Dragon Ball, one of the most famous and re-defining anime series of the modern era. As a result, it has become a sensation in Japanese media and pop culture alike. It has become so much of a household term that even Marvel decided to reference it in its recent movie “Shang Chi”.

Its troupes set the standard for Shounen that came after. Series like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Hunter X Hunter and Gintama were inspired by Akira Toriyama’s critically acclaimed Manga. There’s a perfectly valid reason for fans to claim that Dragon Ball is the God of Anime.

Dragon Ball is also one of the most referenced and parodied Anime series as well. From Gintama, Jujutsu Kaisen, Slime to the lesser-known Hetalia, Binbougami Ga! & Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, the famous saying “is that a Jojo reference” can be easily attributed to Dragon Ball as well.

Apart from parodies and references, Dragon Ball is also famous for its power scaling elements. In any social media platform, whether be it Reddit, Twitter or YouTube, there will always be arguments on “who is stronger than Goku?” until the end of time. Even if the author himself says X is stronger than Y, the debates will never end.

On that note, let me begin the controversial task of ranking the strongest Dragon Ball characters of all time. Keep in mind that this list ONLY includes MORTALS. So divine beings like the Gods of Destruction, Angels, the Grand Priest and Zeno are EXCLUDED (including Goku Black). Parody characters like Arale-chan (who can one-shot Zeno) and fusions too are off-limits.

For this listicle, we’ll consider ONLY the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z & Dragon Ball Super Manga. The Anime, for practical purposes, will be excluded from the discussion. We’ll also include characters from the latest arcs so beware of Manga spoilers!

The power scaling would be judged based on feats, statements from the Manga, authors, magazines and articles. Plus, the characters have access to all of their abilities and fight without restrictions.

For a similar Dragon Ball listicle, check out our ranking of the strongest Gods of Destruction.

RELATED:
Who Is The Strongest God Of Destruction In Dragon Ball Super? Gods Of Destruction Ranked

So without further ado, here is our ranking of the top 20 strongest Dragon Ball mortals of all time starting from the bottom.

Power scaling debates will always be heated so please go easy on us. Arigato Gozaimashta!

20. Caulifla

Starting off the list is the leader of a rogue gang of Saiyans on Planet Sadala in Universe 6. Being a prodigal fighter, she’s the first female to go Super Saiyan who got the hang of the transformation much easier than the Saiyans on Earth.

Even though she didn’t go Super Saiyan 2 unlike her anime counterpart, she could easily reach that level. In fact, Frieza noted that SSJ Caulifla is stronger than SSJ Goku back on Namek. If she continues to train more, she’d surpass SSJ3 Goku in no time.

Why I placed her in the list instead of Cabba or Android 18 is because of her insane talent. She had no difficulty in transforming into a Super Saiyan, unlike Gohan, Goku or Vegeta & has the potential to go way higher quickly.

She was, in fact, able to inflict some sort of damage to Frieza in his normal form and that form can easily thrash the living daylights of most fighters in the Tournament of Power, including Frost. But she got folded by Golden Frieza pretty easily.

Caulifla is currently the 2nd strongest Saiyan on Planet Sadala, followed by Kale, and is feared by the Sadala army.

19. Future Trunks

Up next is the boy with a perilous history and the future counterpart of Vegeta’s son. Future Trunks is not only attractive and has captured the hearts of many girls, but he is also incredibly strong. This fan-favorite character has power that rivals SSJ3 Goku and also has healing powers, courtesy of the training under Shin.

He has the ability to heal the likes of Goku and Vegeta enough to unleash their Blue forms, thanks to the training under Shin. He was also able to hold onto Goku Black’s attacks until the Saiyan duo returned for round 2 from the present timeline. Towards the end of the arc, the boy managed to slice a weakened Fused Zamasu

Future Trunks is actually one of the strongest Saiyans in the multiverse, even mightier than Goten, Trunks, Cabba & Caulifla. In the manga, Goku would have added him to Universe 7’s team if he stayed back.

