Gohan Is Strongest, Goku No. 2: Ranking Dragon Ball’s Main Characters by Power
For a long while, Goku hasn’t been the absolute top pick among Dragon Ball’s characters, though he still stayed near the front of the power rankings. At the close of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan takes the crown as the strongest fighter who isn’t fused, while Goku sits right behind him as the series’ second-most powerful main character. Then Dragon Ball Super changes the playing field: God Ki, Beerus, Angels, and the Gods of Destruction push Goku down the franchise’s strongest list. Even so, once Ultra Instinct finally clicks for him, the gap starts narrowing.
Right now, Goku is a multiversal-level threat thanks to mastering Perfected Ultra Instinct. Still, several of Dragon Ball Super’s key characters have moved past him. No flashy transformation sequence, no matter how impressive, and no amount of divine training can fully erase that disadvantage—because the strongest Z-Fighters, Gods, and villains have officially climbed above him. Of course, Goku wouldn’t treat that as a stopping point; getting outclassed is exactly the fuel that keeps him training as relentlessly as ever.
The Next Generation Saiyans in Dragon Ball are ultimately expected to overtake Goku and Vegeta, and in some cases, they’re already ahead.
5 Vegeta Officially Defeated Goku at the End of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Time after time, Dragon Ball Super signals that Vegeta has more natural aptitude than Goku. After Battle of Gods, Vegeta spends six months training with Whis on Beerus’ Planet, and he manages to access God Ki without relying on the God Ritual. When Goku later unlocks Ultra Instinct during the Tournament of Power, Vegeta responds by evolving his Super Saiyan Blue variation into Super Saiyan Blue Evolved, closing the distance.
In the Moro arc, Vegeta learns Instant Transmission and develops Ki control even faster than Goku did. During the Granolah the Survivor storyline, Ultra Ego Vegeta can trade blows with Ultra Instinct Goku in terms of raw power. By the time Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero ends, Vegeta finally lands a clean win over Goku in a straight, one-on-one showdown. Heading into the Black Frieza saga, Vegeta looks like the more capable and more naturally gifted Saiyan—so Goku doesn’t have much reason to expect an easy comeback.
4 Broly Surpassed Goku A Long Time Ago
Broly starts the race already winning. Even as a baby, he’s far stronger than Goku. Exiled to Vampa with brutal living conditions—no real food and no reliable water—Broly still grows into an adult whose natural Power Level matches up with a Goku who has spent his entire life training and eventually reaching God status. Broly doesn’t even need to rely on turning Super Saiyan; he overwhelms Super Saiyan God Goku, then adapts again once he triggers Super Saiyan Blue.
As of Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103, Broly has accessed his True Legendary Super Saiyan form. That transformation has been described as having the potential to go beyond—and defeat—Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta. In practical terms, Goku has no realistic path to catching Broly given the enormous power gap. The main advantage Goku holds is skill—he’s the more technically gifted martial artist—but even that doesn’t carry him in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
Whether it’s through exhausting training or unlocking brand-new forms, Dragon Ball’s strongest Saiyans have now entered God Tier territory.
3 Gohan Beast Beat The Ultra Instinct Out of Goku
Gohan isn’t just another top-tier main character in Dragon Ball Super—he’s currently functioning as the series’ real protagonist. Starting with Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the story steps away from the usual Goku and Vegeta focus and instead centers on Gohan and Piccolo. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, the Super Hero Saga keeps rolling with a three-chapter epilogue that follows Gohan after his fight against Cell Max.
In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 102, Gohan begins battling Goku. Then in Chapter 103, Gohan Beast shows power and speed so overwhelming that he can force his way past Perfected Ultra Instinct’s reaction timing and even knock Goku out of the transformation with a single well-timed hit. Since Goku’s control of PUI is portrayed as fully perfect at this stage of the series, the implication is straightforward: Gohan is simply stronger than him.
2 Black Frieza Effortlessly Beat Goku Like He Was Nothing
Frieza may not appear in every stretch of the main storyline, but he’s still undeniably one of Dragon Ball Super’s central figures. Frieza leads as the primary villain in Resurrection F, plays a major role in the Tournament of Power, and shows up again in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He also ends up tied to a major twist during the Granolah Saga. Once Toyotarou returns with the Dragon Ball Super manga, the narrative is expected to shift toward the long-awaited Black Frieza saga.
For Goku, the problem is that he’s not likely to beat Frieza himself. At the end of the Granolah the Survivor arc, Black Frieza immediately takes down both Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta at the same time. When other Z-Fighters are already far stronger than Goku at this point, there’s basically no way Goku defeats Frieza unless he somehow triggers another new form—something in the spirit of Xenoverse 2’s Ultra Superhero transformation. Goku should feel fortunate that Black Frieza didn’t actually eliminate himself when he had the opening.
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1 Beerus Will Always Be One Step Ahead of Goku
While fusions like Vegito and Gogeta are often described as being powerful enough to challenge Beerus—and potentially even defeat him—Goku has never truly reached Beerus’ Power Level. That’s true even after Perfected Ultra Instinct. By the end of the Dragon Ball Super manga, Goku is closer than he’s ever been, and he’s also set up for one final rematch against Beerus before the series wraps. Even so, he can’t match a God of Destruction who has equal command over Hakai alongside Ultra Instinct.
Even when Goku finally gets his last showdown with Beerus, one of Dragon Ball’s core themes still matters: there will always be someone stronger, someone better, and someone who raises the bar. Goku learned that lesson during his World Tournament-era conflict with Jackie Chun, when he fought and lost. Letting Goku lose to Beerus one last time would also bring the story full circle, completing the thematic return from start to finish.
