Summary
Goku has had many epic battles throughout the Dragon Ball series, each pushing him to new heights of power and skill. Powerful opponents like Beerus, Jiren, and Frieza have forced Goku to reach new levels of power. Many of Goku's most exciting battles involve him unlocking new abilities and new forms.
Dragon ball Dragon Ball is a series known for its incredible fight scenes, and that has been the case throughout Dragon Ball history. Many of the best fights are those that feature Goku, showcasing his incredible skills and training as he is pushed to new heights.
Of course, Goku’s best fights aren’t defined solely by his power level. Often, Goku’s best fights come when he’s slightly outmatched by his opponents, forcing him to evolve his techniques (and sometimes even his form) to win. Goku has faced off against powerful foes like this over the years, and it always results in a great fight. Here are the 10 greatest fights Goku has had throughout Dragon Ball history.
King Piccolo pushes Goku to the limit
First appearance: Dragon Ball, “Enter King Piccolo”
King Piccolo was one of Goku's first enemies, and one of the first to pose a real threat to the continued existence of planet Earth. King Piccolo used the Dragon Balls to wish himself younger, then killed Shenron, ensuring that the Dragon Balls could not be used to revive Goku if he fell. This makes the fight between Goku and King Piccolo really tense, as just one wrong move could easily lead to the destruction of the world. King Piccolo possesses many powers that make him very dangerous, and his connection to Kami also causes great problems when fighting him.
Goku eventually defeats King Piccolo after his potential is unlocked by the Ultra Divine Water, as well as his near-death power boost. Goku pierces King Piccolo's chest, killing him, but not before he gives birth to a final egg, containing Piccolo Jr.
Goku needs godly power to face Beerus
First appearance: Dragon Ball Z Battle of Gods
Beerus is a God of Destruction, so his visit to Earth causes great alarm. He wants to fight a being known as the Super Saiyan God, but unfortunately, Goku and his friends have no idea who or what he is. After finding out, Goku reaches a new level of power, gaining red hair that looks more like his regular hairstyle than his Super Saiyan. He confronts Beerus all the way to the edge of the universe, and Goku fights back well with this new power.
However, in the end, the power of the Super Saiyan God was no match for Beerus. Goku collapsed from exhaustion, leaving Beerus as the victor of the fight. However, Beerus was impressed enough by Goku's performance to spare the Earth, and looked forward to seeing how far Goku's power would grow next.
Golden Frieza sees Goku reach a new level of power
First appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'
Frieza's dramatic return saw the villain gain a new level of power, making him a much more dangerous threat than before. During this battle, Goku first demonstrated his Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (aka “Super Saiyan Blue”) form, a god-powered version of the standard Super Saiyan. Frieza, not to be outdone, uses his new transformation, Golden Frieza. Goku maintains the upper hand throughout most of this fight, but is knocked out by one of Frieza's henchmen with a cheap shot..
Vegeta is unable to deal with Frieza in time, and Frieza destroys the Earth. Luckily, Whis is present and is able to turn back time, giving Goku the chance to deal one last fatal blow to Frieza before he can blow up the planet again, ending their fight once and for all.
Goku's first battle with Vegeta set the standard
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, “Gohan's Rage”
Goku's climactic battle with Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga proved that the Saiyans were not to be trifled with, demonstrating Vegeta's abilities and mastery over them. Goku had to use many of his tricks to win this battle, including the Kaioken, as well as the first appearance of the Spirit Bomb fighting technique, something that would become an incredibly iconic part of Goku's arsenal. Vegeta vs. Goku proves to be a very even match at this early stage, and they will continue to be so throughout the series. Vegeta shows no mercy, activating his Giant Gorilla form and defeating Goku.
Goku has help from Gohan and Krillin throughout this fight, but this is the beginning of a long-standing rivalry between Goku and Vegeta. Of course, Vegeta only survives this fight and escapes back to space, a long road to redemption still lies ahead.
Killed Goku… Temporarily
First appearance: Dragon Ball Super, “The battles begin! We're going to the 'Nameless Planet!'”
After first meeting Hit in the Tournament of Destroyers, Goku secretly hired the Universe 6 assassin, damaging himself to fight him at full power. Hit turned out to be a very different opponent when fighting to kill, forcing Goku to use some unorthodox moves to stay ahead of him. Hit even manages to kill Goku by aiming for his heart, but Goku devises a plan to revive himself with a ki blast, momentarily escaping death. This is a difficult battle for Goku even after being revived, as he struggles to land a single blow on Hit.
