Since the start ofDragon Ball,Goku has always ranked among the series' strongest characters, but that doesn’t mean he’s untouchable. There aren’t many, butthere are a few characters who have pushed the legendary Saiyan well past his limits.
These characters come in all shapes and sizes. It’s surprising that even though Goku keeps getting more powerful, he seems to have no shortage of villains who are even stronger. These villains have come from Earth, the farthest stretches of the galaxy, different realms, and even entirely different universes.
Most of the characters that can push Goku past his limits start asvillains before they become his allies. Goku’s greatest strength might be his ability to bring his foes to his side, strengthening the Z Fighters one former bad guy at a time.
10Buu
Every Version of Buu Pushed Goku
Buu is the final antagonist ofDragon Ball Zand easily the strongest by a wide margin. He’s one of the few villains who was able to kill everyone on Earth and even destroy the planet. The Supreme Kai was right to fear this opponent, asBuu was every bit as vicious as he feared.
Buu has four main forms inDragon Ball Z:Majin Buu (sometimes referred to as Fat Buu), Evil Buu, Super Buu, and finally, Kid Buu. Goku was forced to use the (somewhat useless) Super Saiyan 3 transformation for the first time against Buu. If it wasn’t for everyone on Earth donating their power to Goku, Buu would’ve won.
9Gomah
Gomah Might Have Made Super Saiyan 4 Canon
Gomah was a great part ofDragon Ball DAIMA. DAIMAfocused on humor over action, but that doesn’t mean that Gomah didn’t bring a lot to the table. Once he used the Evil Third Eye, he became unstoppable. He forcedGoku to use the unbelievable Super Saiyan 4 formfor the first time in official canon sinceDragon Ball GT.
Goku’s transformation was amazingto say the least. Goku unleashed one of the strongest Kamehamehas in the entire franchise, blowing a hole clean through Gomah and each of the Demon Realms. He shook the Demon Realm to its core, and it all happened because Gomah forced him into a corner.
8Kefla
This Fused Character Made Goku Do the Unthinkable
Kefla is the Potara Fusion of Kale and Caulifa, and she has no business being as strong as she is. Caulifla is one of the strongest Saiyans in her universe, and Kale is like Broly in that she’s the Legendary Super Saiyan of Universe 6.Together, they make up one ofthe strongest characters inDragon Ball.
Even though they had never fused together, Kale and Caulifa’s first fusion was ridiculous. Kefla made Ultra Instinct Goku rethink his strategy, and it made for an excellent fight. Kefla thought that she had Goku against the ropes, but that’s when Goku did the unthinkable.
Goku used his Kamehameha and rode Kefla’s attack with it, hitting her with a Divine Kamehameha at point-blank range.
7Beerus
Beerus Forced Goku to Ascend into Godhood
Beerus is Universe 7’s God of Destruction, and the first character to introduce true Godhood to the franchise. Even the Supreme Kai has nothing on Beerus the Destroyer, and Beerus proved it with his introduction to the Z Fighters. He decided to destroy Earth, but he allowed Goku to fight him first to see if the Saiyan could defend his home.
Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 couldn’t hold a candle to Beerus. The God of Destruction then let Goku and the Z Fighters use the Dragon Balls to learn how to achieve the Super Saiyan God form. Even as Goku achieved his own form of Godhood,he still couldn’t leave a mark on Beerus.
6Hit
Goku Hired Hit to Get Stronger
Hit is one of the strongest characters from Universe 6 and one of the few fighters who actually killed Goku. Hit’s power lies in his ability to Time-Skip, essentially freezing time for everyone but himself. No matter how fast or strong Hit’s opponents are, he’s always a step ahead of them.
He made Goku step up to an unfathomable level, even as Goku had achieved the Super Saiyan Blue form. Goku combined the Super Saiyan Blue form with Kaio-ken, creating waves of blue and red energy. Goku was then able to counter Hit’s Time-Skip, essentially moving faster than time itself.
5Broly
Broly Might Be One of the Few Characters Stronger than Goku
Broly is one of the most dominant characters in anime. He’s closer to a force of nature than a Saiyan; when Broly fights, the entire landscape will change. While his personality has changed since his reintroduction to the franchise, his abilities haven’t: he’s still one of the strongest characters around.
There’s an argument to be had that Broly is actually stronger than Goku.DuringDragon Ball Super: Broly,Goku is forced to fuse with Vegeta in order to take down this beast. If Broly can learn how to control his rage from Gohan, he’ll easily be the strongest character in the entire universe.
4Piccolo
One of Goku’s First Foes Turned Ally
Piccolo was one of Goku’s first enemies. He’sthe strongest villain in the originalDragon Ballby some margin,forcing Goku to transcend his limits during a few key fights.Since then, he’s become a loyal ally to the Z Fighters and has even raised Goku’s son Gohan while Goku was dead.
Piccolo is famously Akira Toriyama’s favorite character.
Piccolo fell off in terms of power for most of the series. He got a lot stronger during the Frieza Arc inDragon Ball Z,but he wasn’t really able to keep up with the strongest fighters around. That all changed duringDragon Ball Super: Super Heroeswith the introduction of Orange Piccolo.
For the first time in a while,Piccolo might yet again be able to push Goku past his limits.
3Jiren
Jiren is the strongest enemy Goku has faced in theDragon Ball Superanime.He comes across as a cold, unfeeling menace, destroying everything in his way with little to no effort.
He’s also the only character in the franchise who was able to redirect Goku’s Spirit Bomb right back at him, unintentionally giving Goku what he neededto finally unlock the Ultra Instinct form.
Goku not only needed to unlock the Ultra Instinct form to defeat Jiren, he needed to master it. He did both in less than an hour, showing just how far he needed to go to defeat arguably the strongest fighter in the entire Tournament of Power.
It should be noted that Goku didn’t defeat Jiren alone either: without Frieza and Android 17, he would have lost.
2Frieza
One of the Best Villains in Anime
Frieza is undoubtedly one ofthe best villains in anime. His conflicts with Goku will go down in the history books as a feud that defines the shōnen genre. Frieza is the villain responsible for one of the most iconic scenes in anime, when he forced Goku to ascend to the Super Saiyan form for the first time in the series.
There isn’t a single scene in anime more recognizable than Goku’s first transformation.He was always one step behind Frieza, but after Frieza killed Krillin right in front of him, Goku snapped.
He tapped into his rage and became the first character in the canon to go Super Saiyan, defeating Frieza with flowing golden hair, massive muscles, and little patience.
1Vegeta
The Prince of All Saiyans and Goku’s Eternal Rival
Without Vegeta, Goku wouldn’t be nearly as strong as he is today. Vegeta was one of the first major villains inDragon Ball Z,but he’s become so much more than that. He’s Goku’s eternal rival, forcing Goku to get stronger time and time again. Vegeta wants nothing more than to be stronger than his fellow Saiyan, and he’s gotten close a few times.
Vegeta’s rivalry with Goku defines the franchise.Even though Vegeta wasn’t always a good guy, he was still pushing Goku. His first fight against Goku forced Goku to use the highest levels of the Kaio-ken he had ever touched, pushing himself to a level even King Kai couldn’t believe.
