Dragon Ball is known for a lot of things. Its complicated plot lines, its oftentimes ridiculous fan base, and its underrated humor courtesy of its creator Akira Toryiama. But as much as it can be annoying, power is something that cannot be ignored in the Dragon Ball community.
If you type in “dragon ball power” into Google, you will come across fan forum after fan forum speculating which character from which time period could beat another in a fight. You’ll find power level lists that consult every source imaginable to come to their conclusion yet you’ll still find a whole lot of raging between fans over the placement of this or that character.
Something that Dragon Ball doesn’t get enough credit for just how many different races have been showcased in the franchise. Elements of fantasy, martial arts, science-fiction, and comedy have all been smashed together in this stew to make one of the best works of fiction ever. Well for this list, we’re going to mix together the obsession with power while exhibiting the races in a list ranking them in terms of power.
A few ground rules though: we’ll be doing what most of the fandom does and ignore Dragon Ball GT. We’re also not going SOLELY by sheer combat power. There are plenty of races in the DB that lack raw power but make up for it in other ways. Also, we’re trying to ignore races who don’t have many members shown on screen. With that cleared, let’s get on with it.
15 Going Extinct
Contrary to what Beerus stated, the Dinosaurs aren’t dead in the world of Dragon Ball. There are several times throughout the franchise where we see these giant beasts attacking some of our heroes or even just roaming through wastelands. That doesn’t mean that they couldn’t be wiped out in a second if anybody on Earth wanted to.
Why would anybody want to end the dinosaurs? I don’t know, maybe Goku got really hungry one day and decided to do it. For what they’re worth, dinosaurs can pick off a bunch of the average joes from the other races. I’m sure a lot of people would love to see Zamasu get chomped on by a T-Rex, but as soon as they face off elites of most races they fall fast.
14 Living Up To The Reputation
Ahh, the titular race of the series. The wish-giving Dragons in Dragon Ball have the widest range of powers. They can essentially do anything, except for a couple of key exceptions. For example, they cannot restore someone’s life who has perished of natural causes and they cannot end somebody who the creator of the Dragon Balls cannot end themselves. Seeing as how Dende isn’t exactly a fighter, he can’t kill much.
That is the achilles’ heel that puts these Dragons at the bottom of this list. Not only are they tied to weak Namekian Dragon tribe members, but they can only tap into their power by the wish of somebody else. With all these limitations placed on the Dragons, they will never be able to kill or defeat anybody else higher on this list, save for maybe some of the lower dregs.
13 The Not-So-Great Saibamen
Coming at ya all the way from the Saiyan saga, we bring to you the short little green monsters that killed off our beloved Yamcha, the Saibamen.
Brought to Earth by Vegeta and Nappa, these beings can be planted into the ground and rise up like zombies who serve as training fodder for the Saiyans after they were discovered on their homeworld by the warrior race. They have no minds of their own and only can take orders from their creators. Each boasting a power level of 1200, a Saibaman may not seem too strong (because they’re not) but they do have the power to self-destruct. Using this power, one sole Saibaman was able to off Yamcha. They haven’t been seen since that arc, but Yamcha still has nightmares.
12 You’re Makyan Me Crazy
We realize that Garlic Jr. was only in the first movie and filler episodes of DBZ, but bear with us here. Just as the Saiyans are all named after vegetables and the Ginyu Force are named after dairy products, the members of the Makyan race are all named after seasonings. Why did I choose to open with that? Because there is not much to this race.
First seen in the original DBZ movie Dead Zone, Garlic Jr. and his henchmen all belong to this race and fought against Kami, Piccolo, Goku, and Gohan. Everyone in this race can transform into a more powerful form, but their general power level is inconsistent throughout their appearances, making them hard to rank. Considering what comes next, we’ll say they fit about here.
11 Faster Than Anyone Else
For people who haven’t watched Dragon Ball Super, they might think that this race only existed to teach Goku Instant Transmission. But one of their members named Jimeze has also recently filled out the ranks in the Universe 2 team in the Tournament of Power.
This is speculation on my part, but if he was selected to be a part of a team fighting for their universal survival, the rumours of Yardrats being a physically weak race might be exaggerated. Even if they are, Yardrats like Jimeze have a much greater control of the Instant Transmission technique than Goku, making them likely the fastest overall race on the list. That makes them hard enough to deal with, even if they have a hard time on offense.
10 We’re Only Human
Hey look, it’s us! Well we’re still not sure about Krillin with his missing nose and Bulma is looking way too cute to be one of us, but nonetheless!
The human race in the world of Dragon Ball is so much better than ours. Not only have some of them attained powers that would decimate any army of ours, but thanks to some incredible scientists like Bulma and Dr. Gero they have achieved incredible scientific feats. Making Androids powerful enough to defeat Super Saiyans and inventing time travel is something impressive indeed. In terms of combat strength, they vary wildly from you, all the way to Krillin. We aren’t to be taken lightly, but compared to what comes next, our hides would be toast.
9 Getting In A Tuffle
Some of you might jump on our throats for including a race that was only in Dragon Ball GT, but thanks to Dragon Ball Super it is now confirmed that Tuffles are indeed canon. One of them was in the Tournament of Power. Thanks, Dragon Ball Super!
Now, assuming their backstory is the same as what we knew before, the Tuffles were a race that originally lived on the planet which would eventually be taken over by the Saiyans. Thanks to their advanced technology, they actually were able to keep up with them until they transformed into Great Apes. Unless provoked, they’re a docile race by nature, so combat isn’t exactly their specialty. But that doesn’t mean they can’t throw down if necessary. If we humans had to battle the Saiyans during the time they did, it’s likely we would have lost big time. Give the Tuffles their due.
