The Strongest Characters in the 'Dragon Ball' Franchise Right Now
Move over, Super Buu, Omega Shenron & Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta.
Dragon Ball season has come upon us at full force. It was announced earlier this week that Funimation will be dubbing the show’s latest series, Dragon Ball Super, for English-speaking audiences across North America. Over the last few days, Billionaire Boys Club announced via social media that it will be releasing a Dragon Ball Z collaborative collection on November 12 in commemoration of the meta-series’ 30th anniversary. This isn’t the first time notable brands have collaborated with Akira Toriyama’s popular franchise; in recent years BAPE and XLARGE have also released DB-themed capsule collections. [Spoiler:] Most of all, Vegito, the beloved Potara fusion between Goku and Vegeta, has even reappeared as Super Saiyan Blue in the teaser for Dragon Ball Super‘s 66th episode.
For some, the Akira Toriyama manga and anime shows might just be but a piece of childhood or teenage nostalgia. For others, however, it is still a fundamental part of life. Dragon Ball season is something to be excited about and part of the fun in keeping up with the series is to figure out how powerful each character is. It’s a next-to-impossible task due to the exponential increases and occasional inconsistencies in power-scalings, not to mention alternate timelines, non-canon material and more. With the notion of god-level ki and the abundance of new strong characters introduced in the last two movies and Super, things can get even more confusing. Is Super Saiyan God stronger than Super Saiyan 4? Is Beerus stronger than Omega Shenron? Is Super Saiyan Blue really stronger than Super Saiyan God? What about Super Saiyan Rosé?
For your convenience, and in celebration of all things Dragon Ball, we’ve put together a guide to the top 16 strongest characters in the entire anime franchise right now. Taken into consideration are Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT (even though considered non-canon by Akira Toriyama) and Dragon Ball Super, as well as their respective films. Not taken into account are the alternate timeline characters and fusions suggested in Dragon Ball Heroes and Xenoverse video games as well as the the abominable James Wong-directed 2009 motion picture Dragonball Evolution. Granted, some of these are our best hypotheses based on all of the information available right now, so the list is to be viewed with a grain of salt. Super is also reaching a climatic point in its current arc, so new information and happenings in forthcoming episodes could render this list obsolete. Take a look below and let us know if you agree with the roundup. [Warning: Many spoilers ahead, proceed with caution.]
17. Future Trunks
未来のトランクス (Mirai no Torankusu)
Strongest form: Super Trunks
Race: ½ Saiyan and ½ Earthling
Occupation: Martial artist and Capsule Corporation President
Debut: Dragon Ball Z: Episode 119 “The Mysterious Youth” (December 4, 1991)
At 17, Future Trunks travelled back in time in Dragon Ball Z to warn the Z fighters about the android threat. After, Trunks went back to his timeline and killed Future Dabura and Future Babidi, preventing the resurrection of Future Majin Buu. At age 31, he returned to the present-day timeline to ask Goku and Vegeta to help fight against Goku Black. Trunks had achieved the power of Super Saiyan 2 and is able to fight on par with Super Saiyan 2 Goku, but not Super Saiyan 3. During his second fight with Zamasu and Black, Trunk was pushed to a new Super Saiyan form tentatively dubbed “Super Trunks.” The form is powerful enough to temporarily hold off both Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black and Immortal Zamasu. It is implied that this mysterious form possesses godly ki — Trunks is able to fight Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black, have a dual-aura similar Super Saiyan Blue form and is able to sense the ki of Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan Blue forms. This might be a very controversial opinion, but we would even assert that Super Trunks is more powerful than Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta as Dragon Ball GT power scaling comes nowhere close to Dragon Ball Super god-level ki.
Episode 66 update: Super Trunks sliced a weakened, de-immortalized version of Mutated Fusion Zamasu in half, seemingly defeating him. He was able to channel a Spirit Bomb (including Goku and Vegeta’s ki) into his broken sword. The current Future Trunks might be on par with or even beyond SSB Goku and SSB Vegeta in power.
16. Frieza
フリーザ (Furīza)
Strongest form: Angered Golden Frieza
Race: Frost Demon
Occupation: Emperor
Debut: Dragon Ball Z: Episode 44 “Brood of Evil” (April 18, 1990)
Frieza was the prince and the emperor of the universe and is hands down the most popular villain of the entire Dragon Ball series (discounting Vegeta). At the time of his appearance, Frieza was the biggest threat in the universe — after all, Goku achieved his Super Saiyan form for the first time after Frieza killed Krillin. However, had the Frost Demon emperor returned from the dead at the same power level today, he would be no match for many of the Z fighters. Frieza trained for four months, unfortunately, before returning back to Earth (something he has never done before because he felt no need to), and achieved an extremely powerful state called Golden Frieza. In that form, he is even stronger than Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan Blue forms independently. Frieza’s stamina, however, dropped too low for him to sustain the form because he never took time to master the state of the Ultimate Evolution. After his collapse, he was ultimately killed by a Kamehameha wave launched by Super Saiyan Blue Goku.
15. Vegeta
ベジータ (Bejīta)
Strongest form: Super Saiyan Blue
Race: Saiyan
Occupation: Prince and warrior
Debut: Dragon Ball Z: Episode 5 “Gohan’s Rage” (May 24, 1989)
Vegeta is the prince of the Saiyans and was once a ruthless villain in the series. After deciding to live on Earth and fighting alongside the Z Fighters, he character transitions from a “bad guy” to a hero. However, one of his primary goals is to defeat and surpass Goku in power. Vegeta showed extraordinary power at a young age having even surpassed his father King Vegeta, and putting his power level over 10,000 when his character was introduced. In Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta fought Beerus in his Super Saiyan 2 form and even though he was defeated, Beerus noted that he was more of a challenge than Goku in his Super Saiyan 3 form. The series does not mention how, but Vegeta eventually achieves the Super Saiyan Blue form without going through the Super Saiyan God ritual that Goku endured. Vegeta achieves his most powerful state yet in the series after entering the Hyperbolic Time Chamber alone for half a year, enough to be able to overwhelm Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black in a one-on-one. Vegeta has never been able or attempted to achieve the Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan God levels, but he’s been able to surpass them through determination and rigorous training. Currently, Vegeta is likely stronger than Goku in their SSB forms due to a rigorous half-year training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but he is unlikely to be more powerful than a SSB Goku with Kaio-Ken.
14. Goku
孫悟空 (Son Gokū); カカロット (Kakarotto)
Strongest form: Super Saiyan Blue Kiao-ken x10
Race: Saiyan
Occupation: Martial artist and farmer
Debut: Dragon Ball: Episode 1 “The Secret of the Dragon Balls” (February 26, 1986)
Goku is the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball series. Since the meta-series is based on the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West, his character is based on the Monkey King, Sun Wukong (孫悟空.) As a child Goku was a prodigy of combat, able to match one of Earth’s greatest martial arts veterans, Master Roshi. Compared to other Saiyans, however, Goku is considered to be low-level; at birth and childhood his power-level was much lower than that of Vegeta and Broly, as well as mid-level warriors like his brother Raditz. Goku was a late bloomer, as his power level drastically increased after training with King Kai and far exceeded Saiyan standards. Goku killed many of the series’ major villains, including King Piccolo, Kid Buu, Hirudegarn, Baby, Super 17, Omega Shenron, Frieza, Copy-Vegeta and more. Amongst the Z fighters, he was the first to achieve Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan 4, Super Saiyan God and possibly Super Saiyan Blue. Although Goku has tapped into god ki after his transformation to Super Saiyan God, Whis says that the Saiyan only has lowest levels of godly power. Goku’s strongest form to date comes in the form of Super Saiyan Blue combined with Kiao-ken x10, which he used to fight against Universe 6’s powerful assassin, Hit.
Episode 66 update: Goku was able to overwhelm Fusion Zamasu in a beam struggle and destroyed his halo from a kick in his SSB Kaio-Ken form.
13. Hit
ヒット (Hitto)
Strongest form: ½+ Second Time-Skip
Race: Unknown
Occupation: Hitman of Universe 6
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 32 “The Match Begins! Everyone Head to the “Nameless Planet”!” (February 21, 2016)
Hit, also known as Hit the Infallible, is Universe 6’s legendary assassin. As the most powerful team member in Team Universe 6, he was Champa’s trump card in the “Universes 6 and 7 Gods of Destruction Selection Martial Arts Competition.” Dissimilar to how most fighters manipulate their ki, Hit does not use energy blasts often and depends instead on close-range combat. He uses speedy, precise jabs to vital points in combination with his Time-Skip technique. Hit was able to defeat a drained Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta with ease at his base level of power. Because of his quick learning ability, he was able to improve his Time-Skip from one-tenth of a second to over half a second and was able to take on Goku with his Kaio-ken x10 Super Saiyan Blue form. Goku noted that Hit cannot show his true strength unless with the intention of killing and believes that Hit could have killed him if not held back by the tournament’s “no killing” rule.
12. Future Zamasu
未来のザマス (Mirai no Zamasu)
Strongest form: Immortal
Race: Shinjin (Core People)
Occupation: Former North Kai of Universe 10, former Apprentice Supreme Kai and temporary Supreme Kai
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 56 “Rematch With Goku Black! Super Saiyan Rosé Appears” (August 28, 2016)
Future Zamasu, former Supreme Kai apprentice serving the Supreme Kai of Universe 10, Gowasu and the North Kai of Universe 10, is an alternate timeline counterpart of the main timeline’s Zamasu. After meeting Goku Black (present-day Zamasu), the two gathered the Super Dragon Balls, wished for immortality for Future Zamasu, then destroyed the Dragon Balls so their wishes would not be reverted. The two would then embark on a journey to kill all mortals in order to bring justice and create a utopia. At first, Zamasu was very powerful for a Supreme Kai but unable to beat Super Saiyan 2 Goku in a fight. But since meeting Black, Zamasu’s fighting abilities have increased manyfold; he has enough strength to take on (but not overpower) Super Saiyan Blue Goku in battle. Since he is also immortal, Zamasu can regenerate and be essentially unaffected by all mortal attacks. In terms of fighting, we are aware that he is not as strong or skillful as Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta, but we believe that Zamasu with his immortality, for now, still trumps in terms of overall power in a one-on-one combat.
11. Goku Black
ゴクウブラック (Gokū Burakku)
Strongest form: Super Saiyan Rosé
Race: Former Shinjin (Core People); Saiyan
Occupation: Former North Kai of Universe 10, former Apprentice Supreme Kai and Supreme Kai
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 47 “An SOS from the Future! A Dark New Enemy Emerges!!” (June 12, 2016)
Goku Black is Zamasu from the main timeline, who stole the body of Goku. He looks nearly identical to Goku but has darker skin, sharper eyes and a skinnier physique. At first, Goku Black was said to be as powerful as Super Saiyan 3 Goku, if not more. However, he was roughly on par with Super Saiyan 2 Goku in their first fight, but after copying Goku’s fighting style and experiencing his blows, his power level rose exponentially. This allowed him to effortlessly take out Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta during their first fight. After transforming into Super Saiyan Rosé (a form that he claims has fully mastered Goku’s power and seemingly exceeds the strength of Super Saiyan Blue), Black was able to easily take down both Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta. Following his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for an equivalent to half a year’s time, Vegeta seems to have the edge over Black. Regardless, we put Black ahead of Vegeta and Goku because it doesn’t seem like the full extent of Black’s power wasn’t displayed before he fused with Future Zamasu. The show’s producer Atsushi Kido recently confirmed that outside of the God of Destruction, the strongest non-fused fighter is Goku Black.
10. Fusion Zamasu
合体ザマス (Gattai Zamasu)
Strongest form: Super Saiyan Rosé
Race: ½ Shinjin (Core People) and ½ Saiyan
Occupation: Self-ordained god
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 64 “Revere Him! Praise Him! Fusion Zamasu’s Explosive Birth!!” (October 30, 2016)
Fusion Zamasu is a Potara fusion between Goku Black (present Zamasu in Goku’s body) and Future Zamasu. He has Zamasu’s green skin, grey eyes and white hair but Goku Black’s Super Saiyan Rosé hairstyle. He possesses the power of Goku Black and Future Zamasu, which is further amplified by the Potara fusion. Fused Zamasu has the ability to deter attacks from Super Saiyan Blue Goku, Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta and Super Trunks. Because he possess both immortality and boundless potential growth, Gowasu (the Supreme Kai of Universe 10) feels that Fusion Zamasu’s powers are “limitless.” However, during a beam struggle with the combined efforts of Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta and Super Trunks, Fusion Zamasu seemed overwhelmed. A determined Super Saiyan Blue Goku also seems to be able to hold his own against Fusion Zamasu in a following beam struggle. In his mutated form (shown in the teaser of the upcoming episode), Fusion Zamasu appears to be on par with Super Saiyan Blue Vegito.
Episode 66 update: The mutated version of Fusion Zamasu seems weaker than his original halo-bearing form and he is no longer immortal as Goku Black, one half who his is, is a moral. This means that a high-damage attack could render his regenerative ability useless. A kick from Goku in SSB and Kiao-Ken form destroyed Fusion Zamasu’s halo. SSB Vegito was able to dominate and weaken him without taking in much damage. Super Trunks sliced him in half, seemingly defeating him.
9. Vegito
ベジット (Bejītto)
Strongest form: Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (Super Saiyan Blue)
Race: Fused Saiyan
Occupation: N/A
Debut: Dragon Ball Z: Episode 268 “Union of Rivals” (June 28, 1995)
Vegito is the Potara fusion between Goku and Vegeta, and is the most powerful character in Dragon Ball Z. He was able to completely dominate Super Buu (even when he was turned into a chocolate.) Vegito is said to be stronger than a Gogeta of the same level, because a more powerful fusion is achieved via Potara earrings compared to the Metamoran Fusion dance. Nonetheless, the Majin Buu saga Vegito would have trouble measuring up to even Dragon Ball Super‘s Super Trunks, because the Super Saiyan God and similar transformations are greatly beyond anything seen in Dragon Ball Z. However, Goku and Vegeta once again fuse into Super Saiyan Blue Vegito in the their forthcoming battle with a mutated Fusion Zamasu. We don’t know how well Vegito will do against him but the teaser shows that he appears to have a slight advantage. While Whis had said that Goku and Vegeta were strong enough to be on par with Beerus if they fought as a team (which implies that Vegito is stronger than Beerus), Akira Toriyama stated that Beerus was the strongest in the universe (other than Whis.) It’s difficult to come to any conclusions unless the two actually fought.
Episode 66 update: SSB Vegito dominated Mutated Fusion Zamasu and was able to weaken him without taking in much damage. However, turns out the Potara fusion only lasts for an hour on non-god characters; Vegito unfused mid-fight with Fusion Zamasu in less than that time due the the energy used to sustain the SSB form.
8. Champa
シャンパ, Shanpa
Form: Angered Mode
Race: Unknown
Occupation: God of Destruction of Universe 6
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 18 “I’ve Come Too! Training Begins on Beerus’ Planet!” (November 8, 2015)
Champa is the God of Destruction of Universe 6 and the twin brother of Beerus, the God of Destruction of Universe 7. Champa is a purple cat-like humanoid, like his twin, but with a chunkier build an a much shorter tail. He wears clothing similar to that of ancient Egyptian royalty and resembles Bastet, the goddess of warfare. Next to Vados, the Cornish Rex and sphynx cat-resembling character is the strongest being in Universe 6 and his job is to maintain balance in the universe by destroying planets. After his team was defeated by Team Universe 7 in the martial arts competition, Champa was on the verge of destroying them, including Hit. Vados implies that Champa is weaker than Beerus because of his overweight build. Champa is also shown to have low stamina, unable to move about for extended periods of time without getting exhausted. When he and Beerus were about to clash with their Spheres of Destruction, they had to be knocked out by Vados and Whis in order to prevent the destruction of both universes.
7. Beerus
ビルス, (Birusu)
Form: Angered Mode
Race: Unknown
Occupation: God of Destruction
Debut: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (March 30, 2013)
Beerus is the God of Destruction of Universe 7 and the twin brother of Champa. Like Champa, he is a purple Cornish Rex and sphynx cats-like humanoid that resembles the ancient Egyptian goddess of warfare, Bastet. Like Champa, he is hundreds of millions of years old and is feared by all the gods and powerful beings of his universe including the Kais, the Supreme Kais, Golden Frieza and Shenron; Beerus is the one responsible for sealing Old Kai inside the Z Sword due to a petty argument and he also killed Zamasu instantaneously, with ease. He was able to knock Super Saiyan 3 Goku with a chop to his neck and afterwards, Goku says that not even a Fusion of himself and Vegeta at the time would be able to take Beerus down. He effortlessly took down Majin Buu, Gohan, Gotenks and Vegeta. Beerus claimed that he used 70% of his full power to fight against Super Saiyan God Goku (who he defeated), but Toriyama notes that Golden Frieza — who is stronger than both Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta at the time they fought — is no match for Beerus no matter how hard he trains. At full power, Beerus and Champa could both destroy their respective universes.
6. Whis
ウイス (Uisu)
Form: Base
Race: Angel
Occupation: Attendant for God of Destruction and martial arts teacher
Debut: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (March 30, 2013)
Whis is an angel who serves as the attendant and martial arts teacher of Beerus, the God of Destruction. He is a thin humanoid with teal skin, white hair, and effeminate features — a large ring floats around his neck. Beerus has said that Whis is stronger than him, and Whis once demonstrated this by knocking Beerus out with a single blow to the neck. He is able to effortlessly take on Goku and Vegeta at once and claims that he is the fastest and strongest in the universe 7. He’s can move through nebulas and large parts of the universe with little effort. In terms of power, Goku as a Super Saiyan God would be a 6, Beerus would be a 10, and Whis would be a 15, according to Akira Toriyama. Nevertheless, the accuracy of this statement has been debated by fans.
5. Vados
ヴァドス (Vadosu)
Form: Base
Race: Angel
Occupation: Attendant for God of Destruction and martial arts teacher of Universe 6
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 18 “I’ve Come Too! Training Begins on Beerus’ Planet!” (November 8, 2015)
Vados is an angel who serves as the attendant and martial arts teacher of Champa, the God of Destruction of Universe 6. She is Whis’ elder sister and is also a thin humanoid with teal skin and white hair and a large ring that floats around her neck. Like Whis is to Beerus, Vados is possesses greater martial arts power to Champa and is the strongest in Universe 6. Vados claims that she is “a little bit stronger” than Whis, but he objects saying it has been a thousand years since she last trained him. Although the limit of her ability has yet to be displayed, Vados is shown to be able to effortlessly destroy an entire planet from a distance by tapping her staff. She can also carry six planet-sized Super Dragon Balls, while she was flying to the Nameless Planet.
