These Anime Characters Could Totally Take Out Ultra Instinct Goku (2024)

Goku's latest transformation in Dragon Ball Super, Ultra Instinct, has taken the already incredibly powerful Saiyan warrior to new heights no one thought imaginable. Ultra Instinct lets Goku react to attacks purely through feeling, making his reactions even faster than they would be if he thought about them. Because of this, his movements appear as though he knew what his opponent was going to do even before they knew it themselves.

Goku has always been one of anime's greatest warriors, but Ultra Instinct makes him even more difficult for the majority of other anime protagonists to catch up to. Nevertheless, there are still a few anime characters who could considerably defeat him if it came down to it. Many of them are beings so powerful that they have essentially become the gods of their series. Others, though, merely have specific abilities and powers that perfectly counter Goku's straightforward fighting style, rendering him unable to put his unparalleled strength to use against them.

10 Saitama Would Need More Than One Punch To Beat Goku

One Punch Man

TV-PG

Animation

Action

Comedy

The story of Saitama, a hero that does it just for fun & can defeat his enemies with a single punch.

Release Date

October 5, 2015

Cast

Makoto Furukawa , Kaito Ishikawa , Zach Aguilar , Robbie Daymond

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Saitama versus Goku is one of the most heavily debated matchups in anime. Goku has grown to universal levels of power throughout Dragon Ball, while Saitama is a gag character created for the sole purpose of being unbeatable. No matter who won, the fight between Saitama and Goku would undoubtedly be incredible, but there’s good reason that many fans think Saitama could ultimately win.

The main reason is that Saitama has still never put his full effort into a fight, though he has come close. Even without that effort, he accomplished feats of strength comparable to some of the strongest fighters in the Dragon Ball universe. The verdict is still out on who would get the decisive victory, but the joke just wouldn’t land if Saitama lost the fight.

9 Light Yagami's Death Note Is The Ultimate Counter For Goku's Fighting Style

Death Note (2006)

TV-14

Animation

Crime

Drama

See Also

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Original title: Death Note: Desu nôto.
An intelligent high school student goes on a secret crusade to eliminate criminals from the world after discovering a notebook capable of killing anyone whose name is written into it.

Release Date

October 21, 2007

Cast

Mamoru Miyano , Brad Swaile , Vincent Tong , Ryō Naitō , Trevor Devall

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Production Company

D.N. Dream Partners, Madhouse, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Shueisha, Video Audio Project (VAP)

Number of Episodes

37

Light Yagami is nothing but a normal human being. However, when the Death Note falls into his hands, he gains the power to play god. If Light were to fight Goku one-on-one, the fight would be over in a fraction of an instant. However, with the Death Note in hand, Light can technically kill Goku at any point, from anywhere in the world.

While Goku can overcome many of his enemies' overpowered abilities just by sheer brute force, the Death Note is the ultimate counter to Goku's need to engage in straightforward combat. Goku has already succumbed to heart disease once before, so Light could easily exploit that weakness in the Saiyan warrior once again.

8 Haruhi Suzumiya Can Shape The Universe To Her Will

The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya

TV-14

Comedy

Fantasy

The crazy adventures of the SOS Brigade, led by the insane but charismatic Haruhi.

Release Date

April 2, 2006

Creator

Nagaru Tanigawa

Cast

Tomokazu Sugita , Crispin Freeman , Wendee Lee

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Production Company

Kadokawa Entertainment, Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Kyoto Animation

Haruhi is an actual god, though she isn't aware of it at all. Her powers give her the ability to alter reality around her according to her desires, though her lack of knowledge of her status leads to unexpected consequences.

Haruhi is not the fighting type like Goku is, but her power to change the fabric of time and space to her every whim gives her a sizable advantage over him. If Haruhi wished it, Goku would cease to exist in an instant. On the other hand, if Goku were to attack her, Haruhi would almost certainly desire not to be hurt, causing Goku every attempt to fail by means well beyond his control.

7 Simon The Digger Could Easily Destroy All Of Universe 7

Gurren Lagann

Anime

Sci-Fi

Two friends, Simon and Kamina, become the symbols of rebellion against the powerful Spiral King, who forced mankind into subterranean villages.

Release Date

April 1, 2007

Creator

Hiroyuki Imaishi

Seasons

1

While Simon is strong as an individual, he probably wouldn't put up much of a fight against Ultra Instinct Goku. However, if he’s able to pilot the Gurren Lagann, things will quickly begin to look grim for Goku.

One of Goku's most well-known feats is causing the universe to shake due to his fight with Beerus at the start of Dragon Ball Super. As incredible a show of power as that is, Simon's Gurren Lagaan has been shown throwing entire galaxies as though they were shuriken, so shaking the universe doesn't quite seem as impressive in comparison.

6 The Man in Black Can Only Die If He Chooses To

To Your Eternity

TV-MA

Anime

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

See Also

Goku vs Thor

Original title: Fumetsu no Anata e
A lonely boy wandering the Arctic regions of North America meets a wolf, and the two become fast friends, depending on each other to survive the harsh environment. But the boy has a history, and the wolf is more than meets the eye as well.

Release Date

May 31, 2021

Cast

Jacob Hopkins , Dorothy Elias-Fahn

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Production Company

Brains Base, Drive, NHK

Number of Episodes

41

The Man in Black, also known as the Beholder, is the god of To Your Eternity's universe, having created everything in it out of boredom. He can manipulate reality itself at will, and he is immortal to the point that the only way he can die is by destroying himself.

Even then, he would still technically exist as the universe itself was created of his own essence. The Beholder isn't the kind of being to get involved in mortal affairs, but if Goku were to try to challenge him, the fight would be unlike anything Goku had ever experienced before.

5 Ainz Ooal Gown Could Kill Goku With One Spell

Overlord

TV-MA

Action

Adventure

An office worker in a dystopian world logs onto a video game for the last time only to find out that he, along with his entire guild, has been transported to another reality.

Release Date

July 7, 2015

Cast

Satoshi Hino

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

4

Studio

Madhouse

Number of Episodes

52

While he would have a tough time overpowering Goku in terms of raw strength and speed, Ainz could possibly beat Goku with the right preparation. Ainz has several spells that can cause instant death to his enemies, so if he could have the members of his Tomb of Nazarick hold Goku off long enough for Ainz to cast a spell, it would mean instant death for the Saiyan warrior.

What’s worse, due to the power of his abilities, Ainz can even prevent his opponents from reviving from basic resurrection magic, which might mean that Goku might not even be able to be brought back with the Dragon Balls. On the other hand, if Goku were able to stand toe to toe with Ainz in a fair one-on-one fight, it’s highly unlikely the Sorcerer King would stand a chance.

4 Eida Could Defeat Goku With One Glance

Boruto

TV-14

Son of Naruto Uzumaki, Boruto, follows his father's footsteps along with his friends to become great ninja. Throughout all their adventures, Boruto is determined to make his mark in the ninja world and live outside of his father's shadow.

Release Date

April 5, 2017

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

26

Studio

Pierrot

Franchise

Naruto

Writers

Masashi Kishimoto

Number of Episodes

297

Eida has quickly become one of the most overpowered anime characters since her relatively recent introduction in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. In terms of pure combat prowess, Eida is likely fodder for UI Goku, but her ability makes the fight completely unfair.

Eida's Senrigan allows her to see everything that is and has happened in the past up to the point she was born, making her already extremely well-informed about anything Goku would be capable of. The truly unfair ability that Eida has access to is her enchantment of all who get a glimpse of her. If Goku were to so much as look at Eida, he would have already lost. As though enchanted by her, he must follow her every whim or risk permanent brain damage from trying to resist.

3 Rimuru Would Devour Goku Easily

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

TV-PG

Action-Adventure

Average 37-year-old Minami Satoru dies and is reincarnated as the most unremarkable creature imaginable-a slime.

Release Date

October 2, 2018

Creator

Fuse

Cast

Miho Okasaki , Megumi Toyoguchi , Mao Ichimichi , Makoto Furukawa

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Studio

Eight Bit

Sequel

The Slime Diaries

Number of Episodes

48

Rimuru is one of isekai's most beloved protagonists, and also one of its most powerful. Part of the fun of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is watching Rimuru grow increasingly more overpowered, yet still rules over the land with benevolent kindness.

In the anime’s most recent arcs, Rimuru has become a Demon Lord and thus one of the most powerful beings in his isekai world. However, fans of the light novel know that his power is only bound to grow even more, to the point that Goku would not even be a blip on his radar.

2 Black Frieza Has Already Defeated UI Goku

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball Super

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Current Series

Dragon Ball Super

One character who has a proven track record of defeating Ultra Instinct Goku is Frieza. In one of the manga’s more recent arcs, Frieza was shown having achieved a brand new Frieza Black transformation, making him several times more powerful than his previous Golden Frieza form.

Frieza Black was shown one-shotting both Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta at once, proving just how insanely powerful he has become. While the manga took a bit of a detour by adapting the Super Hero Arc from the latest movie, fans are looking forward to seeing how Black Frieza fairs against Gohan's new Beast form in Super's upcoming chapters.

1 Zeno Would Have Erased Goku Long Ago If He Didn't Like Him So Much

Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super

TV-PG

Anime

Action

Adventure

With Majin Buu defeated half-a-year prior, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku (now a radish farmer) and his friends now live peaceful lives.

Release Date

January 7, 2017

Cast

Masako Nozawa , Takeshi Kusao , Ryô Horikawa , Hiromi Tsuru

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

5

If there's anyone who's feared for their power in the Dragon Ball universe, it's Zeno. Even the most powerful beings in the multiverse, the Gods of Destruction and the Angels, wouldn't dare oppose Zeno's will or risk being erased at a snap of his fingers.

Goku is perhaps the only one who could possibly conceive of defeating Zeno due to his free-spirited disposition and willingness to embrace anyone with open arms—no matter how terrifying. Even still, there's no denying that Zeno has the power to erase not only Goku but his entire universe on a passing whim.