Dragon Ball: One of Superman's vulnerabilities proves he can never beat Goku

Son Goku and Superman are regarded as two of the most powerful and iconic characters in their respective universes. The two have a variety of abilities that make them intimidating and formidable opponents.

Given their immense power and presence in their respective universes, the Saiyan from Earth and the Man of Steel are frequently pitted against one another.

A chapter in the Dragon Ball Super manga during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, however, clearly demonstrated why Goku would defeat Superman in a fight.

---

Superman's vulnerability proves why he can never beat Son Goku

Moro surprises Kakarot with a deadly attack (Image via Akira Toriyama, Shueisha)

Son Goku meets a new villain in the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga in the form of Moro, an evil cosmic sorcerer who was sealed away by the Grand Supreme Kai and the South Supreme Kai 10 million years before Dragon Ball.

The Saiyan had honed his control over Ultra Instinct while facing him and could use it with relative ease. Fighting Moro proved that the angelic power of the technique that the Saiyan held was more powerful than magic.

Kryptonite, and now magic, stand as the Man of Steel's weaknesses (Image via Jim Lee)

Kryptonite has always been a significant weakness for Superman. Apart from magic. Magic, like Kryptonite, could be used effectively against Superman, as revealed in Superman #171 from 1964.

Given the events of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, Goku has already overcome magic while taking down Moro. In Chapter 66, he used the Ultra Instinct technique's angelic power to finally defeat Moro, who posed a new threat to the Z-Warriors due to his magical abilities.

Autonomous Ultra Instinct (Image via Toei Animation)

They'd faced aliens, androids, and even gods before, but never a sorcerer. Kakarot devised and learned their own techniques to defeat them through training. With Moro, however, he did not learn magic but rather demonstrated that his angelic powers were superior, something the Man of Steel cannot do.

Goku's battle in this arc demonstrated that the power he obtained was greater than any magic. Ultra Instinct is a supreme technique that separates the consciousness from the body, allowing it to move and fight independently, unaffected by the thoughts and emotions of the martial artist. It was a technique that even the Gods of Destruction struggled to master.

Kal El aka Superman (Image via Jim Lee)

Since magic is one of Kal El's weaknesses and Goku's powers transcend magic, he could certainly exploit this. So it's safe to say Kakarot is more powerful than Superman. The Saiyan isn't a magic user per se but his abilities are simply more powerful than magic.

The only point of contention here is that Kakarot does not share any vulnerability. Superman is only vulnerable to Kryptonite and magic. So, unless the Saiyan finds some Kryptonite, it should be a fair fight. But, given that Goku's power level has increased exponentially since unlocking Autonomous Ultra Instinct, he is likely to win.

Clark Kent, on the other hand, has received no such boost in power. The Man of Steel's flaws do not include anything Goku possesses. Furthermore, knowing his nature, the Saiyan would not bring anything that would give him an unfair advantage.

---

Final Thoughts

Ultra Instinct Omen (Image via Toei Animation)

Finally, prolonged exposure to the yellow sun makes Superman stronger. However, as All-Star Superman has stated, too much of it would eventually become toxic to him. Saiyans, on the other hand, are beings that grow stronger as the battle progresses.

As a result, Saiyan would defeat the Man of Steel in a one-on-one battle. The longer the battle would drag on, the stronger Kakarot would get, eventually overwhelming his opponent and triumphing.