Can Yoda Beat Goku?

Humans have loved comparing things from ages untold, and we’re going to keep doing it!

Someone needs to animate this fight between two legends, but first: a few rules. My main focus here is what happened in canon. This is both for my sanity and to avoid writing a novel instead of an article. 

I’m also taking ghosts and fusions off the table because comparing a DBZ ghost to a Force ghost will make things too complicated, and fusions are two characters merged in one body, so no Goku/Vegeta combos allowed! I consider the Force and Ki to be the same.

If anyone animates this, please send me a link. I need to see how this plays out! Finally, it’s time for George Lucas vs. Akira Toriyama!

About Yoda’s Power

Yes, Yoda has his lightsaber, but this is a weapon, not a power. I’m letting him use it because he’s up against anime!

Here’s a list of Yoda’s known abilities. 

• Force Barrier, Yoda can make a barrier around himself or another, and depending on the attacker, the barrier should hold for at least a few hits. 
• Healing, Yoda can use the Force to heal.
• Jedi Mind Tricks don’t work on the strong-willed or certain alien species. 
• Precognition sees the future.
• Telekinesis, lifts things with his mind and the Force.
• Telepathy, talk to someone using his mind and the Force.
• Tutaminis, Yoda can draw harmful energy into and through his body and divert it elsewhere. We see this during his fight with Palpatine.

Feats 

• Commanded the Grand Army of the Republic
• Trained Jedi for hundreds of years
• He defeated Palpatine and Count Dooku in combat. He’s done a lot more than this in canon.
• Has mastered all seven forms of lightsaber combat and specializes in Ateru 
• He confronted his dark side and won
• Confronted the ghost of Darth Bane
• Raised an X-Wing Fighter from the swamp (take that, Luke Skywalker)

Goku’s Power

I’m focusing on what he can do in Dragonball Super. If used frequently throughout the Dragonball series, specific techniques, abilities, styles, and tail will be accounted for.

Fun fact, it’s been confirmed that power levels in Dragonball are meaningless. The scanners we saw in DBZ were there so that the villains would underestimate our heroes. 

Here are Goku’s signature moves.

• Kamehameha was taught to him by Master Roshi way back in Dragonball. This attack appears to be a blue ball of energy that Goku has used countless times, not just for fighting.
• Kaio-Ken amplifies Goku’s abilities by increasing his power level up to 100 times. As a result, he gains a red aura, but the drawback is that the more he increases the power level, the more damage it does to his body.
• Instant Transmission, he can transport himself and others anywhere instantly. He just needs to know where he’s going or be able to sense a person’s Ki to find them.
• Spirit Bomb was made famous in the Namek arc against Frieza. First, Goku must gather the life energy of everything/one around him.

Once completed, Goku has a giant blue/white ball of energy to throw or absorb into himself to finish the fight. He has to stay still while he gathers energy, and it takes a long time (about ten episodes) to complete it.

On top of this, Goku has several transformations!

• Great Ape, (Ozaru). All Saiyans can transform into a giant ape while looking at a full moon or using a technique that mimics a moon. Vegeta is the first to use this to transform, and Goku’s father developed this technique. 

Unfortunately, they also must have a monkey tail which Goku doesn’t have, but he could regrow one if anime allows it. As we’ve seen Goku regrow his tail in GT, and Gohan had his tail reappear in DBZ.

• Super Saiyan (SSJ). Goku was the first to achieve this form in living memory. There was a legend about the Super Saiyan, and it’s been all but confirmed that Bardock, Goku’s father reached it first in a special episode, Dragonball: The Father Of Goku. Goku’s hair turns blonde, his eyes go blue, and a yellowish aura surrounds him. 
• Super Saiyan 2 (SSJ2) mostly resembles Super Saiyan one but is much stronger and faster. (We also don’t see Goku achieve this onscreen).
• Super Saiyan 3 (SSJ3), Goku’s hair grows massively long, and his eyebrows disappear! It burns through Goku’s energy at an alarming rate, so he doesn’t use it often. We do see him use it against Majin Buu and Beerus.
• Super Saiyan 4 (SSJ4), this form only exists in GT and has been rendered obsolete by future forms, but its appearance has given rise to many theories. Goku sprouts red fur and has slightly longer black hair plus a monkey tail. Kind of like a mix of SSJ3 and the Great Ape.
• Super Saiyan God (SSG). This form gives him red hair, eyes, and aura. He gained a taste of God Ki or Divine Energy and learned how to master it quickly.
• Super Saiyan Blue (SSB) gets blue hair and a blue aura. 
• Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken, (SSBKK), combines Super Saiyan Blue and Kaio-Ken. Giving Goku a red aura surrounding the blue aura, with all the dangers Kaio-Ken demands.
• Ultra Instinct (UI), this form looks very similar to Goku’s base form, but it gives off a whitish glow. Goku hasn’t mastered this form yet, and neither has Beerus, a Deity of Destruction. But it’s doubtless that Goku will make this move on his own in due time.

Side By Side Comparison (Strength, Stamina, Etc)

Because of Yoda’s age, his heavy reliance on the Force makes this impossible to rate. Even with a lightsaber in hand, the odds of Yoda winning against Goku are very low.

This is mainly due to Goku being a Saiyan. A warrior race that ages slowly once they hit adulthood and come back stronger after surviving near-fatal wounds. So, though Yoda can sense people lightyears away, so can Goku.

They can both use telepathy, though Goku has to touch someone to do this. Goku rarely uses a weapon, and he can destroy planets.

He’s almost a god, and he’s been trained by gods. 

Yoda has been called an Avatar of the Light. Meaning he is the best example of what a Jedi should be. He’s the greatest Jedi of his time. 

Goku can fly and survive in space, Yoda can’t.

Yoda can outsmart Goku, though. We’ve repeatedly seen that Goku isn’t extremely smart outside of a fight.

If you give him food and act friendly, Goku will fall for any trick you pull until you attack his family or friends.

Yoda’s best chance of winning is to act feeble and save his lightsaber for the end, just like he did with Luke Skywalker when he first met him.

To be clear: I love both of these characters. They’re heroes who made mistakes and fought for what they believe in.

But let’s be honest, Goku could punt Yoda easily. This is not a fight, my friends. Yoda’s cane won’t help him here.

Other Points Of Interest

Yoda is immune to the Spirit Bomb. Due to the fact that the Spirit Bomb can only be used against those with evil intentions.

Goku’s fighting style is inspired by Karate, Whin Chun, and Kung Fu. A mixed Saiyan (like Trunks, Gohan, etc.) has the potential to be stronger than a full-blooded Saiyan. 

Goku’s Saiyan name is Kakarot. Akira Toriyama loves naming characters after food.

Dragonball GT was meant to be a return to the classic Dragonball formula. With the focus being more on exploration and hijinx. Akira Toriyama disagreed with this direction due to fans’ mixed reception. 

In Conclusion

In the battle between Goku and Yoda, I don’t see Yoda ever winning. He’s great with a lightsaber and the Force, but Goku has him beat in everything except intelligence.

Regardless of who would win, this is a battle I would love to see. Thank you for reading, and remember: both of these fighters are allied to good and a nightmare to evil!