The debate between Goku and Saitama is over.
Goku defeats Saitama in the viral anime episode of Death Battle and settles a high-powered argument between Dragon Ball and One-Punch Man.
The long-awaited sequel to Death Battle provided the best answer for anime's biggest power-scale debate: Goku won. In the battle of the beloved cartoon series, Dragon Ball's Goku defeated One-Punch Man's Saitama.
The debate began after ၂၀၀၉ years ago.
For many years, Goku was the de facto anime character fans measured other heroes on a power scale. That changed with the appearance of One-Punch Man in ၂၀၀၉. The biggest promotion debate for anime fans since then has been whether or not Goku can defeat Saitama in a fair fight.
The controversy has lasted because the characters are constructed from opposing concepts of power. Goku is notorious for always pushing his limits and reaching new heights when it's needed most. He never stops pushing himself as a warrior, often winning in the long run despite losing the first battle or two.
Saitama is almost the opposite. He's a gag character with no boundaries and never fully tests his true strength. His biggest battle in One-Punch Man is to find an opponent who can match his power and make him fight fiercely.
For many, Saitama's nature as a gag manga character meant that he should never be defeated; for fans of Goku, the loss would have been the opposite of his character's naturalness. The Saiyan warrior's massive size is larger than anything depicted in Dragon Ball Super: One-Punch Man and has proven to be far more powerful than it was in Saitami.
The Battle of Death was a battle between two opposing forces.
For the power-scaling community, Death Battle is a reputable resource, if for no other reason than its entertainment and theoretical neutrality. If there was any official source for fictional battles that could take place between different franchises, it would be death battle. This makes Goku's victory over Saitama unique.
Goku and Saitama have the same powers throughout the battle. Shinigami takes on a role similar to that of Broly from Dragon Ball Super, quickly adapting to whatever power level he has attained.
The video is drawn from Toei Animation's Dragon Ball Super and Madhouse's One-Punch Man. Goku transitions from super Saiyan to DAIMA's Super Saiyan 4 and then into the blue, stopping it all. The two of them fight across the universe and destroy countless planets as collateral damage with their incredible power.
The performance also contrasts with Goku's shifting changes and Saitama's overly simplistic void design. This television variation reflects the debate behind the competition - one hero grows through effort, while the other is written to be incomparable.
The result united the community, but did not end the debate.
Goku has so far been able to finish off Saitama in an official fight, but there is still an open group of One-Punch Man fans who disagree with the outcome.
Under the death match video, one commenter wrote: "Although I disagree with the outcome, I'm JUST happy to see that Saitama has been properly animated".
Goku vs. Saitama surpassed 5 million views in one day, revealing a lot of history between the two characters.
New episodes of Goku's Final Adventures in Dragon Ball Super: Beerus are available to stream every Sunday on Crunchyroll and Hulu, reaching Netflix the following Saturday.