30+ Characters That Can Beat Goku (RANKED) • iWA (2024)

Updated May 7, 2024 by testing

Goku is considered one of the most powerful characters in the anime verse. Every single MC is compared to him in terms of strength and speed. Online, there are hundreds of different debates that always end up in a small fight to determine whether Goku can be defeated by anyone.

The answer to that question is yes. As overpowered as Goku is, he certainly has limits as well as weaknesses. He is not an omnipotent being that transcends the laws that control the world.

In many anime, Isekai or other genres, we have the presence of Gods and Deities that are without a doubt stronger than the living being they look after.

Some are creators, some are destructors, some are so powerful that their strength cannot be described. However, not only are gods above our Saiyan, but people that are able to use magic also have the edge in a fight against him.

Enough rumbling on the subject, let’s get right into it. I present to you a list of all the characters that can definitely defeat Goku, even in his Ultra Instinct mode.

31. Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto

Coming in last, we have the famous Sasuke Uchiha. But hey, hold your horses, regardless of his position in the ranking, he is not a ninja you should take lightly.

He is the last survivor of the Uchiha Clan and one of Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja’s students. He was handpicked by “the” Orochimaru to become his vessel and recruited by the Akatsukis to join their ranks because of his unbelievable strength and determination.

He is regarded as a genius of his generation and he is the only man that Naruto Uzumaki regards as his rival as well as his equal. He managed to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan as well as the Rinnegan all on his own. And the proof of his power can still go on for pages.

No matter how beaten up, no matter how tired, no matter the pain, he is a man that will always achieve his goals. If he sets his mind to defeating Goku, I believe he will.

30. Alucard from Hellsing

Alucard is a vampire. However, he is just not your everyday blood-sucking monster. He is believed to be the most powerful of his kind. The list of his powers and abilities is a long one. Like all vampires, he has superhuman strength, until now, the magnitude of his power is still unknown.

He is also extremely fast, too fast for our mundane eyes to follow. With superhuman speed comes, of course, superhuman reflexes that allow him to dodge almost any attack.

One of the main assets of a vampire is their regeneration ability. Alucard can recover instantly from any injury. While other vampires would succumb to Holy Weapons, they aren’t really a threat to him, he just takes some more seconds for him to heal completely. He still has many more overpowered abilities which will most probably be effective even against an opponent like Goku.

He is a terrifying monster that isn’t scared one bit by death and will welcome any challenge that comes his way. He will view Goku as an amusing game that will give him lots and lots of entertaining trouble.

29. Lain Iwakura from Serial Experiment Lain

Lain Iwakura is only 14 and yet she possesses powers that allow her to control and distort space. She was nothing more than a shy kid until she was chosen to become the sentient computer program created to become the barrier between the real world and the wired.

However, she was not chosen randomly. The girl’s brain literally works like a computer. She is extremely intelligent and witty; she doesn’t use strength to overpower her enemies, but tactics and strategies.

Combine that with the overwhelming abilities that she acquired thanks to her title, which makes her kind of overpowered, don’t you think? We always say that the brain is just as important, maybe even more important than physical abilities, well she is one of the characters that will confirm that statement.

Pit her against the brainless Goku and let’s see who will end up victorious. I put my money on Lain.

28. Kaguya Otsutsuki from Naruto

Kaguya is the basis of everything in the Naruto series. She is the one who founded the Villages. She was the first person on Earth to acquire the power of Chakra. Later on, she merged with the God Tree and turned into the Ten-Tail.

During their battle against Madara, when Naruto and Kurama tried to determine the strength of the beast, they were shocked. They revealed that it was unmeasurable, and limitless.

When Kaguya was revived, she went up against both Naruto and Sasuke. She overwhelmed them easily. It was truly a miracle that they won the final round. However, if they did not have each other’s support as well as their friends, they would’ve been crushed in no time.

Kaguya was one of the most terrifying enemies they ever had to face and yet they couldn’t help but feel respect towards her achievements. She is a prideful woman who will fight for her goals, and she will crush whoever comes in her way, even if it’s an overpowered Saiyan.

