The chapter titles makes fun of Gotenks. It's not a matter of liking, it's a matter of being able to tell what's a joke and what's a real statement.
The power levels are in on the jokes as well. There's nothing sacred about them.
Of course, powers do get surpassed all the time, but they always have a feat and a narrative purpose.
Have you seen Super?
This is like saying Base Future Trunks should be close to Suppressed Mecha Freeza.
This is actually more likely the case then you'd probably think. According to Gero calculations as well as Goku's own statements, "Was it non-Super Saiyan Vegeta or non-Super Saiyan Piccolo who killed Freeza?" With a 10x boost, they get way more respectable in those situations.
Remember, it's Base Future Gohan putting the beats on Super Saiyan Kid Trunks. Sure fatigue is most likely a huge factor, but the author specifically has been giving Base Saiyans incredible feats from the beginning and we just pretend it only happened at the end.
Arale and Gotenks are different cases though. Arale is a nonsense character, her gag is doing crazy stuff, Gotenks is the butt of the joke. He thinks he's all that, even infects Piccolo with his hype, but then realizes he ain't.
Have you seen Base Gokan and Base Vegetto's suggested strengths? Base Gotenks being Ssj2/Ssj3 tier seems right in line with all of that. Base Vegetto is stupidly powerful going off of our current logic and the kids have to be wildly strong in their fusion as well. It's all wonky ridiculousness power scaling, just like how all of post Cell Dragonball appears. Have you seen Super? Look at Super's power scaling. If you think Gotenks is strong, wait until you see what they do with Freeza and how they made Base Broly capable of fighting with Ssj God Vegeta/Goku. Gotenks hax is nothing.
He thinks he's all that, even infects Piccolo with his hype, but then realizes he ain't.
Piccolo makes some direct power statements. If this was Ssj Gotenks Post, you wouldn't bat an eye.
Are you caught up with all the chapters?
No, not yet. Just getting back into it now, kind of looking forward to seeing how Toyo handled the Cell stuff.
If he did then he made a terrible job, because all Base Gotenks does is get beat around. Base Pre is completely irrelevant to the plot and the power escalation. Base Post would be relevant, but the joke sounds more like he subverted it. Don't forget contradicting expectations is Toriyama's biggest trope, even more than escalation.
Do you know how strong Base Vegetto is? He's above a fusion Super Saiyan 3! And he's only a Base Saiyan, who is not even stronger than the Super Saiyan boys. How come you don't complain about him?
I wouldn't say leagues. In the anime, Ultimate Gohan getting beat up is a big deal. Manga and movie make no such comparison though.
True, but they are all over the place. Either way, Goku has to be the strongest. Why is the Earth in danger because Goku got two pieced? If Gohan could do the same, like he definitely should be able to do, then Beerus would still have to prove himself.
Beerus defeating Goku easily was all the proof the viewer needed to know everyone was done, because Goku was top dog. It's why Vegeta completely freaks out.
Vegeta is probably second most powerful, but he seems pushed aside by Gohan at times too.
It's a mess in a desperate attempt to make Goku top dog at all costs.