18. Kale

Next is Universe 6’s strongest Saiyan – Kale. Referred to as the female Broly, the staff at Toei Animation proposed Kale for the Universal Survival Saga, owing to Broly’s fame and Toriyama agreed.

Kale is kinda like Gohan – doesn’t like to fight, wants to protect and has a lot of untapped potential.

Cabba theorizes that Kale could be the Legendary Demoniac Saiyan who appears once every 1,000 years. Once they emerge, their power grows rapidly, resulting in self-destruction. This is the exact same description Paragus gave while describing Broly’s power.

Kale single-handedly took out the remaining fighters of Universes 2,3,4 & 10, kicked out strong beings like Agnilasa and Magetta & almost whacked Toppo and Vegeta off the ring. However, despite being a powerhouse, we ranked her at 15 because of one crucial weakness.

Vegeta notes that Kale’s rapid bursts of power may catch you off guard at first, but after analyzing them, her moves become simple enough to read. Add to that her lack of skill in controlling her power, which causes her to reach her limit much faster than Broly.

As a result, 5 of Universe 11’s weakest members (Dyspo is stronger than all of them combined) were able to knock her off her feet. That’s why Vegeta thought she wasn’t worth his time and continued to brawl with Toppo.

If you’re wondering how Golden Frieza was getting pummeled by Kale, he was caught off guard and didn’t take her seriously. He was fighting at a power level not too far from Caulifla’s to conserve Ki and stamina.

This enabled Kale to quickly blitz Golden Frieza. He & Goku were unable to pinpoint exactly where her power level was cause’ it spiked up at a rapid rate. The meter was constantly changing without any indication of slowing down.

However, this was only momentary and nothing more, as Vegeta described. Hence she’s at the bottom on our list of strongest Dragon Ball Characters.

17. Dyspo

Standing above Kale is the rabbit-like Pride Trooper who is also the 3rd strongest warrior in Universe 11. His speed enables him to dodge even the fierce attacks of SSJ Goku. So he’d be able to move around Kale’s attacks and last until she reaches her limit, giving him the chance to dispose of her.

Dyspo in the Anime was a formidable opponent who was faster than even Hit’s time skip and dragged Frieza to the ground. In the Manga, not so much.

He is swifter than SSJ Goku but got whacked by Perfected Super Saiyan Blue (PSSB) Vegeta & Kefla easily. In fact, both he and Toppo teamed up for a brief time against Vegeta and they couldn’t knock him out. He also struggled to keep up with Android 17 and finally was transferred to the stands in attempting to save Toppo.

Manga Dyspo was comparatively underwhelming than his Anime counterpart. So that’s why we put him in the 14th position in our list of strongest dragon ball characters rather than somewhere higher up.

16. Android 17

Up next is Android 17, a fan favorite and the MVP of the T.O.P for Universe 7. Without him, Goku and the others wouldn’t have become the victors. Being a hybrid model (basically a human with a couple of hardware attached) created by Dr. Gero, Seventeen has the perks of human-like growth along with a cyborg’s infinite stamina.

For Anime-only viewers, how he grew this powerful is a mystery, but the Manga addresses it. The bonus chapter in Dragon Ball Super Volume 8 mentions the existence of the 7 Cell Juniors that Gohan killed years ago. They have the same regenerative abilities as Perfect Cell and keep coming back until the core cluster of cells in their head is completely obliterated.

If Cell could come back stronger than before after self-destruction, the Cell Juniors can too. Each of them could be SSJ2 tier and Seventeen said he managed to tame all of them. He could have been training with them all these years and with his infinite stamina, trained longer than the average human or Saiyan. He was able to keep up with T.O.P SSJ3 Goku.

Android 17 fought against formidable opponents in the T.O.P and still managed to remain the last one on the ring. He bested several warriors like Murisam, Rubalt, Botamo, Damon and even surpassed Dyspo.

Seventeen blocked one of Jiren’s hammering punches, saving Frieza from getting eliminated and pulled off a fake self-destruction, tearing down half of the ring. He also overpowered a slightly weakened Seven-Three in the Moro arc.

However, Seventeen’s not in the top 15 of the strongest dragon ball characters as he’s still weaker than beings like Hit, Seven-Three and the Gammas. He has still a long way to go if he wants to occupy any of their positions on the list.

