In the transition from Dragon Ball to DBZ, Goku changed from a boy on an adventure of self-discovery to a young man who became a hero. With that role strongly defined, Goku’s greatest fights are almost always framed as the great finale to DBZ‘s major story arcs. As the villain rises to prominence and defeats the rest of the Z Fighters, it’s up to Goku to swoop in and save the world from the agents of evil. Aside from holding narrative significance, Goku’s place as the main hero of DBZ also necessarily makes him the strongest.
This leads to some incredibly explosive fight scenes with the most powerful attacks and the best fight choreography in the series. The villains pull out all the stops to try to snuff out the heroes’ last spark of hope, but Goku refuses to give up no matter how bad a beating he takes, because a loss for Goku is a loss for all of humanity. Considering DBZ is widely considered the best of the Dragon Ball franchise, and Goku is DBZ‘s greatest hero, it naturally follows that many of Goku’s best fights in DBZ are also the best fights in shonen anime history.
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Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is full of unforgettable fights, but there are less common battles that unfairly get overlooked and are just as intense.10Goku Reveals his Hidden Power Against Majin Buu
Goku Vs Majin Buu Was More of a Flex for Goku Than a Real Fight
Fighters
Winner
Arc
Goku vs Majin Buu
N/A
Majin Buu Saga
Goku had many iconic transformations and power-ups throughout DBZ, but there was something particularly special about his SSJ3 form against Majin Buu. A big part of what made it so special was how completely out-of-the-blue the form was. Goku’s training for the form was done entirely off-screen, and judging by Goku’s fight against Majin Vegeta just prior, there was no real indication that Goku had reached a new level of strength.
Majin Buu proved to be an indestructible monster against both Majin Vegeta and Gohan, forcing Goku back into the fray to rescue the world once again. At that point in the series, Goku had done everything he could to leave the world in the hands of the next generation, even refusing to be revived when his friends gathered the dragon balls after the Cell Games. Goku even told Vegeta later in the arc that he could have potentially beaten Majin Buu during their first fight, but he wanted to leave the fate of the world in the hands of the Earth’s future heroes like Gotenks and Gohan.
9Goku and Pikkon Have an Other-Worldy Battle
Goku Vs Pikkon Was Never a Fight to Save the World
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Pikkon
Goku
Other World Saga
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While it’s not even a canonical fight from the Dragon Ball manga, Goku’s fight against Pikkon is a standout moment in the series. It made Pikkon a particularly memorable character, and a fan favorite of DBZ. One of the best things about Goku and Pikkon’s fight was that neither of them was particularly stronger than the other. After Goku powered up to his Super Saiyan form and Pikkon removed his weighted clothing, the two were completely evenly matched.
Goku and Pikkon’s fight was also unique in that there were no serious stakes involved. The winner of their fight would get to train with the Grand Kai, but even the Grand Kai was forced to admit that both Goku and Pikkon were already too strong for him to teach them anything.
8Goku Singlehandedly Takes Down the Ginyu Force
Goku Vs The Ginyu Force Established Goku as the First Potential Super Saiyan
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Recoome, Jeice and Burter
Goku
Namek Saga
After training in 100x gravity on the way to Namek, Goku achieved unbelievable levels of power. Whereas Vegeta, Krillin and Gohan were completely defenseless against Recoome, the tide quickly turned in the heroes’ favor when Goku arrived. Against a villain who made Vegeta look weak and nearly killed Gohan, Goku acted like Recoome didn’t even belong in his presence.
After easily one-shotting Recoom, Goku then proceeded to dodge Jeice and Burter with so much speed that he couldn’t even be seen by either of them: an incredible feat considering they were the two fastest fighters in the Ginyu Force other than Captain Ginyu himself. While Goku was always the hero of Dragon Ball before, Goku truly gave the impression that he had become a genuine superhero during the fight against the Ginyu Force.
7Captain Ginyu Had to Become Goku to Beat Him
Goku Vs Captain Ginyu Proved Martial Arts is About More Than Physical Power
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Captain Ginyu
Goku
Captain Ginyu Saga
Before the fight against Captain Ginyu, Goku had proven that his new power-up had made him untouchable. He easily defeated all of Ginyu’s underlings with minimal difficulty, and Ginyu’s personal strength alone wouldn’t have been anywhere near enough to beat Goku. Ginyu’s ability was the ultimate way to cause tension against a hero who had become far too overpowered at that point in the series.
Goku was the infallible savior who always showed up to save the day, so having him forcibly switch bodies with his enemy and lose all his power was the only real way to make Ginyu a sufficiently threatening villain. While it was really Vegeta who ended up defeating Ginyu (in Goku’s body) in combat, Goku’s quick thinking in tossing a frog between Vegeta and Ginyu just as Ginyu used his body swap technique was what proved to be Ginyu’s permanent downfall.
6Goku Dies For His Brother
Raditz Vs Goku Was The Perfect Introduction to The Brutal Fights That Were to Come in DBZ
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Raditz
Goku
Raditz Saga
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Goku’s fight against Raditz was important for the series going forward, and Goku’s personal development as a character. By introducing the notion of the saiyans, Raditz both opened up the Dragon Ball universe to greater intergalactic threats, and helped explain the true source of Goku’s supernatural abilities. What makes Goku’s fight against Raditz so great is the fact that Goku was never strong enough to win.
