Ranking the Top 10 Goku Battles in Dragon Ball with the Most Balanced Matchups

Even someone as powerful as Son Goku from Dragon Ball has had his fair share of challenges ever since landing on Earth in his space pod. Goku became battle-tested in the World Martial Arts Tournament and protected planet Earth against villainous forces in the most important battles in history ever since he was a child. He’s squared off against beings completely out of his league, like Beerus, and those who couldn’t hold a candle to him, like Recoome.

Throughout his battles over the years, Goku has been able to adapt on the fly and grow exponentially stronger through each encounter, making him one of Universe 7’s mightiest warriors. But what has allowed Goku to push past his limits and evolve repeatedly are those special moments when he faces off against formidable opponents on a similar playing field. Countless evenly matched Goku fights come to mind, but there are only ten in the franchise that deserve to be on the highlight reel.

10

Goku Perfects Ultra Instinct To Battle Jiren

Dragon Ball Super: Episodes 129 – 130

After losing to Jiren on about three different occasions, Goku would get one last crack at Jiren once Vegeta entrusted his last bit of energy to his rival. With the stakes at their highest, Goku would deliver his best performance against Jiren yet, tapping into his incomplete Ultra Instinct form once more and eventually mastering it. In the incomplete form, Goku was able to stand on equal ground with Jiren, although neither would land a blow.

Once Goku stopped thinking and overanalyzing his opponent, he was able to truly focus on Jiren and master the Ultra Instinct. From this point on, both fighters would reach their limits to deliver exactly what the title of the episode claims this is: the greatest showdown of all time. Unfortunately, Goku’s Ultra Instinct would run out, taking him out of the fight momentarily.

9

Jackie Chun Shows Goku There’s Always Room to Grow

Dragon Ball: Episodes 26 – 28

Master Roshi sought to put his pupil, Goku, through the ultimate test—a duel against himself. He disguised himself as a man called Jackie Chun and fought against his protégé in the World Martial Arts Tournament Grand Finals. This is the matchup early on in the series that showcased Goku’s skill to adapt in the heat of battle.

As Jackie Chun tried technique after technique to best Goku, the spiky-haired kid would learn on the fly to stay in the fight. Goku used every trick in his and Jackie Chun’s bag, using the Kamehameha wave he learned in a single day, showcasing the franchise’s first ki clash, and even copying Jackie’s after-image technique after seeing it only once. Although Goku ultimately lost, this was Roshi’s intention, so Goku could see that this wasn’t the pinnacle, inspiring him to grow even stronger.

8

Goku Discovers Hit’s Weakness And Surpasses His Limits

Dragon Ball Super: Episodes 38 – 40

When the Tournament of Destroyers began, it was easy to tell who was the most powerful fighter from Universe 6, and it was the assassin named Hit. When Goku got the chance to test out Hit’s time-skip abilities at the end of the Tournament of Destroyers, he knew he had to find the assassin’s weakness in the opening minutes of the fight. But even when Goku discovered the assassin’s weakness, Hit would prove to be no slouch.

Without any transformations to bolster his power, Hit relied on his time-skip technique and stood toe to toe with Super Saiyan Blue Goku, even pushing Goku to use Kaio-ken again. Whis would remark how evenly matched the two fighters were as the fight reached its climax. Ultimately, Goku would forfeit, seeing how Hit couldn’t use more of his assassin techniques because they were against the rules.

7

Tien Serves as Goku’s First True Rival

Dragon Ball: Episodes 97 – 101

Sorry, Krillin fans, but Goku’s first true rival was Tien Shinhan, the man he would face twice in the World’s Martial Arts Tournament. Their first encounter, in particular, was a highly contested matchup that kept both spectators in the stands and viewers at home on the edge of their seats. This battle was a brutal fight from the jump, as both fighters would give it their all to be crowned the winner of the tournament.

Their back-and-forth exchange would take to the skies after Goku narrowly evaded Tien’s Tri-Beam attack, thanks to Tien giving the heads-up. This attack would destroy the stage entirely, meaning whoever lands first loses. Goku would deliver one last strike mid-air, using his Kamehameha wave to propel himself towards Tien and land the attack. Both competitors would be sent to the ground, with Goku being the first to land just barely, with a car cutting his fall short.

6

Majin Vegeta Tries To Prove He’s Superior To Goku

Dragon Ball Z: Episodes 230 – 233

Goku and Vegeta face off against each other on numerous occasions throughout the series. For each fight, they give it their all and make it a sight to behold for the fans at home. But among all their fights, the most evenly contested one came when Vegeta allowed Babidi to take control of him (well, kind of). In that moment, Vegeta sought to resurrect the side of himself he believed was his true strength—that ruthless, unforgiving Saiyan fans were introduced during the Saiyan Saga.

