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I'm... having a really hard time convincing people I'm not a... DBeviant? What would be the DeviantArt equivalent of something like "Battletuber"? Ah well, let's just focus on this.

So at long last, what was quite possibly the most divisive fight has come out. A fight that is defined by and large by quite a few factors. A clash of ideals, the fact it is the fight to piss off a subsection of a fanbase of the most popular anime here in the West who seem to get upset if their husbando's frickin' pubic hair isn't portrayed as multiversal and it was the subject of an internet show about mashing figures together's very first finale. Goku vs. Superman I would say is up there with Mario vs. Sonic as the matchup when it comes to the idea of asking "Who would win?". Even if you're not a fan of either character, you've likely heard of this just from perusing the internet and is one of those fights that comes up in your mind when you think of versus debating. I know in particular for me, it was a fight I wanted to see as a young DBZ and DCAU fan so when in 2012 we got a teaser featuring Superman's logo being enveloped by Goku's Kamehameha on Death Battle? I was hyped... then subsequently pissed off when the result happened. But then once I got over that, 2015 was rocking up and oh look! They're doing another fight with Super Saiyan God and Blue! Maybe this time Goku will finally take the w-and he lost again... also Superman acted like kind of a dick and wasn't the Man of Tomorrow that I loved.

As the years progressed, my way of watching Death Battle changed significantly. Mainly, I stopped worrying about who won and just saw it for what it was, a fun case of mashing action figures together with a chance to learn about some cool obscure factoids and with that change oddly enough came a massive quality boost for each subsequent season with this current one honestly being one of the absolute best that goes beyond what one would expect out of a show where a mad scientist and bumpkin analyze how a sea sponge can break reality with how much more focus there seems to be on actually portraying the characters faithfully and providing fight animations and analyses that are not about boiling characters down to feats as they are about trying to be fun tributes to the franchises featured. Hell for just the last four episodes alone, we've gotten banger after banger starting with Freeza vs. Megatron taking what people have said is a boring idea and elevating it with the writing, Gojo vs. Makima being pure visual spectacle that succeeds in getting me interested in checking out both franchises more than I already am, Scooby vs. Courage being... just itself and finally Rick vs. The Doctor giving us possibly the best portrayal of a defensive pacifist in a show that has to end with a death which left people excited to see what was coming next and... hoo boy did this divide people. I heard it all before of course, the cries that it's useless and others but mainly people were wondering why they'd bother with this when they already did two episodes that had Goku lose and basically stated the result would never change because Superman is "limitless"?

You have eyeballs, you can see the image, this is why.

And it was this reason why I wasn't angry and in fact was quite excited. For one thing, this was not gonna be Goku vs. Superman 3, this was gonna be a full remake on like Mario vs. Sonic, Samus vs. Boba Fett and Link vs. Cloud where both characters would be reanalyzed with the modern Death Battle flair meaning we were not just gonna get updated info added onto the same conclusion but one that was much more nuanced and interesting. Next, Ben has stated in blogs before how he has come to regret Goku vs. Superman 2 and that he has toyed with just redoing this fight in general which means there's a drive behind it. Finally... look Goku and Superman can fight each other, have an eating contest, make sweet love to each other or whatever and I'd check it out. I am unapologetically a Dragon Ball and Superman fanboy. Both Goku and the Man of Steel have played huge roles in inspiring me as a person. The build-up to Goku vs. Superman is a defining part I'd say of my life since it was one of the few times I remember actively being hyped for an internet video of all things. It also has played a role in getting me into hobbies. One of the first fanfics ever that I've done was a little story called "Regretful Battle of Legends" (Which you can read the most updated version here: www.fanfiction.net/s/12378858/… and the original version here: www.fanfiction.net/s/14302366/… ) where I stretched some muscles by trying to construct a version of the second fight that fixed the characterization that evolved into a thing that's about shunning the rampant fighting between the two fandoms. This fight in a way is as important to me, if not more so than Freeza vs. Megatron because these icons and this fight hold a special place in my heart so sufficed to say? This episode had a lot to live up to but before we get into it? I feel it's only fair to exchange a few words about the previous two just so that we see how we got here.

And let me start with a hot take. I think the original Goku vs. Superman is overrated. Now that is not to say it's bad because honestly as a fan of both and especially for Death Battle's first finale? This is probably the best fight they could've pulled off back then. It's also a fight that carries the most in terms of how much it would define the course of the series going forward, taking it from just a shithouse production, slightly edgier Deadliest Warrior where you get to see Mario and Sonic bap each other into... well still a DW clone but one that's a lot more detailed. The analyses are crazy long compared to what came before, the intro makes this feel like an event and the fight animation being the longest in the show's history makes this feel cinematic in all the best ways and some moments have in their own right become iconic like the climax and honestly there's even stuff that's really interesting. I know people rag on the gravity formula but honestly watching back, it's a real cool idea in how it tries to analyze Goku both with and without Ki. It does lead to one mistake where SS2 is given the same speed as base and... guys it's a misprint, it happens and frankly getting on their case for that is like saying you hate the English language if you make a typo. Moving on, the respect they show this guy is commendable especially in this era which comes complete with his analysis ending by calling him the greatest martial artist in fiction. For a video that often gets ragged on by stans for possessing bias? It's funny to see how little there is in terms of bias against Goku. However, that's the caveat and here's as good a time as any to express why after a recent rewatch I'm comfortable in saying I think the video hasn't aged well and to start, Superman is... not really treated well here, I'm not gonna lie.

