Dragon Ball 5 Anime Heroes Kid Goku Could Beat (& 5 He Would Lose To)

Kid Goku is a powerhouse in his own right. However, does that mean he would win every fight, especially against seasoned anime warriors?

Dragon Ball remains one of the most popular anime series of all time and it’s remarkable to witness how the property has remained relevant for so long and found ways to extend its life, whether through video games or other spin-off material. The shonen genre is full of powerful heroes, but Goku is certainly chief among them, even during his juvenile years throughout the original series.

Dragon Ball’s success has a lot to do with Goku’s affable nature as a character and it’s fascinating how he’s slowly changed over the years. He’s still a serious threat as a child, despite the godly powers that he now possesses

10 Could Beat: Han Daewi Is A Skilled Martial Artist With A Lot To Learn

The God of High School anime adapts the popular manhwa that places the strongest high school students across South Korea in a mysterious competition with one another. The God of High School excels with how it showcases many different forms of martial arts and Han Daewi, a valuable ally to Jin Mori, leans towards karate techniques.

Daewi’s circumstance is not unlike the World Martial Arts Tournament from Dragon Ball, but even in that context it feels like Daewi wouldn’t come out on top. He lacks the supernatural abilities that Mori does and Goku is even more exceptional in the area.

9 Couldn’t Beat: Yusuke Urameshi’s Demon Skills Are Too Refined For Goku

Yusuke Urameshi, the protagonist of Yu Yu Hakusho, is certainly someone that Goku could defeat as an adult, even before he’s learned how to become a Super Saiyan. However, when the two of them are both in their younger years Goku is at a point where Yusuke has the advantage.

This would probably be a close match, but Yusuke would win considering that Kid Goku gets defeated by Tien. Yusuke has even more tricks up his sleeve and a well-placed Spirit Gun attack would likely trump Goku’s Kamehameha.

8 Could Beat: Goku Has Taken On More Ferocious Swordsman Than Kenshin Himura

There are plenty of anime that look at the honorable, yet bloody, exploits of samurai, but Rurouni Kenshin is one of the formative programs in the genre.

The anime’s protagonist, Kenshin Himura, is excellent with a blade and holds himself to extremely high standards, yet Goku has bested more dangerous samurai during his infiltration of the Red Ribbon Army. Kid Goku may not be as skilled with a blade as Kenshin, but he has more than enough alternatives to stay ahead of the warrior and truly confound him.

7 Couldn’t Beat: Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori Is An Unstable, Yet Accomplished Fighter

Jujutsu Kaisen is set to be the next big shonen anime hit and it’s done an excellent job with its central character, Yuji Itadori, who becomes caught in the middle of the war between humans and cursed spirits due to the consumption of a cursed relic.

This transformation leaves Yuji in a conflicted position and he’s still learning a lot, but when his true power gets unleashed, it’s always incredible. Kid Goku might start off with the advantage, but Yuji would be able to progressively turn the tables the longer that he perseveres.

6 Could Beat: Kid Goku’s Strength Conquers Kitaro’s Magic In Gegege No Kitaro

Gegege no Kitaro is a shonen series that’s been adapted into an anime more times than any other property, yet it still remains a fringe anime. Gegege no Kitaro does an excellent job with atmosphere and how Kitaro is a young, optimistic, hero in a world that’s full of unnerving demons and spirits.

Kitaro and those around him have handled some decent threats and he’s already a budding user of the dark arts. However, Goku is just more resilient and accomplished with his strength and skills. He’d be too fast and resourceful for Kitaro to develop a proper strategy.

5 Couldn’t Beat: My Hero Academia’s Izuku Midoriya’s Strength Has Surpassed Adult Heroes

My Hero Academia is an exceptional mix of superhero and shonen sensibilities. It’s endlessly addicting and it’s genuinely enjoyable to watch Midoriya and company’s growth into pro heroes as they progress through U.A. High.

Midoriya has improved in huge ways since the start of the series, and he has several Quirks that make him a versatile fighter. Villains like All For One, Overhaul, and Shigaraki would even give Kid Goku pause, yet Midoriya has played a role in their defeats and risen to the occasion.

4 Could Beat: Bam’s Shinsu Skills Are Still A Work In Progress

Tower of God is another one of the major anime to come out in the past year and more proof that manhwa series are a great source of inspiration for anime. Tower of God looks at an incredibly diverse collection of individuals that are all committed to reaching the top of a mysterious, enormous tower.

Bam is the anime’s hero and positioned to be proficient in Shinsu, the series’ energy force, but he’s still a reluctant protagonist that hasn’t yet come into his own. Goku, on the other hand, willingly welcomes a challenge.

3 Couldn’t Beat: Josuke Higashkita And His Stand Would Humble Kid Goku

It’s remarkable how JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has organically evolved over the years and how far it’s come from its early days of Hamon energy rather than the powerful Stands that now dominate the series. The Joestar protagonists vary in ages, but Josuke Higashkita is on the younger side and feels like someone that Kid Goku could come up against.

Kid Goku’s limited energy attacks and creative techniques might give Josuke temporary concern, but the atypical nature of the enemies in Diamond is Unbreakable means that Josuke is prepared to defeat an enemy that’s as straightforward as Goku.

2 Could Beat: Yashahime’s Trio Of Leads Are Still Inferior To Goku

It’s become increasingly popular for anime from the past to extend its life through a sequel series that follows the next generation of heroes. Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is the follow-up to InuYasha and introduces a trio of protagonists, Moroha, Towa, and Setsuna, who are all impressive, if not stubborn, human-demon hybrids.

The battles that these three get into in the anime are handled with minimal difficulty, but that speaks more to the softer world that Yashahime exists in. Kid Goku has easily beaten more dangerous demons than what any of these three have faced and it’d be no different here.

1 Couldn’t Beat: Luffy And His Multiple Gears Would Wreck Goku In Multiple Ways

One Piece and Dragon Ball are two shonen series that are often compared to each other, and Luffy and Goku definitely possess many of the same character traits and youthful attitude. A battle between current Goku and Luffy would be much more even with Goku likely coming out as the victor, but Goku’s battle repertoire as a child is just too grounded.

Luffy wouldn’t even have to resort to Gear Fourth to take out Goku, and his refined Devil Fruit abilities are too much for most of the characters from the original Dragon Ball to handle.