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As the Dragon Ball franchise has evolved, the pinnacle of strength for the franchise’s universe has ceaselessly shifted. While Goku is usually the one moving the benchmark (and still the benchmark himself), Dragon Ball Super has broken that tradition a few times.
Contrarily, no matter how far Dragon Ball develops, some characters will seemingly never reach Goku’s level. While this is understandable given the Zenkai power of the Saiyan race, the fact remains nevertheless.
Here are four Dragon Ball characters who’re stronger than Goku and four who’ll never reach his level.
4 Dragon Ball characters who are stronger than Goku
1) Jiren
As seen in Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power arc, Goku was unable to defeat Jiren in a 1v1 even after achieving Mastered Ultra Instinct.
While Goku has honed his Ultra Instinct since the Tournament of Power in the manga, Jiren and Goku have yet to rematch as Goku is now. As a result, fans must assume that Goku still is unable to defeat Jiren.
2) Beerus
Being a God of Destruction and likely the zenith of Goku’s journey to being the strongest, it’ll be a long while before Goku defeats Beerus.
While the Saiyan is able to give Beerus a good workout with the Super Saiyan God transformation line, it still isn’t enough to beat Beerus. It’s also worth noting that fans likely have yet to see Beerus seriously fight Goku in any capacity.
3) Whis
Like Beerus, Goku’s defeating Whis is also a signpost on the Dragon Ball protagonist’s road to becoming the absolute strongest. Whis is a master of Autonomous Ultra Instinct, something that will be incredibly difficult (if not impossible) for Goku to get through.
As Goku currently is, there’s little doubt Whis is stronger than the Saiyan protagonist.
4) Zeno
Omni-King of Dragon Ball’s multiverse, Zeno may not be physically stronger than Goku but he’d certainly win the fight. As Omni-King, Zeno has the power to completely erase anyone and everyone from existence should he ever desire it.
Having been shown to destroy planets for fun and erase universes when upset, Zeno certainly has more destructive strength than Goku does.
4 Dragon Ball characters who will never reach Goku's level
1) Krillin
Although Krillin makes a good case for being the strongest human alive, his lack of access to Saiyan transformations and power growth are Achilles' heels. Without any Super Saiyan equivalent transformation, Krillin’s relevance is nearly non-existent in the current Dragon Ball landscape.
The Tournament of Power was certainly a welcome exception, but Krillin’s tournament prowess was more so on display than his strength.
2) Gohan
Gohan is an interesting addition to this list as at one point, he was stronger than Goku was. Yet a teenage life dedicated to school and ignoring training led to Gohan losing all the power he had as a teen versus Cell.
While the Mystic Gohan powerup is certainly impressive and has surged in relevance, it still isn’t enough to keep up with the Jiren’s and Broly’s of the series, let alone Goku.
3) Yamcha
Yamcha is somewhat of a given for this list, but his inclusion is still worth mentioning if only for his journey as a character. First introduced as a formidable antagonist, Yamcha was certainly somewhat worrisome.
Even as an ally during the original Dragon Ball, he’s still able to meaningfully contribute. Yet by the time Z starts and the Saiyans arrive, Yamcha is unfortunately about as irrelevant as one can be.
4) Future Trunks
While Future Trunks certainly impressed fans and friends with his Super Saiyan Rage transformation, the powerup still isn’t enough to reach Goku’s level. While it should theoretically be possible for Future Trunks to ascend into Super Saiyan Godhood, this has yet to happen in Super.
As a result, Future Trunks is still somewhat below Goku, even if he’s not incredibly far behind.
Note: The article reflects the writer's own views.
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This article was modified on Sunday, June 25 at 16:15 PM.