Comparing the two analyses it's crazy, Goku's goes into his story, his motives for fighting and overall just oozes passion for the character. Superman though? There's this snarky edge that goes way more into his feats and less about his story and when it does bring it up? It's for oddly targeted and cynical comments about how he's dull and a huge boy scout, reflecting the attitude towards his character at the time and in ways that aren't great. I mean, his analysis even ends with a quote like that right before the "world of cardboard" speech and this continues somewhat into the fight with how Superman's attitude is portrayed. It's nowhere near as bad as the sequel granted but it's still there and this is where I feel like I'm gonna say things that really are gonna sting for people. The animation, while solid, is honestly not the best. Now I'm not talking just about visuals because obviously, the visuals have been stated to be outdated with really blurry textures, stiff animation and a kind of dull environment. I'm not even talking about the "Abridged" section at the beginning though to spare some time? Yeah it's bad. Look while TeamFourStar was involved with the process and likely created the clips for Death Battle to use? The writing is clearly not handled by them with the feeling coming off more like what happens when you see fans reciting DBZA jokes verbatim in fanfiction. It just has a bootleg DBZA feel to it. No it's more that personally? I don't like the fight animation that much and how it's choreographed. For one thing, all the damn blitzes we see. Now in Dragon Ball, we've seen blitzes before and all those moments where characters trade punches and kicks in the air but the thing about Dragon Ball is that those were often done because looping them took strain off animators and was easy fight filler. In the manga and films where there isn't as much worry about filling time, it happens but not often which leads to more instances of creative fight choreography and while there are bits of good choreography and creative sequences? They stand out more in a sea of blitzes than they are the standard. It doesn't help also that the camera movements during the blitzes are so insane that at many points I legitimately either lose track of what's happening or my eyes hurt. Next off, personally this fight is for me the best example of why I'm glad Death Battle doesn't feel the need to incorporate every single element of the research into the analysis. Look, I think it's cool that this fight gives us Goku using all his forms and his many techniques against Superman and how each one gets countered but for every moment like the Nyoibo coming in after Superman grabs a street light to swat Goku? There are a lot of moments where it feels like the flow stops just to show something off and personally, I'm more in favor of maintaining a good pace and flow over trying to stick in as much shit as humanly possible. I also feel aside from the climax, the good use of the Kaio-what gag, the Senzu and one moment where Goku spins Superman into the floor? There aren't many moments that truly stick out to me and really not many moments where my blood's pumping. Also the music choice is... kinda eh. There are some good uses of Dragon Ball and Superman music and of course the orchestral track created for the opening is auditory sex but for the most part? I kind of feel like this is demonstrating the weaker side of Death Battle using licensed music in how it feels less like a fight's being scored and more like someone's just using my music playlist and to cap it all off? I think the voices are flawed. MasakoX is a fantastic Goku and has proven himself time and time again but this was definitely when I feel he was still getting it down with it not helping that he's not given the best material to work with. ItsJustSomeRandomGuy meanwhile is very solid as Superman but again, the lines fail him and all this stacks up to where honestly if it wasn't for my nostalgia, the Goku analysis, the conclusion and the ending? I think this fight gets more praise than it honestly deserves and you know what the funny thing is? Goku vs. Superman 2 suffers from the complete inverse problems.

GvS2 I've said before is pointless and that thought holds true here and once one understands that's the result of being cut content from the old fight reworked into a bonus episode that was advertised as a huge rematch? It really is apparent. The analyses have good moments but don't stand out, coming off as definitely cut content since either it restates stuff that the original episode did much more naturally or it's covering details that hardly mattered. Oh and on top of that, their coverage of Superman aside from mentioning the story of his creation really leans more into the snark about him which is a persistent problem in this whole video because dear lord, this does not get Superman in any capacity. In fact? I in part blame the animosity that was directed at Superman fans and so on because of the treatment of the Man of Steel here from calling him boring and stating he's not meant to be relatable or lose which completely shoots their attempt at a message in the conclusion in the dick with a nailgun with the nails being made out of tetanus and racism to just his portrayal in the animation where he comes off as a cocky asshat which makes the scenes of respect for Goku come off as less genuine and more begrudging on the part of the character and overcompensating for the potential reaction in regards to the writing which turns begrudging when one sees that even Goku is screwed up, saying lines to Superman about how he needs to get off his planet which does play off the first fight where the set-up was Goku learns Superman is an alien and thinks instantly that he must be a bad guy but it was baffling there too so seeing it return is not pleasant for me. Also the choice to throw in SSG and SSB when they haven't had any time to be fleshed out like we'd later see is a dumb choice that was made purely to play into this being there just to be a bonus for fanservice that restates the conclusion.

