Goku may be Dragon Ball‘s main character, but that doesn’t mean he’s always going to be the one to defeat the series’ villains. Throughout the original Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and even Dragon Ball Super, Goku misses out on a fair share of battles, even outright losing some (especially in Dragon Ball Super). Dragon Ball Z even makes a habit of knocking Goku out of commission so he can’t just defeat all the fodder villains himself.
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For every villain Goku beats, there are two he didn’t defeat, giving the rest of Dragon Ball‘s cast some time in the spotlight. In fact, as far as Dragon Ball Z is concerned, the only major villains Goku beats are Nappa, Recoome, Burter, Frieza, Yakon, and Majin Buu – and keep in mind, calling Nappa, Recoome, Burter, and Yakon “major villains” is a bit of a stretch. Goku’s track record is even worse in Dragon Ball Super, but the manga at least gives him some major wins in the Moro and Granolah Sagas.
Commander Red is Killed By Staff Officer Black While Goku Destroys the Red Ribbon Army
Commander Red’s death in the Red Ribbon Army Saga is one of the biggest surprises in the saga. While Goku storms the Red Ribbon base and starts killing soldiers left and right, Red accidentally reveals to Staff Officer Black the real reason he wants the Dragon Balls. It’s not for world domination, but so he can be taller.
Infuriated he dedicated his life to such a stupid and selfish cause, Staff Officer Black shoots Commander Red in the head and takes control of the army’s remnants. Unfortunately for Commander Black, Goku immediately shows up and almost immediately wins their fight. Even piloting a mech isn’t enough to stop Goku. Goku launches himself into Commander Black’s mech, causing it to self-destruct and kill the new commander mere moments after his promotion.
Upa, Puar, & Yamcha Defeat Fangs the Vampire & See-Through the Invisible Man Before Goku Can Fight in Baba’s Tournament
Goku doesn’t take part in Fortuneteller Baba’s Tournament until the third round, giving Upa, Puar, and Yamcha a rare opportunity to shine in the spotlight. After Krillin loses to Fangs the Vampire in the first round, Baba allows Puar and Upa to work together for their battle. By eating garlic, having Puar turn into a hedgehog, and Upa arranging his body like a cross, the pair are able to spook Fangs enough where he turns into a bat and tries to fly away, only for Puar to turn into a flyswatter and knock him out of bounds.
The two immediately forfeit after, letting Yamcha fight See-Through the Invisible Man. Yamcha actually manages to do some real damage to See-Through by listening to his movements and anticipating where he’ll stick, but once Baba starts singing over the noise, Krillin comes up with a plan to help Yamcha win. By pulling down Bulma’s top in front of Roshi, Roshi’s nosebleed covers See-Through – making him visible – allowing Yamcha to effortlessly defeat him.
Krillin Beats Chiaotzu & Tien Defeats Goku in the 22nd World Tournament
The 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai is the only tournament arc in Dragon Ball where it feels like anyone can win. During the quarter-finals, Krillin is paired up against Chiaotzu and manages to defeat the Crane School student by using basic math (a callback to Roshi giving Goku and Krillin traditional schooling as part of their training). Interestingly, the GBA game Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure has Goku battle Chiaotzu in the quarter-finals instead of Krillin.
Goku eventually makes it to the finals, where he squares off against Tien. Through their battle, Goku shows Tien what it means to be a true martial artist and Tien decides he doesn’t want to be an assassin anymore, completing his redemption arc. In the end, Tien just narrowly defeats Goku due to bad luck when Goku is struck by a car following their Kamehameha collision. Goku would eventually win a rematch against Tien in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, before being crowned Strongest Under the Heavens by beating Piccolo Jr.
Yajirobe Kills & Eats Cymbal After Beating Goku at Rock, Paper, Scissors
After losing to Tambourine in the King Piccolo Saga and getting his Nimbus Cloud destroyed, Goku runs into Yajirobe in the jungle. After accidentally stealing his meal, the two briefly spar and Goku notes that he’s never met anyone as strong as Yajirobe (a truly crazy feat considering Goku just fought and lost to Tien Shinhan in the 22nd World Tournament). Shortly after, Cymbal arrives to take Yajirobe’s Dragon Ball to King Piccolo.
After Yajirobe wins his rock, paper, scissors match against Goku to determine who will fight Cymbal, he immediately cuts the demon in half and then literally cooks & eats him. Yajirobe only fights two more times in Dragon Ball, against Kami in the 23rd World Tournament and later Vegeta. If he kept training, Yajirobe could have likely become the strongest human in the series.
