Goku is the protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise and is easily one of, if not the most, iconic anime/manga characters of all time, as his mere existence has inspired some of the biggest names in this space, such as Luffy and Naruto. Along with this, Goku is also incredibly powerful, proving himself to have the destructive power to destroy entire universes and is always pushing himself to get even stronger than that.

Over the course of Dragon Ball, Goku has often displayed unbelievable feats of strength that very few other characters in anime could even conceive of, leading to the birth of the popular meme 'But could he beat Goku though?', which uses the Saiyan as a litmus test of strength for other fictional characters. So, in this article, let's go over Goku's most impressive feats and why they have made him such a formidable force in the world of anime.

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Goku Defeated The Red Ribbon Army As A Child

Goku's early life was spent in peace when he lived alone with Grandpa Gohan, but all of that changed when he met Bulma. The two were then thrust into a world of adventure and danger, with the infamous Red Ribbon Army opposing them at many turns. With the ultimate goal of using the Dragon Balls to achieve world domination, Goku knew that he had to stop them in their tracks before things got worse.

Significance

Goku defeating the Red Ribbon Army was very impressive because the army itself was incredibly powerful and influential. It had many members and access to the most advanced technology on the planet, with which they were able to make powerful androids and weapons. Despite this, however, Goku still managed to defeat them as a mere child who was far away from being as strong as he eventually became.

Goku Put An End To Frieza's Reign

In all of anime, there are a few moments that stand out from others, not only in terms of the anime industry, but as cultural moments. Even among these, Goku's first transformation into a Super Saiyan stands on its own, as this was a moment that was so significant for the art form that it was the reason why anime eventually reached the heights of popularity in the West that it did. In a list of the greatest moments in all of anime, Goku's first time going Super Saiyan is undoubtedly at the top.

Significance

This moment was significant for almost innumerable reasons, but one of the biggest of them was that it set the tone for the franchise. Dragon Ball was all about fighting and combat, and the rage that Goku felt after seeing his best friend killed perfectly embodied these core aspects. Moreover, this transformation also set the blueprint for the future of the series.

Super Saiyan 3 Shakes The Universe

Majin Buu was a threat unlike anything the Z-Fighters had ever seen before. Not only did he have destructive capabilities that outshone every villain ever seen before in the series, but he could also regenerate on a molecular level, similar to Cell. So, the heroes knew that nothing was working against him, prompting Goku to unleash a power so great that it would reduce the amount of time he had left on Earth.

Significance

Super Saiyan 3 introduced a brand-new pecking order of power in the world, and the transformation into this form is almost as iconic as that of Super Saiyan 1. Due to the incredible amounts of energy needed to transform, the charge up shook the entire universe, causing massive earthquakes and tsunamis on Earth. The form itself was also vastly different from any before, giveing off a regal appearance befitting of the effort it took to achieve it.

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Punches That Threatened Reality

Though the transformation into the legendary Super Saiyan God form was quite different from the ones seen before in the series, it was quite a welcome change of pace as transformations had started to get a bit repetitive. In this new form, Goku took on Beerus in an incredible fight that showed the power that the two of them truly held, which was greater than even the might of Super Saiyan 3 and Ultimate Gohan!

Significance

The reason why this is included as one of Goku's greatest feats of strength is due to what went down in his fight against Beerus, where they initially seemed to be equals. Just through the mere force of their evenly matched punches, the Kais demanded they stop the fight as their fists were tearing the fabric of reality and threatening existence itself, showing that this new strength was unlike any ever seen before.

A Saiyan With The Power Of Angels

Since Dragon Ball Super began, there had been a few subtle hints about the power that the Angels of the multiverse possessed, an ability that allows their bodies to react to danger almost autonomously. It wasn't until far later on that fans would get an idea of what this ability was; Ultra Instinct, defined as the perfect defense that let the body move on its own, so the user could focus all their mental and physical energy on attacking. Goku was the first mortal to achieve this form.

Significance

Culturally, the moment Goku transformed into his Ultra Instinct state was almost as big as his iconic Super Saiyan transformation. Millions around the world tuned in to watch their favorite anime character achieve a form that was only possessed by the most powerful beings in the universe, a technique that not even the Gods of Destruction could master.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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Dragon Ball Super

Action

Adventure

Release Date

July 5, 2015

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

131