History Recap / DeathBattleS02E25GokuVsSuperman2

* MundaneUtility: Despite all of Goku's many levels of power-ups, he has no defense against Superman's ability to use his heat vision to perform brain surgery.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: As the post-match analysis dictates, Superman is this to Goku. No matter how powerful Goku is, Superman is in an entire league of his own.

[[Recap/DeathBattleE51DonkeyKongVsKnuckles Next time on Death Battle...]]

Superman and Goku are more than drawings on paper, they're ideals, the people you want to strive to be more like. They bring out the best of man. Goku is the epitome of a self-made man, who teaches us that there is no struggle that can be overcome. With the right amount of work, all dreams can come true. Dragon Ball's world fits this idea. Every enemy is an obstacle with limits for Goku to overcome. Even gods themselves can be surpassed.

The screen faded to wight, and then a voice emerged, telling Goku that he told him so. It was King Kai, and the two of them are now on Snake Way as Kai lectured Goku that no matter how much training gets applied, there is no way to beat Superman, and assuming that he can do that, there would then be nothing to aspire to in life next, with no opponent getting even close afterwards. Goku found himself agreeing with the Kai, before finding himself hungry.

[[Franchise/DragonBall Goku]]...Franchise/{{Superman}} These two are born of dying races, sent to a world unknown where they become stronger, performing feats thought impossible.

Details about the character's feats and abilities have already been covered in the first Goku vs. Superman, so Wiz and Boomstick decide to talk about origins of the characters, and the origin of the debate itself.

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, where the Man of Steel made his first appearance in 1938 on the cover of Action Comics #1. His successful story was what paved the way for other superhero stories. He is courageous, selfless, honorable, just an all around perfect boy scout. The two creators of Superman were the sons of American immigrants, and knew what it was like firsthand how it felt to be alien, so they based Superman's origin story off of their experience.

Everyone knows the story, his genius father Jor-El finds out that the planet Krypton is doomed to explode, so he sends his only son Kal-El to space to preserve the Kryptonian race and save him.

Superman can fly, is super fast, super strong, has super senses, has super breath, arctic breath, psychic barriers, and more. His cells absorb solar radiation, which is the source of his super powers. His heat vision can be large enough to destroy planets, or small and precise enough to destroy brain cells. Over 75 years, Superman has been on countless adventures, including a retcon in 1986 due to the Crisis on Infinite Earths events. However, he has been through a few reboots, too, which hindered his power, but not by altering his abilities. They simply changed Superman's outlook on his powers. In his youth, upon discovering his Kryptonian side, he rejected them, giving himself mental barriers which he would have to surpass as he developed through his life.

Then, in 1996, a life-changing event happened: Dragon Ball Z came to the United States of America.

In 1984, a mangaka (author of a Japanese comic) named Akira Toriyama created the world of Dragon Ball, and the story of Son Goku and his quest to be the best martial artist in the universe.

Similar to Superman, Son Goku, or Kakarot, was sent to Earth from a doomed alien planet.

And like Superman, he had incredible superhuman abilities, like flight, ki blasts and barriers, instant transmission, the Kamehameha, the Spirit Bomb, and most importantly, the Super Saiyan transformations. Goku was inspired by the Monkey King Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.

Quickly, Dragon Ball became a smashing success in Japan, raking in tons of viewers until it finally made its own journey to the west when it was translated for the United States, where it changed lives forever. Dragon Ball Z was many westerner's introduction to anime. Since many anime did not gain many viewers in America due to clashing cultural differences, the companies responsible for translating thought Goku would seem selfish to American viewers. So naturally, they did what they thought was right: turn Goku into Superman. This led to many mistranslations such as making Goku's father a brilliant scientist like Jor-El, and his famous "Ally to good" speech, which some argue conflicts with his actual character.

These similarities are what sparked an endless debate of East vs. West, about which super alien could beat the other in a fight to the death. In 2002, Wizard magazine stated that Goku would win, and Superman would die from a fall from the moon to the Earth.

Ten years later Outskirts Battledome, a website dedicated to answering matches of who would win, launched, and concluded that Superman would win. The debate spiraled out of control to the point that talking about it would be banned forever.

The debate grew and grew, no one satisfied until there was an answer, until {{ScrewAttack}} decided to end the debate with a DeathBattle.

Still, that did not stop the argument at all, only created more. Superman and Goku still had many more adventures they went on, and gained new powers.

