Gohan vs. MUI Goku: Who Would Win?

Gohan fans were excited when they saw that Toriyama finally gave him some attention in the new Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, wherein he gained a new transformation called Final Gohan. In this transformation, he quickly turned the tables on the fight against an extremely powerful Cell Max. Still, even at this stage, we know that Goku is out there somewhere, becoming stronger with his training and mastery of Ultra Instinct. So, who would win in a fight between Final Gohan and Mastered Ultra Instinct (MUI) Goku?
MUI Goku will most probably defeat Final Gohan in because of his experience, fighting prowess, and instinctive dodge. It might be possible that Final Gohan is more powerful in terms of his sheer raw power level, but MUI Goku seems to be the more balanced and versatile fighter.
Final Gohan may be very powerful, as seen from what he did during the movie. Nevertheless, we know that MUI Goku is one of the strongest beings in the entire Dragon Ball Super multiverse because he is strong enough to take on gods and angels alike. With that said, let’s look at why MUI Goku is still stronger than Final Gohan.
Martial Arts Skills
We all know for a fact that Final Gohan simply carried over the fighting prowess of base Gohan, who we all know is a talented and skilled martial artist that trained under Piccolo and Goku. That means that he is quite versatile in his approach as a fighter because he knows the different moves that his mentors taught him. And the best part is that Final Gohan, which is a derivative of Potential Unleashed Gohan, does not simply rely on raw power but also on fighting prowess.
While Goku, in his Super Saiyan Blue form, relies a lot on his sheer power on top of his martial arts ability, MUI Goku is simply a lot different when it comes to the way he fights. Due to the fact that MUI allows Goku to instinctively know when to dodge and counterattack, it is impossible for any kind of martial artist to land a hit on him. Jiren, before unleashing his full power, couldn’t even hit Goku in the base Ultra Instinct form. And when you pair MUI with his martial arts prowess, Goku would be very difficult to defeat in close combat.
It might be true that Final Gohan is an impressive fighter, but his martial arts prowess isn’t even half of base Goku’s skills as a martial artist. And when Goku is in his MUI state, he is perhaps at the top of the charts for non-god or non-angel beings in terms of his martial arts abilities.
Final Gohan 0, MUI Goku 1
Power Level
It was obvious in the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie that Final Gohan has the raw power that is probably the highest that we have seen thus far from a Saiyan in Dragon Ball. His power level was enough for him to defeat Cell Max with one shot, despite the fact that this monster was more than a challenge for some of the strongest fighters left on Earth. We may never know whether or not he has divine or godly powers but what we do know is that he is most likely several tiers stronger than Super Saiyan Blue or Evolved Super Saiyan Blue.
We know for a fact that MUI is Goku’s most powerful form at the moment, as this form is basically at the level of an angel in Dragon Ball. That means that his power level is also through the roof as he was able to contend with some of the most powerful beings in the multiverse with this form. In fact, he was so powerful that MUI Goku was able to prove to be too difficult for a fully powered Jiren to defeat. And let’s not forget that he was also powerful enough to contend with the likes of Moro and Granolah in the manga.
As of this moment, we are not sure who between Final Gohan and MUI Goku has the higher power level, given the fact that we haven’t seen them fighting the same opponent. It is quite possible that Final Gohan’s power level is higher, but that remains to be seen. As such, this round is a tie.
Final Gohan 0, MUI Goku 1
Drawbacks
It was shown in the Dragon Ball Z anime that Gohan’s Ultimate form didn’t have the same drawbacks that the Super Saiyan forms have because it doesn’t drain stamina. He is simply drawing out his full potential when entering this form, and that means that he doesn’t need to expend a ton of stamina and energy to enter and maintain it. Because Final Gohan is just the next evolution of the Potential Unleashed state, it is also possible that the drawbacks of this form aren’t too great to the point that it drains a ton of stamina.
Even though MUI isn’t a Super Saiyan form, its greatest drawback is that it drains a lot of stamina and is a lot more draining than Super Saiyan Blue. That is why Goku wasn’t able to enter it at will during the Tournament of Power and why he didn’t always use it against powerful opponents in the subsequent stories in the manga. It is possible that completely mastering the form will minimize the drawbacks, just like how the angels are almost always in their Ultra Instinct forms. As of now, the drawbacks of MUI are simply too great.
As powerful as MUI Goku is, he probably won’t be able to hold this form for a long time. In contrast, Final Gohan should be able to enter and maintain this form without expending a lot of stamina.
Final Gohan 1, MUI Goku 1
Experience
It was once mentioned by Goku when he defeated Golden Frieza for the first time that fighters need to be more experienced in their new forms before they test them out in a true battle so that they would understand how to use them properly. In that regard, Gohan hasn’t had his Final Gohan form for a long time, and that means that he probably hasn’t mastered how to properly use it. This could end up becoming a weakness in the long run, much like how he couldn’t enter his Ultimate form anymore after years of stagnancy. But as long as he keeps training, he should be able to overcome this weakness.
Goku has always been one of the most experienced fighters in the entire Dragon Ball story, as he was able to master all of his different forms through experience. In fact, he was able to master Ultra Instinct to the point that he perfected it during the battle with Moro and Granolah in the next two arcs in the manga. As such, his experience with MUI allows him to minimize the drawbacks of this form, and that could prove useful in a drawn-out fight against any powerful fighter.
No matter how powerful Final Gohan may be, he just doesn’t have the same kind of experience that MUI Goku has. It would also take a while for Gohan to become as experienced as his father, considering that Goku is simply a glutton for battle.
Final Gohan 1, MUI Goku 2
Feats
Final Gohan was able to defeat Cell Max in a single attack during the Super Hero movie, and that means that he has one of the most impressive feats in the entire Dragon Ball story. In fact, Cell Max was so powerful that he was able to defeat fighters like Gamma 1 and 2, Android 18, Orange Piccolo, Trunks, Goten, and Krillin. Without much trouble. However, Gohan defeated him in one shot, as both he and Piccolo said, later on, that they weren’t sure if Goku and Vegeta could even defeat Cell Max.
Goku has had a lot of impressive feats in his MUI form, especially after he was able to overpower Jiren before running out of stamina. Nevertheless, he was able to fight and defeat Moro in the manga even though his opponent also had MUI. On top of that, Goku also made life difficult for Granolah, who Toriyama said is one of the top three strongest beings in Universe 7, along with Goku and Vegeta. In that regard, MUI Goku isn’t short on feats because he simply is very strong in this form.
As impressive as it was for Final Gohan to defeat Cell Max, MUI Goku was able to defeat opponents that are just as strong or probably more powerful. We can’t tell for sure how powerful Cell Max is when compared to the opponents that MUI Goku defeated, but we can’t argue against Goku’s feats.
Final Gohan 1, MUI Goku 3
Final Gohan vs. MUI Goku: Who Would Win In A Fight?
Final Gohan might be very powerful right now, but we have seen more of what MUI Goku can do against some of the strongest beings in Universe 7. It might be possible that Final Gohan is stronger than MUI Goku, but we still lack evidence to support that possibility, considering that he is fairly new to the canon. That’s why MUI Goku is still the strongest fighter in Dragon Ball right now.