15. Hit

The legendary assassin of Universe 6 and silent killer that prompted Goku to unleash his SSB Kaioken X 10. Regarded as the strongest solo warrior in his Universe, Hit quickly put a halt to Goku’s heart in the anime. However, in the Manga, things are a little different.

Manga Hit isn’t as powerful as his Anime counterpart because it didn’t require Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken Goku to defeat his time-skip technique. In terms of raw power, Super Saiyan God Goku stomps. However, the hitman did train for the Tournament of Power and decided not to rely wholly on his techniques.

During the tournament, Hit whipped up a new technique called time lag which he used to slow down Jiren. It is a time-warping ability that slows down the target’s movements, who from his POV, shows Hit to be moving at super speed. The fearsome assassin seemed to have the upper hand but unfortunately, Jiren was holding back. He broke through the time lag and knocked Hit out of the ring.

Hit is not known for physical might but after his training, he’d be somewhere between Zamasu arc SSB Goku & T.O.P PSSB Goku level if he were to freely use his skills of an assassin. Seven-Three & the Gammas are at least T.O.P PSSB Goku tier and that’s why Hit is at number 15 on the strongest dragon ball characters list.

14. Seven-Three/OG73i

Seven-Three is a mysterious android created by Goichi, a prospective outlaw with ambitions to rule over Universe 7, constructed Seven-Three, a mysterious Android designed to aid him in his mission. He was kidnapped by Saganbo and his brigade, but was later apprehended and imprisoned by the Galactic Patrol until Moro asked Porunga to release them.

After that, Saganbo accepted Moro as his boss and entrusted his subordinates to him. Moro particularly found Seven-Three’s powers very useful for his plans, which made him one of the strongest mortals in Dragon Ball.

Seven-Three has this mysterious power where he can copy his target’s abilities and use them as effectively as the original user.

However, that doesn’t mean he becomes as strong as that target. For example, when he copied Gohan’s abilities (post-training), it doesn’t mean he’s intrinsically as strong as Gohan. Seven-Three retains his experience, physical strength and features like infinite stamina while the copied abilities are merely added to his own.

In this list, we’re referring to Seven-Three in his fighting condition with Gohan’s, Piccolo’s and Moro’s abilities at his disposal.

However, when it comes to Moro, Seven-Three not only had his abilities (which wears off after 30 minutes of usage) but also his fighting power or combat abilities including Moro’s Ki.

Then why didn’t Seven-Three use it? Moro would have instructed him not to activate it because it was stored as a backup for Moro to use later on. But, what if Seven-Three did use them? Android 17 wouldn’t describe him as “pretty weak” anymore.

It’d make him as powerful as Moro after the latter spent two months draining energy from planets. The same Moro who was stronger than Buu and pre-training PSSB Goku and Vegeta.

Here’s the conundrum: what if he swelled up like Moro 73? What if he couldn’t keep Moro’s power contained within his body? If he can fully utilize Moro’s powers, he will be the strongest android. He’d be weaker than Hit otherwise. Therefore, we placed him below Buu & the Gammas but above Hit for now until we get more info.

13. Gamma 1 & 2

Up next are fan favorite characters of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and the most liveliest androids out there – Gamma 1 & 2.

Dr. Hedo channeled his inner superhero mentality to create his most beloved piece of bots. He agreed to do so only because he wanted to build the best & the most powerful androids in history and Magenta’s budget was big enough to fulfill his dream. The main design of the Gammas are inspired by a side kick of the scientist’s superhero role model.

The Gammas are ranked higher than Seven-Three because according to the film, they’re the strongest androids created before Cell Max was unleashed.

Piccolo claims they’re on par with Goku and Vegeta but since he cannot sense God Ki, it may not be so accurate.

Gamma 1 was able to overwhelm Super Saiyan Gohan but couldn’t beat him in his Ultimate form. On the other hand, Gamma 2 is stronger than Piccolo potential unleashed but weaker than Orange Piccolo. My sense is, Gamma 1 & 2 are somewhere between T.O.P PSSB Goku & Broly arc PSSB Goku, probably more closer to the latter.

Both of them are around the same power level as each other but differ in personalities.

In the end of the film, Gamma 2 died trying to kill Cell Max and Gamma 1 joined Capsule Corporation along with Dr. Hedo.

12. Good Buu (Dai Kaioshin)

To be honest, if I were an Anime-only fan, I wouldn’t have anticipated Buu to make the top ten on this list. The Moro arc divulged a lot of secrets behind Buu and the Supreme Kais, especially the Dai Kaioshin. So Buu’s involvement was a welcoming surprise.

Merus kidnapped Buu in the hopes of beating Moro, but he was unaware of the dormant powers slumber within the former killing machine. Buu pounding Moro to a pulp is a feat that the fandom vastly undervalues. That accomplishment alone earned him a spot in the top ten of the strongest dragon ball characters, and here’s why.

Merus knew how powerful Goku and Vegeta were but beating Moro is an unlikely feat, he thought. Moro wasn’t a match for PSSB Vegeta at that time until he absorbed almost all of their energy, including some of the planet’s. Ultimately, the goat-like villain became as strong as the Saiyans. This worried Merus on whether Good Buu could do the job.

To his surprise, Majin Buu’s strength far exceeded his expectations as the pink monster pummeled Moro left and right. Even the offensive planet energy absorption technique, that injured Goku and Vegeta, didn’t leave a scratch on Buu. He even kicked off a huge energy ball (which SSG Vegeta struggled to push away) like a football.

Yes, Buu did have the advantage of not having his energy absorbed. But it’s not just that. Buu’s immense power startled Merus and he is well aware of how powerful the Saiyans are. Goku notes that Buu has grown significantly stronger than before.

Merus was astounded by Buu’s strength and declares that he is now stronger than Moro.

So in other words, Majin Buu > Moro after absorbing pre-training PSSB Goku and Vegeta’s energy. But since it’s just energy, Buu isn’t at their level yet. But considering Merus’ reactions, we think he is stronger than Frieza, Hit and Seventeen.

11. Piccolo

The strongest Namekian alive and the caretaker of Goku’s family. Piccolo is the nameless Namekian who was sent by his father Katas to Earth in order to escape the catastrophic natural disaster that killed almost all Namekians on his home planet.

The Turban-wearing ‘slug-man’ has a house on a mountain owned by Mr. Satan, located near Gohan’s house. He trains in solitude every day to defend the Earth from evildoers like Moro and his gang. He was able to match up with his underlings but not Saganbo. At that time, he was  the 5th strongest Earth’s defense force besides the Saiyan Duo, Gohan and Android 17.

But that all changed when he made a certain wish in Dragon Ball Super: Super hero and unleashed his Orange-tinted form.

Prior to that, he was getting tossed aside by Gamma 2 but a single punch from Orange Piccolo rendered the android completely motionless.

Toriyama states that Piccolo’s might is finally in the realm of Goku & Vegeta.

Since this movie is a sequel to Broly, my sense is, he’s referring to Goku and Vegeta at the end of the Broly movie, i.e., Perfected Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta vs Broly.

Orange Piccolo, however, was completely overwhelmed by Cell Max’s explosive power. He could have died if it wasn’t for Gohan transforming into his Beast form. That’s the reason why he’s not in the top 10 strongest Dragon Ball mortals.

10. Toppo

Finally, the top 10 strongest dragon ball characters are here! And the one to start it off is Toppo, the captain of the Pride Trooper and Universe 11’s 2nd strongest warrior followed by Jiren. Currently, he’s been groomed by Belmod to be the next God of Destruction. The baldstache Pride Trooper has access to Divine Ki, particularly the power of a Destroyer God similar to Vegeta’s Ultra Ego.

Toppo in the Anime transformed into his God of Destruction form and wrecked SSG Vegeta and Golden Frieza. In the Manga, he’s on par with T.O.P PSSB Vegeta and faced him on a one-on-one for a long time. In the end, both looked equally bruised.

One might wonder why we ranked him this high if he is only as strong as T.O.P PSSB Vegeta.

My sense is, he was holding back by a great amount during the tournament. His God of Destruction powers was probably too great that he thought he’d kill somebody if he used them seriously. Toppo was probably in his early stages of using those powers so he doesn’t have proper control of those powers like, say, Beerus when he used Hakai only to damage Vegeta’s armor.

Of course, Toppo would have the ability to use Hakai as well. So if he was serious, I feel he’d wrecked T.O.P PSSB Vegeta a long time ago.

9. Jiren

Up next is the one and only Jiren, Universe 11’s strongest warrior. A powerhouse who was unrivaled in the T.O.P. The man with the most basic and obscure backstory that needs elaboration.

Jiren’s explosive power comes from his strong emotions and iron-clad will. The training he underwent with his master Gicchin was only the beginning of his growth.

After Gicchin died, Jiren sought further strength on his own, never understanding that the goal of his master having him join the Pride Troopers was to teach him the value of teamwork. He thought that trust in others had no meaning and so, he trained on his own and became one of the strongest warriors in the Multiverse.

Jiren fact: He doesn’t bow to the Multiverse, the Multiverse bows down to him.

He is the strongest Dragon Ball character i.e a mortal until the end of the Universe Survival Saga. A promo for DBS Episode 129 stated “how will Son Goku and his team challenge the mightiest foe in Dragon Ball history…?!”

During the Zeno Expo, Toppo stated that Jiren is above even the God of Destruction Belmod based on combat skills/battle power alone (戦闘力, the same term used for scouter-style power levels). Belmod, in our God of Destruction strength ranking, could be the 2nd strongest G.O.D in the Multiverse, followed by Beerus. If Jiren is physically stronger than him, then imagine what Goku, Vegeta, Seventeen and Frieza had to push through in order to win.

Goku vs Jiren went down in the history books as one of the greatest battles in Anime history, crashing down almost all streaming sites.

In the Manga, Jiren actually was one step above even T.O.P MUI Goku. The Saiyan was having trouble maintaining his form just as it is, but with Jiren giving him a pounding on the other end, things didn’t go so easy. Eventually, he lost and was sent flying backward.

However, we have no idea whether Jiren trained after the T.O.P. He could be around Granolah arc PSSB Goku. Therefore, we’re placing him in the 9th rank.

8. Cell Max

Cell Max is Dr. Hedo’s most powerful creation & the antagonist of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Even though he’s based off Dr. Gero’s Cell, Cell Max is overwhelmingly mightier than the original.

He was able to easily overwhelm the combined attacks of the Gammas, Android 18, Krillin, Fat Gotenks, Ultimate Gohan & Orange Piccolo.

Orange Piccolo lost to Incomplete Cell Max but Gohan wiped floors. The Kaiju Monster’s punch couldn’t even get past Gohan Beast’s aura, what to speak of inflicting any damage.

Interestingly, Toriyama states that Broly too is stronger than Incomplete Cell Max but weaker than the completed version. I’m only considering Incomplete Cell Max since that’s the version we saw in the movie.

Gohan Beast & Orange Piccolo vs Cell Max was packed with so much heat that it is “the strongest battle in history”.

“Strongest” here again refers to only power levels as Gohan Beast vs Cell Max didn’t involve much of any techniques apart from the Special Beam Canon, which is another power based attack.

The fight was pretty short, climaxing at Cell Max’s huge Ki Ball hurdling towards Gohan beast. So basically it was a contest of “how much Ki I can generate and condense to hit harder than you”, aka Power Level differences.

Otherwise, Gogeta vs Broly would be still the strongest fight (Movie continuity wise) in terms of techniques, speed and abilities.

If Cell Max can give Moro arc Goku & Vegeta a run for their money, then Jiren wouldn’t be able to take him on but Broly can.

7. Broly

Broly is Dragon Ball’s version of the Hulk. He’s one of those rare pure Saiyans like Goku, Vegeta and Bardock and a natural powerhouse. A Saiyan who doesn’t like to fight but has the instincts for it and protect loved ones. In those aspects, Broly has a lot in common with Gohan but much more elevated.

Broly is referred to as a mutant. He’s known for his brute strength than techniques. But the way he quickly adapts to adversity and his determination to fight no matter what, are things I’ve never seen before. This even puts Goku’s “never give up” attitude to shame. Even after getting pummeled by Gogeta repeatedly, Broly endures and comes back for more.

Broly is said to be the strongest Dragon Ball character amongst mortals until the end of the Broly movie.

A movie promo states that Broly is the strongest Dragon Ball antagonist up to this point. The editorial office of Saikyo Jump informs readers: “Frankly, the enemy Goku and co. are up against in this movie is the strongest. Those who trust Goku will win may lose confidence, so be careful.” They also ask: “Destructive power greater than a God of Destruction?!”

The final proof comes from the Broly film Light Novel where Frieza described Broly’s power when the latter was getting wrecked: “‘Fantastic. What incredible battle power.’ There was no mistaking it: No being in existence could defeat Broly as he was. Having been beaten this far himself, to Frieza, that much was clear.”

Now keep in mind that this is considering all the characters in the T.O.P including Jiren and Toppo (because they briefly appear in the film) and the “no being in existence” excludes the Destroyers and Angels.

Broly’s strength grew dramatically as he was fighting Goku and Vegeta. Started off at the same power level as Base Vegeta and grew to SSJ Gogeta in a matter of 2-3 hours’ time, adding him to the Top 5 strongest mortals of Dragon Ball.

However, there are beings much stronger that only Manga readers would know.

6. Moro

Placing at number 6 is Planet Eater Moro. Despite his tremendous power level, Moro’s true strength lies in his magic. He can use it to absorb and manipulate life energy, as well as levitate objects and perform a variety of other feats.

Moro is capable of condensing all life on a planet into an energy ball, which he subsequently consumes making him stronger than before. Moro also has the ability to choose a target and gradually drain their energy without their knowledge.

By absorbing Goku, Vegeta’s Ki and the energy of numerous planets, he was able to get stronger and stronger, eventually becoming one the most powerful beings in existence.

After the Dai Kaioshin sealed his magic, Moro grew weak but didn’t die due to his long lifespan. After Cranberry helped him escape the Galactic Prison, he used the Namekian Dragon Balls to get his magical powers back.

Soon after, he absorbed numerous planets including some of Earth’s energy. The Galactic outlaw also consumed his energy backup Seven-Three and copied Vegeta’s and Merus’ powers using the Android’s ability towards the end of the arc.

Moro 73 post Merus’ powers absorption is way stronger than UI Sign Goku but a few rugs below UI Goku with the silver hair.

During the battle, Goku said he never came across anyone as tough as him (excluding any of his teachers like Beerus & Whis). This singular statement meant that Moro clears Jiren & Broly.

Of course, Moro’s power isn’t intrinsic to him. He never trained for a day in his life. Intrinsically speaking, you can say he could be weaker than SSB Goku, Broly or Jiren. But we’re considering Moro at the end of the arc so he’s definitely one of the strongest Dragon Ball characters.

5. Gohan

Beginning the top 5 of our list is none other than our boy Gohan, a character who’s deemed to have more potential than Goku and Vegeta. Gohan in the T.O.P Anime version got a pretty high boost as he forced Goku to unleash his SSB + Kaioken, even though the former got one-shotted in the end. However, the manga & movie counterparts are a different beast.

Ultimate Gohan was on par with SSJ Kefla, one of the strongest dragon ball characters on the ring as told by Vados. But keep in mind that Manga Kefla is much weaker than her Anime counterpart. Vados didn’t see full-powered Jiren, PSSB Goku + Kaioken or SSBE Vegeta so Kefla is definitely weaker than them.

During Gohan vs Kefla, Piccolo states that Gohan was able to only draw his fighting spirit in their few hours of training but he became stronger than ever during this fight.

If you recall, Gohan was struggling against the Trio of Danger, each of whom is weaker than probably Frost. With Kefla, however, Gohan unleashed the monstrous power within and boosted his power to a level somewhere between T.O.P SSG & PSSB Goku.

