The Dragon Ball series has been going strong for more than 30 years now. Over this time, it has introduced us to some of the most powerful characters in anime history. The newest saga in the franchise, Dragon Ball Super, carries on where Dragon Ball Z left off, introducing fighters with ludicrously high power-levels that have the capability to destroy entire planets and even universes. However, for every deity that has the power of a God, there is always another fighter that has the power-level of a bowl of wet noodles.
Today, we’ll be counting down the strongest and weakest fighters in the Dragon Ball franchise. This will include the new toughest fighters from Dragon Ball Super-- though we have yet to see the full extent of their powers, many have already built up impressive reputations nonetheless. As for the weakest characters, fighters will be included as far back as the original Dragon Ball.
In order to rank them in terms of power, only actual fighters are considered, which means, as useless as they would be in a brawl, you won’t see the likes of Yamcha’s floating cat Puar or Master Roshi’s talking turtle.
With that out of the way, here are the 8 Most Powerful and 7 Weakest Dragon Ball Characters.
15. Strongest – Goku
You know the power levels in Dragon Ball have grown in absurdity when Goku sits at the bottom of this list. That’s not to diminish just how powerful a fighter he is, however. Everyone’s friendly neighborhood Saiyan is still one of the toughest brawlers in the universe, and, with a roster of characters that now span different dimensions, this is no small feat.
Although classified as a lower-level Saiyan at birth, Goku’s power dramatically improved after training with King Kai. Since that time, he is the first one to reach the status of Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God, and Super Saiyan Blue.
Goku has the ability to tap into god-like power at the height of his abilities, and always welcomes the prospect of a stronger, more challenging opponent. Though he’s now out-classed by a fair amount of fighters, Goku is still the best that Planet Earth has to offer.
14. Weakest – Yajirobe
He may have a power level stronger than average humans, but Yajirobe would much rather pick up a fork and knife than his samurai sword any day. The truth is, this masterless samurai isn’t too terrible a fighter when he wants to be (he even saves the day by cutting off Vegeta’s tail), but he is remarkably lazy, self-centered, and a complete chicken in a fight.
In fact, Yajirobe is notorious for being a coward, hiding behind rocks and ducking for cover until the dust settles from ensuing battles. He’s the kind of guy who watches his teammates fight on a TV screen rather than on the frontlines. His only real contributions to the Z fighters is supplying them with a healthy dose of senzu beams, providing snarky comments from time to time, and eating. Other than that, this overweight ronin is pretty much useless.
13. Stongest – Jiren
He may look like a bug-eyed alien in a spandex suit – well, he is – but Jiren is also one of the strongest fighters in Dragon Ball Super. Not only is he tougher than his leader and friend, Toppo, but Jiren is also the strongest member of Team Universe 11.
Along with his fellow Pride Troopers, Jiren fights for Universe 11 in the Tournament of Power, and, although we haven’t seen him do much besides meditate for the time being, we have heard the rumbling of his immense power. Toppo is about as strong as Super Saiyan Blue Goku, who admits that his teammate Jiren is already far stronger than he is. Looks like Goku has his work cut out for him.
Jiren the Gray has yet to enter the fray and show off his true power, but when that day finally comes, he might just be revealed as one of the toughest opponents yet.
12. Weakest – Chaoitzu
Three feet tall and sporting red rosy cheeks, Chiaotzu is about as strong as he is intimidating. Although he has telekinetic abilities and is strong enough to summon ki-blasts, Chiaotzu is often labeled as the weakest Z Fighter in Dragon Ball history. As Tien's best friend, this tiny fighter does more good providing comic relief than he does assisting in battles.
While we admit that Chiaotzu is certainly one of the weaker fighters, he does get points for standing up to Vegeta and Nappa during their initial visit to Earth. Chiaotzu even sacrifices himself for the rest of the Z Fighters by detonating himself in an effort to take out Nappa, even though the attack doesn't leave the Saiyan with a scratch. Chiaotzu may have good intentions, but, unfortunately, his attacks are about as useless as they come.
11. Strongest – Champa
As the God of Destruction of Universe 6, Champa is not a fighter you want to mess around with, despite his pudgy appearance. He’s the twin brother of Beerus, another purple cat-like humanoid who has similar immense strength and the same destructive temper (the two almost destroy each other’s universes in a heated rivalry).
Besides Vados, Champa is the strongest fighter that Universe 6 has to offer. He has the power to destroy entire planets without breaking a sweat, and even has the potential to decimate entire galaxies whenever he leaves his powers unchecked.
Although a God of Destruction, Champa isn’t as strong as Beerus due to his chunkier build. He gets exhausted quickly, which means that even though he has the power of a god, Champa should probably lay off the sweets if he ever wants to rival his brother in combat.
10. Weakest – Videl
Introduced during the Great Saiyaman Saga, Videl is the daughter of the former World Martial Arts Champion Hercule and wife of Gohan. Initially a gifted fighter, she's taught how to channel her ki by Gohan, gaining the ability to fly and even summon energy blasts.
While Videl easily surpasses her father's strength at an early age (which isn't too hard to do), she's still at the bottom tier of DBZ fighters. Unlike other characters who use a mix between physical attacks and energy-based techniques, Videl primarily uses punches and kicks in her battles.
Though she is able to channel her ki after lessons with Gohan, she has little control over them and her ability to fly. Additionally, while Videl might be considered powerful by normal human standards, she certainly can't go toe-to-toe with the crazy-strong fighters in the series, especially those introduced in Super.
9. Strongest – Beerus
Beerus is the God of Destruction of Universe 7, and is every bit as intimidating as his title would suggest. Like his twin brother, Champa, Beerus is a cat-like humanoid dressed in Egyptian clothing who is hundreds of millions of years old, and feared by just about everyone in his universe.
After discovering that Goku had bested Frieza in combat, the God of Destruction challenged Goku to a one-on-one brawl. Beerus was able to easily beat Super Saiyan 3 Goku with the flick of his finger, and only used 70% of his power to best Goku after he unlocked Super Saiyan God form.
At full power, Beerus has the destructive potential to wipe out his own universe. Thankfully, his attendant, Whis, is able to keep his temper in check, making sure there is someone in the universe left for Beerus to fight.
8. Weakest – Emperor Pilaf
Small, dumb, and delusional, Emperor Pilaf has been annoying Z Fighters and viewers since the early days of Dragon Ball. Although he’s one of the oldest reoccurring villains in the franchise – and we use the term "villain" lightly – Pilaf is about as threatening to Goku as a fly is to an elephant.
Pilaf spends his days pining after the elusive Dragon Balls, with a lower success rate of achieving his goal than Wile E. Coyote. His screen time usually consists of botching terribly constructed plans to nab his prize with his two equally dumb followers, Shu and Mai.
Somehow, Pilaf always manages to ends up worse than he started, either by getting blown up, beat up, flung into the air, or thrown out of a moving airplane. Though he still pops up in a couple episodes of Super, it’s doubtful that Emperor Pilaf will ever pose a real threat to the Z Fighters thanks to his bumbling antics.
7. Strongest – Whis
While he is the attendant and martial arts teacher of Beerus, Whis is much stronger than the God of Destruction, able to knock Beerus out with a single blow to the neck. The blue humanoid is said to be part of a race of Angels, and is thought to be the strongest and fastest warrior in all of Universe 7.
We haven’t seen Whis enter the fray all that much, but from the few times he has, we are left knowing that this guy is crazy strong. He easily beats both Goku and Vegeta during a sparring session without even trying, with the two Saiyans failing to land even a single blow. Whis also has the ability to move through nebulas and universes with ease, making him one of the fastest fighters in Dragon Ball history.
Creator Akira Toriyama has even stated that in terms of power, Goku is at a 6, Beerus is at a 10, and Whis is at a 15. Now that’s strong.
6. Weakest – Chi Chi
Chi Chi was introduced in Dragon Ball as a competent enough fighter to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament. Since that time, she settled down, married Goku, and gave birth to two sons, Gohan and Goten. As the series progresses, Chi Chi turns all of her attention to her children (so they might one day become successful scholars), instead of training and focusing on herself.
While Chi Chi is far from the most powerful character in Dragon Ball, she’s without a doubt one the most intimidating. Sure, she doesn’t have the ability to summon giant blasts of energy or destroy mountains with her fingertips, but the uncontrollable temper tantrums she throws at Goku and Gohan are almost as epic as their fights. However, there’s a fine line between intimidating and powerful, and Chi Chi is far more terrifying in spirit than she is in pure strength.
5. Strongest – Vados
As the elder sister of Whis, Vados is another crazy-strong Angel who claims to be even more powerful than her brother. Like her sibling, she’s the attendant and martial arts instructor of the God of Destruction of Universe 6, Champa. However, while Champa is weaker when compared to his sibling, Vados is said to be far stronger than Whis.
Vados has claimed to be a little faster and more powerful than Whis, despite him objecting that she hasn’t had to train him in over 1,000 years. While the limit of her power has yet to be seen, she’s known as the strongest fighter in Universe 6. Vados has demonstrated that she can even destroy entire planets with just the tap of her staff, which means the Z Fighters will hopefully stay on her good side.
4. Weakest – Oolong
Introduced way back in the original Dragon Ball series, Oolong is a talking, shapeshifting pig that wears human clothing. When you have a franchise that now includes evil aliens and multi-dimensional fighters, a talking swine just doesn’t stack up.
Using his transformation ability for pranks instead of battles, we first see Oolong terrorize a village in Dragon Ball in the form of a demon. He’s quickly put in his place by Goku, who demonstrates a far higher power-level by breaking three bricks with his fingers.
While he can take the form of almost anything, including a giant robot or flying dragon, Oolong primarily uses his shapeshifting ability as a defense mechanism when confronted with tougher opponents. After his initial fight with Goku, the character is rarely seen in another battle, and chooses to spend the rest of his time lazily hanging around Master Roshi’s island, concentrating on his other hobby: stealing and collecting women’s underpants.
3. Strongest – Grand Priest
He may not look like much, but the Grand Priest has a reputation in Dragon Ball Super for being one of the most powerful beings ever. Even Whis, the strongest fighter from Universe 7, admits that he would be easily bested in a bout with the Grand Priest.
While the extent of his powers is currently unknown, we do know that the Grand Priest is a mysterious angelic figure who resides at Zen-Oh's palace. He's considered to be one of the toughest fighters in the whole multi-verse, which means he could easily mop the floor with the majority of fighters on this list.
With rumors suggesting that he might be the true Omni King, or even a villain in disguise, we’re convinced that the Grand Priest will no doubt play a bigger part as Dragon Ball Super moves forward.
2. Weakest – Hercule
Hercule has the dishonor of not only being the weakest fighter in Dragon Ball, but also the most annoying. Over the course of the series, this showboating blowhard has irritated viewers with his false bravado, taking credit for the many battles that were only won thanks to the help of the Z Fighters.
He stomps around with his loyal group of followers and groupies, who are blind to the fact that every combatant in the Dragon Ball universe could mop the floor with him-- and this includes every single one of the aforementioned weakest fighters.
Hercule, aka Mr. Satan, is constantly embarrassing himself trying to fight the big bads that clearly outrank him. One such embarrassing confrontation includes the villain Cell, who easily dispatches Earth’s supposed champion with a slap across the face that sends Hercule flying halfway across the battle field. With so many instances like these, Hercule is not only one of the weakest fighters in all of Dragon Ball, but thanks to his monstrous ego and cocky attitude, one of the most irritating.
1. Strongest – Zen-Oh
That's right; the cute, impish Zen-Oh is now considered to be the strongest fighter in the Dragon Ball franchise. Also known as the Omni-King, or the King of Everything, Zen-Oh is a tiny child-like figure who presides over everyone in every universe, even the Gods of Destruction.
He may not look like much, but the Omni-King is said to have the ability to instantly wipe out anything he desires. For example, there used to be 18 Universes, but Zen-Oh is said to have destroyed six of them for simply because he was in a bad mood. If that's not true power, than we're not sure what is.
Of course, other than flying, we've yet to see Zen-Oh in action and demonstrate what he's fully capable of. However, Beerus has gone on record saying that the blue impish creature could wipe out all life in existence if he wanted to, making the Omni-King the strongest being that's yet to exist in the Dragon Ball universe.
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Who are your favorite strongest and weakest Dragon Ball characters? Let us hear it in the comments!