being the case in actuality.
*In Goku's analysis, Boomstick states that Goku got strong enough to the point that "the only worthy teachers left were gods!... and a talking cat, but mostly GODS!", the same comment he said verbatim on Goku's early strength in the original Goku VS Superman.
*Boomstick's line jokingly dismissing the Dragon Ball Funimation dub stating Instant Transmission involves dematerializing and having one's molecules travel at lightspeed after Wiz explains how it's instantaneous is reminiscent of Wiz debunking the dub's statement and saying it was a mistranslation in the original episode.
**Following this, Wiz bringing up how early Dragon Ball Z dubs tried to "rewrite Goku as a Superman figure" and the differences between the original and dubbed versions of his speech to Frieza on Namek is reminiscent of him and Boomstick bringing them up in the second episode.
*Wiz's final line is Goku's analysis, "showing everyone, everywhere, how to go even further beyond," is a reference to Goku's line before he entered Super Saiyan 3.
**Despite the show no longer using licensed music from the combatants' home series, this line does connect the end of Goku's new analysis to the analysis from his original episode, as Goku's Super Saiyan 3 theme was the last track of his original analysis.
*As Boomstick brings up Superman's physics-breaking smelling in his analysis, the described scans are overlayed with a of Ultraman (commonly misinterpreted as Superman) harmlessly smelling Kryptonite gas, and saying "...My favorite." from Suicide Squad (Volume 7) #5, which has become a meme due to what said gas looks like out of context.
*One of Goku and Superman's clashes at the start of the fight is a reference to the Match Resets in Dragon Ball FighterZ, where characters tag in for their fallen teammate after they get KO'd during matches, with Goku even recreating his own Match Reset animation during the scene.
**This is the second episode to reference the Match Resets, after Gogeta VS Vegito.
**The clash also resembles the Wager system from Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2, where Superman also clashes against opponents in a similar way.
*The accidental destruction of the Moon may be a less direct reference to its tendency to get blown up throughout Dragon Ball, as both Roshi and Piccolo have famously destroyed it.
*The Super God Shock Flash that Goku performs on Superman is a reference to his fight with Golden Frieza in Dragon Ball Super, in which he performs the same move.
*Superman's "World made of cardboard..." and "I'll show you just how powerful I really am!" lines come directly from his fight with Darkseid in Justice League Unlimited's finale "Destroyer", which was previously used as Superman's end-of-analysis clip in the original episode.
*Superman no longer holding back being visually represented by his bio-electric aura surging with electricity is a reference to My Adventures With Superman, as that series used a similar aesthetic to represent Clark being powered up compared to his baseline strength.
*The first three cracks in the multiverse when Superman hits Goku with his full power show the following scenarios:
**Super Saiyan 4 Goku (voiced by MasakoX, who voiced Goku in his first two fights) from Dragon Ball GT fighting Superman Blue in front of the Daily Planet.
**Goku Black and Ultraman (voiced by It'sJustSomeRandomGuy, who voiced Superman in his first two fights) having a beam struggle with their Super Black Kamehameha and heat vision, respectively, on Snake Way.
**Xeno Goku charging a Kamehameha against a giant Cosmic Armor Superman.
***Additionally, Cosmic Armor Superman's hand goes beyond the bounds of the crack, while Xeno Goku (and every character from all other cracks shown before or after) is restricted to it, referencing his metatextual nature.
***Furthermore, the axe handle attack Superman uses that causes this crack bears a strong resemblance to the second hit of his super move in Injustice: Gods Among Us, which also had its choreography referenced in the second episode.
*Goku complimenting Superman's costume and Clark responding with "My mom made it for me" is a reference to from Superman For All Seasons #1.
*During Ultra Instinct Goku and Superman's high-speed clash in the canyon, one can notice in a split second frame that the two are playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with each other, with both having used Scissors. Beyond it being a humorous visual gag, it's also a reference to Goku's Rock, Scissors 'N' Paper technique, which involves him weaponizing the game.
*While fighting in the canyon, Superman attempts to perform the iconic double flying punch from Man of Steel, only for Goku to block the second hit and land it himself after.
**This is the third episode in which this move is performed, following Goku VS Superman 2 and Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom.
