When debating the most strong anime characters, there are two names that come up frequently. Goku from the venerable shonen manga Dragon Ball comes first. Saitama from the wildly successful One-Punch Man comes in second. The strongest villains in both of their universes have been vanquished by both leaders, who are renowned for their incredible power.
Who is stronger, Saitama or Goku, is all that has to be asked. begins the inescapable fan battles on the posts and comments. Fans of the latter appear to disregard the reality that Saitama is a generally overpowering hero. He is infinitely more powerful than any other hero, not simply more powerful. Let's dissect these two obvious distinctions between them and clarify why Saitama is more powerful than Goku.
Saitama Stronger than Goku. Why not ?
Saitama is a B-class hero and just a plain old human. He experiences everything an average human does and ages with time. Additionally, he has no special abilities like regenerative or magical powers. Goku, meanwhile, comes from an alien warrior race with superpowers, he can fly, use ki blasts and enhance his strength through his Super Saiyan forms. Saiyans age slowly compared to humans, as stated by Vegeta in Season 9 of Dragon Ball, which is a huge advantage.
Despite this massive gap between their basic DNA structure, Saitama displays as much strength as a regular Saiyan without any effort. In the times he has exerted even a bit more than his regular power, it's apparent his strength is comparable to Super Saiyan levels. The audience can only imagine how powerful Saitama could possibly get if he goes beyond his normal and serious punches.
If he keeps training, Saitama is simply unstoppable
Goku trains in martial arts in many different environments. He has even gone to other planets to improve his skills and endurance. There is even a specific episode where he uses a gravity machine to train under 100 times gravity and reached 10,000 situps. Since he also enjoys fighting, he regularly spars with his friends and children. Not only does he improve his techniques in battle, but also his power levels.
Saitama, on the other hand, has only mentioned sticking to his daily work out of 100 push-ups, situps, squats and a 10km run. From what has transpired in the anime, it appears like there is no need for him to improve or change. If harsher training has increased Goku's power, this should also apply to Saitama. He reached his current status by only relying on traditional methods. It is reasonable to hypothesize that if Saitama trained the exact same way Goku did, he would be far more powerful than Goku.
Unrevealed power benefits Saitama, explaining why Saitama can be stronger than Goku
Though both protagonists are powerhouses, it's evident that they have glaring differences from one another. One is a brawl-hungry extraterrestrial being, while the other is a convenience store part-timer turned hero. The fact they can even be compared on equal footing at all shows Saitama has the advantage in this battle of power. He exhibits the same strength effortlessly and yet still has more room for growth. At this point, he hasn't ever needed to use his full power, whereas Goku frequently needs to reach his limits.
All in all, Saitama wins this competition. Of course, Goku will always be one of the greats, but the evidence of his restrictions is clear. There's no greater weapon than the infinite possibility for growth, and Saitama's potential appears even greater.
