[Top 10] Goku Best Fights of All Time
The battles of Dragon Ball Z, where the most epic bouts in anime history are displayed in full force, with each competitor giving it their all. As Goku fights powerful opponents after powerful opponents, everyone watching gets to be bearing witness to battles that shape the very planet or even universe beneath their feet.
As the Saiyan hero battles through tournament rings and battle-scarred arenas, here the fights that stood above the rest with the top 10 best Goku fights of all time.
10. Goku vs King Piccolo
This one’s for Krillin
Goku VS King Piccolo: When the Demon King prepares his take over of planet earth, Goku steps up to take the fight to him. With his allies fallen, Goku had nothing but his own power to fall back on, which was outmatched by Piccolo’s might, but through his sheer will, Goku persevered and brought all his strength to the fight. The battle was loaded with epic scenes like
- Goku’s epic finishing punch
- Goku immediately defeating Piccolo’s son Drum
- Goku battling on despite hefty injuries to his knee
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6OwPsPXyxY&t=
9. Goku Vs Vegeta
The beginning of a wondrous friendship
A newly resurrected Goku battles the invading Saiyan prince Vegeta. After making short work of Napa, Goku is ready to show off the fruits of his training labors and fend off Vegeta, who is ready to prove just why he is the Saiyan Elite. The battle begins one of the most iconic rivalries in anime, with heart-pounding moments like
- The Kamehameha vs Galick Gun, one of the best beam struggles in DBZ history
- The Oozaru transformation that turned the tide of the battle and Yahirobe’s sudden intervention
- Goku sparing Vegeta’s life as Krillin was ready to deal the final blow
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acZpLr455kM
8. Goku vs Piccolo Jr
Seems like all friendships start this way
Now a young adult, Goku is much more powerful after years of training with Mr. Popo and Kami. A strength boost that’s welcome, as his opponent is Piccolo Jr, son of the Demon King that Goku defeated 3 years prior. Now swearing revenge and seeking to complete his father's goal of world domination, Piccolo throws the gauntlet in the most appropriate place for such an epic battle, The World Martial Arts Tournament. The fight featured many epic moments such as
- Goku developing the ability to fly
- Piccolo growing into a gigantic form and swallowing Goku whole
- Goku freeing the trapped Kami from inside Piccolo’s body
- Piccolo’s brutal beatdown of Goku and blasting of his limbs
- Goku securing the win, becoming the World Martial Arts Champion
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u4ajNgiOmY&t
7. Goku vs Cooler
Be as cool as Cooler
After the defeat of Frieza, all seems peaceful until Cooler arrives. Swearing revenge for the humiliation of his family, the mighty Cooler takes on Goku and proves that strength runs in the family. Achieving a new form that even Frieza could not, Cooler brings with him a massive threat in an epic bout featuring
- Cooler riding through a Kamehameha wave to attack Goku
- The epic transformations of both Cooler’s fifth form and Goku’s Super Saiyan
- Cooler’s knee attack that hurls Goku into the mountain
- Goku deflecting Cooler’s massive energy attack back at him
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijISYwhs-f4
6. Goku vs Beerus
The Battle of Gods Begins
The God of Destruction and the Super Saiyan God battle it out in the fight that brought DBZ back after years of being gone. When Beerus seeks an end to his boredom he travels to earth with an ultimatum, bring him a Super Saiyan God, or see the earth be destroyed. After being defeated by him almost instantly before, Goku returns to take up the challenge, and with the help of the others, he ascends to Super Saiyan God and the battle begins, featuring
- Goku going toe to toe with Beerus, a feat seemingly impossible before
- Their punches being so powerful, they threaten to unmake the very universe itself
- Goku gaining Beerus’s respect during their battle
- Goku not realizing his power had drained, and fighting anyway
- Goku absorbing the power of Super Saiyan God as his own
Watch the scene:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFe_hEQY2nc
5. Goku vs Hit
Time for a hit
The Saiyan warrior versus the master assassin, in a battle that transcends time itself. During the tournament against Universe 6, Hit shows off his mastery of the time-skip technique which made him unstoppable in every battle before. Not one to be deterred by impossible odds, Goku steps up and fights to break his limits like never before. When the time comes, Goku pulls out a new technique that takes the battle to a new level, featuring earth-shattering moments like.
- Goku combining his Super Saiyan Blue and Kaio-Ken
- The massive beam struggle shaking the stage
- Goku eliminating himself to give Monaka a shot, not knowing he’s just an actor
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxlaQKLcQFs&t=
4. Goku vs Cell
It's all fun and Cell Games
The android abomination takes on Goku as the Cell games heat up. As Cell organized his tournament to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the ultimate being, the battle with Goku was to be his greatest show, before turning the earth to rubble beneath his feet. While Goku himself may have had other ideas, he battle itself proved to be just as great as anyone could have imagined with moments like
- The instant transmission Kamehameha, one of the coolest moves in DBZ history
- Goku frustrating Cell to the point where he abandons his own rules
- Goku spending much of the battle just showing off his mastery of Super Saiyan
- Goku ending the battle on his own terms, surrendering to give Gohan a chance
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg1bCXFLKdY
3. Goku vs Frieza
Gone gold
One of the most iconic fights in anime history, the Galactic Tyrant Frieza battles the new Super Saiyan, Goku. Goku’s rage explodes when his best friend Krillin is murdered before his very eyes, Goku triggers the transformation into the legendary form known as Super Saiyan. The tide of the battle turns as Goku is finally able to face Frieza on even footing. As the planet Namek erupts all around them, an epic battle rages on with scenes like
- Goku’s epic speech to Frieza
- Frieza destroying the planet Namek itself
- Frieza’s accidental dismemberment by his own attack
- Goku’s finishing move after Frieza rejects his mercy
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmfyp_4JpUE&t=
2. Goku vs Broly
Not the kind of fist bump he was expecting
In what is no doubt the best animated fight in all of anime, Goku’s battle with Broly in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly film will go down in history for it’s epicness. Roped in to join Frieza’s army, Broly is sent to earth to defeat Goku, but no one, even Frieza himself, could have known just how powerful he was when his rage exploded. The berserker Legendary Super Saiyan put Goku and Vegeta to the ultimate test in a ground-shaking battle that featured
- Every transformation by Broly putting the heroes in further dire straits
- The energy attacks that turned the arctic battlefield into a fiery one
- The birth of Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta
- Broly’s epic beatdown of Frieza
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMu3WCt662o
1. Goku vs Jiren
Unlimited Power Unleashed
The final battle that put the universes at the edge of their seats, Goku vs Jiren was the highlight match of the Tournament of Power, with both fighters giving every last ounce of what they had into the ultimate battle. It was during their fight that Goku attained the power of Ultra Instinct, and during their main brawl, he mastered it fully. Even with a technique that the gods of destruction couldn't master under his belt, Goku still had to push past his limits to go toe to toe with Jiren and all his might. The best battle in Dragon Ball history is filled to the brim with epic moments like
- Goku’s galaxy creating transformation
- Jiren attacking the crowd, and Goku’s epic response
- The weight of Ultra Instinct bulking Goku at the worst possible second
- Jiren showing off the full extent of his power
- The final elimination
Watch the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXR0CJYQXfg&t=
You may be interested in:
Top 10 DBZ Fights:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/best-dbz-fights-1
Top 10 DBZ Attacks:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/best-dragon-ball-z-attacks
All Goku Forms:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/all-goku-forms
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