The pro-Superman sections in this article were written by Christopher Ngyuen and Peterson Walrod. The pro-Goku sections were written by Jack Mulcaire and Cahill Maffei.

POINT: Goku is a Super Saiyan
Saiyans, from Planet Vegeta, are the most powerful race of fighters in the Universe. A normal Saiyan child would be able to defeat any human UFC fighter at their peak, and an adult Saiyan could probably conquer planet earth by themselves, without using weapons of any kind. Saiyans’ incredible power allows them to control qi energy, fly, and move with unfathomable speed. Goku is the most powerful Saiyan in the Universe, and is easily able to make the transformation to Super Saiyan, increasing his power massively as well as his strength, agility, awareness, pain tolerance, and ability to manifest qi energy. To put things in perspective, a normal Saiyan has a power level of about 5000. Goku, in Super Saiyan mode has a power level that is not truly measurable because the power level system does not work after 1 million. Sophmore Zac Salaam pretty much summed it up when he said “Superman brings nothing to the table. Goku is Thanksgiving dinner.”

COUNTERPOINT:
We will even contribute to their point – Goku can reach the powerful Super Saiyan level 2. While Superman may be unable to alter his form, he still is super powerful. Superman has nearly godlike powers, as we shall elaborate on further.

POINT: Superman is a well-known American hero

Superman, despite being an alien from the planet Krypton, is a good old fashioned American. He’s from a small town in Kansas, has two American farmers as parents, and works for an American newspaper,  keeping jobs in America. Indeed, ask any American about heroes, and they will mention Superman. Superman, throughout his career on Earth, has defeated Nazis, Communists, terrorists, Calendar Man and every other despicable foe of the United States of America. If you want to talk about name recognition, Superman is the hero to choose. Additionally, it does not even need to be cited that Superman has been in more and more successful movies than Goku ever has or ever will (remember that live-action atrocityDragonballEvolution [2009]).

COUNTERPOINT:
Superman may be well known, but this is completely irrelevant to who would win a fight between the two. Superman’s legions of fans will not help him land a punch on Goku, and even if they joined the fight, normal humans (according to Dragonballwiki.com) have a power level of about 4, so Goku would be able to handle literally hundreds of them at a time merely by grunting. Some may say that Goku is un-American. But what’s more American than freedom? And guess what, Goku fights for freedom. When he’s in the middle of his epic battle with Freiza on Planet Namek he says “I am the answer to all living things who cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I fight for the freedom of the people of earth and the entire Universe!” What’s more American than that?

POINT: Goku can destroy planets easily
Seriously, what are you going to do with a guy that can straight up explode planets?! When Goku is fighting Cell, he unleashes a Kamehameha energy blast that every character present acknowledges as capable of destroying earth. Can Superman destroy planets? What’s he going to do, punch it apart? No. Superman has no answer for Goku’s world ending powers. Goku has even defeated people that can blow up planets. Senior and noted Dragonball Z expert Alex Mainthow said “Frieza, witnessing the first actual Super Sayan, whipped out a trump card and destroyed Namek with his Full Power Death Ball, a planet that is far larger than earth! Not long after, Goku defeated him.” We can conclude that Goku is stronger than Freiza and therefore able to destroy planets with even greater ease.

COUNTERPOINT:While Goku struggles to destroy planets, having to use his ultimate move, Superman considers destroying planets child’s play. In the Justice Society of America, Superman holds a black hole and compresses it. Considering that a black hole is far denser than a planet, this is quite a feat (also consider that not even light can escape from your standard black hole). In Trinity Number Five, Superman possesses the strength necessary to shatter entire worlds like a child would shatter a tootsie pop.Superman destroying a planet with his heat vision.