However? It is saved by a few elements that keeps from completely hating it. For one thing? This fight animation is GORGEOUS. Torrian is a name that many who are fans of Death Battle will be familiar with and this fight is a brilliant showcase of his talent for choreography and framing. In particular, the whole scene where Goku goes SSB with Brandon Yates's Alive starting up which leads into a fantastic aerial clash will forever stick out to me as a moment that got me to pump my fist in excitement watching it during the livestream. There are nitpicks of course I can make such as Goku's Xenoverse models for SSG and SSB being just his base and Super Saiyan models recolored which doesn't quite convey the look those forms were going for and the fact the Xenoverse model looks... kinda bulbous anyway and Superman's Injustice look does visually clash and has some texture issues but hey, minor issues overall. Since I mentioned it earlier, we also get better utilization of the music and one of the first custom tracks for the show, Brandon Yates's Alive which... fuck yes, I love this song. For the brief appearance it makes, it goes perfectly with the fight, gets the blood pumping and starts one long and incredible tenure on the show that's still continuing to this day. Finally... I don't hate the King Kai scene and really, I don't hate the conclusion in general. I think the message here is sound, the idea of trying to convey to people the difference of the core of these characters and actually pointing out that if Goku overcomes something like this and is that powerful then ultimately he loses what people love about him. I think it's a fair idea and honestly one I've thought about whenever I've seen people scream about how his left nut or something like that can solo a whole omniverse. It is of course not perfect, it's definitely something that could've benefit from a rewrite like portraying Goku as in that sequence still wanting to fight to reference how the debate will never end and maybe King Kai being exasperated and of course excising a lot of the repeating of the original and the stuff about Superman. However, I do not think it's spiteful.

Goku vs. Superman 2 is an odd beast. It has a fight animation that's a marked improvement over the original and some solid ideas but it's overall pointless. I can actually see why this would be Ben's least favorite episode not just from the standpoint of how it was advertised but also just the fact it's not really a good Death Battle. The analyses and conclusions are a part of the identity of this show. It's what separates it from just cool fight animations since if I wanted that? I could just look up several. Say what you want about the original, it has all the ingredients of a Death Battle there and accounted for while this? It just doesn't. I mean, for god's sake, if your fight between two of fiction's most iconic characters gets completely outclassed by a cartoonish echidna and a giant gorilla punching each other weeks later? You know you have screwed this whole thing up.

So, with all that out of the way? Let's finally talk the new episode...

I... have barely the words to describe the utter joy I felt for this. This is, to me, the definitive take on this fight for Death Battle. A masterclass in character that manages to give two of my favorite heroes all the respect in the world and in a way that I feel will satisfy fans of both... assuming you are not someone who stans so hard for either character you would willingly drop to your knees and suck their dick (Which hey, I don't blame you if you want to but... y'know, have horniness because you're horny, not because you're a sycophant.). To start off? The analyses are great for both characters. I love the nods they throw in to the many aspects of their history from having their alien names be rendered in their respective species' writing right next to the english to other fun-facts, how they manage to weave in references to the previous two videos to also this covers both stories with a great deal of care. Couple that with some great comic and manga panel editing and the way they highlight feats including them giving us a new detail about the universal shockwave and bringing it back to that with a factoid about the DCU's size is truly some great writing on the behalf of the crew. I also love how thorough they are in covering bases without going too insane, pointing out how Infinite Frontier which is the Superman they're using isn't a complete composite and pointing out some of the more well-known and obscure alternate Supermen which I was not expecting would come back in such a big way in the fight.

And speaking of which, oh my god this fight is the best of the three. To start off, let's cover something small and work our way up and that's the voice talent and music. The fact MasakoX and ItsJustSomeRandomGuy weren't coming back to voice the whole fight again started something of a mini freakout by fans considering those two are so beloved but hearing the voices here? It's the right call. One of the problems the previous two fights suffered with was how with the voices they had coupled with the lines given? It was clear why those two were brought in. They were the voices of the two most well-known internet Dragon Ball and DC spoofs but as a result? A lot of the dialogue said by them doesn't feel like the characters so the change is necessary considering the tonal differences with this fight. Now to focus on the new guys? Michael Kovach's Goku has really been growing on me with it sounding like almost a blend of Schemmel and MasakoX in how it can nail the grit of the former when it needs to but also has the bubbly light quality of the latter. It's a really fitting voice for the character and makes me think if Goku ever needs to be recast I'd be down if they went for him. As for the Man of Steel? Xander Mobus nails this as expected, giving him a voice that sounds heroic and strong but also friendly and gentle. This is a Superman I can totally picture saving cats from trees or comforting a small child one moment and delivering a dire warning to Darkseid to leave Earth alone the next. However, that isn't saying they forgot about MasakoX and ItsJustSomeRandomGuy who get two vocal cameos that are honestly perfect in how they highlight this fight's big theme.

