Dragon Ball Z ending: how strong were Goku and Uub?

Dragon Ball Super has completely changed how we view Dragon Ball Z. Based on the revelations Super had delivered, going back as far as the Moro arc, the meaning behind certain events in Z has changed. That includes the entire ending of Z, when Goku confronts Uub at the end of the series.

The Moro arc revealed that Uub inherited the Grand Supreme Kai's god ki

Dragon Ball Super takes place during the 10 year gap after the death of Kid Buu in the Buu saga. That's before the 28th tournament, where Goku would first meet Uub face to face and fly off with him, ending the original Dragon Ball manga.

During the Moro arc, we discovered that when the Supreme Kai was absorbed by the purest Majin Buu, he took his god ki with him. That god ki was inherited by Majin Buu, but Buu did not know how to use it. Because of that, it was splintered off into what would become Fat Buu and Kid Buu, who had their battle near the end of the Buu saga.

The Moro arc showed that it was not Fat Buu who got that energy. Fat Buu may have inherited the appearance of the Supreme Kai, but he did not inherit the divine ki. Instead, that went to Kid Buu, who would be reincarnated as Uub. We saw the Grand Supreme Kai, in Majin Buu's body in a transmuted state, assisting the adolescent Uub, who didn't know anything about this and is very naive to his own power. He donated god ki to help with Vegeta's Forced Spirit Fission and gathering of energy. The big revelation is that Uub has god ki.

Whis says the key to Ultra Instinct is making it part of Goku's base form

In Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 71, Whis explains that the truest way to understand and master what the angels use, Ultra Instinct, is to make it part of your base form. It's not only a form you can access or, as they say, a state of being.

There's been a debate in the fandom about whether Ultra Instinct is a transformation or a technique. The answer is that it's both, but it's also a state of being. Whis explains that for Goku, and for mortals, the key to being like an angel is to figure out how to use Ultra Instinct at all times in his base. Then, when absolutely necessary, he can transform into silver haired Ultra Instinct in battle.

Goku and Uub may have been far stronger at the end of Z than we thought

If we fit Dragon Ball Super into the Dragon Ball Z timeline, which most fans do, that raises a question about the final confrontation. When Goku faces Uub at the end of the series, did Uub have god ki inside him, even though he couldn't tap into it because he'd never been taught by a teacher? And was Goku using Ultra Instinct in his base at the same time?

We know Goku is very confident in that fight and not tapping into his true power, but he seems to be extremely powerful, way stronger than ever. When Dragon Ball Z first aired and the manga was first coming out, we attributed that to Goku being a hard worker who trained for 10 years. That was before Toriyama introduced Beerus, Whis and everything that became Dragon Ball Super. It was logical to think Goku would apply that kind of training and become stronger.

Now that we know Uub has latent god ki potential and Goku can use Ultra Instinct in his base, Goku and Uub were significantly more powerful at that point than we had thought in Z. They elevated the entire power scale just by introducing these two concepts. Neither is noticeable on the surface of the fight, but looking back after Super, it appears that Toyotaro and Toriyama have changed how we view it. "Ultimately that's what a retcon is." It's retroactive continuity, and contrary to what some may say, it's not always a bad thing.

Goku, Uub and possibly Vegeta could be the strongest mortals by the end of Z

This is interesting to me because it means there's a possibility that by the end of Dragon Ball Z, the two fighters in that final match are the two most powerful mortals. We don't know where Vegeta stands, but maybe he's in there too, and he's probably in there. They seem to be the three most powerful mortals on Earth, and possibly even Universe 7, depending on where Broly is at and whether Frieza is alive. We don't know.

Then there's the potential of Goku and Uub. Does this mean Goku would eventually have taught Uub Ultra Instinct? "The possibilities are endless," but to me it sounds like a mouthwatering idea. When Super eventually goes past the end of Z, there could be a whole new level of I don't even know what, and they've found a way to make that more interesting. If I were Toei, Shueisha and Toriyama, I would begin the planning stages for the story after the end of Z, with this newly discovered powerful Uub and Goku.