Superman gained the ability known as the Super Flare, where is expels all his solar energy inside of his body out at once, turning him into a giant solar bomb. However, after using this, he is powerless for twenty-four hours, so he will only use it as an ultimate last resort.

Goku had gained a new Super Saiyan form: Super Saiyan God. Despite being a temporary increase in power, Goku absorbed the divine power, essentially making it his base form. Then, combined with his Super Saiyan ability, he attained another more powerfull form: Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan.

We see Superman in the cold, empty vacuum of space. Earth has been completely destroyed due to his fight with Goku. However, there is a solution to this. With the seven Dragon Balls collected, Kal-El summons Shenron. After a wordless exchange, Shenron's eyes glow, and the Earth is put back in its place as if nothing happened.

Superman returns to Earth, back to his Fortress of Solitude.

Suddenly, the ground starts to shake, and out of the snow, pops out a familiar Super Saiyan.

"Hey, Superman!" Greets a revived Goku

"Son Goku...I've been expecting you..." Superman says solemnly.

Goku then transforms into his Super Saiyan God form, his body pulsing with energy. Superman gets into a fighting stance. "Ready for a rematch?"

The two heroes dash forward, locking themselves in a struggle at the middle. Superman breaks the clash by using his heat vision, causing Goku to duck. He then teleports away, and ambushes Superman while he looks around. He gives Superman several well placed kicks and punches to keep him stunned, before unleashing a Kamehameha, knocking him into an icy room.

Superman gets up, giving Goku a pummeling of his own, telling him that "This...stops...here!" before knocking Goku against the ceiling, then kicking him into a wall.

"I'm impressed, I actually felt that." Superman remarks.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Goku replies.

The Man of Steel uses his heat vision again, but Goku's ki barrier protects him this time. However, this leaves him open for Superman to do a flying punch.

"Neither have you..." he says before knocking him out of the mountain and over the ocean. Superman quickly follows, delivering punch after punch to make sure Goku doesn't recover. "With every step, an earthquake! With every breath, I could create a hurricane!" Superman punches Goku to the ground in the middle of a canyon, before landing to continue his speech. "This is my burden. Be thankful it is not yours."

Goku gets up, flexing his wrist. "Don't get ahead of yourself, buddy," he says confidently, "You're not the only one with that kind of power." With a loud scream, Goku reaches his latest transformation: Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan.

"Blue hair? I've seen worse." Superman snarks, leaving Goku to launch forward to attack him.

The two begin to trade blows, Goku gets the upper hand occasionally and delivers multiple hits thanks to his ability to use Instant Transmission.

But Superman begins to hold back less and less, flying forward and delivering a series of punches to Goku across the world into the United States of America.

"You can take it, can't you? You're too strong for your own good!" Superman yells, kocking Goku against a building before plowing him through several more.

"Get off my planet!" Goku counters, delivering a few more blows.

"This stops here!" Superman exclaims, knocking Goku onto the roof of a skyscraper.

"Alright, have you had your fun? I would prefer we don't accidentally destroy the Earth a second time!" he scolds.

Goku doesn't seem to care, "No...I will never back down from a fight!"

The Super Saiyan begins to charge up the ultimate Kamehameha, blasting tons of divine ki energy at his opponent.

However, Superman isn't phased, as he begins to walk forward, the attack seeming to do nothing but create a gust of wind for him to walk against.

"I will beat you!" Goku grunts, still trying to fire all his energy at him.

"Stop it! This ends here!" Superman says, grabbing Goku by the wrist and punching his stomach, ending his attack. He then grabs Goku by the throat and holds him up against a building. As Goku struggles, Superman's eyes begin to glow red.

"I'm sorry..." he says, shooting his heat vision through Goku. Almost instantly, his entire brain is incinerated, and Goku's lifeless body begins to fall down. But rather than hitting the pavement, Superman flies and gently carries his body back down, potentially to lay him to rest.

"I believe this is the part where I say 'I told you so'" a voice suddenly says.

"But King Kai, I don't understand..." Goku says, talking to one of his mentors in the afterlife.

"You can't beat him."

"Sure I can! I'll just train harder than ever!" Goku replies, already ready for another rematch.

"No Goku, you can overcome any limit put in front of you, but his power has no limit. Even if you somehow found the power to surpass him, you wouldn't have anything left to aspire to." he explains, "Do you truly want that?"

Goku thinks about it for a second, before replying "Nah, sounds boring." His stomach rumbles, prompting him to ask his mentor if he has any food. He is chastised for not taking this seriously, but Goku replies that his stomach has limits, too, before laughing about it.

