The strongest saiyan in all 8 fights in Dragon Ball

Goku and Vegeta share perhaps the greatest rivalry in anime history. Ever since the start of Dragon Ball Zthe two Saiyans have inspired each other to grow stronger and surpass their limits. Between Dragon Ball Zboth versions of Dragon Ball Superand even Dragon ball onlineGoku and Vegeta have fought several times.

Interestingly, even though Goku is more often stronger than Vegeta, Vegeta actually wins a surprising number of his fights. Several battles between the two are also completely left up to the interpretation of who won, especially their final battle at the end of Dragon Ball the timeline.

Goku vs Vegeta in Saiyan Saga

Winner: Vegeta

Goku and Vegeta's first fight in the Saiyan Saga is the biggest fight in Dragon Ball history. Akira Toriyama was in rare form and pulled off an exciting showdown full of twists and turns. Goku has to pump Kaioken to his absolute limits just to keep up with Vegeta, and Vegeta's durability is far above any other villain at this point in the series. What's interesting about this fight is that both Saiyans consider it a loss. For Vegeta, Goku hurt his pride – Kaioken x4 full on hit Vegeta in his base form, and the Earth population forces him to retreat.

For Goku, he loses outright. After using Kaioken x4, his body is on death's door. Vegeta didn't even have to turn into a great ape. If he wasn't so pissed he could have flown down and beaten Goku to death with what Ki he had left. Instead, Great Ape Vegeta breaks every single bone in Goku's body. The only reason Goku doesn't die is because Gohan, Krillin and Yajirobe rushed to save him. But at that point, Goku had completely lost the fight.

Vegeta vs Ginyu-Goku on Namek

Winner: Vegeta

Goku has the misfortune of having his body stolen by Captain Ginyu when he lands on Namek. Ginyu's Change ability allows him to swap bodies with whoever he wants, a practice he has used several times throughout his career to steal stronger bodies. Unfortunately for Ginyu, he has no idea how to use Goku's powers, especially the Kaioken. This leaves Ginyu-Goku with a paltry power level of 23,000.

Ginyu-Goku is so weak that both Krillin and Gohan can put him through the paces. Vegeta absolutely destroys Ginyu-Goku when they fight, to the point where Goku really worries that Vegeta will kill Ginyu before he can get his body back. Fortunately for Goku, Ginyu tries to use the Change technique on Vegeta, which Goku jumps in front of to get his body back. That said, this is only after Vegeta beats Ginyu-Goku to near death.

Super Saiyan 2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta's Rematch

Winner: Tied (technically Vegeta)

The Majin Buu Saga sets up a rematch between Goku and Vegeta that goes horribly wrong. The two were originally supposed to fight in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, but when the tournament is interrupted by Babidi, Vegeta grows increasingly impatient and loses his cool completely when he realizes that Goku unlocked Super Saiyan 2 in the afterlife and surpassed him. To close the gap, Vegeta has Babidi use his Warlock Sorcery on him, turning him into a Majin.

Super Saiyan 2 Goku and Super Saiyan 2 Majin Vegeta are equal in power level, and their violent battle feeds Majin Buu enough energy to awaken him ahead of schedule. Goku manages to talk Vegeta into his senses, ending the fight in a draw. Vegeta takes responsibility for Majin Buu's awakening, but knocks Goku out when he is on guard and flies off to sacrifice his life against Buu. Vegeta technically wins the battle with this in mind, but it's hard to call it a true victory when Goku was done with the fight.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku vs Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber

Winner: Tie

Back in Dragon Ball Zthe Hyperbolic Time Chamber had a hard time limit of 48 hours. If a single person stayed in the Room of Spirit and Time for more than two days, the door would close on them, locking them in the dimension for the rest of their lives. This rule has conveniently been removed in Dragon Ball Superallowing the likes of Goku, Vegeta, and even Frieza to train for years with absolutely no downside.

