Who Would Win: Buu Saga SSJ3 Goku, Gotenks, or Buu Saga Ultimate Gohan

The legendary battle in the Dragon Ball Z universe is one of the most anticipated and debated moments in anime history. During the Buu saga, fans were left questioning which character could best the mighty and seemingly unbeatable Super Buu. The question often posed is: would SSJ3 Goku, Gotenks, or Ultimate Gohan prevail in a showdown?

The Argument for Gotenks

There is a prevailing argument that Gotenks would come out as the victor:

The Z Fighters within the anime believed strongly that Gotenks in Super Saiyan form could defeat Super Buu. This was a belief held with such conviction that even Goku, despite his hesitation and fear, eventually acknowledged his own potential to become an SSJ3. In the original manga, SSJ2 was necessary to defeat Super Buu. However, in the anime, it was explicitly shown that Gotenks in his Super Saiyan state had the potential to challenge or even overpower Super Buu, which veered from the strict manga narrative but proved popular in the hearts of fans.

Original Manga vs. Anime Interpretation

There is a stark difference in how the two continuities handle the power levels and battles in the Buu saga:

The Importance of SSJ3 in the Manga

According to the Daizenshuu 71 and Daizenshuu 10, Goku would indeed need SSJ3 to potentially defeat Super Buu. However, these sources might be overlooking the dynamics and transformations already seen by the time the final battle of the Buu saga occurs.

The Anime's Interpretation

During the final 10 minutes of the Dragon Ball Z series, the original continuous storyline, Goku faces a version of Buu with even less than 1% of his original strength. This battle involving Gotenks, Gohan, and Vegeta all in their Super Saiyan states, is notably parallel to the manga but with a twist: it emphasizes that their power is on par with their smaller and younger counterparts, thus suggesting that Gotenks would have the edge in a direct confrontation with Super Buu.

Furthermore, Vegeta's excitement in finding Gohan, Gotenks, and Piccolo as Fake Super Warriors with the same strength as the real ones, implies a similar conclusion to their ability to take on Super Buu. This scene is explicitly stated in the Spanish dub under daizenshuu 10 and the reprint Chouzenshuu 2.

Power Level Analysis

Even accounting for the effects of the epic battle, Gotenks remains the top contender for victory against Super Buu:

Base Goku and Vegeta: While they were at less than 1% of their original power, the potential of their transformed states was evident. SSJ2 Goku and suppressed Kid Buu were recognized as being a "completely different level" by Vegeta. This implies that in their standard forms, they would be substantially weaker. Base Gohan: When matched against Goku's Kamehameha, Gohan's Kamehameha aligns purely for visual purposes and doesn't reflect actual power levels. Their clashes, even with significant power discrepancies, were no less intense and are often debated in fan communities for their technical execution.

Conclusion

The battle in the Buu saga between SSJ3 Goku, Gotenks, and Ultimate Gohan would be a spectacle of epic proportions. While the manga and anime present different narratives, the anime strongly suggests that Gotenks in his SSJ state would be the best challenger. The potential for Gotenks to evolve into SSJ3, as shown in the anime, further cements his position as the champion in this confrontation.

Therefore, based on the evidence available in the Dragon Ball Z series, we can argue that Gotenks, in his Super Saiyan form, would likely defeat Super Buu in a battle. This conclusion aligns with the narrative developments and the excitement of the fans who have been following this saga since the original series aired.