POINT: Superman has never, ever lost

Every hero has lost – Batman lost Rachel Dawes to the Joker, Spiderman lost Gwenn Stacy, and of course, and The Hulk lost to the Avengers. Goku himself has not only lost twice, but has even admitted defeat, when he realized that Cell was far more powerful than he (not to mention he lost against Radditz, of all people). Under Goku the Earth has been destroyed multiple times, along with the planet of Namek. Superman has only lost one fight against Apokoplis, an alien beast with the ability to grow stonger with every death. However Superman never died like Goku did, and Superman was able to easily dispatch the villian following the battle. Superman did not ever let the Earth be destroyed under his watch.

COUNTERPOINT:
This is simply not true. Superman is not invincible and is not impervious to physical damage. In the 1992 DC Comic “The Death of Superman”, Superman (didn’t see this one coming) DIES. He’s killed by a giant robot named Doomsday. Goku has fought against giant robots too, except it’s different because he was a little kid at the time and he owned them severely, and totally didn’t die despite the fact that there were dozens of them. If Superman dying isn’t proof that he has lost a battle then what is? Technically Superman is resurrected after he dies, but really that was just an attempt by desperate writers to milk Superman for more money. Goku has twice died in battle. However, both times, Goku’s death was completely under his own control. You don’t kill Goku without him saying so first. The first time is when he sacrifices himself in the battle against Radditz, allowing Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon to kill him and the villian (which is really an extra advantage because Goku got to train with masters in the Afterlife). Goku dies for the second time when he teleports to another planet with the villian Cell, in order to prevent him from exploding planet earth. If Goku wanted to, he could have simply withstood the explosion, but he wanted to save everyone else’s lives.

POINT: Superman is technically invincible

Superman is technically invincible, thanks to his Kryptonian cellular structure. Superman has not only flown into the sun (he can survive in a vacuum) and emerged unscathed, but also has survived the most destructive known event in the universe – a supernova. Indeed, Superman can take a Kamehameha Wave to the chest with little discomfort, not to mention the rain of pitiful blows that Goku would throw upon Superman’s immaculate S. Simply put, Superman can only be harmed by power equivalent to his own strength. Goku, however, would have succumbed (if not for a treatment from the future) to heart disease, which left him crippled while his friends were brutally defeated by the Androids. Superman, who has superb healing powers and the ability to live for thousands of years, would never fall to such an illness, and would even heal said illness.

COUNTERPOINT:

This is simply not true. As already stated, Superman is killed by Doomsday, an enemy who is not even using Kryptonite. We’ve all seen the scenes where Superman takes a bullet to the eye and it just bounces off, but what you probably don’t know is that Goku is impervious to bullets too. “A bullet hitting Goku would be like a baby tossing a marshmallow at oncoming freight train” said Mainthow, “In any case, he’d probably just catch the bullet.” It’s difficult to overestimate the amount of punishment Goku can take. Multiple times, he has withstood dozens of hits that would cause craters a hundred yards across if they directed at the ground. Perhaps Superman is invulnerable against the weapons that have been used against him (even though he isn’t because he was killed by Doomsday) but Superman hasn’t had to face even half of what Goku’s enemies have throw at him.

POINT: Superman could never beat Cell, and therefore could not beat Goku.

Cell is one of the main villains in Dragonball Z, described by Mainthow as “an android that cannot be killed unless every single cell in his body is destroyed. If you don’t, he just regenerates stronger than before.” Goku easily defeats Cell AND Freiza at the same time when they face off in the Afterlife. He even comments “In retrospect, these guys don’t seem so tough.” What weapons could Superman possibly use to destroy EVERY cell in Cell’s body all at once? Superman’s main weapon is punching stuff. Goku punches Cell hundreds of time, with enough force to punch through a mountain each time, and it isn’t enough. Sophmore and DBZ fan Cheyne Kelly says “You can’t kill Cell with punches. You just can’t.” What about laser vision? That isn’t going to work either. Vegeta, another Saiyan warrior, unleashes his massive Final Flash energy beam at Cell, and it rips off a good portion of the Earth’s surface, but it doesn’t kill Cell. What’s Superman’s laser vision compared to that? It’s hard enough for Superman’s laser vision to burn through puny human metal armor. Only Goku and his son Gohan are able to create a massive enough qi blast to complete wipe out Cell. For a better understanding of Final Flash, watch the following You Tube video (and remember Goku is STRONGER than Vegeta):

COUNTERPOINT:

Neither could Goku in the temporal world. Goku himself said that he was outmatched by the “perfect being”. Superman assuredly would not lose against a foe that was defeated by a whiny 11 year old with a broken arm.

POINT: Goku has a massive arsenal of insane attacks
Goku has the ability to unleash several totally crazy moves on his enemies. Sophmore Thomas Tostini says “Goku’s got the classic Kamehameha (a massive water energy-based qi blast, the Kaio-ken (briefly increasing your power many times), the truly epic Spirit Bomb (drawing energy from all life on nearby planets), the Instant Transmission (teleportation between two points), the Afterimage (creating multiple images of yourself), Solar Flare (unleashing a blinding flash of light), and on top of that he can copy pretty much any technique he sees someone do.” All of these techniques can unload a world of hurt on his enemies and they create the opportunity to make combos Superman simply won’t be able to handle. “What’s Superman gonna do when Goku Instant Transmits behind him and unleashes a Kamehameha large enough to destroy the world into his back from two feet away?” says sophmore Cheyne Kelly. But don’t take our word for it, watch these videos:
Instant Transmission Kamehameha:
Kamehameha and Kaioken:
Kaio-Ken:

COUNTERPOINT:

While we may concede that Goku is fast and has the ability to transport anywhere, Superman can fly faster than the speed of light, which is technically faster than “instant”. He can even fly so fast that he can make time go backwards as seen in Superman III. Unlike the villains of Dragon Ball Z (i.e. Frieza) Superman has the savvy and smarts not to stand around to allow Goku to charge his Spirit Bomb, nor will he be distracted by Goku’s pesky and generally ineffective friends. Also, the Spirit Bomb does not work on anyone who is pure of heart, and Superman has the purest of hearts.

POINT: Superman has to be made weaker so it’s more believable
Superman has almost unlimited power. Unfortunately, it is hard to give this full justice due to the lack of scope of thetypical 1940’s American (the period in which comic was introduced). Indeed, the average American of the time believed that the most powerful being in the world would be able to merely fly faster than a speeding bullet, and “Speed Typewriting” was considered a significant strength. It must also be considered that Superman has had to be depowered in order to introduce drama as well as remain somewhat believable to the more discerning American audience.Even watered down his skills are unmatched. Goku, on the other hand, was introduced to a Japanese society that really knows no bounds or anything, thus Goku was never watered down. What you see is what you get.

COUNTERPOINT:
The fact that this is even being considered is absurd. We can’t start making up hypothetical justifications for why Superman has more power but you haven’t seen it in the comics. If that were the case, you could say that Superman has the ability to do literally anything. The only arguments that are valid are those that have support and evidence within the comic books, TV shows and movies that make up the worlds of Superman and Dragonball Z. Besides, how does this even work in Superman’s favor? This is essentially admitting he’s weaker.

POINT: Goku has far superior training.
Goku is trained by the greatest master of combat on Earth, on several other planets, and in the Afterlife. He learns techniques from Master Roshi, the greatest human martial arts champion, Korin…who admittedly is just a really fat midget cat that can talk, Kame, a 1000 year alien that is Guardian of the Earth and lives in a floating mansion so you know he’s awesome, and King Kai, who is basically the most epic martial arts teacher in the Universe as well the world’s best stand-up comedian. Since he could walk, Goku has trained every day of his life, and has mastered techniques no human can perform. Often times Goku goes into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where one day outside is equal to one year inside, in order to train for years on end without aging, in increased gravity, despite being separated from his family for so long. Normal people go insane in there. Would Superman be able to handle it? No, he’s never had to work a day in his life. There is not a single scene of Superman training to fight or working on martial arts technique in any comic book, movie or TV show. Oh, and did we mention Goku does hundreds of hand-stand push ups in 300 times Earth’s gravity?