Unlike the najority of the future battles in DBZ in which Goku would recieve new power-ups that made him stronger than the villains, both Goku and Piccolo were decidedly weaker than Raditz, making their fight against him an uphill battle from the very start. Goku would have to get creative in order to beat Raditz, and it also helped that Piccolo was more than willing to kill Goku alongside Raditz, killing his two greatest threats on Earth with only one Special Beam Cannon.
5Kid Buu Was a Terrifying Threat to the Universe
Goku Vs Kid Buu Was the Perfect Finale for DBZ
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Kid Buu
Goku
Kid Buu Saga
Goku’s fight against Kid Buu has some of the best fight choreography in DBZ. Unlike every other opponent Kid Buu had faced, Goku was able to stand toe-to-toe with him, forcing Kid Buu to use some particularly creative attacks. This, in turn, forced Goku to use every technique in his own arsenal as well, to the point that not even biting was off limits.
Goku’s mastery of the martial arts was taken for granted by the time of the Buu Saga, but the fight against Kid Buu really showed just how much Goku had actually grown as a fighter throughout the entire course of the franchise. It also showed how much Vegeta grew as a person, as he was finally willing to acknowledge Goku’s superior strength, and even take on the supporting role for Kakarot if it meant saving the World that Vegeta had come to call his home.
4Majin Vegeta Didn’t Fight Fair — But Goku Did
Goku Vs Majin Vegeta Was the Rematch Fans Were Waiting For
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Majin Vegeta
Majin Vegeta
Babidi Saga
Few fights in DBZ are as beloved by fans as Goku vs Majin Vegeta. While Goku had fought Vegeta before, it seemed like a true rematch between them would never be in the cards again after Vegeta became one of the heroes. Nevertheless, Vegeta’s SSJ power-up during the Cell Saga made a grudge match between him and Goku more likely than ever, and Vegeta sought to finally surpass his rival by reaching SSJ2 thanks to Babidi’s Majin mind control powers.
As fans would later learn, however, even with a Majin power-up, Vegeta still was never really Goku’s equal. While training in the Other World, Goku had already reached the Super Saiyan 3 form, but he didn’t want to waste that power fighting Majin Vegeta because he knew it would shorten his time on Earth. Goku therefore chose to fight Vegeta on equal footing, relying on skill and combat IQ instead of pure power to match his foe. Unfortunately, Vegeta didn’t have the same intention of fighting fair, leading him to knock Goku out when he was looking the other way.
3Goku Never Planned to Actually Beat Cell
Goku Vs Perfect Cell Has Arguably the Best Fight Choreography in DBZ
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Perfect Cell
Cell
Cell Games Saga
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Goku’s fight against Cell had a lot of build-up. In a way, it could be argued that the majority of the Dragon Ball franchise built up to that moment, because Cell was built by Dr Gero for the sole purpose of getting revenge on Goku for the destruction of the Red Ribbon Army. With that backdrop, Goku’s fight with Cell should have had a lot of baggage.
However, neither Goku nor Cell approached their fight with the slightest amount of emotion — it was all about who was the better fighter. To that end, Goku and Cell certainly put on a show. Goku’s lifetime of fight experience was on full display, and Cell’s lifetime of studying Goku’s every move made their fight one of the most exciting to watch in all of DBZ. What’s even more amazing about how great of a fight Goku’s battle with Cell was is that Goku never even intended on defeating Cell to begin with; he only wanted to test out his opponent to measure his strength against Gohan’s.
2Vegeta Showed Goku What a True Saiyan Was Capable Of
Goku Vs Vegeta Was the Ultimate Showdown Between Saiyans
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Vegeta
Goku
Vegeta Saga
Goku has fought Vegeta a number of times in the Dragon Ball series, but none were as important for the franchise as their first fight during the Saiyan Saga. Before he was Goku’s greatest rival, a father to Trunks, and husband to Bulma, Vegeta was the most terrifying and merciless villain in DBZ. While Goku had trained his entire life as a martial artist, his lower-class saiyan heritage placed him at an automatic disadvantage against the Saiyan Prince.
Even though Vegeta would go on to become Goku’s underling throughout the majority of the rest of DBZ, there was no denying that Vegeta was by far the more naturally powerful between the two during their first meeting. Goku put up a good fight against Vegeta — one that even impressed Vegeta greatly, but Kakarot still would have been defeated had it not been for the combined efforts of Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe in teaming up to help their friend secure the victory.
1Frieza Inadvertently Created His Worse Nightmare
Goku Vs Frieza Was Shonen Anime’s Greatest Fight
Opponent
Winner
Arc
Frieza
Goku
Frieza Saga
Known for being the longest 5 minutes in anime history (the fight actually lasted for around 19 episodes), Goku’s fight with Frieza was nonetheless worth every minute. Full of iconic moments like Frieza getting cut in half by his own Destructo Disk, Goku slapping Frieza, and, of course, Goku’s first ever Super Saiyan transformation, Goku and Frieza made anime history several times throughout the course of their epic battle on Planet Namek.
Goku had faced innumerable villains before Frieza, but the thing that made his fight against Frieza so great was the sheer scope of Frieza’s power. While planetary threats had been hinted at before in DBZ, Frieza was the first villain to literally destroy a planet in real-time. In fact, it was Frieza who had destroyed Planet Vegeta to begin with, thereby making him the very reason Goku was ever sent to the Earth in the first place. Had Goku never been sent to Earth, the events of Dragon Ball never would have occurred, and Goku never would have become the Super Saiyan who defeated Frieza on Namek.