Since Goku has successfully unlocked the angelic power of Ultra Instinct within the current continuity of Dragon Ball Super, many fans are wondering what that could mean for his future within the series and if he will become a deity himself. Sadly, those theories can be put to rest as Dragon Ball already confirmed that Goku will never become a god.
Goku was introduced to true god-tier power in Dragon Ball Super chapter 1 when he went up against the God of Destruction himself, Lord Beerus. Beerus thought it was necessary to fight Goku after the Destroyer God had a premonition of his death by the hand of an entity known as a Super Saiyan God, and he thought Goku might be that very Saiyan he saw in his vision. When Goku proved to be far less powerful than Beerus presumed, the Destroyer God forced Goku to undergo a ritual, and Goku literally became a Super Saiyan God. While the ritual only granted Goku divine power for a short period of time, Goku’s body was later able to achieve that level of power all on its own. Since Beerus and his accompanying angel, Whis, introduced Goku to godly power, the Saiyan asked if Whis could train him further so that he could surpass the strength of a god. Whis accepted Goku as his student and successfully taught him the angelic power of Ultra Instinct—something Goku seemingly mastered.
In Dragon Ball chapter 194 by Akira Toriyama, Goku finally defeats Piccolo after the villain tries to assassinate the Z Fighter during the World Martial Arts Tournament. This came three years after Goku killed King Piccolo who was subsequently reincarnated into the Piccolo Goku beats in this chapter. Following Goku’s victory, the God of Earth, Kami, offers Goku the chance to be his successor and become Earth’s new guardian deity after he is gone. While honored, Goku vehemently rejects Kami’s offer, saying, “I couldn’t! I’d die of boredom!”
Goku has always climbed the ladder of untold power throughout his Dragon Ball career and, in Dragon Ball Super, he’s starting to run out of rungs. Goku has become incredibly powerful and he just keeps getting more powerful with each passing chapter, meaning that there will soon be no one left to challenge him. This leads many to wonder if the ending to Goku’s story will show him replacing Whis—since Goku is mastering the angelic Ultra Instinct. And, will Vegeta replace Beerus given that he has unlocked the power of Destruction through a form known as Ultra Ego. While this makes sense logically, it could never actually happen—and Goku states exactly why in this early Dragon Ball chapter.
It is just as Goku said to Kami, he would get too bored as a deity (or angel) and couldn’t imagine a life where he wasn’t fighting beings stronger than him only to grow his own strength exponentially. Unfortunately for Goku, he’s running out of options if he stays on his current path since there are few beings in the known multiverse as strong or stronger than Whis or Lord Beerus, and he is approaching their levels of power at a rapid pace. However, no matter what lies ahead for Goku’s future, the one thing that is clear is that he will never become a god even if he becomes as powerful as one—a fact that Dragon Ball confirmed long ago.