YMMV / DEATH BATTLE! S10E15 "Goku VS Superman"

• Accidental Aesop: The ending of the episode can be viewed as a commentary on people who try to hammer in that their answer for a Hypothetical Fight Debate is the true, objective one— not only just applying to the crew of DEATH BATTLE! back when they originally handled the Goku vs. Superman question, but also to fans who insist that one of the combatants needs to win, as opposed to simply enjoying the matchup for what it is.
• Character Rerailment: The previous two versions of this battle had both Goku and Superman being uncharacteristically hostile towards each other to get them to fight, with Goku in particular being viewed as taking too much from his Dragon Ball Z Abridged self, and Superman dismissing him as a fight-happy maniac. In this battle, both are much more in line with their friendlier, canon personas.
• Even Better Sequel: Reception-wise, Goku and Superman's first two episodes are noted to be among the series' most divisive episodes, with a near 60/40 split between likes and dislikes. Conversely, the more stellar animation and research in this episode due to the show's modern standards make this what the team set out to do in the first place: create the most definitive take on a Goku VS Superman episode, with a far smaller dislike count to boot. It likely helps that both are treated with far more respect than their previous episodes, portraying them much closer to canon without any flanderization or parody influence.
• Salvaged Story: "Goku VS Superman 2" is a heavily-criticized episode, with even Ben Singer himself viewing it as one of his least favorites. Goku was portrayed as hopelessly outmatched, leading to him receiving a humiliating death when Superman No Sells his strongest attack then instantly kills him with a single laser to the brain. Meanwhile, Superman fans had to listen to the analysis insult him by describing him as a boring, unrelatable Invincible Hero. This episode is the opposite: the analysis is full of love and respect for both combatants, the animation shows them both giving it their all and having a great time fighting each other, and the conclusion doesn't describe it as a Curb-Stomp Battle, instead focusing more on why this matchup is so important to so many people and concluding that while Superman wins again according to their research, the very nature of Hypothetical Fight Debates means the results are always open to interpretation.
• Spiritual Antithesis: To the first two battles between Goku and Superman, oddly enough. Whereas those two were written in a way that came off as them trying to settle a debate and shut it down for good, this fight instead chooses to embrace the debate and accepts that it'll probably keep going on and on as long as the spirits of both characters are alive. This is exemplified by the brief shots of countless other Gokus and Supermen fighting across time and space, along with the post-battle analysis noting that the Hypothetical Fight Debate can by its very nature never truly have an objective answer. And even if Superman still wins like he did before, his battle with Goku is ultimately portrayed as a good-hearted sparring match, ending with the two looking forward to their next battle, in contrast to the more grim-dark fights to the death the previous episodes were.
  • Best exemplified with the endings to both fights. Both depict the deceased Goku talking to another person in the afterlife while he affirms his decision in wanting to overcome Superman eventually, but while King Kai in 2 remarks that Goku hypothetically winning would leave him with nothing to aspire towards (in turn, making Goku eventually reconsider it), Superman in 3 wholeheartedly accepts any future challenges and thus reaffirming Goku's drive to prepare again.

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