Anime Duel: Goku Vs Saitama

Anime Duel: Goku vs. Saitama

This one’s gonna be a slobberknocker. Welcome to Watchmojo’s Anime Duel series, where we pit out some of the strongest characters in anime history and weigh out their odds in battle. For today’s fight we’re focusing on two of the most biggest powerhouses in the industry – Dragon Ball’s Goku and One Punch Man’s Saitama.

Round 1: Strength & Endurance

When it comes to absurd strength in anime, these two could be the top of their category. Both come from relatively humble beginnings but have increased their strength dramatically through intense training.

Son Goku was seemingly unmatched for decades since the release of the Dragon ball series. He stood above the rest of the cast, which consisted of fiends able to destroy entire planets with the single flick of a wrist. Whenever adversity came his way, he would push himself to new limits to take on the threat – and often came out on top. With the addition of the new film series and “Dragon Ball Super”, Goku’s power level has risen dramatically. So much so that it’s hard to believe anyone could go toe-to-toe.

But, recently, an instant classic by the name of “One Punch Man” has entered the fray. If the title of this show is anything to go by, Saitama can level anyone or anything by administering a single swing. To date, none have lived to tell the tale after being on the receiving end of his iconic red gloves – not even the planet destroyer, Boros. For this reason alone, we may have to give this round to Saitama.

Winner: Saitama

Round 2: Intelligence and Cunning

It almost feels like the “dumb, shonen-series, protagonist” trope stemmed from Goku. But who can blame him, after being dropped on his head as a young boy, all saiyan-malice was deleted from his conscious and he soon became pure of heart. And, while he has had his moments of brilliance, his lax, trusting, attitude has cost him dearly many a time.

This said, Saitama too does not seem to exhibit any staggering genius. He’s clumsy, forgetful, and often uncalculated with his plans. Buuut on the plus side, he does seem to be very conscious of his limits and his shortcomings. This leads us to believe that he is likely the smarter of the two.

Winner: Saitama

Round 3: Allies

The power of friendship always comes into play with anime. But which of the two has the better crew? Saitama reluctantly works as Genos’ mentor, and is also officially recognized by the Hero Association. This means that many others on the hero registry such as veteran, Bang and the Tornado of Terror, Tatsumaki. However, none of these seem to come anywhere close to his own power level. Leading us to believe that they’d be more of a liability if they were to join the fray than anything else.

Meanwhile, Goku stands alongside the “Z-Fighters”, a team consisting of some of the greatest fighters in the universe – some of which have even surpassed Goku’s level at some points: Including Vegeta, Piccolo and his son Gohan. Not to mention, they have proved to have excellent teamwork in the past.

If these two titanic teams were to clash, there’s no doubt in our mind that the unparalleled Z-fighters would come out the victors.

Winner: Goku

Round 4: Weapons & Powers

Let’s just skip past the Nyoi-bo and Nimbus cloud, because they’re long since redundant. Instead, when discussing Goku’s arsenal we must focus on the incredible chi-powered attacks that he possesses. Whether it’s the Kamehameha, Dragon-fist or Spirit bomb, Goku has proved that his energy-beams are second to none. On top of that is perhaps Goku’s most impressive power of all – The Super Saiyan form. Able to multiply his power-level by ridiculous amounts, this golden haired power-up brings this fight to a whole new level - and with the addition of “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan”, Goku’s limits are quite frankly endless.

On the other hand, Saitama’s powers seem to be very basic. He has techniques such as the “consecutive normal punches” and the “Serious Punch”. But, regardless of their simplicity they are devastatingly powerful. However, Unlike Goku, he cannot fly, nor can he breathe in space…could this be the deciding factor to the battle?

Winner: Goku

Round 5: Determination & Resolve

In a serious battle, it’s always best to have that never-say-die attitude. This is where the two may stand furthest apart.

Before reaching his peak power, and tragically shedding his hair, Saitama possessed all the willpower of a true hero. But, after realizing there were none that could match his power, Saitama slowly became incredibly passive. Fighting often seems to be a chore to the lax protagonist, and it’s quite easy to believe he would walk away from a battle. What’s more, only the most mundane things seem to fuel his fiery attitude – including losing out on groceries.

Goku couldn’t be more different in this regard. Only ever stepping down from a battle when he was safely assured his son could handle it with ease. Saiyans essentially live to fight, and Goku follows this code religiously. Not many heroes can say they’ve died in battle only to come back to save the world, time and time again. With the combination of the Dragon Balls and Senzu Beans, it’s not unreasonable to believe that Goku could keep on fighting until victory is within his grasp.

Winner: Goku

So, though it may seem to be on a technicality, it appears that the victor of this would be the Super Powered Super Saiyan, himself, Son Goku. His countless abilities and constant progression in power-level are just too awesome to overlook. Though, we may see more of Saitama’s capabilities in later series, as it stands for now – our money is on Goku. Think we’re wrong? Let us know in the comments below. For more Earth shattering 1-on-1s be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.