*The constellation from the end of Macho Man VS Kool-Aid Man can be seen in the background three times during the fight:
**The first time is when Goku and Superman go into space for the first time, most notably when Goku prepares his one-inch punch on Superman and during the second and third hits Superman lands on Goku using his full power, though the constellation isn't seen in full in the aforementioned shots.
**The second time is when Superman flies through several yellow stars to recharge his energy after using his Super Flare.
**The final time is when it reappears for a split second as Superman makes his return trip to Earth to clash with Goku one last time.
**This is the sixth episode to feature the constellation in the background of the fight, after Harley Quinn VS Jinx, Trunks VS Silver, Stitch VS Rocket Raccoon, Martian Manhunter VS Silver Surfer, and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, and with the next two being Galactus VS Unicron and Among Us VS Fall Guys.
*The climax of the fight involving Superman flying through several yellow stars to charge up one final punch is a reference to when he did the same thing to the World Forger in Justice League #25.
*Although easy to miss, the cloud resembling Discord's head can be seen near the bottom of the aurora during the scene of Goku seeing the glowing light produced by Superman flying through every yellow star in the galaxy.
**This is the fifth episode to hide a Discord-shaped cloud in the background of the fight, after Phoenix VS Raven, Guts VS Dimitri, Martian Manhunter VS Silver Surfer, and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, and with the next one being Galactus VS Unicron.
*In the final climax, Goku firing the Kamehameha with Kaio-ken is similar to him clashing with Vegeta in their first battle.
**The following scene of Superman flying through the Kamehameha and his punch clash with Goku's Ultra Instinct avatar blinding the screen in white light is a reference to their final interaction in the climax of the original fight.
*As Goku's Ultra Instinct avatar is being summoned, a stone carving of Bill Cipher briefly appears amongst the chucks of the exploded Earth behind him for three frames before it gets covered up by the avatar's right arm.
**This is the eighth episode to hide a stone carving of Bill in the background of the fight, after Phoenix VS Raven, Guts VS Dimitri, Martian Manhunter VS Silver Surfer, Bill Cipher VS Discord, Gojo VS Makima, Scooby-Doo VS Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, and with the next two being Galactus VS Unicron and Among Us VS Fall Guys.
*As a teaser for the next episode and Season Finale, Galactus and Unicron (in his planet mode) make cameo appearances right before the universe blacks out from Goku and Superman's final clash, which would be alluded to by Billy B Burson III after Galactus VS Unicron's proper reveal.https://twitter.com/RingmasterDBX/status/1734649324112408642
*Several scenes showing different versions of Goku and Superman interacting in various ways can be seen in the multiverse cracks in the aftermath of the battle, which are as follows:
**A shot of Super Saiyan 4 Goku fighting Superman from the original fight.
**A shot of Super Saiyan God Goku fighting Superman from the second fight.
**Red Son Superman standing off against Goku wearing Saiyan Armor (likely a version of Goku that stayed with the surviving Saiyans in Frieza's army instead of being sent to Earth, a popular Dragon Ball "What If?" scenario explored in various ways, such as in DB Sai).https://twitter.com/xZackAttack27x/status/1732105054495142341
**Evolution Goku firing a Kamehameha at Smallville Superman.
**Super Saiyan Goku and Superman (with the same models as the fight) playing with figurines of Haruhi Suzumiya, Rex, a Tylosaurus, and Hatsune Miku at Blips and Chitz from Rick and Morty, specifically in front of the "Roy 3" machine (with footage of Millennium Godzilla and Monsterverse Godzilla from the video "[SFM]Godzilla and Godzilla 2014" on it), calling back to the scene in Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor where several past Death Battle combatants can be seen together in the arcade's plaza.https://twitter.com/SXR123/status/1732343514539651579
**Goku and Superman wearing each other's outfits recreating the "You're approaching me?" meme from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, with Superman standing in for Jotaro Kujo and Goku standing in for Dio Brando.https://twitter.com/AyrosArts/status/1731756389356261711
**Grand Minister Goku arm-wrestling with Dark Crisis Superman over planet Earth.
**Abridged Goku and Superman reaching for the last muffin (referencing the "Muffin Button" gag from Dragon Ball Z Abridged).
