I'm gonna respond to you because you are clearly the most intelligent defender of Goku in this thread thus far
True, but as stated before, this is Goku we're talking about. He's that dude when it comes to power readings and he can adjust accordingly when he knows he's outmatched.
Pretty much all of his major battles in DBZ highlight this, from Vegeta to Buu (truth be told, I know almost nothing of GT so I'm probably missing a lot that helps and hinders my argument...but f*ck GT
).
If you want to get technical, Goku can only sense "power levels" as far as their fighting skill, not someone's full scope of powers. Goku was not able to sense Babadi's power levels nor was he able to do it for Pikhon. There really isn't solid proof he could read Superman and his power levels.
Goku has used tricks in battle to lure his opposition into doing what he wants him to do.
Granted, Superman might have figured out what he was up to, being able to read souls and sh*t, though.
I agree Goku is a very intelligent fighter, but he IS NOT the smartest strategist in the DBZ universe, Piccolo is actually superior to him in this.
Do you know the difference between strategy and tactics? Goku is a great tactician, he is NOT a great strategist. Keep this is mind...
However, in trying to read Superman's mind, Goku would have instnatly figured out that Superman has other-worldly mental faculties and would have tried to be slick about it, as he's done before.
In the video, you will notice Goku TRIED to read Superman's mind, but was not actually able to do it to complition (if he was capable at all). Superman has RIDIC psychic defenses and Goku, who has minimal psychic abilities and no formal training would not be capable of breaking them down. Once again, I CAN get the feats if necessary...
True. However, that doesn't mean that Goku couldn't buy some time for himself to deplete Supes energy...and there have been many occasions in DBZ where Goku has tried to buy time during a battle for whatever reason. This would have been no different.
Buy some time.... against two guys that both move faster than light speed?!?
I think they focused a little too much on a few instances (like with Frieza) and played this up too much.
Not saying you are wrong, but this is opinion here. And keep in mind, in DEATH BATTLE, both fighters are fighting with intention to KILL, which is FAR outside the mindset of both Goku and Superman. They both only kill when they have too.
Goku has and can play dirty to get what he wants out of a fight...he's a Saiyan, and as we know, Saiyans lose control as they grow stronger and are pushed further and further to their limits. As he loses control, he starts to care more about winning and less about 'a good fight'.
I disagree with this assersion. Granted its POSSIBLE, but its not likely. Goku is not Vegeta or some rabid Sayjin.
Case in point: the same fight with Frieza. Goku gave the nikka some energy, he turns around and tries to fire on him, and Goku, having had enough, sends him to the Bushes (or so we thought, until that dude Trunks came along
).
Also, another thing, I know what you're thinking "but what about them numbers?"
Didn't you hear what he said to Raditz in the beignning of the video? If we can acknowledge that power isn't everything in a fight in one instance, how can we then turn around at the end of it all, and rely solely on just that to determine the fight...power.
Seems a little inconsistent, no?
Not really because its all about the context.
Goku and Superman's levels of power are so massive that they are somewhat incalculable. However in discussion, you can really only debate based off of what they have accomplished. Based on what both have achieved Superman has the crazier and more difficult feats across the board.
I can't stress enough: I feel like the video made Goku way more one-dimensional than he really is, and played up certain parts of his character too much, while either downplaying or outright ignoring other more crucial elements of his character, which I hope to have shed some light on in this discourse.
Which may be true, but the visual battle itself is purely for show and entertainment. The actual outcome was decided by the numbers and analysis themselves. NEITHER character was portrayed greatly, but neither was so wildly out of character that you couldn't imagine it being truthful.
True, at least in terms of pure power (he's the strongest non-fused character in the series...
).
But for all his raw power, Gohan is the real retard on the battlefield, because he lacks the DBZ equivalent of street smarts.
Yeah pretty much....