However, when the fight actually begins, it's a beautiful exchange of blows. Hit and Goku both have a great time as their abilities are pushed to the limit, and Hit begins to develop an appreciation for martial arts.
Broly's infinite power is on par with Goku's
First appearance: Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Broly possesses the undeniable power of the Legendary Super Saiyan, making him an extremely dangerous opponent for both Goku and Vegeta. While Goku lets Vegeta make the first move against Broly, he soon becomes impatient and joins the fight when Vegeta is sent flying. Goku fights Broly at various stages of power, first going Super Saiyan and then escalating from there. Broly destroys the very land they are fighting on, turning it into a lava inferno. Goku gradually gains the upper hand over Broly as he reaches Super Saiyan Blue, but the battle is not over yet.
Goku and Vegeta are eventually able to escape when Broly turns his attention to Frieza, giving them the opportunity to fuse with Gogeta. Gogeta's power surpasses Broly's, and they nearly kill him before Cheelai and Lemo want Broly to return to his home planet Vampa.
Goku vs Buu
First appearance: Dragon Ball Z, “Buu has hatched!”
The Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z gets pretty grim. The Earth is destroyed, and all but four Earthlings are dead, including the dog. It's up to Goku and Vegeta to defeat Buu, and they certainly have a lot of work to do. Goku ends up using almost every trick he's learned in his fight with Buu, culminating in the greatest Spirit Bomb of all time, powered by the resurrected Earth population, at Mr. Satan's urging. Goku, with energy restored by the Namekian Dragon Balls, is able to deliver the Spirit Bomb to the target, despite Buu resisting, and eventually destroys him..
This is the ultimate final battle in the series and the pinnacle of the classic Dragon Ball Z series.
The rematch between Goku and Vegeta is their greatest battle yet.
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, “Gohan's Rage”
Fans love to watch Goku and Vegeta fight, and no battle between the two of them is more epic or iconic than Goku's fight with Majin Vegeta at the beginning of the Buu Saga. Seeking a return to his evil roots, Vegeta agrees to become Babidi's servant in exchange for becoming stronger, becoming a Majin. Goku can't understand why his current friend would do such a thing, and their battle is, in its own way, heartbreaking. Vegeta even begins to realize how wrong he was and uses the last of his power to fight Buu.
The fight itself is a brutal one, with Goku and Vegeta both using everything they have to win. This isn't just a rematch; Vegeta's insecurities come out in full force, making it a very personal fight.
Jiren brought Goku to his highest peak yet
First appearance: Dragon Ball Super, “Universes in Action – Each Universe Has Its Own Motive”
Jiren was the top contender in the Tournament of Power, so strong that few other opponents even looked at him, each hoping someone else would eliminate him. Goku fought Jiren several times during the Tournament of Power, and each time he did better. Jiren is such a tough opponent that Goku begins to reach new levels of power, unlocking the Ultra Instinct Sign and eventually the full Ultra Instinct ability. Jiren proved his reputation was no joke when he unleashed powerful attacks that sent Goku crashing to the arena floor.
In the end, Jiren is not defeated by Goku alone but with the help of Android 17 and Frieza, proving that teamwork is essential to victory, as Jiren does not really coordinate well with his teammates.
Goku's greatest battle saw him achieve Super Saiyan form.
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, “Brood of Evil”
When it comes to Goku's greatest battles, there's really only one that can top it, and it has to be the most exciting moment in Dragon Ball history. Pushed to the limit by the evil Frieza, who once again killed his good friend Krillin, Goku finally achieves the Super Saiyan form that legend has spoken of. Frieza is stunned, unable to believe what he's seeing. Goku defeats Frieza, witnessing Frieza's energy levels gradually decrease throughout their battle.Frieza was so distracted by his loss that he launched an attack that hit himself, cutting him in half.
Goku takes pity on his enemy, but Frieza only uses the energy Goku gave him for one final attack, causing Goku to angrily retaliate at full power, obliterating Frieza. The moment Goku goes Super Saiyan is so exciting that it automatically makes this battle the best one Dragon ballalthough a bit slow by modern standards.
