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In the realm of Dragon Ball, the yardstick for power often rests with Goku, whose strength sets the benchmark for all other characters. This is especially true for the series’ memorable villains, who serve as the ultimate tests of Goku’s limits and offer fans thrilling battles.
The allure of Goku’s battles lies not just in his encounters with overwhelmingly strong foes but also in the moments where he matches his adversaries blow for blow. Yet, the stakes rise dramatically when these opponents unexpectedly grow stronger, surpassing even Goku’s formidable strength.
One of the quintessential examples of such a villain is Demon King Piccolo. His menace lies in his methodical approach to annihilating the planet’s mightiest fighters, only to then harness the Dragon Balls to restore his youth, thereby amplifying his already considerable power. While the heroes of Dragon Ball devise numerous tactics to counter King Piccolo, the situation escalates to a dire level when his wish for rejuvenation is granted, presenting a challenge of unprecedented magnitude.
Demon King Piccolo Gets Reborn Even Stronger
Demon King Piccolo is such a terrifying threat because he systematically eliminates the world’s strongest fighters and then proceeds to use the Dragon Balls to regain his youth and the superior power that comes with it. Dragon Ball‘s heroes have their share of strategies against King Piccolo, but an impossible situation gets that much worse once his wish is granted.
This rejuvenated King Piccolo dominates against both Goku and Tien until Goku manages to drink the Ultra Divine Water, unlock his potential, and defeat the menace. That being said, one could also argue that King Piccolo’s reincarnation via Piccolo Jr. is another way in which he survives and surpasses Goku.
Vegeta Goes Great Ape To Prove His Saiyan Superiority
Goku’s competitive rivalry with Vegeta remains one of Dragon Ball’s most rewarding relationships, the foundation of which was established during their inaugural fight. Goku and Vegeta’s Saiyan Saga clash is such a beloved battle because of the relatively equal power that they possess when the fight begins. Vegeta’s attacks are admittedly stronger, but Goku’s Kaio-Ken multipliers enhance his Kamehameha on par with them.
Their epic beam struggle is a beautiful distillation of their equal strength. Vegeta breaks the tie and takes the lead when he activates his Great Ape form, which multiplies his strength tenfold, in addition to making him an enormous animal. Great Ape Vegeta overpowers Goku, and it’s only because of the combined efforts of Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe that Goku manages to see another day.
Frieza Pushes Goku Beyond His Comfort Zone
Frieza has been given more opportunities than any other villain and, even now, he’s found a way to tap into unprecedented power in his Black Frieza form. Dragon Ball Z creates satisfying suspense through Frieza’s multiple transformations, which were revelatory at the time. Goku confidently takes on Frieza’s fourth and final form, at which point Goku is actually on par with Frieza and potentially even slightly stronger.
However, it’s harrowing to learn that Frieza is only using 1% of his power at this point. Frieza proceeds to tap into 50% and then 100% of his power. The 50% power Frieza easily clears Goku, but his Super Saiyan epiphany gives him back the lead. Of course, history repeats itself with another Frieza transformation, putting him back above Goku’s level once more.
Perfect Cell Gets The Last Laugh Against Goku
Goku doesn’t get the chance to fight against Imperfect and Semi-Perfect Cell, despite how the Saiyan would have likely cleared him in these weaker forms. Perfect Cell and Goku’s showdown in the Cell Games is such an entertaining fight because the two combatants appear to be matching each other’s blows.
That being said, Goku sees the writing on the wall and realizes that he doesn’t have the proper stamina and endurance to keep up. Goku’s surprise Instant Kamehameha isn’t enough to overpower Cell’s own regeneration ability. Tragically, Perfect Cell uses this power to self-destruct, and he kills Goku in the process. Super Saiyan 2 Gohan is strong enough to take out Super Perfect Cell, but Goku wouldn’t have stood a chance.
King Gomah’s Evil Third Eye Upgrade Delivers Ultimate Destructive Strength
Dragon Ball DAIMA is the franchise’s most recent anime, but chronologically, it’s actually set shortly after Kid Buu’s defeat and before any of Dragon Ball Super begins. This playful series sends Goku and company to the cryptic Demon Realm. Demon King Gomah fails upward to success when he receives the power of the Tertian Oculus, a Demon Realm relic that continually boosts the user’s power.