Moving onto the music, Brandon Yates comes back to us with Super which is... well... super. It feels like the heroic counterpart to Princes of Pride in a lot of ways and also like one half of Dragon Dance, their theme for Vegetto vs. Gogeta which is a very nice touch. It's energized while not being aggro which is perfect for these two characters and again serves the tone of the fight which now that we're moving onto it? This is everything I want from a fight between Goku and Superman that is reflective of their characters. From moment one when these two clash in a visual homage to Dragon Ball FighterZ, these two are smiling at one another and throughout the whole fight are complimenting and encouraging each other to do their best. No one ramps the fight until they feel the other is ready to or they want to push them and there's just this sense of fun and respect that I don't get out of the previous fights and they manage to do that while also having still some engaging Earth-shattering action. The animation here is primarily handled by Daitomodachi who really excels with the movements. It has a light, slightly stretchy and bouncy quality to it which fits the personalities and the tone it's going for which works well with the models chosen. Goku utilizes his FighterZ appearance which is a no-brainer considering that is the best Goku has ever looked in 3D while Superman is rocking his Fortnite appearance which is just cartoonish enough to match with Goku while not being super exaggerated like Multiversus and serves as a nice contrast to Freeza vs. Megatron where everything I felt had a bit more weight to it. It helps in particular that the man is being directed by Luis Cruz who absolutely has shown he knows his stuff when it comes to shot composition which results in very dynamic cinematography that isn't chaotic to the point where I can't see anything. It gives me the blitzes and crazy showcases of speed from the first video while also possessing the choreography of the second but fine-tuned to such a degree that honestly I don't think this fight ever has a dull moment. It also understands the importance of giving those who watched the older videos new content to keep invested in and what to repeat because it makes sense to. In particular, I think having Goku start in Super Saiyan and go to Blue and UI later was the right call. I can already tell as time goes on people are going to express disappointment that he didn't run through all his forms and especially not the Heroes stuff but like I said about the first fight, one of the problems you run into with an animation that incorporates everything is that it feels less like a properly paced fight and more like a showcase of abilities, especially when certain powers would either result in redundancy, would just not fit the character or can't be fit in organically to begin with. That being said, to me they utilize Goku's transformations here far better than they ever did in the previous two videos where aside from Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 4 in the original video they really didn't have much impact. Here? I feel they do a real good job of demonstrating just how strong Goku is while making sure to be careful about when to escalate things. In particular, Super Saiyan Blue gets a much better showing than it did in GvS2 with a real cool transformation and choreography that shows off a great balance of Goku's raw power and martial arts prowess. That isn't to say Superman is slouching though since they do a lot of cool stuff with his abilities. In particular, they have this neat electricity effect to represent his bio-electric aura that shows up every so often which looks really cool and we also get them redoing his sunbath from the original with the glow effect they have looking insane which comes complete with genuinely one of the best climaxes one of these has had. After Superman uses the Super Flare, he heads up and starts flying through stars to charge himself up with Goku looking up with excitement as he starts charging a massive Kamehameha and it's here where Kovach's voice and the animation join forces perfectly since this feels like the strongest Kamehameha the man has ever fired. Then we get an excellent callback to the original fight with Superman barreling through the beam with Goku then using Kaioken and when that doesn't work, the freaking giant UI form from the Super manga pops up and punches the man and it is a visual delight. Then we see the Earth get destroyed along with all of reality which manages to outdo the destruction of Hulk vs. Broly and the original two fights without feeling like it's trying too hard.

Which leads me finally to get into what makes this episode special and that's the theme of it. Throughout the fight, they take full advantage of how powerful they are to have every so often glimpses of alternate Supermen and Goku fighting each other show up when they clash. The ending then plays into this because we see Goku alone in a void, kind of like what we saw with Superman at the end of the first fight which has him opening his eyes... and seeing the halo above his head with his response being a simple "Ah man..." though Superman is there to compliment him, noting that he did almost have him and that he had fun. Goku then says he'll totally get stronger next time and says they should go again, Superman telling him he's on while giving a fist bump as they look at different realities featuring their battles. The conclusion then goes into a detailed breakdown of why this result happened but ends on a special note by detailing how superheroes in a way were the status quo with Superman being at the head of that while Goku is considered a symbol of anime's spread to the west which brought with it a whole bunch of new ideas and interesting stories and that it means what's a debate between characters becomes a debate between ideologies and thus with that in mind, it makes sense why no one wants to see Goku lose and it leads to Wiz mentioning how it calls into question Death Battle's whole point and asking if they're stripping away importance before Boomstick then points out they do this because it's fun, because they get to analyze cool characters while mashing action figures together, basically stating the modus operandi of Death Battle and... goddamn it, this is perfect. This is to me what GvS2 tried to get at but simply did not have the time to. For many, Goku is a guy they've known since they were children, someone who was there for you in the worst of times. Had a bad day at school and were bullied? You could take solace knowing when you got home, Toonami would feature an episode where Goku punches the lights out of an evil bastard like Freeza and your day from there would get better. Goku has inspired people to work out and improve their lives and so there obviously is going to be strong emotion when he's either beaten or when someone suggests he can be and also at the end of the day, versus debates will go on and on because there will always be more to look at but the important thing is to never lose sight of how this is all for fun. We love to pit Goku against Superman or whoever because the idea of our favorite characters duking it out is fun, it's like when we were kids taking action figures and mashing them together. We didn't care if Transformers couldn't interact with Spider-Man or Dragon Ball, if we wanted to play with our toys we'd do that and come up with crazy stories and that's why I love watching Death Battle and considering the comments haven't shown too much of the usual bile? I think it shows the message at least resonates with people and that makes me happy to see. Of course there are still the stans who will fine and moan that they lowballed Goku or that they should've used this iteration and... guys, if you genuinely feel that way even after this video? Maybe it's time you take a step back and reevaluate everything.

Meanwhile as for me? From top to bottom, this episode is fantastic. This is everything I've wanted from a modern Goku vs. Superman. It's a proper celebration of both characters as well as a celebration of Death Battle that has left me completely satisfied and from the bottom of my heart? I think the crew deserve all the praise for what they've done here. In the years since its creation, Death Battle has become more than just some versus show where characters punch each other while someone throws up made up fantasy facts and it is amazing to see it like the DCU keep expanding and improving with this season in particular being home to the highest highs seen and considering what's coming next for the finale? If they stick the landing, this will easily be my absolute favorite season.

Well, that's about all I can say about this before it gets super rambly so with that in mind? Thank you for reading, please leave a comment down below and as always, stay gold.

Description
I'm... having a really hard time convincing people I'm not a... DBeviant? What would be the DeviantArt equivalent of something like "Battletuber"? Ah well, let's just focus on this.

So at long last, what was quite possibly the most divisive fight has come out. A fight that is defined by and large by quite a few factors. A clash of ideals, the fact it is the fight to piss off a subsection of a fanbase of the most popular anime here in the West who seem to get upset if their husbando's frickin' pubic hair isn't portrayed as multiversal and it was the subject of an internet show about mashing figures together's very first finale. Goku vs. Superman I would say is up there with Mario vs. Sonic as the matchup when it comes to the idea of asking "Who would win?". Even if you're not a fan of either character, you've likely heard of this just from perusing the internet and is one of those fights that comes up in your mind when you think of versus debating. I know in particular for me, it was a fight I wanted to see as a young DBZ and DCAU fan so when in 2012 we got a teaser featuring Superman's logo being enveloped by Goku's Kamehameha on Death Battle? I was hyped... then subsequently pissed off when the result happened. But then once I got over that, 2015 was rocking up and oh look! They're doing another fight with Super Saiyan God and Blue! Maybe this time Goku will finally take the w-and he lost again... also Superman acted like kind of a dick and wasn't the Man of Tomorrow that I loved.

As the years progressed, my way of watching Death Battle changed significantly. Mainly, I stopped worrying about who won and just saw it for what it was, a fun case of mashing action figures together with a chance to learn about some cool obscure factoids and with that change oddly enough came a massive quality boost for each subsequent season with this current one honestly being one of the absolute best that goes beyond what one would expect out of a show where a mad scientist and bumpkin analyze how a sea sponge can break reality with how much more focus there seems to be on actually portraying the characters faithfully and providing fight animations and analyses that are not about boiling characters down to feats as they are about trying to be fun tributes to the franchises featured. Hell for just the last four episodes alone, we've gotten banger after banger starting with Freeza vs. Megatron taking what people have said is a boring idea and elevating it with the writing, Gojo vs. Makima being pure visual spectacle that succeeds in getting me interested in checking out both franchises more than I already am, Scooby vs. Courage being... just itself and finally Rick vs. The Doctor giving us possibly the best portrayal of a defensive pacifist in a show that has to end with a death which left people excited to see what was coming next and... hoo boy did this divide people. I heard it all before of course, the cries that it's useless and others but mainly people were wondering why they'd bother with this when they already did two episodes that had Goku lose and basically stated the result would never change because Superman is "limitless"?

You have eyeballs, you can see the image, this is why.

And it was this reason why I wasn't angry and in fact was quite excited. For one thing, this was not gonna be Goku vs. Superman 3, this was gonna be a full remake on like Mario vs. Sonic, Samus vs. Boba Fett and Link vs. Cloud where both characters would be reanalyzed with the modern Death Battle flair meaning we were not just gonna get updated info added onto the same conclusion but one that was much more nuanced and interesting. Next, Ben has stated in blogs before how he has come to regret Goku vs. Superman 2 and that he has toyed with just redoing this fight in general which means there's a drive behind it. Finally... look Goku and Superman can fight each other, have an eating contest, make sweet love to each other or whatever and I'd check it out. I am unapologetically a Dragon Ball and Superman fanboy. Both Goku and the Man of Steel have played huge roles in inspiring me as a person. The build-up to Goku vs. Superman is a defining part I'd say of my life since it was one of the few times I remember actively being hyped for an internet video of all things. It also has played a role in getting me into hobbies. One of the first fanfics ever that I've done was a little story called "Regretful Battle of Legends" (Which you can read the most updated version here: www.fanfiction.net/s/12378858/… and the original version here: www.fanfiction.net/s/14302366/… ) where I stretched some muscles by trying to construct a version of the second fight that fixed the characterization that evolved into a thing that's about shunning the rampant fighting between the two fandoms. This fight in a way is as important to me, if not more so than Freeza vs. Megatron because these icons and this fight hold a special place in my heart so sufficed to say? This episode had a lot to live up to but before we get into it? I feel it's only fair to exchange a few words about the previous two just so that we see how we got here.

And let me start with a hot take. I think the original Goku vs. Superman is overrated. Now that is not to say it's bad because honestly as a fan of both and especially for Death Battle's first finale? This is probably the best fight they could've pulled off back then. It's also a fight that carries the most in terms of how much it would define the course of the series going forward, taking it from just a shithouse production, slightly edgier Deadliest Warrior where you get to see Mario and Sonic bap each other into... well still a DW clone but one that's a lot more detailed. The analyses are crazy long compared to what came before, the intro makes this feel like an event and the fight animation being the longest in the show's history makes this feel cinematic in all the best ways and some moments have in their own right become iconic like the climax and honestly there's even stuff that's really interesting. I know people rag on the gravity formula but honestly watching back, it's a real cool idea in how it tries to analyze Goku both with and without Ki. It does lead to one mistake where SS2 is given the same speed as base and... guys it's a misprint, it happens and frankly getting on their case for that is like saying you hate the English language if you make a typo. Moving on, the respect they show this guy is commendable especially in this era which comes complete with his analysis ending by calling him the greatest martial artist in fiction. For a video that often gets ragged on by stans for possessing bias? It's funny to see how little there is in terms of bias against Goku. However, that's the caveat and here's as good a time as any to express why after a recent rewatch I'm comfortable in saying I think the video hasn't aged well and to start, Superman is... not really treated well here, I'm not gonna lie.