COUNTERPOINT:

Superman has perfect photographic memory coupled with his mastery of senses has the ability to break down and fighting style he encounters, as well as mastering it for himself. Furthermore, with his outstanding intellect, matched by no other being in the universe, he would be able outmaneuver and out strategize Goku.

POINT: Superman has superior intelligence
Superman is widely regarded not only for his powerful body, but also his powerful brains. He mastered calculus by the age of 5. Furthermore, Superman has defeated the greatest known intellect, Brainiac, on multiple occasions. This is complemented by the previous mentioned ability, photographic memory. This would be invaluable in battle, as he would be able to analyze and crush any opponent’s strategy.  Superman has perfect photographic memory coupled with his mastery of senses has the ability to break down and fighting style he encounters, as well as mastering it for himself. Furthermore, with his outstanding intellect, matched by no other being in the universe, he would be able outmaneuver and out strategize Goku.

COUNTERPOINT:
Awesome, Superman did calculus at age 4. That really is useful in a fight. You know what Goku did at age 4? Killed stuff. Besides Goku is more intelligent in the ring, where it actually counts. Goku is often described by characters as being a true master of martial arts. Even his arch rival Vegeta admits to how truly amazing Goku’s ability to adapt is. Superman has no hope against Goku’s battle savvy. Furthermore Goku fought the androids and surpassed them in strength.  These androids were extremely powerful biochemically engineered fighters specifically made to fight Goku.  They new his moves, they were just as powerful and had extremely powerfully processing powers making Superman’s photographic memory an irrelevant asset because Goku has already had to deal with it.

POINT: Goku faces far superior villians
Every single villain that Goku faces has the ability to destroy the human race. All of them can launch massive blasts of energy out of their bodies, fly, and generally fight with power and speed unimaginable to a human. Freiza, Cell, and Majin Buu all can destroy planets. What can Superman’s villains do? Lex Luthor? That guy is basically just an evil version of Steve Jobs. Calendar Man? His special power is being fascinated by calendars and dates. General Zod? Angry version of Prince. None of these people can compare to Goku’s enemies.

COUNTERPOINT:
As stated earlier Superman’s villains have to be watered down. Furthermore, Superman’s villains do not wait to debate over power levels for three to four hours before each battle. Superman’s battles are not drawn out over ten episodes only of which two are actually fighting. Superman’s villains have elaborate plans and strategies to destroy universes, planets, and take over power; while Goku’s villains on the other hand rush into battle without thought, other than their long drawn out monologues that are arbitrary and redundant.

POINT: Superman can alter time and space
We often limit our conceptions of heroes to what we can understand about the natural world. However, our conceptions of power and strength are puny before the might of Superman’s awesome abilities. He can bend all space and time, he can understand the very secrets of the universe which elude even our greatest researchers, and he can warp reality with is Reality Punch. As we mentioned, Superman, for all his American goodness, is essentially a godly figure.

COUNTERPOINT:

The idea that Superman could reverse time by flying backwards around the world is absurd. Superman lives in a Universe that operates under normal physics, and under normal physics time continues just the same on planets that rotate clockwise as those that rotate counterclockwise. All that turning back Earth’s rotation would do is cause the atmosphere to get all messed up. Furthermore, Goku is at least as fast as Superman in level flight, and is far faster in random non-linear combat flying. Goku and his enemies frequently fight each other in hand to hand combat while flying at extremely high speeds. Dragonball Z fighters move so fast while fighting that to human eyes they appear to be popping in and out of existence and can only be seen when they unleash an earth shattering blow. Superman has never done this and would not be ready for it combat. To quote sophmore Cheyne Kelly, “In speed, Goku is basically a Cheetah with a jet pack, and Superman is a pregnant brown bear.”

You’ve seen the arguments. Now it’s time to vote: