Goku is the main protagonist of the popular anime and manga series Dragon Ball. He is one of the strongest fighters in the Dragon Ball universe and is known for constantly striving to improve his abilities and push past his limits.
Throughout the Dragon Ball story, Goku achieves various transformations and power-ups that allow him to reach greater and greater levels of power. His different forms and transformations serve as benchmarks for how strong he becomes as the story progresses.
Goku’s absolute strongest form is considered to be Mastered Ultra Instinct, which he attains towards the end of Dragon Ball Super. However, Mastered Ultra Instinct is preceeded by a number of other powerful forms that Goku achieves during his journey.
The debate around Goku’s 2nd strongest form is mainly centered around two forms – Super Saiyan Blue and Super Saiyan God. Both represent incredibly powerful transformations that Goku attains during the Dragon Ball Super series.
In this article, we will compare Super Saiyan Blue and Super Saiyan God to determine which one is truly Goku’s 2nd strongest form next to Mastered Ultra Instinct.
The Case for Super Saiyan Blue
Super Saiyan Blue, also known as Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, is a transformation that Goku achieves during his training with Whis in Dragon Ball Super. It is the result of Goku combining the power of Super Saiyan God with his own Super Saiyan transformation.
There are several reasons why Super Saiyan Blue can be considered Goku’s 2nd strongest form:
Immense Power Level
When Goku first transforms into Super Saiyan Blue in his fight against Golden Frieza on Earth, both Beerus and Whis express astonishment at his energy. They state that Goku has managed to perfectly combine godly ki with his Super Saiyan transformation, resulting in a level of power that is beyond anything they had felt before.
This suggests that even the Gods of Destruction considered Super Saiyan Blue to be on another level compared to previously established forms like Super Saiyan God. The fusion of Goku’s godly ki with his Super Saiyan form boosts his abilities exponentially.
Performance Against Strong Opponents
Throughout Dragon Ball Super, Goku in his Super Saiyan Blue form is able to keep up with and even overwhelm some of the strongest adversaries like Jiren, Kefla, Toppo, Hit etc. This is strong evidence that it is superior to any other non-Ultra Instinct form Goku possesses.
For example, in the Tournament of Power arc, base Toppo was shown to be on the same level as a Super Saiyan God Goku. However, Goku was able to decisively overpower Toppo once he turned Super Saiyan Blue, pushing Toppo to unleash his God of Destruction mode. This clearly demonstrates the massive gap in power between SSG and SSB.
Continued Usage and Training
Even after attaining Ultra Instinct, Goku continues to use and train with the Super Saiyan Blue form. He uses it against Moro and Granolah, two extremely powerful adversaries that push him to his limits.
The fact that SSB can still be used effectively even after MUI demonstrates that it remains one of Goku’s premier powerhouses and hasn’t been made obsolete or redundant. Goku’s mastery over the form continues to improve with training.
Versatility
Super Saiyan Blue also provides greater versatility compared to Super Saiyan God. The form can be combined with Kaio-ken for extra boosts of power as seen in Goku’s fight with Hit. This opened up an evolution path for the form that wasn’t possible for Super Saiyan God.
The Super Saiyan Blue form can also be evolved further into Perfected Super Saiyan Blue, which Goku and Vegeta learn during the Moro arc. This points to the form’s potential to continue growing stronger.
The Case for Super Saiyan God
While Super Saiyan Blue is extremely powerful in its own right, Super Saiyan God also has a strong claim as Goku’s 2nd strongest form for the following reasons:
Raw Power
When Goku first achieves the Super Saiyan God transformation against Beerus, it is stated to provide a power-up of tens of times beyond his previous Super Saiyan 3 form. This immense boost in power upon initial transformation gives SSG an edge over SSB.
In fact, during Battle of Gods arc, base Goku absorbing the power of Super Saiyan God into his body is able to fight on par with a suppressed Beerus. This implies base Goku had reached levels of power comparable to Super Saiyan Blue even without transforming.
Technique
In addition to raw power, Super Saiyan God also provided a massive upgrade in Goku’s fighting technique, combat sense, and ki control. This is because it incorporates divine ki which is described as being calmer and more manageable.
Goku himself notes how his thoughts become clearer and his body lightens when using Super Saiyan God. His blows get sharper and movements more refined. This boost in skill seems to exceed what he gains from Super Saiyan Blue.
Unique Ki
The godly ki attained by Goku in the Super Saiyan God form is unique and stated to be very different from regular ki. Even Beerus has trouble adjusting to this new kind of ki energy. This gives the SSG form a special edge that normal transformations may lack.
Minimal Stamina Drain
Unlike the more aggressive Super Saiyan Blue form, Super Saiyan God does not rapidly drain Goku’s stamina and energy. Goku is able to comfortably maintain the form for long durations as seen in his first fight against Beerus.
The more calm divine ki provides efficiency and stability that SSB lacks. This better long term maintenance of power could potentially give SSG an advantage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while both Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue represent insanely powerful transformations, the evidence points to Super Saiyan Blue being Goku’s 2nd strongest form overall.
The key advantages of SSB like its sheer power scaling, performance against top-tier adversaries, continuing growth potential and versatility in battle allow it to edge out SSG.
However, it is a close call since both forms provide Goku with godly power that far exceeds his previous limits. The introducton of divine ki and the vast room for evolution in the Dragon Ball Super series has made measuring and comparing power levels very difficult.
In the end, the 2nd strongest form comes down to whether one prioritizes the explosive raw strength of Super Saiyan Blue or the refined divine abilities of Super Saiyan God. But with both forms, Goku stands mightily as one of the most powerful martial artists in all of the multiverse!
