Dragon Ball has always been home to some of the strongest characters in anime and manga history. From the truly heroic feats of Goku and Vegeta, to Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha holding their own against villains wielding planetary destruction levels of strength, the series has consistently featured characters with varying, yet inconceivable, levels of power. As time has gone on, new fighters with even greater strength have been introduced in Dragon Ball Super, while others have either improved themselves or been left behind.

Though Goku is the series' protagonist, and will more often than not come out victorious in battle, the entire point of Dragon Ball is that there's always someone stronger out there. As a result, the Saiyan is rarely the most powerful being in all the universes. Some characters will forever be out of his reach, as they will be for anyone else currently living in Dragon Ball's world, though their mere presence will always push the series' strongest fighters to keep improving.

This list will only include current of Dragon Ball Super's cast, and will not feature any defeated villains, characters no longer present in the story, or fusions.

10 Piccolo

Piccolo's Orange Form Shot Him Up the Power Rankings

Piccolo is one of Dragon Ball's longer-tenured characters, and one that has played a major role in the series for quite some time. Unfortunately, with the introduction of Saiyans and eventually Super Saiyans, Piccolo, along with several of Earth's greatest heroes, fell behind the rest of the cast. Of all of Dragon Ball's non-Saiyans, the Namekian stuck around the longest, receiving a power-up after fusing with Kami that put him on equal ground with everyone else, before Super Saiyan 2 once again made his strength irrelevant.

Fortunately, Piccolo received another boost in 2022's Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, in the form of his Orange transformation. Now, he is once again able to rival many of Earth's heroes, though the peak of his power is still below that of other characters in the series.

9 Vegeta

Vegeta Has Remained Neck and Neck With Goku Since Dragon Ball Super Began

Dragon Ball Super left fans with several excellent additions to the franchise and its lore, but perhaps most importantly, the series gave Vegeta a much larger role to play in the story. From the moment the ritual turning Goku into a Super Saiyan God was complete during the fight with Beerus, Vegeta found himself a reason to continue training and matching his rival at every turn.

Now equipped with Ultra Ego, a technique primarily used by Gods of Destruction and Vegeta's answer to Goku's Ultra Instinct, the Saiyan has once again reached a level comparable to that of the series protagonist. Current events in Dragon Ball Super, before the beginning of its lengthy hiatus dating back to March 2024, have found its characters reaching absurd levels of strength. Yet there seems to still be even stronger foes to come.

8 Gohan

Gohan's Beast Form Returned the Fighter to His Former Glory

Once upon a time, Gohan was the strongest known fighter in the Dragon Ball universe. Following the defeat of Cell, the series' mightiest half-Saiyan was set to take on the role of protagonist in the Majin Buu Saga, but fans likely know that it didn't quite work out that way. Instead, Goku was returned to his rightful place as the main character, and Gohan slowly began to fade behind the rest of the cast in of strength.

Fortunately, Piccolo wasn't the only character to receive a boost during Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, as Gohan would achieve his Beast form and secure the final blow to Cell Max. The power-up was significant, immediately shooting Gohan back up to the ranks of the series' other leading Saiyans. Later, he and Ultra Instinct Goku would go head-to-head in a sparring match on Beerus' planet.

7 Goku

The Series' Protagonist Is Still Earth's Strongest Defender

Goku has often spent time as Earth's greatest fighter throughout Dragon Ball. The series' protagonist has secured the most major victories in battle, even if his tournament record has never been all that great, and he will likely continue to stand victorious over whatever enemies may come his way. Ultra Instinct, Goku's most powerful technique, has allowed him to take down foes who are normally far stronger than he is.

The Saiyan's ability to adapt in battle, as well as his overall fighting smarts and natural talent, have allowed him to meet any challenge thrown his way. No matter how many new, powerful fighters are introduced in Dragon Ball, Goku's place among the strongest is likely secure.

