Goku vs. Darth Vader: Can Super Saiyan Take on Sith Lord?

One of the most powerful beings in the history of fiction is Son Goku, the star of the Dragon Ball manga and anime. Of course, when it comes to the world of fiction and comic books, not many characters are as popular as Star Wars’ Darth Vader, who is always seemingly regarded as one of the strongest beings in the entire Star Wars galaxy. So, if we were to pit these two against each other, who would win in a fight, Goku or Darth Vader?

Goku would absolutely mop the floor with Darth Vader. The fight won’t even be close because Goku is simply so much more powerful than anything that the world of Star Wars can offer. Goku is galaxy-level in terms of the destruction he can cause, and there’s nothing Vader can do about that.

It goes without saying that manga and anime storylines tend to be quite exaggerated regarding what their characters can do. But that’s part of the things that make Dragon Ball so popular. Of course, Vader is quite popular as well, but he has nothing on Goku and most Dragon Ball characters. Now, let’s look at this fight in greater detail.

Strength

Son Goku’s strength gradually increased ever since he was introduced in the first Dragon Ball storyline. He started out as a martial arts prodigy as a child before he became an adult strong enough to punch entire mountains out of existence. Goku’s strength allows him to lift incredibly heavy objects without effort. And we’ve seen what he can do even against extremely strong gravitational pulls.

Darth Vader is stronger than the average human in Star Wars because he obtained cybernetic limbs after losing his biological limbs. These limbs allow him to put more force behind every lightsaber strike, which means that he is stronger than most Jedi and Sith in terms of physical strength. That is why Vader has been able to overpower his opponents in duels, as his lightsaber strikes tend to pack more power than others.

This isn’t a debate because Goku can destroy entire mountains and planets with a punch. On the other hand, the most that Vader can probably do is destroy a man-sized boulder with a punch.

Goku 1, Vader 0

Speed

Similar to how he has trained his strength to unthinkable levels, Goku has also been training his speed to such an extent that he can move from one place to another in a blink of an eye. When he wants to travel between worlds, he can simply use the Instantaneous Transmission technique that allows him to teleport. And in a fight, he can move so fast that it sometimes looks like he isn’t moving at all even though he is already throwing countless punches.

One of the biggest areas that Darth Vader is weak is his speed because his cybernetic limbs decrease his mobility. That is why he was no longer as acrobatic and nimble as Anakin Skywalker. In fact, he may even struggle against Jedi that are faster and more mobile. Nevertheless, Vader’s reaction speed is still up to par because he can still move incredibly well for someone who has lost all his limbs.

We can’t compare Darth Vader to a character that can move from one place to another faster than the speed of light. This is simply unfair.

Goku 2, Vader 0

Intelligence

If there’s one thing that Goku was never known for, it’s his intelligence. That’s because he can sometimes be an idiot. After all, common sense almost always escapes him. He may be a genius as a fighter and is great at strategizing his moves on the fly, but he is often portrayed as a dumb character that adds to the comedic touch of Dragon Ball. As such, you can’t really expect Goku to be the one strategizing in a fight.

Due to his innate connection with the Force and his military and Jedi training, Darth Vader is a smart and intelligent man specializing in many different fields, including robotics and military tactics.

He knows a thing or two about constructing and fixing droids, as he was the one who created C-3PO. On top of that, he was a capable commander and military strategist during the Clone Wars and the Imperial reign. The only knock on his intelligence was that he often allowed his hubris and emotions to get the best of him.

Even though Vader’s emotions got in the way of a lot of his decisions, he is still a lot smarter than Goku. And that is probably the only area that he has an advantage over this powerful Saiyan.

Goku 2, Vader 1

Powers and Abilities

Like most characters in the Dragon Ball world, Goku relies on the power of Ki, which is the inner energy that everyone in Dragon Ball possesses. By utilizing his Ki, Goku can perform many different techniques that allow him to fly and blast powerful bursts of energy from the palm of his hand.

Of course, it is also by increasing his inner Ki that he can utilize different transformations that increase his power exponentially. This is why he has access to many different Super Saiyan transformations that give him godlike powers.

As a former Jedi and Sith Lord, Darth Vader utilizes the power of the Force, which is the very object that governs the entire Star Wars galaxy as it is an invisible power that exists in every living being and is present in every part of the galaxy.

He can manipulate the force’s power to perform many different things, such as telekinesis, his favorite Force move. Darth Vader’s Force powers are superior to most of the other characters in Star Wars because he was supposedly the Chosen One.

Even though the Force is a powerful cosmic energy source, it pales compared to what Goku’s Ki can do. That’s because Goku’s powers and abilities allow him to obliterate entire planets without much effort.

Goku 3, Vader 1

Feats

Goku’s feats in the Dragon Ball storyline deserve an entire book because he has done many incredible things. He has defeated beings that are powerful enough to destroy entire planets and even universes.

Goku can defeat or match the power of a godlike being that can erase entire planets with a snap of his finger. And in his battle with Beerus, the God of Destruction, the intensity was so high that their strikes were causing vibrations that could reach the far ends of the entire universe.

Darth Vader’s feats are some of the best in the Star Wars universe because he has beaten some of the strongest characters, including a Sith Lord named Count Dooku. Vader was also responsible for killing numerous Jedi Padawans, Knights, and Masters during the events of Order 66.

Meanwhile, during the reign of the Empire, he showcased his might by defeating and killing Jedi Knights and Masters that survived the events of Order 66.

This is unfair because Goku’s feats are universal-level, as we know he can expel enough energy to destroy entire planets. On the other hand, Vader isn’t even powerful enough to destroy a city.

Goku 4, Vader 1

Goku vs. Darth Vader: Who wins?

Fans of both Goku and Darth Vader already understood that this would never be a close battle. It might be true that Darth Vader is smarter than Goku, but not even his intelligence can close an impossibly wide gap between their powers. The most that Darth Vader can do with his powers is to bring an entire building down using the Force, whereas Goku is powerful enough to destroy entire galaxies or even an entire universe. That is why this isn’t even a debate.

Who do you think would win in this fight? Let us know in the comments!