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Son Goku is a character so strong and persistent, that he’s become one of the most recognizable icons in anime, thanks to the Dragon Ball series. He’s also become a metric for measuring a character’s physical and combat strength. Hence the phrase, “Can they beat Goku?” (they usually can’t). Needless to say, he’s been pitted against a lot of characters both fictional or otherwise, like Jesus or Optimus Prime. We’re here to set the record straight with 10 characters that can beat Goku — even if he gets resurrected again and again.
Grand Zeno the Omni-King (Dragon Ball Super)
Before we go further down this rabbit hole, we have to clear up who’s the strongest being in the Dragon Ball mythos, as of late. That would be none other than Zeno, who’s quite literally a god and co-creator of multiverses. He can destroy universes on his whim, even the one with Goku in it.
He’s so powerful, he doesn’t even need to fight or display his strength. Meanwhile, Goku’s capacity for destruction is micro-universal at best. Zeno won’t just beat Goku if ever they get into a conflict; he’ll also erase Goku’s plane of existence. It’s safe to say that Goku can’t beat a creature like Zeno.
Saitama (One Punch Man)
Let’s settle this tough argument. Saitama has the edge here since he was made in mind as a parody of anime characters like Goku but with a more serious gimmick. His whole ace of punching an enemy once with a force that’s enough to defeat them is dangerous for Goku who often trades blows with his enemies.
Besides, Goku likes to fight fair (even giving healing Senzu beans to his injured combatant to level the playing field). Goku would usually take it easy first with Saitama, giving the bald cape a chance to scale up his power based on the threat. He can then catch Goku by surprise with a Zero Punch and his ability to copy his enemies’ skills.
Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Goku in his most powerful stages can be a universal threat, but he still pales in comparison with godly beings like Zeno or those who transcend universes. Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (excuse the lengthy name) is a mech whose pilot’s willpower has fueled its capabilities and raised itself into a multiversal avatar.
Just the mere Giga Drill Break move of Gurren Lagann is bigger than a whole universe, and Goku likely won’t withstand something as massive as that, even with the help of his Universe 7. In terms of durability, well, the Gurren Lagann mech practically shrugged off a Big Bang. The best Goku can do is scuff the Gurren Lagann’s red paint job.
Professor X (Marvel)
Now here’s another bald guy who can beat Goku. Professor X or Charles Xavier doesn’t even need to fight Goku. He just needs to find Goku, take control of Goku’s brain, and order Goku to meet Kaio-Sama again in the afterlife for training. That’s how powerful Professor X would be if only he had the intent and the moral flexibility.
Goku wouldn’t even be able to find Professor X no matter how hard he looked before Professor X could enact his mind control. This matchup was already over before it began. Professor X can no doubt mind-control Goku as he has already done so for beings on a similar scale of strength.
Hulk (Marvel)
This one might be a close call, but the Hulk smashes Goku at the end of the day. The Hulk’s power is infinite and scales based on how angry he is, depending on his enemy. So while Goku can potentially scale up to his peak form, the Hulk will then counter that eventually by withstanding Goku’s attacks and eventually getting angrier.
It will take a while for the Hulk to reach that power. Theoretically, the Hulk can become angry enough to be bigger and stronger than a single universe’s collectively measured power, just like how he grew to his most fearsome form as the World Breaker Hulk.
Dr. Manhattan (DC)
Dr. Manhattan is one of the relatively new additions to the DC roster (imported from Alan Moore’s Watchmen graphic novel). He’s so powerful, that he rebooted the mainline DC comic books. He can practically alter reality and existence just by thinking or willing it.
To that end, Dr. Manhattan is not much different from Zeno. He doesn’t even need to bother with fisticuffs with Goku. Dr. Manhattan can just rewrite Goku’s past to make him weaker or nonexistent. Or he can just erase Goku’s whole universe depending on which side of the bed he woke up that day.
Superman (DC)
Our reference for Goku’s height of power is Perfected or Mastered Ultra Instinct so it’s only fair that we also use Superman’s most powerful form to compete. That would be Superman Prime, aka DC One Million Superman. This Superman was from the 853rc Century and has spent 15,000 years inside the sun, supercharging his Kryptonian abilities.
His punches can rock the multiverse and he can even revive dead people. Goku will run out of his Ultra Instinct before tiring out this Superman. Superman Prime can also just take the fight into a Blue Sun and amplify his powers even more without tiring out.
Thanos (MCU)
Even Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (not the Marvel comics version which is more powerful) has a good chance of beating Goku. We’re assuming Thanos is at his peak form here, meaning he holds all of the Infinity Stones. Goku doesn’t stand a chance since Thanos at that point could just alter reality.
He can snap Goku out of existence, turn him into an actual monkey, or even just teleport Goku into a black hole. This Thanos also humiliated MCU’s Hulk, though that was a much weaker version of the Hulk compared to the comic books. Nevertheless, he can beat Goku and he’s smarter than Goku, which is always a good advantage to have against the Saiyan.
Rick Sanchez (Rick and Morty)
Imagine that. An alcoholic scientist who can’t even deal with his psychologist can actually beat Goku. Well, we do have to give Rick some preparation time here since we’re also giving Goku his Mastered Ultra Instinct. In this case, Rick doesn’t even need to prepare much.
He can just portal Goku into another universe that’s inaccessible to faster-than-light-speed traversal. Or perhaps even portal Goku into a specific universe with beings more powerful than the Saiyan. Rick also doesn’t have to do it face-to-face, he’s certainly more clever than Goku and will find a way to beat Goku remotely.
The King of All Cosmos (Katamari Games)
Anyone powerful enough to hurl and rearrange galaxies like they were coins is more than a match for Goku. The King of All Cosmos in the Katamari video game series just so happens to be that kind of guy. He can literally bend all of the cosmos to his will, including the multiverse.
And even when assaulted by Goku, the King has his titular Katamari balls that can absorb anything — even black holes. Anything Goku does to the King will just get absorbed into the Katamari balls and he wouldn’t even hurt the monarch. It’s such a poetic defeat. Goku lived by the (Dragon) ball, he also lost by the (Katamari) ball.