Gohan grew significantly stronger after the Moro arc’s two-month time jump. Goku said that he could barely recognize him and the last time he saw him was at the T.O.P. Piccolo remarked that he’s the strongest Dragon Ball Team member on Earth when the Saiyan duo isn’t around. This includes Piccolo himself, Seventeen and the humans.

Gohan became enraged when seeing his father in a bloodied state in the fight against Moro and got a temporary boost. In that state, he’d be at the level of Broly film PSSB Goku or slightly stronger than that.

But even that is nothing compared to Gohan Beast from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, who is said to be the strongest warrior.

However, since Whis or Beerus didn’t bother noticing his surge in power, I am keeping Gohan below the manga exclusive characters for now.

Nevertheless, I’ve kept Gohan above Moro cause’ the former said that Goku and Vegeta might not have been able to defeat Incomplete Cell Max. Considering the manga continuity, Gohan has seen silver-haired Goku, who defeated Moro once and for all. If you’re considering that logic, then yes, Gohan Beast > Moro arc UI Goku, Vegeta & Moro himself.

4. Granolah

Granolah is the last survivor of the Cerealian race, which was wiped out by the Saiyans. Currently, he works as a bounty hunter for the Heeters, a family of space brokers who sell planets to the highest bidders.

Driven by a desire for vengeance, he pursues greater power in order to assassinate the dictator Frieza and avenge his people. He is one of the main characters in the Granolah the Survivor Saga, serving as an adversarial nemesis to Goku and Vegeta at first.

To pursue that greater power, he stole the Cerealian Dragon Balls and wished to become the greatest warrior in the Universe.

Now some people were confused about what the wish actually meant. Does it mean just pure power or overall strength including techniques, skills, etc.? Ian from Kanzenshuu clears out that for us.

After the wish, he single-handedly took out both Goku and Vegeta in their strongest forms. First, he used a clone to go toe-to-toe with PSSB Goku + UI, but after the latter unleashed his strongest form, clone Granolah stood no chance. However, once the real one showed up, he took out silver-haired Goku with a single blow in the vital area.

Vegeta then stepped in and brawled with his PSSB form. He couldn’t land a single blow but still was in control of the fight by attacking the Cerealian’s psyche. The Saiyan Prince then whipped up Ultra Ego and dominated the fight both physically and mentally.

But things changed as Granolah broke his limits. By unlocking his full potential resulting in his left eye turning red, he truly became the strongest in the Universe at that time.

This confirms that Granolah truly became the mightiest in the Universe, surpassing everyone below in this list.

However, there’s one more person who then took the title of “strongest” by using the same wish. Someone whom Granolah disliked and later fought in order to take his revenge. And because of that, Goku and Vegeta managed to surpass the Cerealian by duking it out with that person.

3. Goku/Vegeta

Tying at number 3 is the Saiyan duo Goku and Vegeta. We included both the characters under a single rank as they’re almost equal in the Granolah arc.

Goku is practically a Demi-God in terms of power; probably a Galaxy buster at max. His strongest points are his Saiyan instincts, the ability to think of a counter to his opponent’s strongest moves and getting stronger the more he fights. However, his downsides are his stamina issues and overconfidence.

Currently, he’s training to perfect Ultra Instinct the technique in his base form. Basically, he’s honing his skills to remain in that state 24/7 just like Whis and the Angels. His strongest form is Ultra Instinct with the silver hair. That form beat the crap out of Moro 73 but got one-shotted by full-powered Granolah. So Mastering Ultra Instinct at the Angel level still has a long long way to go.

Contrary to his rival, Vegeta aims to get stronger through another route. Right now he’s training to utilize the power of a God of Destruction effectively under Beerus’ supervision. His strongest form is Ultra Ego. If UI lets your body do act on its own accord, UE refers to you acting on your own accord to move your body without hindrance. Vegeta, like Goku with UI, has a long way to go before he can use UE like Beerus.

Goku in Chapter 70 asked Whis if he knew anyone stronger than him and Vegeta and Whis replies “No. Not specifically…” Whis has seen Broly, Jiren and Moro. That means the Saiyan duo clears all of them.

