Who are the strongest Z Fighters at the end of the Dragon Ball Super anime series? First airing in 2015, Dragon Ball Super was the long-awaited TV continuation of Goku's story, picking up shortly after the completion of Dragon Ball Z's Buu saga. In many ways, Dragon Ball Super has been markedly different compared to past series, and unlike the old days, there have been some notable deviations between the anime and manga. Dragon Ball Super has also introduced plenty of new lore to the franchise, and this has dramatically affected the Dragon Ball power levels, all of which are now well over 9000.
The Dragon Ball Super anime is currently on an indefinite hiatus following the Tournament of Power saga, with the hugely successful Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie marking the final chapter. However, the Dragon Ball Super manga series has continued uninterrupted, and it remains to be seen whether the anime will one day pick up that thread, start a new saga, or focus exclusively on cinematic releases.
At this natural break in the Dragon Ball Super anime, it's perhaps appropriate to assess how each of the main heroes, colloquially known as the Z Fighters, rank against each other in terms of power from weakest to strongest. Who has beefed-up since the days of Dragon Ball Z, and who's been skipping their training?
Chiaotzu
As with most of the lower-tier Z Fighters, Chiaotzu became gradually more redundant throughout Dragon Ball Z, and that progression comes to its natural conclusion in Dragon Ball Super, where Tien's odd-looking partner mostly just stands in the background. With no real fights to speak of, it's difficult to gauge Chiaotzu's current power, but the fact that he's not even considered as a potential candidate in any tournaments or friendly battles says more than enough. At least Chiaotzu's psychic abilities seem to be intact.
Yamcha
Picking the weakest Z Fighter out of Chiaotzu and Yamcha is like picking the most disgusting Saw movie - there's no real right answer. Yamcha acts as a running joke throughout Dragon Ball Super, to the point where the other Z Fighters forget he exists altogether. Along the same lines, the sequel series itself forgets that Yamcha was actually a capable fighter once upon a time. The only moment that slightly elevates Yamcha above Chiaotzu in the ranking comes from recent events in the Dragon Ball Super manga, where the baseball star (at least he's good at something!) is seen taking out some of Moro's weaker goons.
Tien
Moving up into Dragon Ball Super's proper fighters, Tien isn't a regular feature in the sequel anime, but he is afforded a few standout moments that prove his continuous training has paid off. After being effortlessly knocked aside by Beerus at the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, Tien later helps fight off Frieza's henchmen in the Resurrection F saga, but doesn't cover himself in glory, eventually defeated by Captain Ginyu along with his allies. The former Crane pupil is also revealed to have established a martial arts school of his own, but takes a break to compete in the Tournament of Power where, despite being eliminated early, his performance earns praise from none other than Beerus. Unlike Yamcha and Chiaotzu, Tien has continued to better himself.
Master Roshi
The strength of Master Roshi in Dragon Ball Super is somewhat of a curiosity, and a significant retcon from the days of Dragon Ball Z. The Turtle Hermit stopped being an active fighter around the time of the Saiyan saga, allowing his students to inherit the responsibility of defending the Earth. Strangely, Roshi has become far more active in Dragon Ball Super, while also receiving an unexplained bump in power. Roshi puts in a strong showing against Frieza's lackeys in Resurrection F, bringing back his rarely-seen muscular form, but it's the Tournament of Power where Roshi's true strength is unveiled. Lasting longer than most of his students, Roshi proves invaluable in the tournament, and is also afforded the respect of Beerus. More importantly, Roshi goes toe-to-toe with Jiren in the manga and there's some suggestion of him possessing a degree of Ultra Instinct. Roshi's power level has been a source of controversy in Dragon Ball Super, but there's no denying he's stronger than he used to be.
Krillin
There's no argument that Master Roshi comes out of Dragon Ball Super looking better than Krillin, especially since the bald-headed, nose-free character is the first Universe 7 elimination in the Tournament of Power, but there's still reason to believe that Krillin has surpassed his old master. At the end of Dragon Ball Z, most fans consider Krillin to be the strongest pure human in the series. Krillin's arc in Dragon Ball Super centers around rediscovering his fighting spirit, and the long-running character also showcases some nifty new ki tricks. Krillin's best moment comes while fighting Frieza's invading army - the strongest the character has looked for years.
While Roshi might get the bigger moments, Krillin remains the superior fighter of the two. His exit in the Tournament of Power is more a reference to the trope of always having bad luck than a genuine sign Krillin is weak, and Roshi's controversial power-up is confirmed to only work in specific circumstances (not having perverted thoughts, essentially). On the other hand, Krillin's power isn't dependent on the attractiveness of his opponent.