Comparing the two analyses it's crazy, Goku's goes into his story, his motives for fighting and overall just oozes passion for the character. Superman though? There's this snarky edge that goes way more into his feats and less about his story and when it does bring it up? It's for oddly targeted and cynical comments about how he's dull and a huge boy scout, reflecting the attitude towards his character at the time and in ways that aren't great. I mean, his analysis even ends with a quote like that right before the "world of cardboard" speech and this continues somewhat into the fight with how Superman's attitude is portrayed. It's nowhere near as bad as the sequel granted but it's still there and this is where I feel like I'm gonna say things that really are gonna sting for people. The animation, while solid, is honestly not the best. Now I'm not talking just about visuals because obviously, the visuals have been stated to be outdated with really blurry textures, stiff animation and a kind of dull environment. I'm not even talking about the "Abridged" section at the beginning though to spare some time? Yeah it's bad. Look while TeamFourStar was involved with the process and likely created the clips for Death Battle to use? The writing is clearly not handled by them with the feeling coming off more like what happens when you see fans reciting DBZA jokes verbatim in fanfiction. It just has a bootleg DBZA feel to it. No it's more that personally? I don't like the fight animation that much and how it's choreographed. For one thing, all the damn blitzes we see. Now in Dragon Ball, we've seen blitzes before and all those moments where characters trade punches and kicks in the air but the thing about Dragon Ball is that those were often done because looping them took strain off animators and was easy fight filler. In the manga and films where there isn't as much worry about filling time, it happens but not often which leads to more instances of creative fight choreography and while there are bits of good choreography and creative sequences? They stand out more in a sea of blitzes than they are the standard. It doesn't help also that the camera movements during the blitzes are so insane that at many points I legitimately either lose track of what's happening or my eyes hurt. Next off, personally this fight is for me the best example of why I'm glad Death Battle doesn't feel the need to incorporate every single element of the research into the analysis. Look, I think it's cool that this fight gives us Goku using all his forms and his many techniques against Superman and how each one gets countered but for every moment like the Nyoibo coming in after Superman grabs a street light to swat Goku? There are a lot of moments where it feels like the flow stops just to show something off and personally, I'm more in favor of maintaining a good pace and flow over trying to stick in as much shit as humanly possible. I also feel aside from the climax, the good use of the Kaio-what gag, the Senzu and one moment where Goku spins Superman into the floor? There aren't many moments that truly stick out to me and really not many moments where my blood's pumping. Also the music choice is... kinda eh. There are some good uses of Dragon Ball and Superman music and of course the orchestral track created for the opening is auditory sex but for the most part? I kind of feel like this is demonstrating the weaker side of Death Battle using licensed music in how it feels less like a fight's being scored and more like someone's just using my music playlist and to cap it all off? I think the voices are flawed. MasakoX is a fantastic Goku and has proven himself time and time again but this was definitely when I feel he was still getting it down with it not helping that he's not given the best material to work with. ItsJustSomeRandomGuy meanwhile is very solid as Superman but again, the lines fail him and all this stacks up to where honestly if it wasn't for my nostalgia, the Goku analysis, the conclusion and the ending? I think this fight gets more praise than it honestly deserves and you know what the funny thing is? Goku vs. Superman 2 suffers from the complete inverse problems.

GvS2 I've said before is pointless and that thought holds true here and once one understands that's the result of being cut content from the old fight reworked into a bonus episode that was advertised as a huge rematch? It really is apparent. The analyses have good moments but don't stand out, coming off as definitely cut content since either it restates stuff that the original episode did much more naturally or it's covering details that hardly mattered. Oh and on top of that, their coverage of Superman aside from mentioning the story of his creation really leans more into the snark about him which is a persistent problem in this whole video because dear lord, this does not get Superman in any capacity. In fact? I in part blame the animosity that was directed at Superman fans and so on because of the treatment of the Man of Steel here from calling him boring and stating he's not meant to be relatable or lose which completely shoots their attempt at a message in the conclusion in the dick with a nailgun with the nails being made out of tetanus and racism to just his portrayal in the animation where he comes off as a cocky asshat which makes the scenes of respect for Goku come off as less genuine and more begrudging on the part of the character and overcompensating for the potential reaction in regards to the writing which turns begrudging when one sees that even Goku is screwed up, saying lines to Superman about how he needs to get off his planet which does play off the first fight where the set-up was Goku learns Superman is an alien and thinks instantly that he must be a bad guy but it was baffling there too so seeing it return is not pleasant for me. Also the choice to throw in SSG and SSB when they haven't had any time to be fleshed out like we'd later see is a dumb choice that was made purely to play into this being there just to be a bonus for fanservice that restates the conclusion.

