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Power scaling has always been a theme in Dragon Ball. Characters repeatedly shattering their limits and reaching dizzying heights is not uncommon. Speaking of, two such characters are Son Goku and his father, Bardock.
Son Goku, after the Tournament of Power, achieved God-tier abilities with Ultra Instinct - an ultimate technique that separated the consciousness from the body. This permitted the body to move and fight independent of a martial artist's thoughts and emotions.
As for Bardock, he has been loved since day one. Ever since his introduction, fans fell in love with the character and what he stood for. His struggles against the tyrant Frieza and his battle against Chilled where he turned Super Saiyan are iconic moments, to say the least.
The Dragon Ball community has always wondered - who would win in a fight, father or son? Dragon Ball Heroes answers that question by pitting the two against each other and we must say, it does not disappoint.
Ultra Instinct Goku still can't beat Bardock in Dragon Ball manga
As a Saiyan, Bardock did not do anything remarkable until the very end. He was highly respected by those around him but by no means did he stand out in his Saiyan legion while on Planet Vegeta.
It was depicted in Bardock’s original film special that he possibly might have become one of the strongest Saiyans before his demise. However, Toriyama’s revision of Bardock's origin kept him far away from that kind of power.
But with the power scaling in Dragon Heroes, Bardock looks to have achieved new heights of power. Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Mission Chapter 8 pits Bardock against Goku. The former had just fought Jiren, one of Goku’s most formidable rivals. Yet, in that state, he manages to fight and even better his son.
Powering up to Super Saiyan 3, Dragon Ball's Bardock did well to counter each of Goku’s forms. Son Goku takes on one transformation after another, cycling through Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue and Ultra Instinct Omen. Despite all this, Bardock stands strong and evenly matches his son until he finally unleashes Mastered Ultra Instinct.
Super Saiyan 3 Bardock matching up with Ultra Instinct Goku is a tad bit uncanny. It spells out rather strange consequences for the Dragon Heroes manga going forward.
Truly, Bardock being evenly matched with an individual who even made the Gods of Destruction stand up in their seats at his power is odd. However, this manga is one for such events and we love it!
Goku's father facing him off like that downplays a major part of his character. Bardock, for a long while, stood as one who would struggle in the face of overwhelming odds. However, with his fight, that seems to have undergone a change.
Final Thoughts
Dragon Ball's Bardock is by no means weak. With the limited screen time that he has received, it is clear what he is capable of, if not the full extent of his abilities. His power up in the recent manga is intriguing, considering he is now a God-tier fighter.
After all this, it is safe to believe that Goku will eventually surpass him. At the moment, with his power level, he still isn't able to. However, given Goku's credentials, he does not rest until he reaches the very top and that might just be the case yet again.
