Anime Characters That Are Stronger Than Goku

Summary

• Broly from Dragon Ball Super could potentially defeat Goku.
• Korosensei from Assassination Classroom could potentially defeat Goku.
• Gear 5 Luffy from One Piece could potentially stand a chance against Goku.

Goku is probably the most popular character, not only from Dragon Ball, but from anime in general. This Saiyan warrior has proven time and time again that he can defeat any foe, given enough time and training, with powers that rival even the gods of his universe.

But when considering all anime universes in general, is there someone that can stand toe to toe with Goku? While it is hard to compare one setting with another, we can make some educated guesses as to who can defeat the mighty Saiyan, either because they would put up a fight, or because they can beat him with no effort involved.

Updated on December 17, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: Goku is the undisputed champion of the Shonen genre, with many characters created as a homage to him, inspired by him, or at times in direct opposition to him. We’ve updated this article to include even more characters that could potentially beat Goku, given the right circumstances.

10

Broly

Dragon Ball Super

You don’t really need to leave the Dragon Ball universe to find characters that can beat Goku, since Broly already proved too much for our blue-haired Saiyan. In the movie, Goku had to fuse with Vegeta to defeat the powerful Broly, and of course, winning a fight by fusing doesn’t count.

In the manga, Goku manages to master the Ultra Instinct state, which might have allowed him to stand a chance against the full rage of Broly, but we don’t really know yet how those powers match up. As it stands, Goku isn’t the mightiest Saiyan of his own universe… for now.

Other than Broly, there are other characters from Dragon Ball that can beat Goku, at least on his current power level:

9

Tetsuo Shima

Akira

Understanding why Tetsuo could beat Goku is a matter of potential, since his psychic powers could rise to god-like levels if he was able to master them. If you only take the movie events as they happen, though, Tetsuo would have a hard time beating anyone, since he became a giant blob baby and then got exploded into white nothingness.

With his powers at their full potential, however, he could annihilate anyone with a thought, almost like the anime version of Doctor Manhattan. Goku doesn’t often deal with enemies that can deal with their opponents in such a way, making the fight for him or really anyone a tough one to beat.

8

Madoka Kaname

Madoka Magica

If you know nothing about Madoka Magica, this entry might seem strange, since magical school girls rarely have the power to face any Shonen character, let alone Goku. In reality, the many harsh trials Madoka goes through on her journey give her the power to not only beat Goku, but anyone that stands in her way.

This is because Madoka (and this will spoil the ending of a really good series, so you’ve been warned) gains the power to transcend the laws of time and space, able to make her own and rewrite history to her liking. If she wanted, she could have Goku never have been born, winning a battle without having it take place.

7

Alucard

Hellsing Ultimate

If you only have passing knowledge of Alucard, you’d know that he is a fearsome opponent for nearly anyone, able to regenerate from any wound and sporting high caliber pistols that can penetrate most defenses. However, Goku has faced all manner of foes, and the kind that regenerate are often dealt with by a beam to the face, atomizing their entire being.

Now, the Alucard at the end of the series is a completely different creature, due to the Schrödinger power within him. Thanks to the abilities given to him from absorbing Schrödinger (which took him about 30 years to master), Alucard cannot be defeated as long as he is aware of himself, and he can appear anywhere he wishes, even inside his opponent’s minds; Goku isn’t invulnerable, having died from diseases and even laser fire when distracted, so an Alucard that wills it with Schrödinger’s powers could kill the Saiyan from within.

6

Korosensei

Assassination Classroom

It’s hard to compare how anyone would fare in a fight against Korosensei since, within his universe, he’s an unmatched creature with blazing speed and near invulnerability. It isn’t impossible for Goku to win, but his Saiyan pride wouldn’t allow him to use Anti-Sensei weapons, so one can only guess if his fists could damage the antimatter lifeform.

Still, it wouldn’t really be a fight, since Korosensei is an expert assassin. If he wanted to, he could find a way to kill (or incapacitate) Goku without it ever becoming a fight, and we’ve been shown during the Cell saga that Goku can die from heart problems, so he isn’t immune from death outside of combat.

5

Ryomen Sukuna

Jujutsu Kaisen

Sukuna, the King of Curses, is one if not the most powerful sorcerers in the Jujutsu Kaisen universe, able to deal incredible destruction all around him thanks to his fearsome might. He was already powerful while inside Yuji Itadori, but his powers became even larger later in the series.

His deadliest ability, the Malevolent Shrine, sends slashing shockwaves that dismantle anything they touch, and that type of damage is known to be incredibly deadly in Dragon Ball: Krillin was able to deal damage to Frieza, for example. While an Ultra Instinct Goku is able to dodge nearly any attack, the Malevolent Shrine is a Domain Expansion, meaning that anything it does becomes a guaranteed hit and could easily slice away at our dear Saiyan.

4

Zeus

Shuumatsu No Valkyrie

In Shuumatsu no Valkyrie (or Record of Ragnarok), the gods are fighting the champions of humanity to see if mortals should go extinct or not. The mightiest of all the gods is Zeus, leader of the Greek Pantheon and an overwhelmingly strong opponent.

While Goku can enter a state known as Super Saiyan God, he is still a mortal as far as his own universe’s laws are concerned.

Goku would have a hard time facing off against Zeus because his Fist That Surpassed Time can hit nearly any opponent, since it bends the laws of time (granted, Goku already faced similar techniques when fighting Hit). But beyond that, the laws in the Shuumatsu no Valkyrie universe state that a mortal can’t harm a god, so unless Goku befriends a Valkyrie that grants him a godly weapon, the fight will be too one-sided.

3

Gear 5 Luffy

One Piece

Luffy has gained many abilities and skills during his time searching for the One Piece, but none really stands a chance against Goku and his world-ending powers. This all changed when Luffy gained the Gear 5, an ability that lets him bend the laws of physics not only for him, but for those around him.

While Goku is a veteran fighter, changing the rules of how physics works would disorientate anyone, giving Luffy a clear edge. It wouldn’t be an overwhelming win, but Gear 5 gives Luffy the necessary umph needed to stand a chance against Goku, as long as the fight happens far from any body of water.

2

Light Yagami

Death Note

The rules in Death Note are simple: if you have one of the Death Notes, you can write someone’s name in it, and with their face visualized on your mind, you can make that person die however you wish. This is the power Light Yagami holds, and it makes him able to potentially kill anyone he meets.

The default kill method of the Death Note is a heart attack, and as we previously mentioned, Goku has already died of one in one of the timelines. As for how Light would learn the name, well, it isn’t hard to have Goku introduce himself to anyone.

1

Saitama

One-Punch Man

The title of his series says it all: Saitama can defeat any foe with a single punch, no matter their size or power. While we don’t know exactly how the Caped Baldy earned this power, this means that not only can he defeat Goku, but also anyone else on this list.

In the manga, he has already shown greater feats of strength than Goku himself, nearly destroying Jupiter with an accidental sneeze. Much like his fight with Garou, the question isn’t if Saitama can beat Goku, the question is if he would defeat him with more than one punch.