**Kingdom Come Superman and Geezer Goku competing in Bingo.
**Milkman Man fighting Spirit Killer Tablos from the fanmade Dragon Ball AF (who's been mistaken for Super Saiyan 5 Goku in the past, even by John Mitchell).https://twitter.com/DYWTBA_Brony/status/1731783773304291433https://twitter.com/DYWTBA_Brony/status/1732591756909093051
**Super Saiyan God CC Goku battling Superman Prime One Million.
**Recovery Suit Superman firing his heat vision at Drip Goku, who dodges it (referencing both the meme and YouTuber Lythero's Dragon Ball FighterZ mod videos, where Drip Goku is a recurring character).
**Superman from Superman: The Animated Series flying alongside Toei Animation's Goku on the Flying Nimbus in a tribute to their '90s animated counterparts.https://twitter.com/xZackAttack27x/status/1731751598232109508
**Scooby-Doo as Superman facing off against Courage the Cowardly Dog as Goku, referencing their respective battle earlier in the season, as well as Scooby's various DC crossovers.https://twitter.com/JumpNJetz/status/1732458940527423936
**Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta battling the fused Batman and Superman from Batman/Superman: World's Finest #4 in a duel of fusions.
**Kid Goku fighting Superboy at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
*At the start of the post-analysis, Boomstick states how this episode is "the final, indisputable answer" to the matchup before lamenting how it really is not and that "people are gonna argue this one forever," referencing his first line in the original episode's post-analysis, where he naively claimed "It's over! It's finally over! We never have to hear about it again!".
*Wiz's spiel about the wider spread of Goku VS Superman as a matchup near the end of the post-analysis harkens back to him and Boomstick discussing its history in Goku VS Superman 2, with him questioning if people can "agree with what we take as fact when fiction relies on interpretation" and how Death Battle potentially "[strips] characters of their importance," alongside Boomstick questioning if he is overthinking things, likely being a more respectable take on the end of its infamous post-analysis, where Wiz controversially said Superman "is not meant to be relatable."
**Footage of Epic Rap Battles Of History's Goku vs Superman episode appears at the start of this spiel.
*Boomstick describes Death Battle as "talkin' about awesome characters and slammin' action figures together" at the end of the post-analysis after smacking some sense into Wiz, the latter of which is the same analogy he used to describe the show at the beginning of Excalibur VS Raiden.
*Boomstick's proclamation towards Wiz that "if you math'd as good as I punned, then Goku would've won!" is likely a nod to Chad James' own preference of Goku over Superman between the two characters, which he's been open about ever since the original episode.
===Errors===
*During the opening clash at the start of the episode, since it flips the order around compared to the actual animation (as Superman is the first one shown in the fight, but Goku is the first one shown here), an extra frame is left in between Superman and the clash itself where one can see Goku's transition into it.
*Goku defeating Broly is suggested to have happened after he got strong post-clash with Beerus. However, not only is the footage they used incompatible with this statement (as it's of the original Dragon Ball Z version of Broly, who would've been earlier in the timeline had Toei and Dragon Ball Super's canons coexisted), but Goku also didn't technically defeat Super's Broly either; Gogeta did.
*In the "Results" slide in the post-analysis, "potentially" is misspelled as "potentailly."
===Other===
*This is the fifth episode to be a redo of a previous episode, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Mario VS Sonic (2018), and Link VS Cloud (2021), and with the next one being Master Chief VS Doom Slayer.
**This is the first episode to be a redo of an episode that already had a redo.
**This is the third redo to have the same verdict as the episode it is a redo of, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015) and Goku VS Superman 2.
*Excluding sprite animations with hand-drawn shots, this is the seventh episode to be animated in more than one animation style, after Metal Sonic VS Zero, Optimus Prime VS Gundam, Deadpool VS Mask, Macho Man VS Kool-Aid Man, Saitama VS Popeye, and Bill Cipher VS Discord, and with the next three being Joker VS Giorno, Bowser VS Eggman, and Among Us VS Fall Guys.
**This is the third episode in which all traditional animation styles (sprites, 3D, and hand-drawn) were used, after Saitama VS Popeye and Bill Cipher VS Discord.