The twenty-fifth episode of the second season is a rematch that has gotten countless requests ever since the results of the first one. Now they're back for a rematch in [[TitleDrop Death Battle]]!

Next time on Death Battle...

* ShootTheDog: Unlike any of the other Death Battles, Superman actually attempts to ''talk'' Goku out of the fight. Since Goku refused, Superman lobotomized him.

Similar to Superman, Son Goku, or Kakarot was sent to Earth from a doomed alien planet.

Superman can fly, is super fast, super strong, has super senses, has super breath, artic breath, psychic barriers, and more. His cells absorb solar radiation, which is the source of his super powers. His heat vision can be large enough to destroy planets, or small and precise enough to destroy brain cells. Over 75 years, Superman has been on countless adventures, including a retcon in 1986 due to the Crisis on Infinite Earths events. However, he has been through a few reboots, too, which hindered his power, but not by altering his abilities. They simply changed Superman's outlook on his powers. In his youth, upon discovering his Kryptonian side, he rejected them, giving himself mental barriers which he would have to surpass as he developed through his life.

Superman can fly, super fast, super strong, has super senses, has super breath, artic breath, psychic barriers, and more. His cells absorb solar radiation, which is the source of his super powers. His heat vision can be large enough to destroy planets, or small and precise enough to destroy brain cells. Over 75 years, Superman has been on countless adventures, including a retcon in 1986 due to the Crisis on Infinite Earths events. However, he has been through a few reboots, too, which hindered his power, but not by altering his abilities. They simply changed Superman's outlook on his powers. In his youth, upon discovering his Kryptonian side, he rejected them, giving himself mental barriers which he would have to surpass as he developed through his life.

* AntiClimax: The fight overall is much shorter than their previous encounter. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that Superman knows the potential consequence if they drag out the fight too long, [[PragmaticHero so he decides to put an end to it quicker.]]

* CradlingTheKill: Superman is fully in character this go around. He understands Goku and knows that, no matter what, Goku, will ''never'' give up...which makes it all the more sadder for Kal-El in having to put him down once again, for the good of the Earth. Their last shot before Goku's lecture in Otherworld is of Superman carefully carrying Goku's body back to the ground.

"Neither have you..." he says before knocking him out of the mountain and over the ocean. Superman quickly follows, delivering punch after punch to make sure Goku doesn't recover. "With every step, an earthquake! With every breath, I could create a hurricane!" Superman punches Goku to the ground in the middle of a canyon, before landing to continue his speech. "This is my Earth, by thankful it is not yours."

"I'm sorry..." he says, shooting his heat vision through Goku. Almost instantly, his entire brain is incinerated, and Goku's lifeless body begins to fall down. But rather than hitting the pavement, Superman flies and gently carries his body back down.

For example, Superman was flying near Vega, the brightest star in the Libra constellation. That's 25.05 light years from Earth, or 147 trillion miles. A crisis occurred on Earth, and Jimmy Olsen signaled Superman to come help. Superman arrived in a matter of minutes. Even assuming it took ten minutes for Superman to get from there to Earth, he would have had to have traveled somewhere over 800,000,000,000,000 miles per hour. That's over one million times the speed of light. Also, the signal Jimmy used to call Superman emits a frequency sound only he can hear. Not only did Superman hear this signal 25 light years away, he also heard it through the vacuum of space. He also was able to lift Spectre, a man made out of eternity, and lifted up a book with infinity pages. Superman lifted eternity and infinity. He has done so many feats that would be considered impossible, except for Superman. And yes, he did fall from the moon to the Earth, and made a shockwave that caused a nuclear winter. He got up moments later. These are all feats that took place after Crisis.

'''Boomstick:''' Think about it, if you had a Goku who was as powerful as Superman, would you even want him?
'''Wizard:''' The winner is Superman.
'''Boomstick:''' Fucking Superman.

Everyone knows the story, his genius father finds out that the planet Krypton is doomed to explode, so he sends his only son Kal-El to space to preserve the Kryptonian race and save him.

Superman can fly, super fast, super strong, has super senses, has super breath, artic breath, psychic barriers, and more. His cells absorb solar radiation, which is the source of his super powers. His heat vision can be large enough to destroy planets, or small and precise enough to destroy brain cells. Over 75 years, Superman has been on countless adventures, including a retcon in 1986 due to the Crisis on Infinite Earths events.

* MundaneUtility: Despite all of Goku's many levels of power-ups, he has no defense against Superman's ability to us his heat vision to perform brain surgery.