Dragon Ball Super 2: Goku's Final Rival Officially Isn't Vegeta

Goku's gone through a lot of rivals since Dragon Ball started, but none have been more prevalent and persistent than Vegeta. Goku and Vegeta became rivals after they fought the first time at the start of Dragon Ball Z. Although Goku briefly surpassed Vegeta in the Majin Buu Saga, Vegeta caught up in Resurrection F and the two were mostly equal until Goku unlocked Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Super. Dragon Ball Super 2 is finally going to bring their rivalry to a close, meaning Goku needs a new final challenger.

Starting with Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol, Dragon Ball Super 2 will adapt the manga's Moro arc, Granolah the Survivor Saga, High School Saga, and Super Hero arc, including its epilogue. The final saga of the batch will expand on Goku and Vegeta's final battle from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, while showing the immediate aftermath of the status quo changing so much. Vegeta will not be Goku's final rival in Dragon Ball Super 2, especially since there are two other, stronger characters Goku still needs closure with.

Goku VS Vegeta's Rivalry is Finally Coming to an End

Vegeta Officially Beats Goku 3-0

The Dragon Ball Super manga's take on the Super Hero Saga is different enough from the Super Hero movie where Dragon Ball Super 2 will need to adapt a new version of the arc – in the same way Dragon Ball Super 1 remade Battle of Gods and Resurrection F – in order for the story to still make sense. This means fans will get to see Goku and Vegeta's final battle spread out over the course of multiple episodes, along with new bits of action tossed about.

This is a fair fight between Goku and Vegeta where they can only use their own strength and skills – no transformations allowed. Significantly, Vegeta ends up beating Goku on his own merit. He dodges Goku's final blow, and uses the last bit of energy he has to land the last hit. Although Vegeta has defeated Goku every time they fought, he personally considered those fights losses as he had the lower Power Level at full strength. In Dragon Ball Super 2, however, Vegeta will officially surpass Goku, winning their rivalry and putting Goku aside for good.

Fittingly, Goku and Vegeta are also entering different stages of their training where they won't intersect as much anymore. Their fight in Dragon Ball Super 2 will mark the end of an era. Goku will continue to train with Whis to master Ultra Instinct, but Vegeta will instead become Beerus' personal disciple, training to instead use a God of Destruction's power to the fullest. Goku and Vegeta don't need to be rivals anymore.

Goku Still Has a Score to Settle With Frieza

Frieza One-Shot Goku the Last Time They Fought

It's not as if there aren't other characters ready to become Goku's main rival now that Vegeta's moving on. In a way, Goku and Frieza have had a real rivalry since Frieza came back to life obsessed with getting revenge on Goku in Resurrection F. They're even briefly equal in Power Level during the Universe Survival Saga, until Goku unlocks Ultra Instinct and leaves Frieza in the dust. That breakthrough inspired Frieza to leave Universe 7 in the Moro Saga and grow stronger himself.

Dragon Ball Super 2 has an opportunity to show Frieza's travels through the multiverse: finding a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, training for ten years, and eventually creating his Black Frieza form. Once DBS 2 gets to the Granolah the Survivor Saga, Frieza will return to the story with the new Black transformation, which will effortlessly defeat Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta in one hit. Frieza spares both Saiyans, but only because he wasn't there to kill them.

The Dragon Ball Super manga will return eventually, and once it does, Toyotarou will be kicking off the Black Frieza Saga. Dragon Ball Super 2 will add a few new scenes of Goku and Vegeta training at the start of the Super Hero Saga specifically because of the threat Black Frieza poses. It'll take a few years to get there, but the anime is going to settle Goku and Frieza's rivalry once and for all in the long-awaited Black Frieza Saga.

Dragon Ball Super Can't End Without Goku VS Beerus' Rematch

The Series' Final Battle is Set in Stone

Another obvious rematch awaiting Goku comes in the way of Beerus. Beerus personally considers Goku to be the rival the Oracle Fish prophesied to him. Beerus has been Goku and Vegeta's main motivator throughout Dragon Ball Super, and the series regularly uses him as a benchmark to show off Goku's growth. Dragon Ball Super 2 will be no different, as Goku and Vegeta inch ever closer to Beerus' Power Level.

Once the anime gets to the end of the Super Hero Saga, the two Saiyans will be very close. Goku VS Beerus is the rematch the series has been building up to since the very beginning. Goku is on the cusp of mastering Ultra Instinct, and his mastery already surpasses Beerus'. There's a very real chance Goku won't be able to beat Beerus all by himself, but Dragon Ball Super 2 is not going to end without Goku trying one last time.