7 Dragon Ball Characters Who Fought Goku And Should Have Won

As a huge fan of Shonen, I think it’s safe to say Dragon Ball basically set the rules for how these stories work – and that includes a healthy dose of luck for our heroes! While I genuinely think Akira Toriyama is pretty good at keeping power levels consistent (especially in the manga), it drives me crazy when villains almost beat Goku and his friends, but then just… don’t. They fumble what should be easy victories, and it’s a little frustrating as a viewer, even if it keeps the story going!

Throughout the entire Dragon Ball series – from the original Dragon Ball to DBZ, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super – Goku consistently defeats enemies who, realistically, should be much stronger. While this is often done to create dramatic moments and develop the story or characters, it still requires viewers to accept some unbelievable scenarios.

1. King Piccolo Literally Stops Goku’s Heart in the Original Dragon Ball

Akira Toriyama was ill while creating the Demon King Piccolo arc in the Dragon Ball manga. Despite this, the arc is often praised as the point where Dragon Ball really hits its stride. However, sharp-eyed fans can tell Toriyama wasn’t at his best. A clear example of this is how King Piccolo defeats Goku early in the story: he stops Goku’s heart, confirms he’s dead, and then casually leaves with a Dragon Ball.

I was really surprised when Goku’s heart just stopped again in the following chapter. It felt like Dragon Ball had never been so direct in having its hero lose, only to bring him back. Dragon Ball Super attempted to explain things away later with Bardock’s wish during the Granolah Saga, suggesting it protected Goku and his brother, but honestly, King Piccolo did win that fight. If Goku’s heart hadn’t somehow started beating again, Piccolo would have gone on to take over the world.

2. Vegeta Would Have Beaten Goku If He Didn’t Turn Into a Great Ape

During the Saiyan Saga, Vegeta was consistently more powerful than Goku, except when Goku used Kaioken times four. This gap widened dramatically when Vegeta transformed into a Great Ape. However, Vegeta’s transformation came at a significant cost. Creating an artificial moon to trigger the transformation drained a huge amount of his energy. By the time Yajirobe cut off his tail, Vegeta was weakened to the point where Gohan, Krillin, and even the injured Goku were able to hold him down.

Vegeta had a real chance to win his fight against Goku if he hadn’t transformed. Goku was completely exhausted after their energy clash, barely able to use a few more attacks and ultimately relying on a very weak Spirit Bomb. Had Vegeta remained calm, he could have easily defeated Goku. Furthermore, Gohan and Krillin wouldn’t have intervened to help; they only returned after Vegeta created the artificial moon.

3. Frieza Only Loses Because Goku Turns Super Saiyan

Without the Super Saiyan transformation, Goku wouldn’t have stood a chance against Frieza on Namek. Even with his most powerful technique, the Kaioken multiplied by twenty, Goku could only fight Frieza while Frieza was holding back significantly. It became clear the Z-Fighters were completely outmatched when Frieza revealed he hadn’t been trying his best. A Spirit Bomb wasn’t enough to defeat Frieza permanently, and like Vegeta, Frieza made one crucial mistake that ultimately led to his downfall.

Frieza likely would have defeated Goku if he’d attacked immediately after Goku used the Spirit Bomb. At that moment, Goku was vulnerable and unprepared. Instead, Frieza focused on hurting Goku’s friends, giving Goku time to recover. While this wasn’t the smartest strategy for Frieza, it created a crucial turning point in the story, allowing Goku to transform into a Super Saiyan – a pivotal and memorable moment for both the character and the series.

4. Legendary Super Saiyan Broly Basically Won His Fight With Goku

Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan is a surprisingly disappointing movie, despite being visually stunning with incredible animation, music, and fight scenes. After a whole film of struggling to defeat Broly, Goku’s ultimate plan feels anticlimactic – he simply punches him with a lot of extra power gained from Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Future Trunks. While they all contribute their energy, the victory doesn’t feel well-deserved.

Broly clearly won the fight based on everything that happened. He consistently got more powerful and was able to handle multiple Super Saiyans and a Namekian at the same time. He only lost because a Dragon Ball Z movie couldn’t realistically end with all the heroes defeated. It wasn’t Goku’s final attack that defeated Broly, but rather poor storytelling.

5. Super Buu Should Have Killed Goku in Seconds (Anime Only)

In the original Dragon Ball manga, Goku doesn’t even attempt to fight Super Buu. The story establishes that even in his Super Saiyan 3 form, Goku is only slightly stronger than Fat Buu and matches Kid Buu in power. Super Buu is simply too strong for Goku to defeat, even at his peak. However, the Dragon Ball Z anime adds a scene where Super Saiyan 3 Goku briefly battles Buutenks. This was done to buy time while Ultimate Gohan looks for the Potara earrings, and to make Goku appear powerful again.

Goku doesn’t seriously injure Buutenks during their fight, but he manages to avoid many attacks, withstand one hit, and buy time for Gohan. This unnecessary battle seriously messes up the established power levels in the Buu Saga. Buutenks was shown to be easily capable of defeating even Ultimate Gohan. He’s so powerful and quick that he could defeat Super Saiyan 3 Goku with a single blow. It’s understandable why Akira Toriyama chose not to have Goku fight Super Buu in the original manga.

6. Omega Shenron May Have Actually Killed Goku at the End of Dragon Ball GT

The ending of Dragon Ball GT is both lovely and puzzling. After Goku defeats Omega Shenron, he flies away with Shenron and the Dragon Balls, as if moving to a higher level of existence. What actually happened to Goku has been a long-running discussion among Dragon Ball fans, particularly because Omega Shenron seemingly kills Goku onscreen in Dragon Ball GT Episode 63 using a ball of negative energy.

Goku returns for the last fight with a powerful new energy, seemingly invulnerable. After the battle, he vanishes from Earth, only appearing briefly at the very end of the series. Although the writers of Dragon Ball GT deliberately kept what happened to Goku unclear, it’s heavily implied that Omega Shenron actually killed him. Something then brought Goku back—but not necessarily back to life.

7. Jiren Was the Strongest Fighter in the Tournament of Power

Jiren was overwhelmingly the strongest fighter in the Tournament of Power. Even Goku’s Ultra Instinct form wasn’t enough to defeat him on his own. Both the anime and manga versions of Dragon Ball Super show Goku and Frieza needing to work together to eliminate Jiren. Universe 7 ultimately wins because Android 17 cleverly concealed himself on the arena floor after appearing to sacrifice himself. Jiren didn’t lose because he was weak; he lost because Goku had help from his teammates.

The ending of the Universe Survival Saga is a strong narrative moment, but it doesn’t hide the fact that Jiren was significantly more powerful than Goku, Frieza, and Android 17 and could have defeated them on several occasions. He should have been able to eliminate Goku much sooner, even while Goku was using Ultra Instinct. The anime itself shows multiple instances where Jiren had the chance to win.

2026-01-18 02:35