Although barely any anime characters can defeat Dragon Ball’s Goku, some can rival him and put up a fight.
Goku is the main protagonist of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball series which is, undeniably, one of the most popular anime to have ever been made. As a Saiyan who fights to protect the peace of Earth and ensure the safety of everyone that he loves, Goku has gotten tremendously powerful over the years.
He’s defeated characters capable of destroying planets, and even solar systems, with relative ease which puts into perspective how monstrous his strength is. Although barely any anime characters can defeat Goku, some can rival him and put up a fight.
- Zeno
Zeno is the strongest being in the Dragon Ball universe, even above the likes of the Angels and the Grand Priest. Being the God of all, he’s got power great enough to wipe out everything in existence within seconds.
Although Goku is strong, he knows better than to pick up a fight with someone he can’t ever defeat. Undoubtedly, Zeno’s powers are beyond human comprehension.
2. Jiren
Another character from the Dragon Ball series, Jiren is a member of the Pride Troopers of Universe 11. He’s one of the strongest characters in the entire series and his strength surpasses that of a God of Destruction, as seen during the Tournament of Power.
Jiren is stronger than Goku, evident from the fact that even Mastered Ultra Instinct couldn’t defeat him. Furthermore, just like Goku, Jiren seems to have grown plenty more powerful than he was at the beginning of the Tournament of Power.
3. Vegeta
Vegeta is the prince of the Saiyans in the Dragon Ball series and the rival of Goku. He’s quite a powerful character whose strength is easily comparable to that of Goku.
After training with the Yardrats, Vegeta has gotten strong enough to overwhelm even Moro in combat. Goku, on the other hand, couldn’t help but admit that Vegeta is superior to him for now. It goes without saying that he’d rival Goku in combat.
4. Kaguya Otsutsuki
Kaguya Otsutsuki is the strongest of all the Otsutsuki clan members to have appeared in the Naruto series. Although her physical strength isn’t quite on the level of Goku’s yet, Kaguya has got other abilities that spell trouble for Goku, such as her All-Killing Ash Bone.
Furthermore, Kaguya is also capable of casting a Genjutsu on an entire populace, known as the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Her Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb can wipe out an entire space-time.
5. Alucard
Alucard is the main character of the Hellsing series and he’s quite a fearsome one for anyone to deal with, including Goku. At Restriction Level 0, Alucard can prove to be a menace for the Saiyan.
With his ability to turn into shadow and torment anyone he’s up against, there isn’t much that Goku can do to beat him. Even if he somehow does, there is absolutely no denying that Alucard will put up a great fight.
6. Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto Uzumaki is the main protagonist of the Naruto series and the strongest ninja alive in the world. He’s extremely skilled as a fighter, strong enough to overpower even Momoshiki Otsutsuki.
Although Naruto’s physical strength isn’t on the level of Goku, he can certainly do well against him in a fight. With overpowered abilities, such as Six Paths Sage Mode, Naruto can definitely take Goku on.
7. Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha is one of the main characters in Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto series and he makes this list because he’s quite powerful. By adulthood, Sasuke is strong enough to fight against characters who can bust planets and stars, such as the members of the Otsutsuki clan.
Furthermore, Sasuke has extremely strong Genjutsu up his sleeve, which can give Goku an extremely hard time. If that’s not enough, his Rinnegan grants tremendous abilities of the Six Paths to him, using which he can control life and death itself.
8. Saitama
Saitama is the main protagonist of the One-Punch Man series that is illustrated by Yusuke Murata. He’s a Hero known to be strong enough to defeat nearly anyone with just one punch.
Although his chances of beating Goku are very less, Saitama can definitely put up a good fight against him. With Goku’s newly learned powers, such as Ultra Instinct, Saitama stands little to no chance of pulling off a victory.
9. Ryuk
Ryuk is a shinigami from Death Note who has ferocious abilities up his sleeve. While his strength may not be special, being a shinigami means that all he needs to do is to write Goku’s name in his Death Note and the battle will be over.
For Goku, seeing Ryuk would be impossible and he wouldn’t even be able to tell what happened to him right until the moment his eyes shut forever.
10. Nanika
An entity from the Dark Continent of Hunter x Hunter, Nanika possesses the body of Alluka Zoldyck, Killua’s younger sister. Although its exact strength and abilities aren’t known yet, it is apparently omnipotent.
Nanika is strong enough to grant any wish to any person as long as 3 of its requirements are met. Killing someone instantly would be child’s play for Nanika.
