Does Gogeta get a rivals boost?

[Chou_Gohan]

14. Vegetto [#BO3#VGT]
Chapter: 504 (DBZ 310), P9.2-3
Context: as Vegetto beats up on Gohan-absorbed Boo
Kaioshin-Kibito: “H-he’s strong!!! Majin Boo there is helpless!!! To think that merging with the Potara would be this incredible…!!”
Elder Kaioshin: “Idiot, it’s because it was those two that they were able to go so far. Two of the top 3 masters in both the living world and afterlife have merged, after all. What’s more, two rivals have joined together. That’s definitely strongest.”

Old Kai states that Vegito got a rivals boost from Goku and Vegeta. Does this mean Gogeta would also get one or not since he is fusion dance?

[ChiefWamsutta]

I always saw it as only Potara Fusion would get a rival boost. I really have no idea though, to be honest. I have never thought of that.

[Kaboom]

I don't think the so-called "rivals boost" is really a thing in the literal, mathematical, "if two people are rivals then their Fusion is 5x stronger" type of way fans seem to regard it. What the Old Kaioshin meant by that bit isn't really clear, and as far as I know the guidebooks don't really touch upon it. It could just mean that their rivalry is to thank for them becoming so strong as individuals, or it could have something to do with a shared "I'm the best" mentality producing a Fusion that really is the best.

I personally think it's more along the lines of the latter. I think that the more two people are similar, the stronger the Fusion is. Goku and Vegeta are similar in a lot of big ways... There's the tangible ways, with them both being male, pure-blooded, adult Saiyans with similar builds and near-identical power levels (in equal forms anyway). But there's also the mental similarities; they both strive for constant self-improvement and challenges, and in their rivalry they actually bounce off each other in some weird symbiotic relationship of mutual motivation. So I think this rivalry relationship actually causes them to be more mentally in-sync, and is one of many ways they're similar and make a good pair for Fusion.

So all that said... since the Old Kaioshin pretty clearly said that Goku and Vegeta's undefined good qualities were the main reason for Vegetto's strength, rather than the Potara, I'm inclined to believe that those qualities would carry over and make them abnormally potent and strong via the Fusion Dance too. Gogeta would obviously still not be as strong as Vegetto overall, since the Potara is still the better Fusion method. But he would definitely be stronger than expected, and a force to be reckoned with way up there in the top tier of the Majin Boo arc.

[Analytic]

To me, it just seems like Old Kaioshin saying that the reason Vegetto is so strong is that Goku and Vegeta were strong individually. I can't really see why only Goku and Vegeta would get some random boost that other people using the same method of fusion wouldn't get just for being Goku and Vegeta... As for the "What’s more, two rivals have joined together." bit... I agree with Kaboom's first explanation. Goku and Vegeta's "rivalry" (if you'd call Goku always outclassing Vegeta that) just push them to get stronger individually, which would make their fusion stronger as obviously stronger components make a stronger result.

So no. I don't think that Gogeta would get a "rivals boost", as I don't think it exists at all.

[BitchIlooklikeGoku]

Does anyone know the % increase in power from rival boost ?

[Tectorman]

I wouldn't think Gogeta would get a rivalry boost. The Fusion Dance is all about matching your partner in movement and power. It's cooperation personified. Whatever rivalry they have would have to be set aside for them to even get the dance done.

The Potara fusion only requires the two to be wearing earrings on opposite ears. It can even be accidental. So they would be able to hold onto their rivalry throughout the process.

[DanielSSJ]

I pretty much agree on what everyone else above has said, that there isn't really a "rival boost" in the mathematical sense. I also don't think that there is a static power boost for either fusion method.

To expand on what Kaboom said above, I do believe that the more similar the fusees are, the better the results, to a certain extent. Vegeta and Goku are prime candidates for fusion as pure-blooded adult male Saiyans with similar builds and near identical power levels, excluding Super Saiyan 3, and with similar "I want to be the best" mindsets.

On the other hand, being too similar might hinder a potential fusion. The idea is to combine the qualities and characteristics of two individuals to create an entirely new being. For example, Vegetto inherited Vegeta's tactical and strategic mindset and Goku's casual, laid back nature. Vegetto used both qualities to infuriate Boo and provoke him into absorbing him, allowing him to free the others from inside. Obviously the qualities should be compatible, but adding the exact same characteristics together doesn't create any synergy. Mixing red and blue makes purple. Adding green to green just makes more green. For example, I don't think clone-like characters like the Saibaimen or the Cell Juniors would produce an impressive sort of fusion.

Going off topic a bit, how strong do you think a Goku/Kuririn (or Yamcha or Tenshinhan or other super-powered earthling) fusion would be? There is a large disparity between their powers, and they're not members of the same species, but the resulting fusion would be a human/Saiyan hybrid, and we all know how power those can become.

[Saturnine]

I'm not sure about the mechanics of said "rival boost" either to be honest. Kinda like the "rage boost" thing for Gohan to explain his SSj2 being more than 2x his previous power.

I think Vegetto's biggest strength is him being balanced and free of both Goku's and Vegeta's problems (as pointed out by Whis).

The Fusion Dance is much cruder and creates an individual with no consistent traits from their fusees, as seen with Gotenks, who wasn't very much like either Goten or Trunks.

Gogeta on the other hand is non canon, and his two depictions showed completely opposite personalities, so there you go.

[TheGreatness25]

I never really interpreted that as a "rival's boost." Basically, it's two of the top three powers who continuously live to outdo each other, so they have continuously pushed themselves to and past their limits. I don't think the Potara earrings go, "Ah yes, and now you will be joine-- Wait... Are you... Are you rivals? Oh! Well why didn't you way so!? No, we have a special rate for that!" Why the hell would it matter if they're rivals or not in terms of how much their power increases when they join? I think the "rival boost" is just a fan-made thing. It's not like the magna (or even anime) were so specific as to say that the Potara fusion has a rival boost. The line is kind of ambiguous and just alludes to the fact that they're rivals, which is a great thing for the fusion.

I don't know, I might be wrong. I'm sure if Goku fused with Gohan, then Gohu would have been much more powerful than Vegetto, "rival boost" or not.

In any event, if one form of fusion gets a "rival boost," why wouldn't the other? All the Potara does is fuse the characters. The advantage of the Potara (as explained by old Kaioshin) is that it's instantaneous so they don't have to buy time to do the silly dance (which Goku would have to teach Gohan in the first place and practice for at least a few times) and it doesn't have the 30 minute time limit. Other than that, I don't recall it being concretely stated that the Potara itself somehow affects the power of the fusion. If the Potara achieves the same result as the Fusion Dance, but cuts out the silly nonsense that comes before it, then why wouldn't the two be equal in power?

It's just that, sure, Toei ended up making that 12th Dragon Ball Z movie where instead of it being Vegetto in a vest (due to the Fusion Dance), we got a whole new character, which I think muddied the waters and is the reason why we draw such a huge line between Potara and the Fusion Dance. Theoretically, the two should have the same effect.