However, Whis also said there could be someone else lurking in the shadows who could rise up to become the strongest in the Universe.

Toyotarou, in an interview on Aug 9, 2021, describes the battle between the Saiyans and Cerealian as the “1st, 2nd and 3rd strongest in the Universe going up against each other”. This confirms Goku and Vegeta are two of the strongest dragon ball characters.

That was the case until the Elec, the eldest and weakest of the Heeters, made a certain wish.

2. Gas

Occupying the 2nd position is no other than Gas. Yes, the second strongest mortal in the entire Dragon Ball multiverse is a character only but the Manga readers have heard about.

Gas is part of the Heeters family, the true antagonists of the Granolah arc. Being the brawler of his family, Elec considers him as the family’s pride and joy.

40 years ago, Gas lost to Bardock and since then, he feels he lost his pride and is out there seeking revenge somehow.

He may be short but don’t let it underestimate his strength. Monaito did say that Gas was pretty story even 40 years ago. After his humiliating loss, his goal is to gain power that’d regain his respect amongst the Heeters, especially Elec.

He wanted to get stronger alone and defeat anyone who stood in their way. However, Elec wanted to have a little insurance and summoned Toronbo, the Cerealian Dragon, to grant his wish – turn Gas the greatest warrior in the Universe.

He has a technique that summons medieval-styled weapons out of thin air, kinda like Dabura. And he wished he could destroy Granolah only with one move but couldn’t. As a result, he had to rely on the methods he obtained with the wish, which are similar to but stronger than Granolah’s.

Gas in his old zombie-like state managed to overpower Ultra Instinct Goku & Ultra Ego Vegeta and seemed to be the strongest so far.

That is, until a certain someone shows up.

1. Frieza

The Galactic Overlord, whose desire is to overthrow the Omni-King one day, is a most formidable foe for our heroes to this day. According to Toriyama, Frieza is a mutated life-form who possesses an abnormal level of battle power and cruelty.

Frieza’s appearance at the end of the Granolah arc and swooping Gas apparently out of nowhere is one of Dragon Ball’s most badass and brutal of deaths.

Despite being Broly’s punching bag in the previous film, Dragon Ball Chapter 87 debuts the explosive and shocking debut of Black Frieza, a form whipped up by training in a room of spirit & time (aka hyperbolic time chamber) for 10 years!

If 4 months of training with a weak soldier like Tagoma can bring him to Super Saiyan Blue Goku & Vegeta levels, imagine the boost after 10 years of solid push-ups, sit-ups and plenty of juice!

Is he the strongest in the Universe?

Currently yes. Black Frieza managed to kill Gas with a single punch, blow Elec into piece and one-shot Goku & Frieza off their feet. He himself says he has surpassed Goku and Vegeta.

Furthermore, a summary article at the Dragon Ball Official site confirms Frieza to be the “true/real” strongest warrior in the Universe without a shadow of a doubt.

The article further states:

Since he technically did not exist in the universe when Granolah and Elec’s wishes were made, he was able to achieve a level of power far beyond what the Cerealian Dragon Balls had bestowed.
Frieza unveiled the fruits of his training: a new form he dubbed “Black Frieza”! Both Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta were helpless against the galactic tyrant’s new transformation…

Bye

Well, that was an overwhelming list, isn’t it? Anime-onlys would have no idea what crazy shit is going on in the Manga. Hopefully, you’d be a lamb and read the Manga. You’re missing out on a lot of stuff!

Now the power scalers would storm and nab us for our explanations but keep this in mind – Rankings aren’t permanent. People get stronger the more they fight. Think of it as a never-ending Pokemon game where you can level up forever.

If Vegeta, who was once obsessed with rankings could realize this, then so can you! Things will change in the future so be sure to check this list once in a while as we’ll keep updating it.

Thanks to Youtuber SeventhStarSage for shedding light on some of the issues I faced while making this list.

If you have any qualms with our ranking (which I’m sure you’d have) or by chance want to point out a compelling argument we raised in this article, do drop in your thoughts in the comment section! Until then, Sayonara!