Top 10 Biggest Victories of Goku

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

One of Goku’s earliest flexes, and given how we had just watched this bald Saiyan decimate most of the Z Fighters, a very welcome one at that. Following on from his training with King Kai, Goku arrives just in time to see Nappa destroy Piccolo and the rest. From there, it’s a one-sided slaughter-fest. Vegeta may have delivered the killing blow, but no one can deny that Goku dunked on Nappa so hard it’s doubtful he would have recovered from such a beating anyway.

“Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge” (1991)

Dragon Ball movie villains are dime a dozen, with most falling by the wayside in terms of quality. He may not have a patch on his brother, but like his namesake Cooler was just a step up above the rest, mainly due to that boss final form of his. While he might have sought to prove himself superior to Frieza, he ended up following in his footsteps when he was met with the full might of an authentic Super Saiyan. Earning himself a one-way trip to HFIL when his own supernova gets blasted right back at him.

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

Undoubtedly the strongest foe that Goku ever faced as a child, the so-called Demon King was a step above the Red Ribbon Army, forcing the kid with the tail to focus less on traditional martial arts and more on outrageous Saiyan strength. In spite of overcoming the Mufuba Wave, Piccolo Senior was not prepared for Goku charging at him like a speeding bullet, with a head hard enough to tear through his imperial green-ness. Maybe Tien should have tried that…

“Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan” (1993)

We may not be able to include the far superior brawl from Super, but we can at least make one mention of Broly! Sure, this one is far less nuanced, but he still gave us an entertaining showdown as he continuously tossed his ol’ bunk buddy Kakarot around like a ragdoll. His Legendary form proved to be so immense that it took everyone charging Goku up with their energy in order to land that fatal strike. And all of this happened because Goku refused to stop crying back in their infancy!

“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

Yes, there’s going to be GT on this. You’ll just have to deal with it. But give him some credit, this alien orphan did a lot during his tenure as GT’s resident villain. Mind-controlling the population, taking Vegeta’s body for himself - Baby posed such a threat that he even forced Goku to reach a new level of Super Saiyan. Facing down his Golden Oozaru form may have been a challenge, but after ejecting the Tuffle from Vegeta, Goku didn’t have that much of an issue disintegrating the wannabe Buu after Kamehameha-ing him right into the sun.

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

Like father like son. While we all know the big green machine to be one of Goku’s staunchest allies these days, back during his adolescence he had a much more…villainous temperament. Seeking to get revenge for his demonic father, Piccolo took on Goku during the finale of the World Martial Arts Tournament, where they nearly tore each other apart. Despite getting his arms and legs shattered, as well as his having a laser blast shred through his gut, Goku was able to repeat history and take down the Namekian. How so? By using his head, naturally.

“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

Here’s something we never thought we’d see – Goku actually punching out a dragon. After disposing of the numerous shadow dragons that had been plaguing the planet, Goku is left to face against the last of their brood – who by this point happened to have absorbed the Dragon Balls and levelled up big time. While he was eventually whittled down to size thanks to Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, it was Kid Goku’s final Spirit Bomb that sealed the deal, not to mention gave this sequel the curtain call it desperately deserved.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

Caulifa and Kale definitely earned their stripes as the first female Super Saiyans, but it was their combined form that really cemented the deal. With their fusion proving to be so strong, it took Goku cycling through every transformation he had before he was finally able to gain an advantage. This concluded with a second foray into the opening stages of Ultra Instinct, allowing him to outmanoeuvre and ultimately kick the pair out of the Tournament of Power with that all-important Kamehameha to the face.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Possibly the defining battle of Goku’s entire life; taking on his arguably greatest enemy in his strongest form while the Planet Namek neared its destruction was Dragon Ball at its pinnacle. The first transformation into Super Saiyan, Frieza getting sliced by his own energy disks, Goku’s final act of mercy followed by the subsequent kis blast, there were so many highlights stuffed into this one exchange that it made the win all the sweeter. More-so with how it brought every facet of Goku’s character right to the forefront.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Purely in terms of stakes and spectacle, this one is right up there. With Buu now free to rampage in its purest form, the only chance at victory anyone had was one last fight on the World of the Kais, and it was exhausting! Seeing Goku just getting wailed on despite pushing his Super Saiyan 3 form to the limit had everyone believing he couldn’t best the ultimate evil…at least until that last second trump card. Seeing Goku unleash the Spirit Bomb for the first time in forever was dazzling, capping off both Buu and the original series in style!