6 Broly

Broly's Power Has No Limits Once He Becomes Enraged

Broly is likely the character with the most potential in Dragon Ball, arguably rivaled by no one other than Gohan or Frieza. When enraged, he was able to not only adapt and go toe-to-toe with Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta, but overpower them entirely during 2018's Dragon Ball Super: Broly. It wasn't until the two Saiyans fused into Gogeta and transformed were they able to regain the upper hand and ultimately defeat Broly.

Theoretically, Broly is likely able to just continue growing stronger until he either regains his wits or destroys himself entirely. To even be able to trade blows with Super Saiyan Gogeta post-Tournament of Power is an incredible feat, and one very few fighters in the series would be able to manage.

5 Frieza

The Recurring Villain Can Become Infinitely Stronger With Little Effort

At one time in the series, a fighter of Frieza's caliber was largely an afterthought. Following his defeat of Namek, he ventured to Earth only to be dismantled in a matter of seconds by Trunks, and wasn't seen again in Akira Toriyama's original manga. However, his return in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', and later during the Tournament of Power, only served to showcase just how terrifying he can be.

Frieza revealed that he was able to catch up to Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta with only a few months of training, before later becoming an immense help during the Universe Survival Saga, and eventually one-shotting Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta in his all-new Black Frieza form. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Super hasn't shown very much of him since, though fans know just how terrifying a fighter of his talent can be.

4 Beerus

Universe 7's God of Destruction Has Yet to Show Much of His True Power

Dragon Ball's power scaling becomes a bit more vague once divine beings become involved. Beerus not only wields the Hakai power of a Destroyer God, but he's the toughest God of Destruction of them all. After achieving Super Saiyan God, Goku was able to hang with the destroyer, but never really came close to gaining the upper hand. Unfortunately, since that battle, fans haven't seen all that much of Beerus in combat.

Nevertheless, it's well-known that no mortal being in the Dragon Ball universe is more powerful than Beerus. How much stronger he is than Earth's greatest fighters, however, is largely unknown. Goku and Vegeta may stand a chance against him in battle after fusing, but Beerus would likely still have the advantage.

3 Whis

The Angel Tasked With Guiding Beerus Is Surprisingly Even Stronger

Though he may not look the part, Whis is one of the strongest characters in Dragon Ball, and by quite a bit. When introduced alongside Beerus in 2013's Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, his strength was kept largely a secret until he revealed to Goku that he not only accompanies and guides Beerus through his duties, but also trains him. Ever since then, he's become Goku and Vegeta's master as well.

Dragon Ball's angels seem to operate on a higher plane of existence, as the Tournament of Power proved they would be perfectly alright even if their universes were erased. Whis is currently teaching Beerus the Ultra Instinct technique, can use it at will himself, and would likely walk away entirely unscathed if the two ever fought seriously.

2 The Grand Priest

The Father of the Angels Seemingly Keeps Order in the Multiverse

The pecking order of Dragon Ball's divine beings is relatively simple. Angels are stronger than the Gods of Destruction they're assigned to, and The Grand Priest is the one doing the asg. He's also said to be the father of all angels, and answers directly to the Zenos. Considering the playful, and largely immature, nature of the Zenos, it's likely that The Grand Priest is actually the one pulling the multiverse's strings.

Being an angel himself, The Grand Priest displays no aggression but could likely eviscerate just about any threat that presents itself to him. There's not a single fighter in any of Dragon Ball's universes that wouldn't be immediately defeated without the slightest bit of effort from The Grand Priest.

1 The Zenos

Dragon Ball's Most Powerful Beings Are Also Its Most Terrifying

The Zenos have never actually fought in Dragon Ball Super, though they would have no need to do so in the first place. Any potential threat would have to go through every God of Destruction, Angel, and then The Grand Priest to even get to them, and if that were to somehow happen, the Zenos could just delete that fighter's existence at will. Beerus and Whis have both been shown to be nervous any time Goku is in their general area, knowing that saying the wrong thing could mean the end of them all.

They're playful by nature, but the Zenos are terrifying. One erased the existence of an entire timeline during the Goku Black arc, and then threatened to erase every universe at the end of the Tournament of Power had the correct wish not been made. They may never actually fight at any point in Dragon Ball Super, though they probably won't need to.