King Gomah’s transformation allows him to surpass both Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta. Evil Third Eye King Gomah is practically invincible and able to recover from seismic strikes that tear holes through his chest. Nobody is stronger than King Gomah in this state, just as long as the Evil Third Eye doesn’t get dislodged.
Hit Manipulates Time & Space To Surpass Universe 7’s Saiyans
In Dragon Ball Super, Universe 7’s strongest first get a taste of multiversal mayhem in the Tournament of Destroyers, when they take on Champa’s Universe 6. Hit, a legendary assassin, is the most dangerous of the lot, thanks to his debilitating and imperceptible Time-Skip Technique.
Goku has his work cut out for him, and he manages to eventually counter Hit’s Time-Skip tactic by turning to Blue Kaio-Ken strength and speed. A rematch between Goku and Hit occurs in the “Future” Trunks Saga, which highlights that the Universe 6 assassin’s skills have only continued to improve. Goku actually hires Hit to be his assassin because he knows his superior strength will push him to work harder.
Jiren Dominates Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power
Goku and the rest of Universe 7 make waves against their Tournament of Power opponents, yet Universe 11’s Jiren quickly stands out as their greatest challenge. The tournament’s free-for-all structure means that Goku and Jiren repeatedly cross paths in this competitive chaos. Goku surpasses his limits here, and Jiren’s strength pushes him to experience Ultra Instinct power for the first time.
Ultra Instinct Goku gains a considerable advantage, but Jiren proceeds to activate his Super Full Power form. By the end of the Tournament of Power, Universe 7 has defeated Jiren, but it’s not an accomplishment that Goku could have done on his own. His victory is contingent upon Frieza, Vegeta, and Android 17’s help, whereas Jiren would still win in a one-on-one duel.
Planet-Eater Moro Steals Angelic Powers Until He Reaches His Breaking Point
Dragon Ball Super’s Moro spends millions of years in captivity as he perfects the ultimate revenge scheme. Moro is a malevolent magic user, whom Dragon Ball’s ki-based characters continue to struggle against. Moro’s attack occurs during the height of Goku’s Ultra Instinct training. Unfortunately, Moro surpasses Goku’s gains when he uses the Dragon Balls to restore his youth.
Goku’s Perfected Ultra Instinct and Vegeta’s Forced Spirit Fission are essential abilities during this fight. However, Moro consumes Seven-Three as a way to gain even greater power, including Merus’ own Perfected Ultra Instinct. This process becomes so volatile that Moro has to fuse with the Earth itself. It’s very touch-and-go for a while until Goku’s Perfected Ultra Instinct avatar, combined with Vegeta’s new power, saves the day.
Granolah’s Dire Dragon Ball Wish Grants Him Impossible Power
The Granolah the Survivor Saga expands upon Dragon Ball restrictions when Granolah, the last of the Cerealians, makes a wish to Planet Cereal’s Eternal Dragon, Toronbo. Granolah wishes to be the strongest in Universe 7, which Toronbo grants, albeit at the expense of his lifespan being significantly shortened. This consequence doesn’t bother Granolah, who simply wants to use his new power to kill Saiyans and get revenge for his people’s destruction.
Goku picks up on Granolah’s fighting style and keeps up with the Cerealian. Granolah’s power continues to grow once he evolves his left eye and experiences his Full Power state. Granolah would likely have been able to defeat Goku if their attention wasn’t collectively shifted to Gas – the real villain.
Gas Overwhelms Dragon Ball’s Strongest Heroes
The Heeter Force, the true villains of Dragon Ball Super’s Granolah the Survivor Saga, take a page out of Granolah’s book when it comes to duplicitous ways to gain power. The Heeter Force’s Elec uses the Cerealian Dragon Balls to wish for Gas, his younger brother, into Universe 7’s strongest. This pushes Gas ahead of Goku, Vegeta, and Granolah, despite their best efforts.
It’s during this battle that Goku perfects a new form of Ultra Instinct, True Ultra Instinct, that better plays to his strengths. Nevertheless, the nature of Gas’ boosted strength pushes him to keep getting stronger, even when his body becomes an expended living skeleton. Not only does Gas surpass Goku, but it takes Black Frieza’s strength to finally defeat him.
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Akira Toriyama
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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
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Dragon Ball