However? It is saved by a few elements that keeps from completely hating it. For one thing? This fight animation is GORGEOUS. Torrian is a name that many who are fans of Death Battle will be familiar with and this fight is a brilliant showcase of his talent for choreography and framing. In particular, the whole scene where Goku goes SSB with Brandon Yates's Alive starting up which leads into a fantastic aerial clash will forever stick out to me as a moment that got me to pump my fist in excitement watching it during the livestream. There are nitpicks of course I can make such as Goku's Xenoverse models for SSG and SSB being just his base and Super Saiyan models recolored which doesn't quite convey the look those forms were going for and the fact the Xenoverse model looks... kinda bulbous anyway and Superman's Injustice look does visually clash and has some texture issues but hey, minor issues overall. Since I mentioned it earlier, we also get better utilization of the music and one of the first custom tracks for the show, Brandon Yates's Alive which... fuck yes, I love this song. For the brief appearance it makes, it goes perfectly with the fight, gets the blood pumping and starts one long and incredible tenure on the show that's still continuing to this day. Finally... I don't hate the King Kai scene and really, I don't hate the conclusion in general. I think the message here is sound, the idea of trying to convey to people the difference of the core of these characters and actually pointing out that if Goku overcomes something like this and is that powerful then ultimately he loses what people love about him. I think it's a fair idea and honestly one I've thought about whenever I've seen people scream about how his left nut or something like that can solo a whole omniverse. It is of course not perfect, it's definitely something that could've benefit from a rewrite like portraying Goku as in that sequence still wanting to fight to reference how the debate will never end and maybe King Kai being exasperated and of course excising a lot of the repeating of the original and the stuff about Superman. However, I do not think it's spiteful.

Goku vs. Superman 2 is an odd beast. It has a fight animation that's a marked improvement over the original and some solid ideas but it's overall pointless. I can actually see why this would be Ben's least favorite episode not just from the standpoint of how it was advertised but also just the fact it's not really a good Death Battle. The analyses and conclusions are a part of the identity of this show. It's what separates it from just cool fight animations since if I wanted that? I could just look up several. Say what you want about the original, it has all the ingredients of a Death Battle there and accounted for while this? It just doesn't. I mean, for god's sake, if your fight between two of fiction's most iconic characters gets completely outclassed by a cartoonish echidna and a giant gorilla punching each other weeks later? You know you have screwed this whole thing up.

So, with all that out of the way? Let's finally talk the new episode...

I... have barely the words to describe the utter joy I felt for this. This is, to me, the definitive take on this fight for Death Battle. A masterclass in character that manages to give two of my favorite heroes all the respect in the world and in a way that I feel will satisfy fans of both... assuming you are not someone who stans so hard for either character you would willingly drop to your knees and suck their dick (Which hey, I don't blame you if you want to but... y'know, have horniness because you're horny, not because you're a sycophant.). To start off? The analyses are great for both characters. I love the nods they throw in to the many aspects of their history from having their alien names be rendered in their respective species' writing right next to the english to other fun-facts, how they manage to weave in references to the previous two videos to also this covers both stories with a great deal of care. Couple that with some great comic and manga panel editing and the way they highlight feats including them giving us a new detail about the universal shockwave and bringing it back to that with a factoid about the DCU's size is truly some great writing on the behalf of the crew. I also love how thorough they are in covering bases without going too insane, pointing out how Infinite Frontier which is the Superman they're using isn't a complete composite and pointing out some of the more well-known and obscure alternate Supermen which I was not expecting would come back in such a big way in the fight.

And speaking of which, oh my god this fight is the best of the three. To start off, let's cover something small and work our way up and that's the voice talent and music. The fact MasakoX and ItsJustSomeRandomGuy weren't coming back to voice the whole fight again started something of a mini freakout by fans considering those two are so beloved but hearing the voices here? It's the right call. One of the problems the previous two fights suffered with was how with the voices they had coupled with the lines given? It was clear why those two were brought in. They were the voices of the two most well-known internet Dragon Ball and DC spoofs but as a result? A lot of the dialogue said by them doesn't feel like the characters so the change is necessary considering the tonal differences with this fight. Now to focus on the new guys? Michael Kovach's Goku has really been growing on me with it sounding like almost a blend of Schemmel and MasakoX in how it can nail the grit of the former when it needs to but also has the bubbly light quality of the latter. It's a really fitting voice for the character and makes me think if Goku ever needs to be recast I'd be down if they went for him. As for the Man of Steel? Xander Mobus nails this as expected, giving him a voice that sounds heroic and strong but also friendly and gentle. This is a Superman I can totally picture saving cats from trees or comforting a small child one moment and delivering a dire warning to Darkseid to leave Earth alone the next. However, that isn't saying they forgot about MasakoX and ItsJustSomeRandomGuy who get two vocal cameos that are honestly perfect in how they highlight this fight's big theme.