Goku and Vegeta take advantage of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's new lack of a time limit in the Universe 6 Saga. Learning about the Tournament of Destroyers from Champa and Beerus, Goku and Vegeta enter ROSAT and spend three years training together. In it Dragon Ball Super manga specifically, the duo is shown having a battle at full power, using their Super Saiyan Blue transformations. However, the scene cuts away early on, so it's impossible to tell who won.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku vs Copy-Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super Anime

Winner: Goku

Set between Tournament of Destroyers and Goku Black Saga, Copy-Vegeta Saga is a filler arc exclusive to Dragon Ball Super manga. Copy-Vegeta Saga is basically Dragon Ball Supers way of making fun of Baby Vegeta from Dragon Ball GTwhile giving Goku an opportunity to defeat his rival after several losses over the course of the series.

Copy-Vegeta is exactly as strong as Vegeta following the end of the Universe 6 Saga, and can even use Super Saiyan Blue. SSB Goku and SSB Copy-Vegeta are shown to be completely equal and Goku struggles to gain an edge over him. Goku ends up winning, but only because Monaka steps on Commeson, giving Goku a window to kill Copy-Vegeta with a Kamehameha.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku vs Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta after the Tournament of Power

Winner: Unknown

Then Dragon Ball Super anime ended with the Tournament of Power, Toei threw in a little fan service to end the series. After the end of the tournament when everyone goes back to their respective universes, Goku and Vegeta decide to test their power against each other one last time. Notably, Goku does not use the Ultra Instinct Sign, nor does Vegeta use the Super Saiyan Blue Evolved.

Both fighters instead use the standard Super Saiyan Blue transformation. Absolutely nothing is known about this fight, including the winner, who Dragon Ball Super anime ends as soon as it starts. The fight is just a way to call back to Goku and Vegeta's first battle in the Saiyan Saga, and show how far their rivalry has come. That said, since Goku can't willingly use Ultra Instinct Sign at this point in the story, while Vegeta can use SSBE whenever he wants, Vegeta is technically stronger and has an easy way to defeat Goku if he wants to.

Base Goku vs Base Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

Winner: Vegeta

Vegeta has defeated Goku many times, but he has never been proud of his victories. In the Saiyan Saga, Goku briefly surpassed Vegeta's power level and forced him to transform into a great ape, severely hurting his pride. On Namek, Vegeta only defeated Ginyu-Goku, who couldn't even use Goku's full power. During the Majin Buu Saga, Majin Vegeta only beats Goku through a cheap shot after their fight had already ended.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was the first time Vegeta beat Goku fairly. Neither fighter was allowed to use their transformations during this battle, meaning they had to fight solely with their own skills in their base form. The fight is extremely close and both Saiyans wear the other down to near exhaustion, but Vegeta hits Goku with a well-timed dodge and a perfectly executed punch that pins Goku down seconds before Vegeta collapses.

Goku vs Vegeta's final battle in Dragon Ball Online

Winner: Unknown

Dragon ball online was Akira Toriyama's original vision for Dragon Ball Zs sequel. Despite being an MMORPG, Toriyama was so attached to the project that he wrote an entire timeline for the game depicting what happened to all the Z-Fighters after Goku flew off with Uub in the Peaceful World Saga. Reaching the end of their prime as Saiyans, Goku and Vegeta fly into space in Age 801 to have a final battle where they can fight at full power.

Absolutely nothing is known about Goku and Vegeta's final battle other than the fact that neither Saiyan is ever seen or heard from again. The only evidence of their struggle is a supernova that explodes near where they traveled. Goku and Vegeta almost certainly killed each other during their final battle – not out of malice or hatred towards each other, but to fully test their abilities and powers once and for all. Dragon Ball fans will never know if Goku or Vegeta won their final duel.

TV program

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

First TV show

Dragon Ball

Created by

Akira Toriyama

Latest TV show

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Air date of first episode

February 26, 1986