There's a misconception in the anime community that Goku is the strongest character in Dragon Ball, but real fans know this is almost always never the case. In fact, Goku hasn't been Dragon Ball's strongest character since the end of the Frieza Saga – and that only happened after he transformed into a Super Saiyan. By the end of Dragon Ball Z, Goku isn't even the strongest Saiyan – not even close – both Gotenks and Gohan are considerably stronger than their father. In fact, Goku has never been the strongest character in Dragon Ball Super.
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This isn't to say Goku isn't powerful, though. Goku is one of the strongest anime characters of all time, especially now that he's unlocked and mastered Ultra Instinct. That said, he's not even in the Top 5 strongest characters in the series anymore, not even counting angels. As of the end of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and the manga's Super Hero Epilogue Saga, Ultra Instinct Goku is weaker than his rival, his son, and even the series' next main villain.
Vegeta Beat Goku In Their Last Fight In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Goku has never actually beaten Vegeta in a fight, but there's always been caveats to their battles. In the Saiyan Saga, Kaioken x4 gives Goku a higher Power Level than Base Form Vegeta, and he even wins their beam struggle. Vegeta considers the battle a failure, though, since he had to turn into a Great Ape and was still beaten through a joint effort by Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe. In the Majin Buu Saga, Goku is stronger than Super Saiyan 2 Majin Vegeta since he was holding Super Saiyan 3 back, but Vegeta knocks him out with a cheap shot.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero gives Vegeta a definitive, clean win over Goku. The two spend the entire movie fighting in their base forms, and Vegeta lands the final blow, knocking Goku down before he drops. Being stronger in his base form doesn't necessarily mean Ultra Ego Vegeta would be stronger than Ultra Instinct Goku, but as it stands, Goku has no victories over Vegeta, whereas Vegeta is going three for three and has a transformation that actively grows stronger throughout battle.
Gohan Beast Is Currently The Strongest Saiyan In Dragon Ball Super
As of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Gohan has reclaimed his title as the strongest hero in Dragon Ball. In the manga's Super Hero Saga Epilogue, Ultra Instinct Goku and Gohan Beast even square off in a sparring match to see who's stronger. While the fight goes interrupted, Gohan technically does win. Gohan Beast is so strong, he's able to knock Goku out of Ultra Instinct entirely. If the two were fighting for real, Gohan would be the clear winner.
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In the Saiyan battle royale which happens in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103, Gohan is also the only character other than Broly no worse for wear at the end, implying that he was the true winner. Whis even suggests to Beerus that Gohan could become the next God of Destruction of Universe for 7, and Beerus is particularly bothered by just how strong Gohan is. While there's room for debate whether Ultra Ego Vegeta is outright stronger than Ultra Instinct Goku, Dragon Ball Super makes it clear that Gohan Beast is stronger than both.
Beerus Is A Bench-Mark Goku Can't Surpass Until The End Of Dragon Ball Super
Beerus plays a very particular role in Dragon Ball Super as Goku and Vegeta's benchmark for power. Any time either Saiyan unlocks a new form, they're immediately compared to Beerus. Anytime a new villain is introduced, the story has to find someway to sideline Beerus so he doesn't just solve each Saga's problem himself. When Battle of Gods released, Super Saiyan God Goku forced Beerus to use 70% of his full power; this has since been retconned throughout Dragon Ball Super.
Conceptually, Goku can't be stronger than Beerus, as that defeats the whole purpose of Beerus' character. Logic would dictate that Ultra Instinct would make Goku close to Beerus in power, but since Beerus has his own version of UI at his disposal, Goku's still not quite on his level. Dragon Ball Super: Broly suggests that Gogeta and Broly might be stronger than Beerus, but considering how Whis effortlessly toyed with Broly, this realistically isn't the case. If Goku ever surpasses Beerus and manages to defeat him, it'll have to be at the very end of Dragon Ball Super.
Black Frieza One-Shot Ultra Instinct Goku AND Ultra Ego Vegeta
Frieza is back and stronger than ever. At the end of the Granolah Saga, Frieza returns and he reveals he's been secretly training for years in a Hyperbolic Time Chamber he found in the multiverse. Frieza then transforms into Black Frieza, kills Gas, and effortlessly defeats Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta at the same time with a single blow. Frieza chooses to spare the Saiyans and flies off to continue conquering the universe. As Dragon Ball Super immediately began adapting Super Hero afterward, Black Frieza hasn't been seen since.
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Black Frieza is currently the strongest unfused character in Dragon Ball and set to be the series' main villain whenever Dragon Ball Super comes back from hiatus. Goku and Vegeta have been training profusely ever since, but they'll have to get a lot stronger just to stand a chance against Frieza. As the moment, the main cast's best chance of beating Frieza is either Gohan Beast or fusion.
Gogeta Is The Strongest Super Saiyan & Character In The Franchise – For Now
It goes without saying, but a fusion that's half Goku is going to be stronger than Goku. Gogeta is the strongest character in Dragon Ball Super, possibly even stronger than Beerus or Whis (though this has yet to be proven). Last seen in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Gogeta effortlessly puts Broly through the ringer in his base form, basic Super Saiyan, and Super Saiyan Blue. Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta is so strong, he's even able to break into a new dimension entirely during their battle.
Goku and Vegeta hate fusing with a passion, so it's not likely fans will see Gogeta again (and the same goes for Vegito), but his power can't be underestimated. Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta is a force of nature unlike anything Dragon Ball has seen before. If Goku and Vegeta want a clear path to victory against Black Frieza, fusing into Gogeta once last time is the obvious – and perhaps only – answer.
- Release Date
- 2015 - 2018
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Showrunner
- Tatsuya Nagamine
Cast
-
Masakazu MoritaWhis (voice) -
Masako NozawaSon Goku/Goku Black/Son Gohan/Son Goten (voices)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa
- Writers
- Ryu King, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
- Franchise(s)
- Dragon Ball
