Powerscaling in the Dragon Ball universe is an exercise seemingly as old as the franchise, particularly after Dragon Ball Z, due to the phenomenal heights its core characters have reached. For the longest time, Goku ranked at or near the top overall, although Dragon Ball Super has introduced numerous superior forces. But in that time, one Saiyan directly dethroned Goku.
In 2018’s Dragon Ball Super: Broly, the eponymous Legendary Super Saiyan made his canonical Dragon Ball debut, and promptly thrashed Goku and Vegeta at their strongest forms. Even in his base form, Broly was capable of enormous feats of strength. He was eventually defeated, but no single Saiyan could contend with Broly by this point.
Goku Was Canonically Dethroned as Dragon Ball’s Strongest Saiyan
Broly’s strength is proven undeniably massive in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. After all, Goku, then known as Kakarot, was cast away as a lower-class Saiyan warrior, while Vegeta’s father, King Vegeta, resented Broly’s latent power upstaging that of his son’s. Combine that with trauma at the hands of a manipulative father, and the Saiyan rage is palpable.
His ensuing fight with the Saiyans, spurred on by Frieza in a bid to eliminate Vegeta and give him an opportunity to kill Goku, quickly established that Broly was able to hold his own against the strongest living Saiyans. This was thanks to Broly’s feral brute strength enhanced by his control over the raw power of the Saiyan Great Ape without taking on its form.
But it wouldn’t be a Dragon Ball Super fight without dramatic escalations and form changes. Goku and Vegeta’s Super Saiyan God forms are easily beaten by Broly, and when they attempt to push him further using Super Saiyan Blue forms, Broly’s limits are pushed further after Frieza goads him by murdering his father, Paragus.
This transformation becomes utterly dominant against Goku and Vegeta’s best offerings as Saiyans, prompting their canonical Gogeta fusion debut, which combines and multiplies their strengths further. Thus, with Goku and Vegeta separately defeated at their strongest, it’s rather clear that Broly’s raw power, a multiversal danger, put him above the other uncombined Saiyans. But that’s not the full story.
The Saiyan Hierarchy Has Changed Dramatically in Dragon Ball Super
While much of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z saw Goku as the common winner thanks to a combination of his training and pushing his upper limits through new forms, Dragon Ball Super consistently changes the status quo. Even earlier instances from Z, like Gohan attaining Super Saiyan 2 first, were moments where Goku conceded, rather than being directly supplanted.
While Gohan may have achieved the first steps towards his true potential in the Cell Saga, Goku quickly upstaged that with Super Saiyan 3 in the Buu Saga. However, in Dragon Ball Super, other characters are able to contest Goku’s dominance. Goku achieves Ultra Instinct, Vegeta gets Ultra Ego, Gohan Beast debuts, and even Piccolo gets a power-up.
These changes are a pleasing development for Goku, as they motivate him to continue training, true to his character.
These changes are a pleasing development for Goku, as they motivate him to continue training, true to his character. While Broly’s raw strength in the movie was greater than Goku’s, Goku eventually pushes for Perfect Ultra Instinct, enhancing his defensive and evasive capabilities, allowing Goku’s superior fight IQ to shine. Vegeta and others take similarly fitting paths.
With Goku and Vegeta’s sparring match in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Vegeta was handed a proper victory against Goku, albeit low-stakes, compared to his underhanded tactics in the Buu Saga as Majin Vegeta. Goku recognizes Gohan as Earth’s most competent protector once he is gone in Super chapter #103. Gohan is also able to hold his own against Broly.
Part of this largely feels like an elaborate gesture to present each character as on equal footing. It certainly dispels any notion that Goku was always the strongest Saiyan in Dragon Ball, but that has been the case for years now. Should Dragon Ball Super or other anime come next, it’d be thrilling to see others take Goku’s spotlight.
Source link
Add Comment