The two would go Super Saiyan 2 from the start and not let up from that point on. They went back and forth, neither truly gaining the upper hand as Buu was being revived elsewhere. Their fight became a battle of wills, both fighters so evenly matched that only their willpower could determine a victor. But before reaching that point, Vegeta resorted to trickery to emerge victorious—sneaking Goku as he reached for Senzu beans.

5

Yajirobe Makes An Introduction Like No Other

Dragon Ball: Episode 105

Looking back, it’s wild how so many characters from the early days of Dragon Ball get left behind in Dragon Ball Z. There’s Launch, of course, and a handful of others, but one character that often gets forgotten is the loveable Yajirobe—especially considering the way he was introduced into the series. This wandering vagabond appeared out of nowhere after Goku ate Yajirobe’s food, or “brektis.” The two would immediately butt heads, escalating into a fight.

During his encounter with Goku, viewers could tell how powerful Yajirobe was, even causing Goku to wonder who the guy could be. Although they only had a quick exchange, Yajirobe showed he was a proven fighter that possibly rivaled Goku at this point in time. Unfortunately, he would later show he wasn’t cut out for the fighting lifestyle. If Yajirobe had been more fearless and trained more, he could’ve been something special.

4

The Inexperienced Broly Matches Up Goku’s Great Power (Before Broly Tapped into His Legendary Potential)

Dragon Ball Super: Broly

Whether it was canon or non-canon, Goku has faced some life-or-death matchups with the Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly. But perhaps one of the most evenly matched battles Goku has ever fought was against this powerful, misguided Saiyan in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. At the start, Goku was clearly the stronger of the two—he was essentially a god, while Broly had no clue what a Super Saiyan even was. But Broly quickly proved why he deserved a seat at the big kid’s table.

Thanks to his insane adaptability, Broly’s power escalated at a terrifying pace, catching up to Goku in record time to fight even on ground. Much like his fight with Vegeta, Broly’s strength surged in direct response to Goku’s transformations. But things took a serious turn when Broly learned of his father’s death. Overcome by rage, he tapped into his Super Saiyan form, catapulting himself far beyond Goku’s reach.

3

Goku Gets His Revenge Against King Piccolo

Dragon Ball: Episodes 120 – 122

King Piccolo was the big bad in the original Dragon Ball series, who killed many of Goku’s dear friends during his reign of terror. After Goku was utterly crushed in their first encounter, he finally got the chance to battle the rejuvenated King Piccolo. But Piccolo wasn’t the only one who had improved since their last fight. Having consumed the Ultra Divine Water and training well since their last encounter, Goku would confront King Piccolo and exchange blows, with Goku having the slight edge.

After tapping into his inner strength, King Piccolo would destroy Central City and weaken Goku with his Explosive Demon Wave attack. With Goku nearly down and out and practically on one foot, he would intercept Piccolo’s final attack by propelling himself into the sky with a Kamehameha wave. Here, viewers would see the iconic shot of Goku ripping a hole through Piccolo’s body, giving Goku the victory even while battered and bruised.

2

Goku Tests Goku Black’s Strength in Their First Encounter and They Struck Even

Dragon Ball Super: Episode 50

When Future Trunks returns from his timeline, he makes it known how dangerous of a threat Goku Black truly is. This corrupted version of Goku has terrorized his timeline and needed to be dealt with. It took some time, but Goku would eventually get his hands on this strange version of himself, almost like a test of strength.

Their first encounter in particular was an evenly matched contest where they put each other through the wringer. Their back-and-forth exchange would escalate as they tried to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, Goku Black’s time would run out as he is sent back to his timeline, leaving their fight at a tie. Next time around, things would turn out much differently.

1

Goku vs Frieza Made Dragon Ball Z The Most Iconic Anime Franchise of All Time

Dragon Ball Z: Episodes 87 – 104

Goku versus Frieza was the most anticipated fight in all of anime during the Frieza Saga. Every fan was on the edge of their seat to see how a refreshed Goku would fare against the mightiest villain they had ever seen in the series. When Goku finally leaves the rejuvenation tank, he arrives to save the day and delivers the fight of the century in the process.

Before the iconic Super Saiyan transformation, Goku and Frieza were going back and forth, with Goku digging deep into his bag of tricks to keep up with Frieza for about 8 episodes. Being that most Dragon Ball fights are 2-3 episodes long, this extended battle proves how evenly contested Goku versus Frieza truly was. By the time Goku turned Super Saiyan, the tides would shift in his favor, giving him the power to defeat Frieza once and for all.