27. Ryuk from Death Note

The peculiar Shinigami may look and act silly, but believe me when I tell you, he certainly isn’t. He dropped his Death Note in the human world after stealing another one for himself. He broke two sacred rules without even fearing the retribution of the God that rules his world.

He is very calculative and always has an ulterior motive. He is a being you should always be wary of. Plus, the notebook that he possesses is an ultimate weapon that no one can escape from, not even Goku.

The rules of the Death Note are easy to follow. If you know the real name and the appearance of your target, you just have to write that name in the book and he will die of a heart attack.

Now you may tell me that the solution is to hide your true name. However, that doesn’t work on Ryuk or any other Shinigami for that matter, since they can see your true name hovering over your heads with their Shinigami eyes. So he can kill Goku just with the help of a pen.

26. Kumoko Shiraori from So I’m a Spider, So What?

Kumoko Shiraori is a god known as Shiro, meaning white. When she first appeared in the series, she was introduced as a mysterious being who was one of the commanders in the Tenth Demon Army.

Very secretive about herself and her abilities, but it turned out that she is one of the most powerful warriors in that universe. She was able to decimate the last Hero, Julius, along and party with a single move.

The enumeration of her many powers and abilities is too long to mention. In the domain of the System, she is impossible to kill.

Although Goku is a bad match for her, she definitely has a great chance against him given the right circ*mstances.

25. Vegeta from Dragon Ball

Vegeta was always one step behind Goku. He sees Goku as his ultimate rival, while Goku really doesn’t see him as a threat anymore.

However, since he started training under Whis, he has caught up to him. Finally, on the same level, his enjoyment didn’t last since Goku powered up once again when he mastered “Ultra Instinct”. It was obvious that that power was made just for him and it looked like it was over for Vegeta but the Prince never gave up.

He acquired a new form called “Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Evolution“, but it wasn’t enough. He continued to train and fight and struggle, and in the end, he got his ultimate form, “Ultra Ego”.

That form gives Vegeta the Ki of a God of Destruction. As long as he is in that form his power will grow without limit if his fighting spirit keeps on increasing. Ultra Instinct, on the other hand, only increases Goku’s efficiency and power as long as he keeps on evading and counter attacking.

From the description alone, we already know who is superior.

24. Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass

Lelouch is the forsaken Prince of Britannia. He was abandoned by his family, changed his name, and lived lowering his head all his life. Lelouch is one of the brightest minds in the anime world. Even without the power that he possesses, he would still be on the list as one of the most powerful anime characters.

Not just indescribably intelligent, he was bestowed upon by CC, the Geass. He just has to look straight into the eyes of his target and he can command him or her to do absolutely anything.

Using his wits, he destroyed the world as we know it and rebuilt it anew. All went according to plan. Everyone was dancing in the palm of his hands, even after his death. And he even turned into an immortal being, making him an opponent that can never die.

The only problem is that his physical abilities are close to none. A 9-year-old would easily defeat him in a fight.

23. Mephisto Pheles from Blue Exorcist

Not just very cunning and extremely witted, Mephisto is also the kind of character that loves to hide his strength and just sit back and watch as his enemies are at each other’s throats, most probably because of one of his sneaky plans.

He is a natural enemy to all those who rely on their pure physical prowess to defeat their opponents. One of Goku’s most critical qualities is his speed. Well, Mephisto is the King of Time.

A little bit of magic and Goku will be frozen still for as long as the Demon desires. Of course, killing him would be just as easy.

22. Broly from Dragon Ball

When it comes to explaining why Broly is definitely stronger than Goku, I will only rely on the statement of Dragon Ball Z’s screenwriter, Takao Koyama.

He confessed that Broly is the MOST powerful Saiyan in the entire universe. The legendary Super Saiyan Broly, in his Super Saiyan form, is the ultimate warrior and cannot be defeated.

21. Garou from One Punch Man

Like Goku, Garou is an expert Martial Artist. Technically, his strength, speed, reflexes, durability, and senses should be as sharp, if not sharper than Goku.

Plus, he possesses special abilities that turn him into a real monster on the battlefield. In a fight against Goku, he would use the perfect combination of moves to counter every overpowered attack that the Saiyan can activate.

Very prideful and stubborn, defeat is not an option for him. He also ascended on another level on the manga.

20. Jin Mori from The God Of High School

Jin Mori is said to be the god over everything. In the manhwa, he extinguished the Sun by using one puny kick.

He adjusts to any situation in no time, he starts by holding back, studies his opponents, his techniques, and his habits, and he keeps on gaining more and more power as the battle goes on.

When Goku will eventually hit his limit, he will still be growing and will eventually gain the upper hand using brute strength alone.

19. Accelerator from Accelerator A Certain Magical Index

Accelerator has a Vector Transformation-based ability, in other words, he can control the magnitude and direction and impact objects that possess vectors, for example: bullets or electricity. In short, he can redirect forces.

His abilities make him the most bothersome opponent for Goku. All his attacks are based on forces that Accelerator can throw right back at him.

Also, it was proven that Goku can perish from conditions like heart diseases and Accelerator has the ability to make him suffer from one.

It was also said in the anime that Accelerator is capable of surviving the obliteration of the Earth. So his durability is also off the charts. Accelerator could definitely win against our Saiyan.

18. Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi Suzumiya is a terrifying little girl since she isn’t aware of the power that she possesses. On a whim or out of boredom, she can alter reality, destroy our world and create a new one. She does it unconsciously and continuously.

She can use her ability every day without suffering from any kind of after-effects. It doesn’t make her tired, and it won’t eventually kill her if she abuses it, so if something pisses her off, she can just rewrite the world and erase the bug from existence. Obviously, that bug can also be Goku.

Her power could be described as omnipotent. It’s a gift that makes her a god in human flesh, a god that can sniff out Goku if she wishes to do so.

17. Misogi Kumagawa from Medaka Box

Like Haruki Suzumiya, Misogi Kumagawa has a very similar ability called “All Fiction” that allows him to alter or reverse reality.

To him, reality is nothing since he can make it a fictional one by rewriting it into his own alternate reality. In the manga, he also died once and came back to life using that same ability.

Even if Goku ever manages to kill him, the guy can just come back and try again as many times as he wants while changing the world to gain the necessary advantage over his opponent.

16. Yukari Yakumo from Touhou Project

Yukari Yakumo has the power to manipulate boundaries. Time and space are at her mercy, she can alter them at will and even create her own personal dimension that she can access whenever, wherever.

In a nutshell, her abilities are very similar to the two previous characters, and she can beat Goku for the same reason they can.

15. Truth from FullMetal Alchemist

All paths lead to the truth, literally. No matter his choices or his actions, Goku will one day face this creepy guy at the end of the road.

He is some kind of a god, an omnipotent being that is a “knows it all” type, and I’m not being sarcastic. Although battles aren’t really his thing, he still likes to indulge in occasional fistfights with a worthy opponent.

Well, Goku is certainly worthy… for entertainment, that is. He’ll most probably end up in millions of minuscule particles scattered across universes.

14. Nanika from Hunter x Hunter

In a world filled with overpowered characters like Meruem, Isaac Netero, Neferpitoue, Zeno Zoldyck, and so much more, there is one that outshines them all. Believed to be a girl, but she is in fact a dude. We have Nanika, a mysterious being living inside Alluka Zoldyck’s body.

Her Nen ability has no restrictions, no secondary effects, no dangerous consequences, and can fulfill ANY wish at a price from the person asking. Of course, if she asks for herself particularly for her brother Killua, then it’s for free—favoritism in the flesh.

In the anime, many people were seen crushed or twisted to death as a consequence of unpaid fees. That can also happen to Goku due to a wish. Nothing is impossible for Nanika.

13. The Creator from Umineko When They Cry

The Creator is not just one person, it’s a title given to all the witches who overcame the boundaries of the Witch Domain. They are beings who accepted and welcomed oblivion to turn into omnipotent Gods. They stand above the very laws that dictate our world. They know no restriction or limit.

Among their many abilities, those are the most critical ones: reality warping, time and earth manipulation, existence erasure, immortality for themselves, resurrection for mortal beings, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, magic, soul and void manipulation, beyond-dimensional existence.

They can defeat Goku with the flick of a finger. They are what I call overpowered.

12. Anti-Spiral from Gurren Lagann

The thing is, since Goku relies only on sheer strength, any kind of special ability that can alter reality or time will most probably be able to defeat him since he has no way of fighting back against that.

Anti-spiral is a collective consciousness that acquired a physical body, and he is Guren Lagann’s main antagonist. He is equal to a god, so he possesses most of the omnipotent abilities we can think of.

Some examples are: omnipresence and omniscience, reality warping, energy manipulation, teleportation, telepathy, infinite multiverse labyrinth, resurrection, probability alteration, and shapeshifting.

So now try imagining a fight between him and Goku. Who do you think will come out on top?

11. Shigaraki Tomura from My Hero Academia

He is the leader of the League of Villains and the one who inherited the Quirk “All For One”. His ultimate goal is to defeat the Symbol of Peace, the most powerful hero in the series, All Might.

His physical and analytical abilities are off the charts, and one of his many Quirks has a very probable chance of ending Goku. That Quirk is called “Decay” and with it, he can disintegrate anything he touches with his entire fingers.

He is an extraordinary adversary who is considered the number one villain in the entire world.

10. Rimuru Tempest from That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Rimuru was once human. He was assassinated in his world and was reincarnated as a member of the weakest species in a fantasy world. Although he is nothing more than a lowly Slime, he was bestowed with multiple abilities and skills that turned him into an overpowered monster.

Of course, he didn’t start off strong, he leveled up, became a Demon Lord then acquired the title of True Dragon and finally turned into a God.

His strength is unfathomable and he is paired with Raphael, the Lord of Wisdom, an ability with unimaginable tactical and analytical abilities. He literally has the answers to anything.

Rimuru can obliterate and then create new universes. Goku will just die along with the Earth when that happens.

9. Anos Voldigoad from The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Anos Voldigoad is known as the Demon King of Tyranny. Like Beerus, he is the source of all destruction. He possesses inhuman strength, inhuman speed, inhuman intelligence, and so forth.

Even crushing his heart isn’t enough to kill him. With no way of destroying his source, there was no way anyone could beat him.

So there you have it, yet another omnipotent being stronger than our Saiyan. Goku really doesn’t look as powerful as he used to before I started writing that little list.

8. Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach

People tend to forget how powerful Ichigo Kurosaki really is. In his universe, he is an anomaly that possesses the unique abilities of humans, Hollows, Shinigamis, and Quincys.

However, that alone isn’t enough to defeat Goku, he normally wouldn’t have had a chance against the Saiyan, but that was before Fullbring. In his 100% hollowed form, Ichigo will definitely offer an awesome fight that can certainly end in a victory for him.

7. Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto

The debate about whether Goku or Naruto would win in an all-out fight has made history and still hasn’t come to a conclusion and will most probably never will. All I can give you is my personal opinion on why Naruto has the upper hand against the overpowered Saiyan.

Naruto, who is a bit on the dumb side, can still strategize better than Goku in the middle of a fight. Also, let’s not forget that he is not alone since he can raise an army of Sage Mode clones in an instant.

Goku will definitely give him a run for his money and it will definitely be a difficult fight for our little ninja. Both of them are sore losers that always give their all. However, Naruto is backed by deeper, more meaningful feelings that give him the edge.

Overall, as a fighter, Naruto is greater in many aspects. He has shown a greater and faster level of growth both mentally and physically, especially when he became a father and the Hokage.

6. Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojo Satoru is a special grade jujutsu sorcerer and is known to be the strongest sorcerer in his universe. Even Sukuna would look like a cute curse compared to him.

He has shown multiple times in the anime and in the manga how overpowered he really is, plus he has the confidence and fearlessness that comes with his immeasurable strength.

Very sneaky and very intelligent. Every move he makes is calculated. He can predict what his enemies will do next and can instantly come up with the best option of counterattacking available to him.

He mastered all types of martial arts, all types of jutsus, he is a true battle genius who still worked himself to the bone to become even greater. The biggest mistake anyone can do is underestimate that beast hiding behind a mesmerizing angelic face. Goku himself was not sure to win before his greatness.

5. Kami Tenchi from Tenchi Muyo

Kami means God in Japanese, so as his name suggests, this character is a supreme being known as the God of Heaven and Earth.

He is a transcendent Deity, and here are his stats:

Special Abilities: Reality Warping, Light Manipulation, True Flight, Portal Creation, Time Travel, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence

Destructive Ability: True Abstraction

Speed: Omnipresent

Striking Ability: True Abstraction

Durability: True Abstraction

Stamina: True Abstraction

Range: True Abstraction

Intelligence: Likely Omniscient

Weaknesses: None

He is an incomprehensible and limitless being that we, normal humans, can’t comprehend, and even though Goku can’t really be considered a human, I doubt that he would be able to understand him, much less defeat him.

4. Deus Ex Machina from Future Diary

Deus Ex Machina is the God of Time and Space in Future Diary. He is an extremely old deity who lived for more than 10,000 years. He can be compared to Chronos, the Titan that rules over time, but in addition, he can also manipulate space and the law of casualty as well.

It is speculated that he can rewind time at will. However, there are consequences that resemble the buffer fly effect. By leaping in time, he will end up creating parallel worlds.

He has the ability to manipulate the Akashic Records. It’s like the universal compendium of knowledge and history. Like God, he can create artificial lifeforms that will act and feel like actual humans, possessing wants and desires.

From his description alone, it is obvious that he is an omnipotent being above all life forms, Saiyans included.

3. Saitama from One Punch Man

Saitama was once believed to be the most powerful anime character that was ever created. He can easily defeat any opponent with ease. The question of whether he is stronger than Goku isn’t a new topic. It had become a debate since the debut of the manga, and it was amplified with the beginning of the anime.

While Goku is still undefeated like Saitama in their respective universes, there is a big difference that is very critical between the types of victories the two characters are achieving.

Goku always had some kind of difficulty crushing his enemies. His fights are always awesome battles of back and forth super-speed punches while all Saitama has to do is raise his ultimate fist one single time.

Even the Dragon Ball fans admitted that Saitama would surely defeat Goku in a one-on-one fight.

2. Zeno from Dragon Ball Super

Zeno is one of the only characters that is known and proven to be stronger than Goku since it was actually said in the manga and anime, Dragon Ball Super.

By just thinking about it, he can erase not just a planet but an entire universe along with all the living beings inhabiting it. In the end, he is the King of All, the Supreme Ruler of the Multiverse.

All he has to do is want to erase the existence of Goku and his very being will be lost into oblivion.

1. Tori-Bot from Dragon Ball

Tori-Bot is like the author’s avatar or representation in the Dragon Ball series. Since he is the creator of everything, it is a given that he is the most omnipotent character in Dragon Ball.

Not much information was released about Tori-Bot, however, we can say for sure that he is a supreme being that transcends the 4th-dimensional wall that all characters are submitted to.

It was not confirmed that Tori-Bot is stronger than Zeno, but I, personally, believe that he is one step ahead of him. Anyway, since there is an undetermined debate pitting him against the King of All, it is a given that Goku isn’t even in his league.

Conclusion

As you can see, many characters have a fighting chance against the overpowered Goku, while others are sure to defeat him with ease.

Of course, our little talk is only based on speculation, as we have never seen and will probably never see Goku fight against any of the mentioned characters (excluding Broly and Vegeta).

If you have any other characters in mind, leave your thoughts in the comments below, and let’s talk about it together in the next one!