Dragon Ball: Every Saiyan’s Highest Recorded Power Level, Officially Ranked

Although they seem central to the series, Power Levels were only a major plot point in Dragon Ball Z for three story arcs. They first appeared during the Saiyan Saga and were last explicitly used when Future Trunks arrived at the start of the Cell Saga. After that, Akira Toriyama stopped writing them directly into the story. Since then, Power Levels have mostly been referenced as background information about the Saiyans, with brief reappearances in Dragon Ball Super: Broly and the Granolah Saga.

As a longtime fan, I’ve noticed something interesting about the Dragon Ball series. Despite all the anime, manga, movies, and guidebooks, official Power Levels for characters – even the Saiyans – are surprisingly rare. For example, King Vegeta, Vegeta’s father, never actually had a recorded Power Level. However, looking at what Vegeta says in the manga and how he reacted to Baby Broly in DBS: Broly, it’s likely his Power Level was only around 10,000 when he died. That’s pretty low when you consider how powerful Super Saiyan Goku became by the end of the Frieza Saga, and even more so compared to the strongest Saiyans we see in Dragon Ball Z.

11. Future Trunks: 5 (Really 3,000,000)

As a huge Dragon Ball Z fan, I always found it fascinating that the very first Power Level we see – 5 – is also the last! Remember when Raditz scanned that farmer with a shotgun and got a reading of 5? And then, incredibly, Future Trunks actually hid his power and lowered it to 5 when he first showed up, fooling Frieza’s guys! Of course, we all know Trunks was way, way stronger than that – he absolutely demolished those soldiers, then took down King Cold and Mecha-Frieza with unbelievable speed. It’s just a really cool detail the creators slipped in there!

Given that Future Trunks is about as powerful as Goku was when he fought on Namek, it’s reasonable to estimate his power level around 3,000,000. In his timeline, Future Gohan thought Super Saiyan Goku was the strongest being, only surpassed by his father. When they fought, Super Saiyan Goku and Super Saiyan Future Trunks were equals, and some characters even confused Trunks’ energy for Goku’s before realizing who he was.

10. Raditz: 1,500

Although Raditz is now considered one of the weaker villains in Dragon Ball, he was initially Goku’s most powerful opponent. When he first appeared at the beginning of the Saiyan Saga, Raditz’s Power Level of 1,500 was significantly higher than Goku’s (416) and Piccolo’s (408), even when they were at their strongest.

Goku had to sacrifice himself to defeat Raditz because their power difference was enormous – over 1,000 units. The difficulty Goku and Piccolo had fighting Raditz highlights how quickly power levels increased throughout the early parts of Dragon Ball Z, especially as the story moved toward the Frieza Saga.

9. Nappa: 4,000

Nappa was a powerful Saiyan warrior and Vegeta’s closest ally. He was significantly stronger than Raditz and caused more deaths among the Z-Fighters in one battle than any villain except Super Buu. With a Power Level of 4,000, Nappa was a tough opponent – it took the combined efforts of Tien, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan just to compete. Ultimately, no one could defeat him until Goku arrived and decisively won with the Kaioken technique.

I remember watching the fight with Nappa and being amazed at how close Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin came to actually finishing him off several times. They really worked well as a team, and at one point, Krillin and Piccolo had Nappa in a combo that should have ended it, but Gohan hesitated and backed down. It felt like Toriyama was trying to show us throughout the whole Saiyan Saga that the Z-Fighters could win, even against stronger opponents, as long as they fought smart and worked together.

8. Paragus: 4,200

Before Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, Paragus was remarkably powerful – one of the strongest Saiyans. It’s no surprise his son, Broly, was born with an incredibly high Power Level of 10,000. While Paragus wasn’t strong enough to beat King Vegeta, he was able to survive the harsh conditions of Vampa and would have defeated almost every other Saiyan at the beginning of the Saiyan Saga, with Vegeta being the only exception.

By the start of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Paragus is much too old and weak to pose a threat to anyone—not even the weaker Z-Fighters like Yamcha or Chiaotzu, let alone Goku, Vegeta, or Frieza. Frieza ultimately kills Paragus and falsely claims it happened during the battle between Broly and Goku & Vegeta, hoping to trigger Broly’s transformation into a Super Saiyan.

7. Bardock: 10,000

Though Bardock is a low-ranking Saiyan, he’s incredibly strong. After fighting Dodoria in the Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku special, he gains a massive power boost, reaching a Power Level of 10,000. This makes him more powerful than all other Saiyans except for Prince Vegeta. Sadly, Bardock quickly faces Frieza and perishes along with the rest of his people on Planet Vegeta.

