Bardock has shown that he could be at Goku’s level and even surpass him.. We have seen this in Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Mission, a spin-off of the main series that performs crossovers between various characters from the franchise through a clash of universes. Although it usually raises several questions about its place in the canon, it always resolves doubts that fans of this franchise have had.
In chapter 8 of Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Mission, Bardock finally gets the chance to face none other than his son, Goku. Bardock had just come out of a fight against Jiren, one of Goku’s most powerful rivals, and yet he manages to overwhelm his son at every opportunity. With just the power of Super Saiyan 3 transformation, Bardock closes every time the distance with Goku’s fearsome power level. Goku is forced to cycle through his God forms, including Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, and eventually the Ultra Instinct Omen. Even then, Bardock continues to fight evenly until Goku finally transforms into Mastered Ultra Instinct.
The fact that Bardock can go toe-to-toe with Ultra Instinct-dominated Goku has some…strange implications for the future of Dragon Ball Heroes.. It’s no secret that Dragon Ball Heroes has some of the most ridiculous power scaling in the entire franchise, but putting Bardock in the same ring as the series’ god-scare fighters is still an odd decision. He undermines much of his character as someone who has long felt emblematic of battling overwhelming odds, even more so than Goku. Also, this random power-up for Bardock means that every time he gets another power-up in the future, he’ll have to stack on top of his Ultra Instinct level Super Saiyan 3 form, which could legitimately make him the strongest Saiyan in the series if events like these continue to occur.
The new power level of Goku’s Ultra Instinct compared to Bardock’s Super Saiyan 3 is interesting, to say the least. While many fans would argue that other supporting characters like the Earthlings deserve to be given new forms and power-ups to stay relevant, it seems that every saiyan in the series will achieve their own version of ultra instinct before that happens. While other characters continue to wait for their day in the sun, the Bardock fandom can now comfortably say that he is, without a doubt, one of the strongest characters in Dragon Ball.
Bardock’s fearsome power could surpass Goku in Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Mission
Bardock from Dragon Ball is one of the most beloved characters in the series and almost immediately captured the hearts of fans. with his grueling story of fighting the galactic tyrant, Frieza. And, his return to the main saga was a major turning point in the franchise, giving it depth in Dragon Ball Super. that I didn’t have in its original version. Despite humble beginnings, recent Dragon Ball Heroes chapters have begun to show a new side of Bardock that has never been seen before: a power that rivals Goku’s Ultra Instinct.
Bardock’s power as a saiyan warrior was always lackluster or questionable to say the least. While he was respected by those around him, he was by no means a notable warrior in the Saiyan legion during his time on Planet Vegeta under Frieza. While it was implied in the original Bardock movie special that he might have become one of the strongest Saiyans alive at the time shortly before his passing, Toriyama’s retconned origin for Goku’s father keeps him much further removed from that threshold of power. However, things have changed, and with the introduction of Ultra Instinct and the continued serialization of Dragon Ball Heroes, it was only a matter of time before Bardock will reach godlike levels of power in this alternate timeline story..