Since fans first noticed the similarities in their origins, ideals, and power levels, they have wanted to know who would win in a fight between Goku and Superman–and while Superman has been named the winner in the past, Dragon Ball confirms that Goku just needs to utilize one specific artifact to win.
Goku is a Saiyan who was born on Planet Vegeta and then sent to Earth as an infant right before his homeworld was obliterated. Once on Earth, Goku used his superhuman abilities to fight for the good of mankind before forming the superhero team known as the Z-Fighters. Replace ‘Goku’ with ‘Superman’, ‘Saiyan’ with ‘Kryptonian’, ‘Planet Vegeta’ with ‘Krypton’ and ‘Z-Fighters’ with ‘Justice League’ and Superman’s origin story is identical to Goku’s. This is one of the main reasons fans are so obsessed with knowing who could beat the other, along with the fact that both are the strongest in their respective universes–and now, fans might finally get their answer.
The Winner of 'Goku vs Superman' Relies Entirely on Where They Fight
Throughout the Dragon Ball series, there is one area on Earth where the most powerful beings can battle it out without causing any damage to the planet or the people who live there: the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber (or the Room of Spirit and Time), warriors can train and battle without impacting anyone around them, not to mention a year in the room is a day on Earth, meaning two people can fight in there for pretty much as long as they want without losing any time. This is because the Room of Spirit and Time is actually a totally different dimension, and Earth just has a doorway to it on Kami’s Lookout (or the Heavenly Realm). However, if Goku and Superman were to fight in there, Superman would be at a great disadvantage for one reason: no sun. Superman gets his power from the Earth’s yellow sun whereas Goku’s Saiyan abilities come from within, so if Superman gets cut off from the yellow sun, his powers start to dwindle fast.
When considering who would win between Superman and Goku, one also has to consider who the two warriors are as people before going into the fight itself. Neither of them would want to put the Earth in danger just for a friendly spar, so if Goku ever did approach Superman to ask if he would fight him (as Goku has done to other incredibly strong fighters in the past) then he would also want to take Superman somewhere where their battle wouldn’t hurt anyone else. These two are power-houses of the highest order and have both exhibited strength that can rock the entire universe, so any location on Earth (no matter how remote) wouldn’t be far enough from humanity to keep them safe. Plus, other planets in the solar system are off limits because Goku needs air to breathe. This leaves the Hyperbolic Time Chamber as the obvious choice for where their battle should take place–and both fighters have totally believable reasons as to why they would agree to fight there.
Goku would want to fight in the Room of Spirit and Time for the reasons mentioned earlier, and Superman would agree with that rationale while also being unaware of the true nature of the room. Since it’s on Earth, Superman would likely assume the light of the yellow sun would still touch it, and Goku wouldn’t think to tell Superman that it’s actually an entirely different dimension. This means that, during the fight, Superman would start getting weaker and weaker until finally succumbing to Goku’s attacks. It is a specific scenario, to be sure, but one that is totally within the realm of possibility for both heroes if they were to believably fight–proving that one Dragon Ball artifact is secretly Goku’s key to beating Superman.