*This is the 33rd episode to feature a returning combatant, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Batman VS Captain America, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Ryu VS Jin, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), Batman VS Iron Man, Akuma VS Shao Kahn, Thor VS Vegeta, Boba Fett VS Predator, Excalibur VS Raiden, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, Phoenix VS Raven, and Guts VS Dimitri, and with the next seven being Omni-Man VS Bardock, Bowser VS Eggman, Kratos VS Asura, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Aang VS Traveler, Ash VS Yugi, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
**This is the 22nd episode to feature a returning winner, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Ganondorf VS Dracula, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Venom VS Crona, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), Batman VS Iron Man, Akuma VS Shao Kahn, Thor VS Vegeta, Excalibur VS Raiden, Phoenix VS Raven, and Guts VS Dimitri, and with the next four being Omni-Man VS Bardock, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, Aang VS Traveler, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
***This is the 10th time the returning winner wins, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Batman VS Iron Man, Akuma VS Shao Kahn, Thor VS Vegeta, and Phoenix VS Raven, and with the next one being Omni-Man VS Bardock.
**This is the 23rd episode to feature a returning loser, after Batman VS Captain America, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Black Panther VS Batman, Ryu VS Jin, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Hulk VS Broly, Shadow VS Ryuko, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), Batman VS Iron Man, Thor VS Vegeta, Boba Fett VS Predator, and Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, and with the next four being Bowser VS Eggman, Kratos VS Asura, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, and Ash VS Yugi.
***This is the 13th time the returning loser loses, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Pokémon VS Digimon, Mewtwo VS Shadow, Black Panther VS Batman, Mega Man Battle Royale, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Hulk VS Broly, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Batman VS Iron Man, and Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, and with the next one being Bowser VS Eggman.
**This is the 10th episode to feature two returning combatants, after Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Goku VS Superman 2, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, Lex Luthor VS Doctor Doom, Link VS Cloud (2021), Batman VS Iron Man, Akuma VS Shao Kahn, and Thor VS Vegeta, and with the next three being Bowser VS Eggman, Master Chief VS Doom Slayer, and Hulk VS Godzilla.
**This is the ninth episode to feature a double returner, after Black Panther VS Batman, Deadpool VS Mask, Leonardo VS Red Ranger Jason, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Shadow VS Ryuko, Batman VS Iron Man, Thor VS Vegeta, and Boba Fett VS Predator, and with the next one being Hulk VS Godzilla.
***This is also the first episode to feature two double returners.
*This is the 12th DC VS non-Marvel-themed episode, after Goku VS Superman 1, Goku VS Superman 2, Joker VS Sweet Tooth, Raven VS Twilight Sparkle, Ben 10 VS Green Lantern, Black Canary VS Sindel, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Flash VS Sonic, Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Harley Quinn VS Jinx, and SpongeBob VS Aquaman, and with the next one being Simon the Digger VS White Lantern.
**This is the 10th time that the DC character wins, after Goku VS Superman 1, Goku VS Superman 2, Joker VS Sweet Tooth, Raven VS Twilight Sparkle, Ben 10 VS Green Lantern, Black Canary VS Sindel, She-Ra VS Wonder Woman, Flash VS Sonic, and Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash.
*This is the 15th Anime/Manga VS Comic Book-themed episode, after Goku VS Superman 1, Goku VS Superman 2, Android 18 VS Captain Marvel, Carnage VS Lucy, Optimus Prime VS Gundam, Genos VS War Machine, Venom VS Crona, Hulk VS Broly, Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Saitama VS Popeye, Thor VS Vegeta, Magneto VS Tetsuo, Trunks VS Silver, and Frieza VS Megatron, and with the next two being Omni-Man VS Bardock and Simon the Digger VS White Lantern.
**This is the 10th time that the Comic Book character wins, after Goku VS Superman 1, Goku VS Superman 2, Optimus Prime VS Gundam, Genos VS War Machine, Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Saitama VS Popeye, Thor VS Vegeta, Magneto VS Tetsuo, and Trunks VS Silver, and with the next one being Omni-Man VS Bardock.
*A week before this episode's release, Goku's analysis preview .
**This is the third episode in which a combatant's analysis preview reached the Trending page, after Thor VS Vegeta and Frieza VS Megatron, and with the next one being Bowser VS Eggman.
