Goku is one of Dragon Ballgreatest heroes. He has saved the universe so many times, he has even been granted special privileges such as being able to keep his body when he dies. Goku has defined himself as one of the kindest and most heroic Saiyans in history, but this is not true for all versions of Goku in the multiverse.
Whether it's through doppelgangers, having his body stolen, or simply never hitting his head as a child, Goku has some surprisingly evil—and shockingly powerful—variations in other timelines. The strongest versions of Goku's evil counterparts are genuine threats to Dragon Ball's multiverse that shows no remorse.

Dragon Ball Super 2 officially introduces a villain stronger than the gods
Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol finally presents Goku and Vegeta with their biggest challenge yet: a villain stronger than the gods.
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Ginyu-Goku almost got away with stealing Goku's body
Dragon Ball Z
Namek Saga marked the first time in Dragon Ball that a villain successfully switched bodies with Goku and tried to take his power for his own. When Captain Ginyu realizes how powerful Goku is, he switches bodies with Goku and immediately goes after the Dragon Balls. Unfortunately for Ginyu, he has absolutely no idea how to use Goku's abilities, including the Kaioken.
When fighting in Goku's body, Ginyu-Goku only has a power level of 23,000, putting him on par with Zarbon. Unable to use his full power, Ginyu-Goku tries to switch bodies with Vegeta, only to inadvertently give Goku back his original body. Ginyu-Goku would be a threat in any pre-Namek Saga, but is hardly a problem in his only appearance.
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Turles was the original Evil Goku
The Tree of Might
The main villain of Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of MightTurles was the original evil Goku. Unlike other versions of Goku, Turles isn't literally Goku—he's just another lower-class Saiyan who looks suspiciously like Goku. Thematically, Turles is meant to be a dark mirror of what Goku could have become if he never hit his head on Earth.
By eating the Fruit of the Tree of Might, Turles' power level skyrockets from 19,000 to over 300,000, making him slightly weaker than First Form Frieza. This is a huge power increase in and of itself. Had Turles been able to eat another fruit from the tree of power, he could have even surpassed Frieza.

Dragon Ball: 10 Strongest Versions of Kaioken, Ranked
The Kaioken is one of the strongest transformations in Dragon Ball when used correctly, but it comes with huge risks that can kill the user.
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Shadow Goku is a dark copy of GT Goku
Dragon Ball Heroes
Shadow Goku is a dark manifestation of Dragon Ball GT's Kid Goku, created by Black Smoke Shenron in Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission. Shadow Goku is unable to transform Super Saiyan and is stuck in Goku's weaker child body, but he can use techniques like the Spirit Bomb despite not having a pure heart.
It's unclear how strong Shadow Goku is, though Dragon Ball Heroes treating him as if he were on par with the Shadow Dragons. This scales Shadow Goku to be a bit weaker than Dragon Ball GTs strongest characters at the end of the series.
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Clone Goku was created by Android 21
FighterZ
Clone Goku is a Bio-Android that Android 21 created by harvesting Goku's cells. Clone Goku is based on Goku's Power Level during the Majin Buu Saga, giving him access to almost all of his strongest techniques in Dragon Ball Z. That said, clones are functionally inferior to their real counterparts, as they are just mindless copies.
Clone Goku is strong enough to overpower lesser fighters, but not Goku himself. The biggest advantage Clone Goku has is that he is based on an already powerful version of Goku. Even at full power, Clone Goku is mainly just fodder outclassed by any version of Goku that experiences Dragon Ball Super.
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Kakarot is a version of Goku that never hurt his head
Dragon Ball Heroes
Kakarot appears in the video game Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission X and is a version of Goku that never hit his head as a child. King Kai alludes to this type of Goku in one Dragon Ball Z filler episode, though Ultimate Mission X was one of the only times the series actively explored the concept.
Kakarot is specifically from a timeline with a Xeno Bardock in it, which is a version of Bardock that survives Frieza's Supernova and goes on to become ridiculously powerful. Kakarot cannot transform Super Saiyan, but in his base form is strong enough to defeat Zamasu and Dr. Lychee with Xeno Bardock's help, making his natural talent much higher than regular versions of Goku.
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Goku Black stole Goku's body and killed him in his universe
Dragon Ball Super
Goku Black is as much Goku as he is Zamasu. In a future timeline, Zamasu ends up using the Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with Goku before killing him and wreaking havoc on Future Trunks' universe. Becoming Goku Black awakens the inner Saiyan now within Zamasu, adopting Goku's fighting spirit in the process.
At full power, Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black is stronger than both Super Saiyan Blue Goku and SSB Vegeta i Dragon Ball Super anime. Taking control of Goku's body somehow restores his Saiyan biology, allowing Goku Black to experience multiple Zenkai Boosts even though Goku has already unlocked Super Saiyan.
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Fused Zamasu is a God-Tier Fusion Who's Half-Goku
Dragon Ball Super
Fused Zamasu is the Potara Fusion of Zamasu and Goku Black, making him half Goku. Fused Zamasu is extremely dangerous and powerful, especially in Dragon Ball Super anime where his power level is much higher. Fused Zamasu not only has access to God Ki, Kai Ki and Saiyan Ki, he is completely immortal.
The only way to defeat Fused Zamasu is to literally erase the universe, which is what Zeno ends up doing to stop him. Fused Zamasu is even stronger than the average Fusion thanks to the synergy boost Zamasu gets from basically fusing himself. Goku Black is also stronger than ever when they fuse, having experienced multiple Zenkai boosts and unlocking Super Saiyan Rosé.

Dragon Ball: 5 Strongest Dark Kings, Ranked
Both a title and a transformation, Dragon Ball's Dark Kings are stronger than the vast majority of characters in the franchise, not just demons.
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The Crimson Masked Saiyan kills 99 versions of Goku Across the Multiverse
Super Dragon Ball Heroes
In an alternate timeline of Dragon Ball SuperGoku Black was warned by Fu that he would end up dying in his fight against Goku, Vegeta and Future Trunks. Instead of accepting his fate, this version of Goku Black escapes his timeline and begins traveling the multiverse to kill as many versions of Goku as he can. Using a Time Breaker Mask, Goku Black becomes the Crimson Masked Saiyan.
The Crimson-Masked Saiyan is one of the strongest versions of Goku in the entire multiverse. During his travels, he kills 99 different Goku variants. The Crimson Masked Saiyan can even transform Super Saiyan Rosé 2 and Super Saiyan Rosé 3, the latter giving him more than enough power to overwhelm Xeno Bardock. At his strongest, the Crimson Masked-Saiyan can overpower Ultra Instinct Sign Goku, but is ultimately no match for CC Goku – the strongest non-compound CC Saiyan.
- TV program
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Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First TV show
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Dragon Ball
- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- Latest TV show
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Air date of first episode
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February 26, 1986