Although Dragon Ball Super doesn’t state Bardock’s exact power level, he appears to be as strong, or even stronger, than he was in the original Bardock special. During a flashback in the Granolah Saga, he fights impressively against Gas and even briefly demonstrates a technique remarkably similar to Ultra Instinct. It’s reasonable to believe Bardock reached a power level in the ten-thousands before his death, even within the Dragon Ball Super timeline.

6. Gohan: 200,000

Similar to other characters, Gohan’s last officially measured power level in Dragon Ball Z occurred during his fight with Frieza on Namek. After several power-ups and with Guru unlocking his hidden potential, Gohan’s power reached 200,000. Considering his ability to increase power when angry, it’s likely Gohan’s power briefly went even higher.

Second Form Frieza is incredibly powerful, with a Power Level of over a million. Although Gohan managed to land some attacks that registered in the millions, his normal Power Level was only around 200,000. He could only get in a few good hits before needing Piccolo to rescue him.

5. Vegeta: 250,000

At the start of the Saiyan Saga, Vegeta’s power level is 18,000, but it dramatically increases to 250,000 by the end of the Frieza Saga. This huge growth happens on the planet Namek thanks to repeated power boosts he receives while fighting opponents like Zarbon, the Ginyu Force, and ultimately Frieza. Despite this incredible improvement, Vegeta still isn’t powerful enough to defeat Frieza.

In his last fight with Frieza, Vegeta was completely overwhelmed and brutally defeated, ultimately dying before Goku’s eyes. Humiliated, he pleaded with Goku to finish off Frieza and carry the Saiyan race’s honor. Even if Vegeta had transformed into a Super Saiyan on Namek, it wouldn’t have been enough to defeat Frieza, as Frieza in his final form, at full power, would have eventually won the fight.

4. Fruit of Might Boosted Turles: 300,000

While not officially part of the main Dragon Ball Z storyline, Turles is incredibly powerful. Even before gaining extra strength from the Fruit of the Tree of Might in Dragon Ball Z Movie 3, he could hold his own against Goku, despite Goku having a Power Level of around 30,000 – significantly higher than most Saiyans seen in the early part of the series, and even surpassing Turles’ own base Power Level of around 19,000.

Man, when Turles finally eats the Fruit from the Tree of Might, his power just skyrockets to 300,000! That puts him just a little below First Form Frieza, which is insane. And think about it – if he ate another Fruit, he’d probably be as strong as Final Form Frieza, maybe even rival Super Saiyan Goku during the Namek saga! Honestly, when you look at how much power he gets from just one Fruit, Turles is seriously one of the most ridiculously powerful characters in all of DBZ.

3. Super Saiyan Goku: 150,000,000

Without Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan on Namek, Frieza in his final form would have been unbeatable. The Super Saiyan transformation drastically increased Goku’s power, allowing him to defeat Frieza. Although the Dragon Ball Z anime presents their battle as more balanced, the original Dragon Ball manga clearly shows that Super Saiyan Goku is far more powerful than Frieza, boasting a power level of over 3,000,000.

Even using his full power, Frieza was no match for Super Saiyan Goku, who skillfully dodged his attacks and wore him down. Goku could have finished Frieza off at any moment, but he intentionally prolonged the fight to prove his own compassion and maintain his humanity. Originally, Goku succumbed to the Heart Virus shortly after returning to Earth, but in the ongoing story of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, his strength continues to grow.

2. Legendary Super Saiyan Broly: 1,400,000,000

The original version of Broly in Dragon Ball Z was created to be the most powerful enemy the Z-Fighters would ever encounter. His Legendary Super Saiyan transformation constantly increases his strength as he battles, allowing his power to reach incredible levels if he isn’t stopped. Interestingly, Broly actually wins within his own movie; he’s only defeated because of Goku’s unexpected and unusually powerful punch, which doesn’t follow the established rules of power levels, allowing the heroes to ultimately succeed.

While his exact power isn’t officially stated, the Broly from Dragon Ball Super is incredibly strong. He’s so powerful that Goku and Vegeta have to combine into the warrior Gogeta just to fight him. Even then, Gogeta needs to transform into the godlike Super Saiyan Blue form to finally win. Broly’s strength is beyond anything that can be measured.

2026-02-02 03:37