4. Zen-Oh’s Attendants
Form: Base
Race: Unknown
Occupation: Attendants and bodyguards of King of the 12 Universes
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 40 “The Conclusion At Last! Who Will Prevail? Beerus or Champa?” (April 24, 2016)
Zen-Oh’s attendants (names currently unknown) are a pair of identical beings that serve as “bodyguards” of the Omni-King Zen-Oh. Considering Zen-Oh is the most powerful being in the entire multiverse, we don’t know what use these attendants actually have. Nonetheless, they have a very serious and respectful approach when it comes to guarding Zen-Oh. Other than the ability to warp and fly, we don’t know what these guys can do and how powerful they are precisely. As they are the attendants of the Omni-King, we assume that they should be able to take down any threat that comes his way. And since Zen-Oh doesn’t actually do any fighting, its likely his attendants who will do it for him when the need arrives.
3. Grand Priest
大神官 (Daishinkan)
Form: Base
Race: Angel
Occupation: Priest
Debut: Dragon Ball Super Episode 55 “I Want to See Son Goku – Zen-Oh-Sama’s Summoning!” (August 21, 2016)
The Grand Priest is a mysterious angel that resides at Zen-Oh’s Palace. He is short and has features like teal skin, purple eyes, and white hair, similar to that of Whis and Vados. Though the limit of his strength is currently not known, Whis claims that the Grand Priest is said to be one of the best five fighters of the multiverses. Even Whis himself, the most powerful fighter in Universe 7, claims the he is no match against the Grand Priest if they were to engage in battle. We’re not completely certain that the Grand Priest is stronger than Zeno’s attendants. However, since Whis did not mention anything about them being in the top five strongest of fighters, it can be assumed that the Grand Priest is more powerful than them.
2. Super Shenron
超神龍 (Sūpā Shenron)
Form: Base
Race: Eternal Dragon
Occupation: Dragon of the Gods
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 41 “Come Forth, Dragon of the Gods — Grant My Wish Pretty Peas!” (May 1, 2016)
Super Shenron is the most powerful Eternal Dragon (a special kind of wish-granting dragon.) He is also the largest dragon in the franchise, greater in size than clusters of galaxies. He was created when the Dragon God, Zalama, formed the Super Dragon Balls in the forty-first year of the Divine Calendar. To summon him and have him grant you wishes, you must speak in the language of the gods. Super Shenron uses the core of his presence to grant wishes instead of his true-sized form. Unlike Earth’s Shenron and Namek’s Porunga, Super Shenron can grant any wish and has no limits to what he can do. Beerus said that Super Shenron is able to destroy the universe if he wanted to. The downside is that there is only one wish per summon and that he is capable of granting a wish for the Super Dragon Balls to be destroyed, which would terminate his existence. He’s been summoned four times in Super: once by Beerus and Whis to restore Universe 6’s Earth; three times by Zamasu to switch bodies with Goku and became Goku Black, for immortality and to destroy the Super Dragon Balls. It is not known whether Super Shenron is capable of fighting (even though he swallowed an entire planet whole when he was summoned.) We also don’t know if Zalama himself is a powerful martial artist.
1. Zen-Oh
全王 (Zen’ō)
Form: Base
Race: Unknown
Occupation: King of the 12 Universes
Debut: Dragon Ball Super: Episode 40 “The Conclusion At Last! Who Will Prevail? Beerus or Champa?” (April 24, 2016)
Zen-Oh, also known as the Omni-King, is the most powerful known character in the entire Dragon Ball franchise. He is the the king of the 12 universes and the entity that is above all living beings. Zen-Oh is a very small and childlike humanoid figure who dons a pink vest featuring two “all” kanjis (全). While he does not fight, Zen-Oh possesses the ability and power to instantly annihilate anything. There used to be 18 universes but it is said that he wiped six of them out just because he was in a bad mood. The limit of his strength is currently unknown but Beerus says that Zen-Oh could erase all 12 universes in a heartbeat. Whis backs that claim, stating that there is not a single person greater than Zen-Oh in rank and power.