8 Bits And Pieces
So it may be a stretch to include the Androids (yes, I know some of them are cyborgs, just go with it) as a separate race considering their complicated physiology. I’ll include them separate from the humans, given their impact on the franchise and how there are significant differences between the two.
Unlike humans who have a high natural potential, all the Androids in the series are given mechanized upgrades that sort of caps off their power limit. Luckily for them, these power boosts are significant enough for them to tangle with Super Saiyans and other powerful warriors. These Dr. Gero creations are also equipped with bombs that are powerful enough to devastate a planet. Finally, we can’t forget that these Androids have a limitless energy supply, ensuring they never get tired. This ensures that Androids are one of the strongest “races” in the franchise.
7 It’s A Bit Chilly In Here
If we were to exclude the video games, there is not a single member of this race that isn’t an evil, twisted dude. The Frost Demons live up to their unofficial name by being some of the most powerful characters in the franchise, while also being as cold as ice.
Now, to be fair to the other races, it has been stated that Frieza and his family are actually mutated beings of their original race which explains their ridiculous power. Remember, Frieza was able to tango with a Super Saiyan without training a day of his life. When he actually did train, Frieza was able to reach a level surpassing Super Saiyan Blue Goku in power with his Golden form. Now imagine if his father King Cold trained (Cooler is non-canon). As for the rest of the race, it’s hard to say, but if they’re anything like Frieza in power, that’s a scary thought. Due to lack of evidence, we can’t put them any higher.
6 Namekians By Any Other Name
Okay, okay, so maybe they’re not demons (we’ll get to them in a bit), but the Namekians are still some of the most powerful beings in the DB franchise.
Let’s start with the non-fighting members of the race, a.k.a the Dragon Clan members. For what these people lack in fighting ability they more than make up for with their magical powers, including the ability to create Dragon Balls. For their fighters, we have the Warrior Namekians. These would be characters like Nail and Piccolo. As we’ve seen with Piccolo throughout the series, these people can reach some incredible heights.
Something that is often forgotten is that Namekians have their own unique fusion technique. In theory, the entire race can fuse into one being. Who knows how strong that character would be.
5 A Force To Be Reckoned With
Trying to explain how Supreme Kais work in Dragon Ball would require a whole other article, so in short, we’ll say they’re deities who sometimes are tasked with overseeing the development of a universe. Cool? Cool.
While most races on this list use their power solely to destroy, the Shinjin who grow to become Supreme Kais have the power to create. Not just objects, mind you, but entire planets! Aside from that, they possess incredible healing abilities, telekinetic powers, and significant combat skill. Though, compared to other races, their combat abilities can be seen as average. In fairness to them, they have much more important matters to worry about rather than being great fighters. They may not be the strongest on the deity scale, but the Shinjin are still a strong force in Dragon Ball.
4 Don’t Let The Appearance Fool You
Don’t let the cute fan art on Fat Buu above fool you; the Majin race is one of the scariest in the entire franchise. This is due not only to all of the Majins possessing great physical power and durability, but also due to her unique ability to absorb other beings.
In the final saga of DBZ, the various forms of Buu are all able to capture various foes transfer their power to themselves. If they’re in the mood for something tasty though, they can also turn people into food. Not only can their physical and ki power reach insane heights, but the fact that their bodies can regenerate from any attack makes them nearly impossible to defeat. With a healing factor that makes Wolverine look like a pushover and power to rival most fighters in the franchise, the Majin race are the scariest pink things in the world.
3 Sending You Back To where You Came From
In a lot of fictional stories, Demons are meant to be some of the most powerful beings in existence and that’s no different in Dragon Ball. Before Dragon Ball Online, the strongest Demon we knew had to be Dabura, but thanks to that video game and its sequels that goatee and sword slinging devil isn’t even close to most powerful.
Towa (the woman pictured above) created a being known as Mira (to her left) who had DNA combined from several races in the DB world. As powerful as these two together are, the deity they served known as Demigra is even more powerful. Demigra set out on a quest to change all of history and insert himself as the God of Time. It took the combined powers of Goku and the Future Warrior to defeat him. Demons’ vast magical powers, combat expertise and scientific knowledge ensure that they aren’t to be trifled with.
2 You Knew They’d Be Up Here Somewhere
They’re not called a warrior race for their hair, you know. Yes, the primitive yet supremely powerful Saiyans fall just short on this list of the number one slot. But on a list like this, that is no small feat.
Possessing mind boggling potential and capable of attaining forms that make other races quake in their boots, the Saiyans are the mightiest race of mortals in the multiverse. Though there used to be several weak ones, the remaining Saiyans in existence are all beyond incredible. They may not have the versatile power set of some other races, but they make up for that with their raw physical strength and propensity for hurling ki attacks of death. What more can be said for the Saiyans than if you see one coming at you, it’s already too late.
1 Watching Over
Without a shadow of a doubt, the strongest race in the franchise isn’t the one with stretchy arms, it’s not the one that can eat people, or the one with the spiky blonde hair. Nope, it is the one with blue skin and incredible magical powers. That would be the Angels.
Even though there is only one of these beings in each of the 12 universes, that is more than enough. Whis and his siblings are all able to time travel, create objects from thin air, move faster than anything in the universe, and effortlessly defeat seemingly any being except for their father the Grand Priest and the Omni-King Zeno. Thankfully, these Angels are duty-bound to their Gods of Destruction. If they went rogue, we would say goodbye to the multiverse.