Moving onto the music, Brandon Yates comes back to us with Super which is... well... super. It feels like the heroic counterpart to Princes of Pride in a lot of ways and also like one half of Dragon Dance, their theme for Vegetto vs. Gogeta which is a very nice touch. It's energized while not being aggro which is perfect for these two characters and again serves the tone of the fight which now that we're moving onto it? This is everything I want from a fight between Goku and Superman that is reflective of their characters. From moment one when these two clash in a visual homage to Dragon Ball FighterZ, these two are smiling at one another and throughout the whole fight are complimenting and encouraging each other to do their best. No one ramps the fight until they feel the other is ready to or they want to push them and there's just this sense of fun and respect that I don't get out of the previous fights and they manage to do that while also having still some engaging Earth-shattering action. The animation here is primarily handled by Daitomodachi who really excels with the movements. It has a light, slightly stretchy and bouncy quality to it which fits the personalities and the tone it's going for which works well with the models chosen. Goku utilizes his FighterZ appearance which is a no-brainer considering that is the best Goku has ever looked in 3D while Superman is rocking his Fortnite appearance which is just cartoonish enough to match with Goku while not being super exaggerated like Multiversus and serves as a nice contrast to Freeza vs. Megatron where everything I felt had a bit more weight to it. It helps in particular that the man is being directed by Luis Cruz who absolutely has shown he knows his stuff when it comes to shot composition which results in very dynamic cinematography that isn't chaotic to the point where I can't see anything. It gives me the blitzes and crazy showcases of speed from the first video while also possessing the choreography of the second but fine-tuned to such a degree that honestly I don't think this fight ever has a dull moment. It also understands the importance of giving those who watched the older videos new content to keep invested in and what to repeat because it makes sense to. In particular, I think having Goku start in Super Saiyan and go to Blue and UI later was the right call. I can already tell as time goes on people are going to express disappointment that he didn't run through all his forms and especially not the Heroes stuff but like I said about the first fight, one of the problems you run into with an animation that incorporates everything is that it feels less like a properly paced fight and more like a showcase of abilities, especially when certain powers would either result in redundancy, would just not fit the character or can't be fit in organically to begin with. That being said, to me they utilize Goku's transformations here far better than they ever did in the previous two videos where aside from Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 4 in the original video they really didn't have much impact. Here? I feel they do a real good job of demonstrating just how strong Goku is while making sure to be careful about when to escalate things. In particular, Super Saiyan Blue gets a much better showing than it did in GvS2 with a real cool transformation and choreography that shows off a great balance of Goku's raw power and martial arts prowess. That isn't to say Superman is slouching though since they do a lot of cool stuff with his abilities. In particular, they have this neat electricity effect to represent his bio-electric aura that shows up every so often which looks really cool and we also get them redoing his sunbath from the original with the glow effect they have looking insane which comes complete with genuinely one of the best climaxes one of these has had. After Superman uses the Super Flare, he heads up and starts flying through stars to charge himself up with Goku looking up with excitement as he starts charging a massive Kamehameha and it's here where Kovach's voice and the animation join forces perfectly since this feels like the strongest Kamehameha the man has ever fired. Then we get an excellent callback to the original fight with Superman barreling through the beam with Goku then using Kaioken and when that doesn't work, the freaking giant UI form from the Super manga pops up and punches the man and it is a visual delight. Then we see the Earth get destroyed along with all of reality which manages to outdo the destruction of Hulk vs. Broly and the original two fights without feeling like it's trying too hard.

Which leads me finally to get into what makes this episode special and that's the theme of it. Throughout the fight, they take full advantage of how powerful they are to have every so often glimpses of alternate Supermen and Goku fighting each other show up when they clash. The ending then plays into this because we see Goku alone in a void, kind of like what we saw with Superman at the end of the first fight which has him opening his eyes... and seeing the halo above his head with his response being a simple "Ah man..." though Superman is there to compliment him, noting that he did almost have him and that he had fun. Goku then says he'll totally get stronger next time and says they should go again, Superman telling him he's on while giving a fist bump as they look at different realities featuring their battles. The conclusion then goes into a detailed breakdown of why this result happened but ends on a special note by detailing how superheroes in a way were the status quo with Superman being at the head of that while Goku is considered a symbol of anime's spread to the west which brought with it a whole bunch of new ideas and interesting stories and that it means what's a debate between characters becomes a debate between ideologies and thus with that in mind, it makes sense why no one wants to see Goku lose and it leads to Wiz mentioning how it calls into question Death Battle's whole point and asking if they're stripping away importance before Boomstick then points out they do this because it's fun, because they get to analyze cool characters while mashing action figures together, basically stating the modus operandi of Death Battle and... goddamn it, this is perfect. This is to me what GvS2 tried to get at but simply did not have the time to. For many, Goku is a guy they've known since they were children, someone who was there for you in the worst of times. Had a bad day at school and were bullied? You could take solace knowing when you got home, Toonami would feature an episode where Goku punches the lights out of an evil bastard like Freeza and your day from there would get better. Goku has inspired people to work out and improve their lives and so there obviously is going to be strong emotion when he's either beaten or when someone suggests he can be and also at the end of the day, versus debates will go on and on because there will always be more to look at but the important thing is to never lose sight of how this is all for fun. We love to pit Goku against Superman or whoever because the idea of our favorite characters duking it out is fun, it's like when we were kids taking action figures and mashing them together. We didn't care if Transformers couldn't interact with Spider-Man or Dragon Ball, if we wanted to play with our toys we'd do that and come up with crazy stories and that's why I love watching Death Battle and considering the comments haven't shown too much of the usual bile? I think it shows the message at least resonates with people and that makes me happy to see. Of course there are still the stans who will fine and moan that they lowballed Goku or that they should've used this iteration and... guys, if you genuinely feel that way even after this video? Maybe it's time you take a step back and reevaluate everything.

Meanwhile as for me? From top to bottom, this episode is fantastic. This is everything I've wanted from a modern Goku vs. Superman. It's a proper celebration of both characters as well as a celebration of Death Battle that has left me completely satisfied and from the bottom of my heart? I think the crew deserve all the praise for what they've done here. In the years since its creation, Death Battle has become more than just some versus show where characters punch each other while someone throws up made up fantasy facts and it is amazing to see it like the DCU keep expanding and improving with this season in particular being home to the highest highs seen and considering what's coming next for the finale? If they stick the landing, this will easily be my absolute favorite season.

Well, that's about all I can say about this before it gets super rambly so with that in mind? Thank you for reading, please leave a comment down below and as always, stay gold.