*This is the third episode to feature Logan Adams in the track, after Trunks VS Silver and Guts VS Dimitri.
*This is the 13th episode to have an original track with a single-word title, after Goku VS Superman 2, Wolverine VS Raiden, Meta VS Carolina, Crash VS Spyro, Captain Marvel VS Shazam, All Might VS Might Guy, Hulk VS Broly, Saitama VS Popeye, Skyrim VS Dark Souls, Phoenix VS Raven, Cole MacGrath VS Alex Mercer, and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, and with the next one being Galactus VS Unicron.
*This is the fifth episode in which the combatants are already fighting when the battle starts, after Weiss VS Mitsuru, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Miles Morales VS Static, and Guts VS Dimitri.
*This is the ninth episode where the Moon is used, damaged or destroyed, after Vegeta VS Shadow, Thor VS Wonder Woman, Mario VS Sonic (2018), Goku Black VS Reverse-Flash, Black Adam VS Apocalypse, Trunks VS Silver, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, and Martian Manhunter VS Silver Surfer.
*This is the ninth episode to feature planetary destruction, after Goku VS Superman 1, Chuck Norris VS Segata Sanshiro, Thanos VS Darkseid, Wario VS King Dedede, Beerus VS Sailor Galaxia, Hulk VS Broly, Saitama VS Popeye and Frieza VS Megatron, and with the next one being Galactus VS Unicron.
**This is the fourth episode to end the fight with planetary destruction, after Goku VS Superman 1, Wario VS King Dedede, and Frieza VS Megatron.
*This is the third episode to feature universal destruction, after Thanos VS Darkseid and Scarlet Witch VS Zatanna, and with the next one being Galactus VS Unicron.
**This is the first episode to end the fight with universal destruction.
*This is the 11th episode in which the winner shows respect for their fallen opponent (via Superman telling Goku that he enjoyed their fight and accepting the latter's request for a rematch), after Goku VS Superman 2, All Might VS Might Guy, Korra VS Storm, Tanjiro VS Jonathan Joestar, Magneto VS Tetsuo, SpongeBob VS Aquaman, Gogeta VS Vegito, Darth Vader VS Obito Uchiha, Guts VS Dimitri, and Martian Manhunter VS Silver Surfer.
*This is the second episode where the introduction comments on the match's status in the community (as the long-lasting rivalry of the matchup in general is regarded as "the ultimate question") rather than its actual connections, after Cole MacGrath VS Alex Mercer, and with the next one being Galactus VS Unicron.
*This is the first episode since Thanos VS Darkseid to feature the "FIGHT!" graphic.
**It is also the first episode of Death Battle to have Ringmaster announce the fight over said graphic, as he previously announced Heihachi Mishima VS Geese Howard without the graphic and the Goomba VS Koopa 2 DBX with it.
*This is the first episode since Donkey Kong VS Knuckles to feature a "Weaknesses" slide for a combatant.
*An hour after this episode's release, #DEATHBATTLE and "Goku vs Superman" quickly reached Trending on Twitter.
*This episode reached #2 on YouTube's Trending page, only topped by the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI.
*This is the first episode whose sneak peek on the DEATH BATTLE Cast was a trailer instead of a clip of the start of the fight, with the next two being Galactus VS Unicron and Bowser VS Eggman.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Death Battles
Category:Season 10 Episodes
Category:Dragon Ball episodes
Category:DC episodes
Category:Superman episodes
Category:3D animated Death Battles
Category:Fights animated by Luis
Category:Death Battle Rematches
Category:Death Battles with returning combatants
Category:Death Battles with multiple returning combatants
Category:'Rivalry' themed Death Battles
Category:'East VS West' themed Death Battles
Category:'Heroes' themed Death Battles
Category:'Protagonists' themed Death Battles
Category:'Mascots' themed Death Battles
Category:'Anime VS Comics' themed Death Battles
Category:'DC VS non-Marvel' themed Death Battles
Category:'Dragon Ball VS DC' themed Death Battles
Category:'Fortnite' themed Death Battles
Category:Trending Death Battles
Category:Death Battles with cameo appearances
Category:Death Battles with comparisons
Category:'Aliens' themed Death Battles