8 Strongest Characters Who Rival Goku, Ranked

Real Dragon Ball fans know that Goku is rarely the strongest character in the series. One of Dragon Balls main themes is the idea that there will always be someone better. This is a lesson Master Roshi instills in Goku back in the World Martial Arts Tournament Saga. The fact that there is always someone better out there is exactly what drives Goku to grow stronger, and why he still trains as hard as he can in Dragon Ball Super.

Goku is a martial arts prodigy who can break his limits better and faster than most characters, but as Dragon Ball Supermultiverse expands, he has come face to face with some extremely powerful opponents. Despite mastering the strongest version of Ultra Instinct, there are still several Dragon Ball characters that rival Goku in Power Level and have the potential to surpass them if they train hard enough. For Goku, however, it's the absolute best thing that could happen to him.

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8

Kefla is an Ultra Instinct-Tier Fighter

Kefla is not only one of the strongest Saiyan Fusions in Dragon Ballshe is one of the most powerful fighters in the entire multiverse. The result of Caulifla and Kale fusing with the Potara Earrings, Kefla gets a huge synergy boost to his power level similar to Goku and Vegeta fusing into Vegito. Kefla is also the only character in the series who can transform Legendary Super Saiyan 2 by mixing Kale's LSSJ form and Caulifla Super Saiyan 2.

In it Dragon Ball Super anime's version of the Tournament of Power, Kefla is strong enough to push Goku to unlock the Ultra Instinct Sign a second time, putting her on roughly the same level as Jiren. Goku ultimately wins her battle, not through raw strength, but by simply surpassing her as a better, more skilled fighter. In terms of power level, Kefla is so powerful that Goku reflects her in the same category as Jiren Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

7

Jiren can adapt to anything Goku throws at him

Jiren is an absolute powerhouse. Although he has been eliminated from the Tournament of Power thanks to a joint effort by Goku, Frieza, and Android 17, it's important to remember that he never actually loses a straight fight. In it Dragon Ball Super anime, Jiren can keep up with Ultra Instinct Goku and retain more than enough stamina to keep the battle going. The only reason Jiren loses is because Universe 7 has three members left and he's fighting on his own.

Jiren is even stronger in Dragon Ball Super manga. During the manga's version of the Tournament of Power, Jiren adapts to Ultra Instinct Goku on the fly and grows so strong that he can knock Goku out of Ultra Instinct. The only reason Goku doesn't lose right then and there is Vegeta saving him from a ring-out. Just like in Dragon Ball Super anime, Jiren only loses because Universe 7 works together, but at the end of the manga's tournament, he still has more than enough energy to absolutely pulverize Goku.

6

Granolah surpassed Goku with Dragon Balls

By making a wish on the Cerealian Dragon Ball, Granolah traded away most of his remaining life force to become the strongest warrior in Universe 7. He only has three years left to live until the end of Granolah the Survivor Saga, but his power truly cannot be denied. With minimal training, Granolah can almost effortlessly defeat Goku in his first fight, perfectly targeting his vitals. He is also directly stronger than Ultra Ego Vegeta and beats him as well.

The only reason Goku manages to keep up with Granolah in their rematch is by learning True Ultra Instinct, a version of the transformation that allows Goku to blend Ultra Instinct's unique advantages with the power boosts he receives from his various Super Saiyan forms. Even then, Goku never quite beats Granolah, and Cerealian ends the story still being one of the strongest fighters in the universe and a serious threat to Goku. Fortunately, they are on good terms now.

5

Orange Piccolo rivals Goku's power level according to Akira Toriyama

Piccolo was always Akira Toriyama's favorite character, but he was a victim of Dragon Balls power scales in DBZ and especially Dragon Ball Super. Toriyama made Piccolo the main character Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and gave him two new transformations for the express purpose of making him stronger enough to compete with Goku and Vegeta again.

According to Toriyama, Orange Piccolo is on par with Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta. Realistically, there's no way that Piccolo is actually stronger than Goku or Vegeta, but promo material for the Black Frieza Saga suggests that Orange Piccolo is very much on the same power level as Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Broly. That alone makes Piccolo a true equal with Goku again.

4

Broly has much more natural power and potential than Goku

Broly being as strong as he is frankly defies all reason and logic. He was already born with a power level that rivaled adult Saiyans, and by his own adulthood, Broy was able to fight Goku and Vegeta well enough to force them to use god forms. Broly is one of Goku's strongest rivals in terms of power level. With a little more training, there's no doubt that Broly will even be able to surpass Goku outright.

Legendary Super Saiyan Broly is so powerful that even Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta couldn't beat him: they needed Gogeta to close the gap. The fact that LSSJ Broly can fight a God-Tier Fusion at full power is more or less proof that he is actually stronger than Goku. Fortunately, Broly is on Goku's side now, giving him a great sparring partner to grow with.

3

Vegeta beats Goku every time they fight

His ego and pride might make him believe otherwise, but Vegeta has beaten Goku every time they've fought. In Saiyan Saga, Great Ape Vegeta crushes every bone in Goku's body. In the Majin Buu Saga, Majin Vegeta knocks out Super Saiyan 2 Goku while offguard. IN Dragon Ball Super: Super HeroVegeta beats Goku through sheer skill and knocks him down before finally draining all of his energy.

A fight between Ultra Ego Vegeta and Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku could go in a completely different direction, but UE increases Vegeta's power level like crazy and makes him stronger the longer he fights. The fact that Goku needed PUI to fight the Gohan Beast Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103 while Vegeta was able to fight him in Super Saiyan Blue Evolved also suggests that Vegeta is currently slightly stronger than Goku.

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2

Gohan knocked the ultra instinct out of Goku

Gohan Beast is one of the greatest power-ups in the whole Dragon Ball franchise. In one movie, Gohan went from being weaker than practically all God-Tier fighters to being the strongest Z-Fighters and deadly, second only to Black Frieza. Gohan Beast is put to the test in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103, where he battles Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku on Beerus' Planet.

Much to everyone's surprise, Gohan Beast is strong enough to de-power Goku and return him to his base form with a single punch. Later in the chapter, Gohan fights Beast in circles around Super Saiyan Broly while sparring with him, then takes on Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Goten, and Trunks in a battle royale that he is implied to have won off-screen (with Broly presumably coming in second).

1

Frieza defeated Ultra Instinct Goku with one hit

Before going on break, Dragon Ball Super manga set up Black Frieza as the series' next (and possibly final) villain. At the end of Granolah the Survivor Saga, Frieza appears out of nowhere, transforms into his Black Frieza form, and then defeats Awakened Gas, Ultra Instinct Goku, and Ultra Ego Vegeta in just a few pages. The only reason Goku and Vegeta are still alive is because Frieza wasn't there to specifically kill them.

Bringing back Frieza and making him one of Goku's rivals has been a stroke of genius Dragon Ball Supers part. A little training is all Frieza needs to catch up with Goku. He still harbors a deep, personal grudge against the Saiyan for killing him on Namek, but their relationship has become increasingly complicated since Goku promised to revive him after the Powernament of Power. In many ways, Frieza is a dark representation of Goku's desire to fight stronger enemies. Black Frieza is someone who could really ruin Goku's life if he wanted to.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First TV show

Dragon Ball

Latest TV show

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Air date of first episode

February 26, 1986

TV program

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA