Goku is the central character of the Dragon Ball series, but he’s an especially interesting figure because the anime chronicles his entire life and development from when he’s a child.
It makes sense for the main character in a series to typically be the onewho defeats the major villains that appear, but Dragon Ball contains so many interesting characters that other fighters often end up battling some of the biggest enemies.
Even though Goku is the protagonist, he can’t always save the day. Goku is obviously crucial to keeping the Earth safe from danger, but a lot of people don’t realize that he doesn’t actually defeat many of the main villains in the series.
Goku is a constant force of optimism for the good guys, but often othercharactersend up doing the grunt work.
Goku has a very interesting track record in battle that’s full of assists and asterisks, where othercharacters are often just as responsible for the success. Some fans even resent the Goku, as he is often seen as the one to ultimately save the day, despite the fact that the other characters do a lot of the work.
Viewers are eager to see the series get ambitious and mix things upso that other members ofthe Zteamcan alsoshare the spotlight. After the events of Dragon Ball Super, it’s clear that Goku is still very much the series’ priority.
That being said, here are the12 Dragon Ball Characters Goku Has Never Defeated (And 8 He’s Defeated More Than Once).
Never Defeated: Mr. Popo
Mr. Popo may seem like a joke character at this point in Dragon Ball’s legacy, but fans are quick to forget that back in the original series, Mr. Popo was actually quite the powerful deity.
It’s only because everyone else has become so much stronger that the character is no longer taken seriously, but it wouldn’t be that surprising if he could still show most of the Z Warriors a thing or two— at least Yamcha.
Believe it or not, but Goku has never defeated Mr. Popo in battle. Popo not only easily beats Goku, but he also swallows a Kamehameha wave.
When Goku uses the same punch that he used to take down King Piccolo on him, it turns out to be completely useless.
Mr. Popo goes on to impart some of these skills on Goku while he trains him for the next three years. He teaches him essential abilities like how to sense ki without using his vision and the Super Kamehamehawhen he prepares for the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.
Mr. Popo’s strength continues to get shown in Dragon Ball Z when he trains Krillin, Tien ,Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe during the arrival of the Saiyans.
Additionally, in the anime, Popo also briefly trains Goten and Trunks and can hold his own against them while they're Super Saiyans, so he's clearly stronger than he lets on. No one truly knows how powerful he may be.
Never Defeated: Raditz
This might seem like another strange inclusion, but Goku has technically never defeated Raditz. He never beat him during the one opportunity that he had to go up against his estranged brother.
Raditz is the preliminary villain that kicks off Dragon Ball Z and he makes a strong impression in many ways. Not only does the character introduce the idea of aliens to the series, butRadtiz's introduction alsoinformsus that theshow’s hero also happens to be one of those aliens.
Goku is quite strong at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, but Raditz is on a whole other level.
What’s important to remember here is that Raditz’s appearance is a total surprise to everyone.This battle not something that Goku and company train for and they’re totally caught off guard by this.
In the end, it’s technically Piccolowho defeats Raditz while Goku assists him by holding him still. This is only done as a plan B, sinceGoku can’t beat Raditz by any other means.
Raditz comes into the series right before Dragon Ball starts to get resurrection-happy so the character never returns in any context that allows Goku a rematch.
While Goku is vastly stronger now and surely could beat Raditz with no struggle, perhaps Raditz has been training all of this time and gotten stronger, too. He does share Goku’s genes, after all.
Defeated More Than Once: Tien
Longtime Dragon Ball fans will remember that Tien wasn’t always an ally to Goku. When the series started, he was actually someonewhowanted to eliminate Goku.
Tien seems to lead a rigorous life that consists of training and meditation. In Dragon Ball Super, Goku even recruits him as one of the ten strongest fighters from Universe 7 to fight in the Tournament of Power.
This is a little controversial of an entry because Goku does defeat Tien fair and square during their rematch in the semi-finals of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. He brilliantly uses the solar flare technique to work against Tien’s advanced vision.
That being said, their initial fight in the finals of the previous World Martial Arts Tournament technically declare Tien the winner, even if it is more or less a tie that Goku could have won.
Their fight is incredibly evenly matched, and in the final moments, Tien destroys the fighting ring with a Tri-Beam, whichfinds both fighters plummeting towards disqualification. However, Goku falls before Tien does.
This is truly as close as battles can get and Goku even has a plan to ensure that he falls to the ground after Tien does, yet he can’t put it into action because a truck hits him.
That being said, after the fight, Tien attempts to give Goku half of his prize money and insists that the battle came down to luck in the end, not skill.
Never Defeated: Android 19
Here’s an entry that might strike a nerve with some fans.Android 19 happens to come along at a very opportune timewhen he can look like a real big shot even though he’s actually not a huge threat.
Android 19 is the first real sign of the infamous Cell Saga and the beginning of Dr. Gero and his troublesome Androids. Android 19 leads the way, but he’s in fact the weakest of Gero’s new creations.
Goku heads into battle against Android 19 without reservations and shows off his fairly new ability to become a Super Saiyan. The sad thing here is that Goku is undoubtedly stronger than Android 19, but when their battle begins, the conditions of his heart virus kick in and he becomes useless.
Android 19 obviously takes advantage of this and proceeds to devastate Goku in battle. Goku never exhibited these symptoms when Future Trunks said that he was supposed to, though, so the character naively never took his heart medicine as a result.
Goku might falter in this fight, but thankfully Vegeta steps in and shows off his Super Saiyan powers for the first time and completely obliterates Android 19.
After Vegeta destroys Android 19, that’s the end of the character. Goku never gets the opportunity to fight him again, so he’s stuck with this defeat. In fact, Goku never really defeats any of the Androids since he’s out of commission during this portion of the series.
Never Defeated: Jackie Chun/Master Roshi
Many of Goku’s biggest defeats go back to the original Dragon Ball series because so much ofthe showfocuses on Goku learning how to become the super-strong warrior that he is by the time that Dragon Ball Z begins.
Dragon Ball shows Goku’s growth, both figuratively and literally, as it depicts his most formative years and shows how he learns many of his most fundamental skills. One of the biggest relationships in the original Dragon Ball is Goku’s student-teacher bond with Master Roshi.
The mentor teaches Goku his trademark Kamehameha and remains a constant, stabilizing present throughout the series. Goku is a clear example of “the student becoming the teacher,” but in spite of this, Goku has never beaten Master Roshi in a real fight.
Roshi proves to be a huge assetduring both Golden Frieza’s invasion and the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super, so the guy’s still got it.
One of the first really big fights in the series takes place at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, where Goku faces off against Jackie Chun (Master Roshi in an alias) in the finals.
This fight really goes all over the place and Goku even becomes a Great Ape briefly in battle, but it basically comes down to a draw.
Both Goku and Chun are knocked out and it comes down to who is able to stand and declare, “I am the world champion” first. Goku almost makes it, but it is Chun who succeeds.
Defeated More Than Once: Pilaf
Pilaf is the evil rulerwho is present at the start of Dragon Ball, although he never actually manages to be much of a threat himself. Pilaf is all about crafting a big plan and constantly schemes to acquire the Dragon Balls so that he can simply wish to rule the world rather than do the hard work involvedin actually conquering the globe.
Pilaf appears to have a number of mechas and Red Ribbon technology at his disposal, but he still always amounts to a moderate obstacle for Goku-- and this is child Goku, at that.
Even though young Goku could still defeat Pilaf and his gang in hand-to-hand combat, they’re unfortunate enough to experience Goku’s Great Ape form on several occasions.
Pilaf’s biggest defeats transpire when Goku’s hairy alter ego comes out to play.
In the first instance, Pilaf’s entire castle is ruined by Goku. In their next dangerous encounter, Pilaf barely makes it out alive. Dragon Ball GT holds a contentious reputation in terms of its canon, but even in Dragon Ball GT,Goku is quick to defeat Pilaf, even with a child’s body.
However, Pilaf and his gang haven’t exactly built the best reputation through the years. In Dragon Ball Super, a baby thoroughly beats them all. Sure, it’s baby Pan, but that’s the kind of thing that just ruins your reputation as an evil emperor.
Never Defeated: Perfect Cell
There’s no question that Goku is one of the strongest characters in the Dragon Ball universe, but he’s someonewho often frustrates audiences because his strength can pale in comparison to his naivetyand arrogance.
There are many situations where Goku’s hubris or inability to take a situation seriously has resulted in a fight becoming much more complicated than it had to be. That’s who Goku is. His passion for battle and new powerful enemies is so severe that it can cloud the fighter’s better judgment.
However, that’sone of the reasons whyhe has a team of other powerful fighters by his side.
In the case of Cell, there are a number of opportunities where the Z Warriors could have finished the villain off before he attained his Perfect form, but curiosity and pride got the better of them.
Goku exhibits the worst example of thiswhen Cell is close to defeat. In this instance, Goku actually gives him a Senzu bean and allows him to recover. It’s a terrible move and one that ultimately backfires on the Saiyan in a very big way.
Towards the end of the Cell Saga, the villain turns himself into a self-destruct device and Goku exhibits some quick thinking to use his instant transmission to send them both to King Kai’s planet. The move works,but Cell survives the explosion and Goku does not.
This leaves Gohan to ultimately save the day and defeat the villain.
Defeated More Than Once: Yamcha
It might be hard to fathom, but there was actually a time when Yamcha was more than a punching bag and constant fuel for meme culture. Not onlywas Yamchaonce taken seriously in the Dragon Ball universe, but in the series’ earliest days, he even posed a considerable threat to Goku.
Yamcha’s origins set him out to be a rogue bandit warrior who is a masterful thief. Healso has powers of the wolf, which offer him incredible speed and agility.
In Goku’s initial battle against Yamcha, Goku actually becomes so frightened of Yamcha’s finishing attack that he runs away from him (he is a child at the time though). This moment might be a brief highlight in Yamcha’s life, but when Goku returns with a full stomach, he manages to defeat Yamcha.
A second disastrous defeat comes when Yamcha and Puar attempt to tame a reckless Great Ape Goku, but things don’t quite go as planned.
Even though Goku handles Yamcha during his younger years, he still remains a running joke throughout the series.
During Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power, Goku decides to recruit Frieza, someonewho everyone is pretty certain will ultimately betray them, over Yamcha. That’s got to sting a little bit.
Never Defeated: Vegeta
Here’s the big one. There’s no question that Dragon Ball’s biggest rivalry and love-hate relationship goes to Goku and Vegeta. The two have been trying to one up each other ever since theyfirst meet, and it feels like this dynamic will never end between them.
Goku and Vegeta’s initial fight is the first real epic battleinDragon Ball Z and it really plays with audience’s expectations. Vegeta often has Goku beat, but Goku really gives this one his best.
Goku has to resort to his Kaio-Ken attack, which basically cripples him. Not to mention, Vegeta turns into a Great Ape and goes on to squeeze his opponent and damage him even further.
It’s not until Yajirobe manages to cut off Vegeta’s tail and then a Great Ape Gohan falls on top of Vegeta that the Saiyan has to slink away in defeat. It’s not a defeat that’s thanks to Goku, though.
Goku also ultimately loses later on during his battle against Majin Vegeta, too.
Vegeta has Goku on the ropes, and when the fight prematurely ends, Vegeta takes advantage of a moment of weakness and knocks Goku out.
Now, there’s some controversy here since Goku could have gone Super Saiyan 3 this whole time, but who knows if doing sowould'vedrainedhis time on Earth and would've still seen him come up empty.
Defeated More Than Once: Krillin
If Vegeta is Goku’s greatest rival and frenemy, then Krillin is Goku’s best friend. The two form a competitive bond in the early days of Dragon Ball andtheir relationship continues to blossom for decades to come.
The two both build families, and although their priorities may change over the years, they know that they’ve always got each other’s backs.
In fact, Krillin’s destruction by Frieza was so traumatizing for Goku that it was the necessary catalyst to ignite his rage and turn him into a Super Saiyan for the first time.
Goku and Krillin are dear friends and they even trained under Master Roshi together, but that doesn’t mean that the two never had to battle each other.
The first real fight between the two of them takes place in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, when Goku narrowly defeats Krillin.
In spite of this, the two remain on relatively level ground throughout Dragon Ball, but afterwards, Goku's power reaches a whole other level.
Dragon Ball Super plays into nostalgia in a number of ways and one of the more satisfying examples of this happens when Goku and Krillin return to their roots as sparring partners.
The two fight against each other in preparation for the Tournament of Power, and while Goku still dominates his friend, he’s happy to push him to improve.
Never Defeated: Kale
Dragon Ball Super introduces the concept of multiple universes to the Dragon Ball world, and one of the most exciting elements about this development is that it means more Saiyans are now in play.
Universe 6 adds a few more Saiyans into the series. Cabba, Kale, and Caulifla are worthy characters in the Dragon Ball canon, but many fans also take exception to this crop of Saiyans because of how quickly they master the basics of becoming Super Saiyans.
What took Goku and company years of training and trauma is learned by the Universe 6 Saiyans in a number of hours. The trio can turn into Super Saiyan 2 and nearly broach Super Saiyan 3, but the meek Kale actually poses a much bigger threat.
For some reason that’s not really explained, Kale is able to undergo a radical Berserker transformation (think Broly from the Dragon Ball movies), where she not only bulks up and becomes much stronger, but she alsoloses controland acts like a wild animal.
During the Tournament of Power, Berserker Kale is able to simultaneously hold off Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta. She’s evenclose to eliminating the both of them, but Jiren intervenes and steals her attention.
The depths of Berserker Kale have yet to be totally understood, but she wields a very strong power.
Defeated More Than Once: Piccolo
It’s hard to believe that a villain like Piccolo, who has such a large history, could not only turn into one of Dragon Ball’s greatest heroes, but also become the guardian and closest friend of Goku’s own child.
This is all after Goku destroys Piccolo’s father in battle, so there’s clearly quite the complicated backstory here, yetboth Piccolo and Goku areable to find harmony in order to keep the universe safe from evil.
The showdown between Goku and Piccolo Jr. (as he’s initially known) is the big fight that closes out the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. It’s also the concluding battle in the original Dragon Ball.
The fight certainly doesn’t disappoint and it even follows a trajectory that’s not that different from Goku’s fight with the Demon King Piccolo. Towards the end of the fight, it looks like Goku is victorious, but Piccolosuddenly surprises him with a nasty mouth blast and then proceeds to break most of the bones in his body.
Piccolo prepares one final blast to extinguish Goku, but Goku thankfully masters the ability of flight at the last moment, dodges the attack, and falls down on Piccolo in order to succeed.
Later on during the preparation for the Android invasion, Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan all train together. There’s a thrilling sparring match where Goku fights against Piccolo and Gohan, but he’s still able to defeat them as a team.
Never Defeated: Fused Zamasu
One of the biggest threats to show up in Dragon Ball Super is the tag-team of devastation that is Goku Black and Zamasu. There’s a lot of mystery behind the circ*mstances of these villains and about how they’ve stolen Goku’s image, but it all comes down to Zamasu, a disgruntled Supreme Kai-in-training, who wants to shake up the system.
Black and Zamasu really put Goku and company through the wringer, but it’s not until Zamasu fuses with his counterpart from Future Trunks’ timeline that he begins to seem like a truly impossible foe.
Goku gives Fused Zamasu a good go, but he’s unsuccessful at every turn. In fact, Goku even resorts to fusion with Vegeta in order to become Vegito Blue and they’re still useless against Fused Zamasu.
Future Trunks is the onewho finally takes the villain down by channeling a Spirit Bomb into his sword and severing Zamasu in half. Even then, the situation becomes deeply complicated and it gets to the point where Zeno basically needs to scrub the universe clean to start over.
When that’s the solution, Goku can’t exactly be blamed for not being the big hero here. This one seems to be a little above his pay grade.
Defeated More Than Once: The Ginyu Force
Back in the humble days when Frieza was the biggest threat that the universe had to worry about, one of his strongest weapons was the dangerous militia group known as the Ginyu Force. These fighters were Frieza’s personal task force for special missions that were too much for anyone else to handle.
Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin find themselves in battle with the infamous group, and while Vegeta does okay against the weaker Guldo, the rest of the team becomes a severe challenge for our heroes.
Thankfully, Goku arrives on Namek just at the right time andis able to easily extinguish Recoome, Burter, and Jeice. This also proves to be an efficient way of demonstrating just how muchGoku's power has grown.
Vegeta even questions whether or not Goku is a Super Saiyan at this stage.
In this situation, a bitter Vegeta might be the one who finishes the job, but Goku is the one who beats them and does the dirty work.
Surprisingly, Goku has another run in with the Ginyu Force during his time in the Other World.
The crew are rampaging in the afterlife along with Frieza, King Cold, and Cell. Pikkon might get the honor of dealing with Frieza, Cold, and Cell, but Goku deals with the Ginyu Force and singlehandedly disposes of them once again.
Never Defeated: Android 17
For the longest time, there was a lot of legitimate discussion over whether Goku and Android 17 had ever even met before.
Goku gets taken out of commission very early on in the beginning of the Androids’ initial attack, and as a result, he doesn’t get to help out against Androids 17 and 18. Of course, Goku later goes on to become quite familiar with Android 18, as she becomes Krillin’s wife and a member of their team, but Android 17 disappears to a life of solitude.
He’s seen through a few Spirit Bomb montages, but he remains out of the spotlight.
One of the most exciting reveals from Dragon Ball Super was that the series would be bringing Android 17 back in a very big way. When Goku is recruiting for the Tournament of Power, he tests Android 17’s strength and the consensus is that they’re basically even.
The two need to stop their fight earlydue tothe risk of destroying the island that they’re on.
The fact that Android 17 is on par with Super Saiyan Blue Goku seems to be a little crazy, but 17 might actually be more powerful.
Android 17 is the big hero and MVP in the Tournament of Power and he’s able to accomplish what Goku can’t. Of course, this entry doesn’t work if you decide to include Super Android 17 from Dragon Ball GT, but who wants to do that? Besides, it’s technically a different character…
Defeated More Than Once: Pikkon
A lot of Dragon Ball fans have issue with the filler sagas that come up to stall time until the next big arc can begin. A lot of the time, these episodes are frivolous wastes of time, but sometimes they can actually introduce exciting characters ortry out a fun idea that actually brings something to the series.
After the conclusion of the Cell Saga, the creative idea of putting Goku in a World Martial Arts Tournament for all of the fallen fighters in the afterlife is introduced.
It’s a great way to get Goku back in the spotlight and feature plenty of new characters. Goku’s biggest competition here is Pikkon, who happens to become so popular that he reappears several times in filler material.
Many people hoped that he’d officially become canon by making an appearance in Dragon Ball Super.
In this Other World Tournament, Goku and Pikkon are the final fighters, and even though their battle is a close one, Goku edges Pikkon out by using a Super Kaio-Ken (the only time this attack ever appears).
Goku and Pikkon once again find themselves in the finals of this tournament during the Dragon Ball Z movie, Fusion Reborn, but their battle gets interrupted by Janemba before they can finish.
That being said, Goku is clearly the more powerful one based on what follows in the movie. Pikkon wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Never Defeated: Beerus
Dragon Ball Super tries to make a big impression right from the start with its introduction of Beerus, a God of Destruction. Up until this point, Kid Buu was the world’s biggest threat and even then, Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 seemed to make some kind of impression on the villain.
This time around, Super Saiyan 3 is completely useless against Beerus and it’s obvious that Goku’s going to need to find a different strategy.
Beerus’ invasion is all about his desire to fight against a Super Saiyan God. Beerus eventually gets his wish and the battle becomes much more even, but Beerus eventually reveals that all of this has just been him at a fraction of his power.
Beerus has much deeper reservoirs of strength than what he’s prepared to share in a simple fight like this. This is a God of Destruction who can destroy planets with a mere sneeze, after all.
Super Saiyan God Goku is a challenge for Beerus at his current strength, but ifBeerus reallygot intoserious trouble, he could just sneeze Goku into oblivion.
Goku doesn’t even win during his battle with Beerus, either. He’s able to satiate the God of Destruction’s hunger for battle and keep him distracted long enough that the deity falls asleep, but this is far from a finished fight.
The two never truly get to go all-out in the series, but even with skills like Ultra Instinct, it’s still unclear if Goku could topple Beerus.
Never Defeated: Whis
Whis and Beerus are a package deal, and even though Beerus is the more volatile one with a propensity for battle, the series has indicated a number of times that Whis is actually the stronger of the two.
Beerus is a God of Destruction, but Whis is part of a select group known as Angels that are still largely a mystery in the Dragon Ball universe. Whis might not contain the raw power of destruction that Beerus does, but it’s obvious that he’s still highly powerful and has incredible skills, such as the ability to reverse time.
It’s interesting to note that throughout Dragon Ball Super,Vegeta is actually much more of Whis’ pupil than Goku. Vegeta and Whis form astrong bond, and at one point in the manga, Whis even comments that Vegeta might be strong enough to contend for a God of Destruction spot.
In spite of this compliment, Vegeta still can’t beat Whis, and Goku is even further from this goal. The few times that they do train together in the series see Whis in control of the situation.
Whis is often impressed with Goku’s progress, but he still sees the fighter’s many faults and is clearly on a whole other level.
Maybe one day the Angel’s full power will get to be seen.
Defeated More Than Once: Frieza
Of all of the villainsin the Dragon Ball series, Frieza is by far the most stubborn. He’s a characterwho simply refuses to stay down, and even after i defeats and reincarnations, he still finds ways to get back in the picture.
During the end of Dragon Ball Super,he even finds a way to weasel onto the good guys’ team and fight alongside them, though he has ulterior motives.
With the amount of times that Frieza has reappeared, it shouldn’t be surprising that Goku manages to take the guy down more than once. In fact, Gokuis probably close to getting his next fight with Frieza for free since he’s battled him so many times already.
In the first big battle between Goku and Frieza, Goku might not technically finish off the job (that honor’s reserved for Future Trunks), but it’s hard to argue with Goku being the winner there. He annihilates his victim, escapes from the exploding Namek, and gets back safely to Earth.
Later on, when Frieza tries to get everyone’s attention with his Golden Frieza routine, Goku is ultimately the onewho handles him. Granted, Goku gets too co*cky here and he pays for it.
Vegeta needs to step in to fix things. Then Whis actually rewinds time itself to keep everyone safe. After all of this happens, Goku is the one to finish the job, so even though this is his win, there are still a lot of footnotes surrounding this victory.
Never Defeated: Jiren
When Dragon Ball Super announced its colossal Tournament of Power arc, many people were convinced that there would be some new, strong villainwho would become the big obstacle in this free-for-all.
Viewers were right, and although it took Dragon Ball Super some time to finally give the character some focus, it was obvious that Jiren was the ultimate power in this tournament.
The series handles Jiren in a very interesting way because due to the tournament’s royal rumble structure, he’s able to disappear for a number of episodes or only be an occasional presence while other fighting goes on.
There’s actually a large portion of the Tournament of Power where Jiren simply meditates while fighting goes on around him. When Goku finally decides to take him on, he quickly learns that he’s out of his league.
For the longest time, it looks like nobody will be able to make an impression on Jiren. It takesBerserker Kale and Goku's masteringof Ultra Instinct to allow him to register Jiren’s moves and actually put up a fight.
However, even against the likes of Ultra Instinct Goku, Advanced Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta, and Android 17, Jiren still is able to defend himself. It’s a shame that Goku and Jiren may never get to experience a rematch, but if Goku’s ever in Universe 11 for some reason,we know who he’s going to call up.
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Can you think of any otherDragon Ballcharacters who Goku has never defeated? Are there any others who Goku has defeated more than once? Sound off in the comments!
