Son Goku is a Saiyan who was sent to destroy Earth when he was an infant. He is the main protagonist of Dragon Ball and his strength is known in the anime community. He is even considered the strongest anime character by avid fans, but are there actually anime characters who can beat Goku?
That is why we decided to compile the 12 characters with the potential to win against the Super Saiyan.
Saitama from One Punch Man
From the title itself, Saitama can beat his enemies in a single punch. He is also durable and fast. No enemy was able to survive a single punch from him (an earnest punch).
Saitama's abilities surpass human limits, and he can even defeat artificial beings which might suggest that he can beat Goku.
Aside from his unparalleled strength, enhanced leap, amazing speed, and reflexes, Saitama also has other abilities like shockwave generation, afterimage creation, and vacuum adaptation, among others.
Nanika from Hunter x Hunter
Nanika possesses the body of Killua’s younger sister named Alluka. She is a dark entity who can grant any wish after the person meets the three requirements.
The amount of wishes it can grant is infinite. The greater the wish is, the harder the next requests will be. If the next person declines or fails to complete the requests, two people will die instantly.
Since Nanika is inside Alluka’s body, her strength is like a normal child. Unless it decides to move to a stronger body, then its physical ability can improve.
Eri from My Hero Academia
Eri from My Hero Academia, like Nanika, is a young girl but do not underestimate her abilities. Her quirk is called Rewind in which she can reverse a body to its previous state, making it younger.
It can also heal the target’s body and undo other body-related modifications. The farthest that she can go to is rewind to the point before the person existed.
Her blood can remove quirks that can stop its activation by reversing the target’s body before the quirk evolved. With this ability, she can rewind Goku as a child or even a fetus.
Ryuk from Death Note
Ryuk from Death Note is a Shinigami. He is responsible for indirectly giving Light a Death Note.
His abilities are death manipulation, super strength, and speed. He can also steal someone’s lifespan. He can fly, be vulnerable at night, and even become invisible (except to people who touched or held Death Note).
He is also a smart character which can help him create strategies in a battle. He is durable and his immortality is a big factor in why he can’t be beaten easily.
If Goku can't see Ryuk, it would be impossible for him to beat the Shinigami.
Shigeo Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100
Also known as Mob, Shigeo Kageyama is the main protagonist of Mob Psycho 100. He is physically unfit which is why he doesn’t seem like he has the capacity to beat Goku at all.
But his abilities are his phenomenal psychic powers in which he can store psychic energy to improve his innate power. He can use chlorokinesis and enter a 100% Obsession state.
He can also do telekinesis and create barriers in fights. His other abilities are psychic energy absorption, psychic energy transference, spiritual awareness, and astral projection. He can use these abilities and beat Goku before the Saiyan can do anything.
Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto
Sasuke Uchiha is one of the protagonists in the Naruto series. From Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and now Boruto, he has been a powerful character. As a child, he was considered a prodigy as he can easily match with strong shinobi.
Since he is the reincarnation of Indra, it is expected that Sasuke’s chakra is strong. He has various abilities which can help him beat Goku easily like Indra’s Arrow, Six Paths Chibaku Tensei, and Rinnegan, among others.
Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass
Lelouch vi Britannia or also known as Lelouch Lamperouge is the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire in Code Geass.
His main ability is the Power of Absolute Obedience in which he can control a person’s mind through eye contact, much like hypnosis.
He is also a character with a high intellect which makes him a formidable opponent. He is also deceitful and cunning. In the series, there were a lot of times when he commanded his target to commit suicide which he can easily do with the innocent Goku.
Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto
From the title itself, it is clear that Naruto is the main protagonist of his series.
He might not be as strong as Goku physically but he has a lot of abilities under his sleeves. From his strongest attack which is the Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken to his rapid healing, Naruto can easily find a way to win against Goku.
He also has super strength to support himself as well as inhuman speed.
If those are not enough, his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken has proven effective to beat powerful enemies. He was able to beat Momoshiki Otsutsuki who is basically a God that proves that Naruto can fight and win any battle.
Anos Voldigoad from The Misfit of Demon King Academy
Anos Voldigoad is the reincarnation of the Demon King from 2,000 years ago. This will give the impression that he is indeed a powerful character and no one could disagree with that. Anos is not just a simple character with magic power.
He has immense magic that can surpass any being in the series. He also has immense physical strength and physical speed.
Other abilities that he has are root intimidation, spell theory, and Demon King’s Blood, among others. He is also immortal which means he can never be killed.
In addition, he has a sword that can destroy everything, maybe even Goku.
Alucard from Hellsing
Alucard is a powerful weapon from the Hellsing Organization. He is a vampire who is considered formidable.
He has superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes. His endurance and durability are enhanced and are far from normal human beings. He is also capable of regenerating with extrasensory perception.
To complete the package, he is immortal. As a vampire, he can manipulate blood and absorb souls. His abilities surpass what Goku can do which can put the Dragon Ball protagonist in a bad situation if ever they fight.
Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Time and time again, this list proves to never judge a book by its cover.
Haruhi might seem like a cute girl who is just interested in espers, aliens, and time travelers but she has god-like abilities. She can change, reshape, and even destroy reality.
She is capable of creating a closed space or a new world that can prevent destruction. The twist is that she is not aware of her ability. She can manifest it based on her own desires and the powers grow more when she is in a good mood.
Haruhi can also create time loops with her skills.
Jiren from Dragon Ball
Jiren is from Dragon Ball. He is a member of Pride Troopers and is considered a strong character. In a fight against Mastered Ultra Instinct, Jiren won which could mean that Jiren is indeed stronger than Goku.
He is unbeatable and all of his previous enemies are aware of that. Although his attacks might look basic, these are all efficient and quick. The target won’t know what will hit him. He also has advanced movement analysis that gives him an advantage during a fight.