Goten/Trunks
Since Dragon Ball Super largely ignores Goten and Trunks, it's difficult to assess their power at the end of the series. Without fusing, both youngsters can still attain their basic Super Saiyan form, and this is enough to put them above the various human Z Fighters. However, both Goten and Trunks are constantly omitted from the big fights, whether in tournaments or against proper villains, and this keeps them out of the upper tier rankings. If Goten and Trunks had fulfilled their potential from the Dragon Ball Z era, they could've become some of the Z Fighters' best.
Piccolo
While Piccolo is training Gohan, it's confirmed that the Namekian has become stronger than his former student's regular form due to the half-Saiyan's lapse in training. Piccolo, meanwhile, has been continuously working towards getting stronger, even if Goku and Vegeta have long since left him behind. Strong performances against Frost and in the Tournament of Power prove Piccolo's increased strength, and since there's no indication Goten and Trunks have progressed, the green warrior surely now ranks above the youngsters. Once Gohan is up and firing again, Piccolo's power is eclipsed, although he remains a useful combatant.
Android 18
Marginally more useful than Piccolo in Dragon Ball Super is Android 18. Unlike the other Z Fighters, the Android siblings don't appear to get rusty after periods without training, putting 18 at a natural advantage compared to the other Z Fighters. While she doesn't battle often in the sequel series, 18 fares about as well as Piccolo against Beerus, but has more success in the Tournament of Power, eliminating herself in order to ensure 17 remained in the competition. Furthermore, the manga's Galactic Prisoner saga sees the Androids successfully back up Gohan and Piccolo, proving 18's strength hasn't faded.
Gohan
Gohan is a bit of a mess in Dragon Ball Super, and even after regaining his power, Goku's first child doesn't exude anywhere near the same power as he did when Dragon Ball Z finished. According to Akira Toriyama, Gohan was the most powerful unfused character during the Buu saga, but that accolade seems to have faded the moment Gohan says he "thinks" he can still turn Super Saiyan shortly before Frieza arrives on Earth in Resurrection F. After training diligently, Gohan is able to regain some of his former strength and, much like Android 18, sacrifices himself in the Tournament of Power in order to eliminate Dyspo. Tournament heroics partially redeem an otherwise disappointing Gohan in Dragon Ball Super.
Android 17
While it might be controversial to suggest 17 is stronger than Gohan at the end of Dragon Ball Super, there's 2 clear reasons for Android's high ranking. In the Tournament of Power, Gohan is able to regain the power he had at the end of Dragon Ball Z, but where the scholar can only claw back his former glories, Android 17 is clearly shown to have made great improvements since his last appearance. Goku explicitly comments on how much 17 has improved while protecting his island, and the Android is even able to hang with Super Saiyan Blue Goku during a friendly sparring session.
Cementing his Dragon Ball Super power-up, Android 17 never looks out of his depth against any competitor in the Tournament of Power, even dealing some damage to the near-invincible Jiren, and while not completely due to brute strength, 17 is also crowned the tournament's winner. Any fight between Android 17 and Gohan would certainly be close, but the former's unlimited stamina could prove the deciding factor.
Vegeta
There's no debate that Goku and Vegeta are the strongest characters in Dragon Ball Super, with the Saiyan duo dominating every single story arc. Vegeta attains both regular God mode and Super Saiyan Blue, and even finds an evolved form that pushes beyond those barriers and allows him to fight evenly with a God of Destruction. Moving into the manga, Vegeta has expanded his repertoire further by training on Yardrat, but the full extent of these new abilities are yet to be revealed. Vegeta's startling progression is still motivated by a desire to best his eternal rival, and his attitude to training hasn't softened despite an ever-growing family. Vegeta has trained under both Beerus and Whis, and has easily eclipsed his power level from the end of Dragon Ball Z.
Goku
Despite Vegeta's best efforts, Goku remains the most powerful Dragon Ball Super character when the series ends. The first of the duo to explore the realms of Super Saiyan God mode, Goku immediately overtakes Vegeta at the beginning of the series, but the scores level up after both ascend to Super Saiyan Blue. Once Goku realizes he can combine his Saiyan transformation with his old Kaio Ken technique, however, he moves ahead of Vegeta again, and the difference in power is confirmed with Goku's mastering of Ultra Instinct. Without this Godly power (which Goku has only just learned to control properly in the manga), he and Vegeta are more or less equals, and this is highlighted in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, where the duo are forced to fuse against the Legendary Super Saiyan. By the end of Dragon Ball Super's anime series, however, Goku's bigger bag of tricks makes him the superior warrior and the strongest of the Z Fighters.