Goku Isn’t Strong Enough to Beat Raditz or Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga
Dragon Ball Z kicks off with an incredible start as Goku’s brother Raditz arrives to let him know the series’ main character is actually an alien. To make matters worse, Raditz is significantly stronger than any villain Goku fought in the original Dragon Ball. Even teaming up with Piccolo isn’t enough for them to overpower the Saiyan invader. Goku only manages to stop Raditz by sacrificing himself so that Piccolo can kill them both.
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After training in the Other World with King Kai, Goku is revived to fight Nappa and Vegeta at the end of the Saiyan Saga. Unfortunately, Vegeta proves to be much too powerful. While Goku is able to surpass Vegeta’s Power Level with Kaioken x 4 and win their beam struggle, Vegeta comes extremely close to killing Goku once he turns into a Great Ape. Goku is only saved thanks to a joint effort from Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe.
Vegeta Kills Cui, Dodoria, and Zarbon Before Goku Can Even Get To Namek
Goku takes his sweet time getting to Namek, so Dragon Ball Z briefly has Vegeta take on the role of the protagonist. The only character strong enough to fight off Frieza’s army, Vegeta systematically takes out all of Frieza’s lieutenants one by one. Although they used to be equal in power, Vegeta’s near-death experience on Earth gave him a massive Zenkai boost which allows him to kill Cui with ease.
He then hunts down and defeats Dodoria, but not before learning that Frieza personally destroyed Planet Vegeta himself. Vegeta does much worse in his battle with Zarbon, but a second Zenkai boost makes him powerful enough to kill Zarbon in his transformed state during their rematch.
Vegeta Kills Guldo While Captain Ginyu Outsmarts Goku By Swapping Bodies
Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta’s battle with the Ginyu Force begins shortly before Goku arrives on Namek. While Goku manages to take out Recoome and Burter himself, he’s not around to fight off Guldo. Krillin and Gohan come very close to dying during the fight, but are saved by Vegeta at the literal last second. Goku ends up faring very well in his fight against Captain Ginyu when he arrives, but even then, he’s outsmarted.
Ginyu swaps bodies with Goku, leaving the Saiyan in a dying form. Fortunately, Ginyu has no clue how to use any of his abilities, let alone charge up his Ki, so both Gohan and Krillin are able to keep him at bay. Vegeta comes very close to killing Ginyu-Goku, but when Ginyu uses his body swap technique once again, Goku jumps in to reclaim his original body. From there, Ginyu tries and fails to body swap one last time, ending up in a frog.
Goku Doesn’t Beat Any of the Androids in the Cell Saga
Goku’s track record in the Cell Saga is nothing short of terrible. Goku’s Heart Virus kicks in during his fight with Android 19, leaving him utterly defenseless until Vegeta swoops in to save him. After that, Goku is out of commission until Cell awakens. Dr. Gero is killed by Android 17, Androids 17 and 18 are absorbed by Cell (the latter without even a fight), and Android 16 is killed by Cell for good in the Cell Games.
To make matters worse, Goku even loses to a Cell Junior after exhausting all of his energy fighting Cell. It’s probably for the best Goku’s Heart Virus triggered when it did. Androids 17 and 18 were leagues stronger than the Z-Fighters when they were activated, and Android 16’s Power Level is on par with Imperfect Cell’s. Goku almost certainly would have been killed.
Goku Gives Up Fighting Perfect Cell When He Realizes He Won’t Be Able To Win
Goku’s fight with Perfect Cell during the Cell Games is one of Dragon Ball Z‘s absolute best. The battle really feels like a swan song for Goku before he passes on the torch to Gohan and sacrifices his life at the end of the Cell Saga. After putting his absolute all in fighting Cell, Goku realizes that he simply cannot beat the Artificial Human. In a shock to the Z-Fighters and audience, Goku gives up and tells Cell he’ll be fighting Gohan.
Gohan, of course, ends up killing Cell when all is said and done, but what makes Goku’s forfeiture interesting is how it calls back to Master Roshi’s actions in the original Dragon Ball. While fighting Tien in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, Roshi realizes that the next generation is strong and capable enough where he doesn’t need to fight through the tournament as Jackie Chun in order to humble them. By quitting against Tien, Jackie Chun passes the torch onto the next generation in the same way Goku does to Gohan.
Beerus is Simply Too Powerful For Super Saiyan God Goku
Goku loses so much in Dragon Ball Super, that him failing to beat Beerus in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is just par for the course – but at the time, Goku losing to a movie’s main villain was actually a massive deal and highly subversive for Dragon Ball. After unlocking Super Saiyan God through the God Ritual, the best Goku can do is push Beerus to use 70% of his full power in the film – even less according to Dragon Ball Super’s anime and manga canon.
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Goku has been trying to surpass and catch up to Beerus ever since. Any time Goku unlocks a new form in Dragon Ball Super, it’s almost always revealed that Beerus is still quite a bit stronger. Even mastering Ultra Instinct hasn’t been enough for Goku to catch up. The only way Goku will ever beat Beerus is if Dragon Ball Super is about to end for good.
Vegeta Beats Frost, Magetta, Cabba, and Leaves Hit to Goku – Just to Lose
Goku does not have an amazing showing in Dragon Ball Super‘s first tournament arc. Vegeta takes the bulk of the fights and wins in the Tournament of Destroyers, winning three of his four battles. Vegeta effortlessly defeats Frost, manages to beat Magetta after insulting his foe, and uses his battle with Cabba as a teaching opportunity for the Universe 6 Saiyan.
When it comes time to fight Hit, Vegeta is so exhausted and blind-sided by the assassin’s time skip ability, that he’s almost immediately knocked out. Goku fares much better against Hit than Vegeta did, and actually could have won if he wanted to. By mixing Super Saiyan Blue with Kaioken in the anime – and simply overpowering Hit with SSB in the manga – Goku ends up much stronger than his opponent. Unfortunately, Goku realizes that Hit can’t go all out and fight to kill in a tournament setting, so he forfeits the match so he can see Monaka in action.
Goku Fails To Finish Off Zamasu in The Goku Black Saga
Things do not go well for Future Trunks’ timeline in the Goku Black Saga. Although Goku is physically stronger than Zamasu, the Kai’s immortality makes him impossible to defeat – worse, Goku Black has full knowledge of Goku’s abilities and Super Saiyan Rosé Goku Black proves to be overwhelmingly powerful. By the time Goku Black and Zamasu use the Potara earrings to fuse into Fused Zamasu, the Z-Fighters’ defeat is all but guaranteed.
In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Goku actually comes extremely close to erasing Zamasu from existence. Unfortunately, Goku interrupts Goku’s Hakai by pulling in Mai as a hostage. In both the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga, Goku is forced to call upon Zeno to literally erase Trunks’ timeline as a last-ditch effort to stop Zamasu.
Goku Couldn’t Beat Broly Without Resorting To Fusion in Dragon Ball Super: Broly
As Broly grows stronger by battling in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Goku soon finds himself totally outclassed. Even Goku and Vegeta teaming up and turning Super Saiyan Blue isn’t enough to put down Super Saiyan Broly. Base Broly is even strong enough to severely outclass Super Saiyan God Goku, which is an almost unbelievable feat in and of itself.
Once Broly turns into a Legendary Super Saiyan, Goku’s only hope at fighting back is performing the fusion dance with Vegeta in order to become Gogeta. Gogeta ends up more than strong enough to defeat Broly himself, but even the fused fighter is forced to turn Super Saiyan Blue in order to secure a decisive victory. As of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, it’s unclear if Broly is still signifcantly stronger than Goku.
Goku Completely Misses The Final Battle With Cell Max in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
By virtue of spending his entire time in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero sparring with Vegeta on Beerus’ Planet, Goku never so much as sees Cell Max. Piccolo and Gohan are left to deal with Cell’s pseudo-return all on their own. Although Piccolo questions whether Goku would be strong enough to stop Cell Max himself, logic dictates Ultra Instinct Goku could have beaten Cell Max.
After all, why would Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero go through so much trouble to keep Goku out of the action? In the end, Gohan Beast kills Cell Max before the villain can reach his perfect form, albeit with help from Orange Piccolo, Gamma 2, and the few Z-Fighters who show up to help in the final battle. All the while, Goku is defeated by Vegeta in their first fair & square duel – though Goku doesn’t seem particularly bothered by his loss.
- Created by
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Akira Toriyama
- First TV Show
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Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Upcoming TV Shows
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Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First Episode Air Date
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February 26, 1986
- TV Show(s)
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Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA
