Debunking CBR's List of Characters Goku Can't Beat on His Own

CBR ran an article in August titled Dragon Ball: 8 Powerful Characters Goku Can't Defeat On His Own, and some of what it says is wrong. A few of its picks are fair, but Toppo, Jiren, Broly and Zeno's attendants don't hold up against what Dragon Ball Super actually shows, and the top of the list ends up proving my point about how these articles get made.

CBR is at it again. I'm going to go through the list in the order the writer gives it, because some entries are reasonable and others fall apart the moment you remember what happened on screen.

Lists like this one are recycled to earn money, not written by fans

Articles like this get recycled constantly. The people who write them aren't writing for artistic merit because they're fans. It's written purely for money. They're not really Dragon Ball fans like we are. They might be casuals, and there's nothing wrong with that, but they just kind of rehash the same thing. How many articles have you read on sites like CBR or Screen Rant that say eight characters Goku cannot beat, or eight characters stronger than Goku? This is the same article with the words "on his own" added. It's slightly different wording, but it's the same thing.

There's actually a formula these writers follow. When you write for these websites, they tell you to write a couple of paragraphs and put a picture there, because that helps increase engagement. They also tell you to do lists, which is why you so often see top 10 or top 15. A list increases engagement, keeps people on the page longer, and lets more ads play, and that's how they make their money. It's a countdown, like what WatchMojo does. It's just strategy. It's SEO, search engine optimization, and they follow the formula because they have to. But when you actually read these articles, the content is oftentimes garbage.

The article opens by saying Goku is the strongest Saiyan we know of, probably, but that there are characters even he can't defeat without backup or more training. That's obvious to anyone who watches Dragon Ball, especially Super. There are characters Goku can't beat without help, or can't beat at all. What's funny is that anybody who has watched Dragon Ball Super already knows the answer, so why would anybody read this article if they already know who's stronger than Goku?

Beerus and Whis are fair picks, even if Beerus is debatable

The first claim is that Goku can't beat Beerus yet. That's up for debate. Beerus fans will always hype him up, and other fans say otherwise. There were several statements during the Tournament of Power that implied Goku was stronger than Beerus. But fine, let's go with it. Goku can't beat Beerus, fair enough. We've never seen Beerus at full power, so until we do, we can't really gauge how Goku matches up against him.

Next, the article says Whis is even stronger than Beerus. Fine, that's correct. I don't have an argument with that one, and as I'll get to later in this piece, I think people really underestimate the angels.

Toppo shouldn't rank above Whis, and I think Goku would beat him

Toppo is basically a Destroyer already, and this is where the list starts to fall apart. Toppo is listed above Whis, even though we know Whis is more powerful than Toppo. What's worse is that Jiren is stronger than Toppo, even with the God of Destruction mode Toppo has. We know Jiren is more powerful than him in terms of power, and Goku was able to defeat Jiren with Mastered Ultra Instinct, the silver hair.

On top of that, Toppo was knocked out of the ring by Super Saiyan Blue Evolution Vegeta. If Super Saiyan Blue Evolution Vegeta could do that to Toppo, what do you think Ultra Instinct Goku would do to him? I think Goku would defeat Toppo if they had a one on one fight now, especially after the Moro and Granola arcs. Goku wins.

Goku already beat Jiren in episode 130

The article argues that Goku had to team up with Frieza and Android 17 to beat Jiren. But that misses the fact that Goku in silver hair defeated Jiren before his body fell apart. In Dragon Ball Super episode 130, Goku used the silver hair and defeated Jiren. Jiren was down for the count, and then Goku's body cracked under the pressure. Yes, at the end he needed Frieza and 17, but that was after he had weakened Jiren. Goku had Jiren beat, and it's like the writer forgot all about that.

The article also says Jiren was able to take out an Ultra Instinct Goku, and that he would have won the Tournament of Power if not for a last minute alliance. But Jiren lost to Ultra Instinct Goku in episode 130. Goku had him beat. "It's like the dude skipped the episode or something."

So is Jiren stronger than Goku now? No, unless he trained. In the Moro arc, Goku can access Ultra Instinct at will, so all he has to do is go silver hair and knock Jiren out. The only exception would be if Jiren got stronger, and we don't know if he did. We haven't seen Jiren in a long time, so we don't know.

Broly isn't stronger than Jiren, and he isn't the Legendary Super Saiyan

Number four on the list is Broly, with the claim that he's likely as strong as a god. That's based on Goku saying Broly is even stronger than Lord Beerus. But remember, we didn't see Beerus at full power. Given that Broly is this high on the list, I don't think Broly is stronger than Jiren. I don't think so, and I'm not the only one who thinks that.

The article also calls Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan, a mighty warrior who appears every thousand years. No, he's not. That's the old Broly, not the one in Super. They never call the new Broly that, except for one line when Broly was a baby, said by a Saiyan scientist.

So can Goku beat Broly? I think Ultra Instinct Goku can defeat Broly, and there's plenty of evidence to prove that if you scale it properly. Ultra Instinct Goku will trample all over Broly, especially now. That entry is wrong.

Nothing in Dragon Ball Super says Zeno's attendants are as strong as the angels

Here's where things get ridiculous. The article claims Zeno's bodyguards need to be at least as strong as the angels. No, they don't, and there's no evidence to support it. The writer says the full extent of the attendants' strength is unknown, but that they're believed to be extremely powerful. Believed by who? Fans with headcanon have theorized that Zeno's attendants are stronger than angels. We don't know that.

Why would Zeno even need bodyguards when he can delete you just like that with his little disappearing trick? He can wipe out entire universes in seconds, so why would he need bodyguards, and why would they have to be strong? It's never once implied in Dragon Ball Super that these guys are as strong as angels. That's complete fan theory and complete headcanon. Not once is it ever stated.

The article goes on to say the only beings who might be able to harm Zeno are the angels. No, they're not, and I have no idea where that came from. The angels can't even touch Zeno. Everybody's afraid of Zeno. Do you really think Whis can hurt Zeno, based on what they've said? The writer then argues that the Omni King is significantly above the angels, which means the attendants should be at least at their level, and that Goku is far weaker than an angel. Says who? This is what these articles do. They take fan theories and turn them into what they feel is canonical. There's no evidence anywhere in Dragon Ball Super that these guys are as strong as angels, nor is there evidence that the angels could harm Zeno.

The Grand Priest and Zeno deserve the top two spots

Number two is the Grand Priest, the second strongest being in the multiverse. Fair enough. But if this list is about characters Goku can't beat without help, who exactly is going to help Goku beat the Grand Priest? Are you telling me that if Goku teamed up with Beerus, Vegeta and the Z Fighters, they could take him on? The way Whis built him up, I don't even think they could take on Whis.

I think the people who write these articles don't understand how strong the angels are. The angels are very powerful, they know all the tricks in the book, and they're always in an Ultra Instinct state. Remember when Whis deflected Goku's and Vegeta's punches with his fingers? It wouldn't even be a struggle for the Grand Priest, the way he's been built up, to take on Goku and any of his friends. That's why I'm saying this article is basically just another rewrite of characters stronger than Goku. The writer had to reframe the name to make a new article to get paid. It's so obvious.

Number one is Zeno, who the article says can wipe out every universe without breaking a sweat. That's correct, and I can't argue with it because it's true. Zeno the Omni King is the most powerful being we've been introduced to so far in Dragon Ball Super. Even if Goku teamed up with every single character he's friends with, he might still not be able to beat Zeno. We don't know, because we've never seen the extent of Zeno's power. But he can wipe out an entire universe in the blink of an eye, gods of destruction included. Don't forget that he wiped out Champa just like that. Even if Goku and Beerus teamed up, which would be a great team, Zeno would destroy them. So I agree with this writer about Zeno and the Grand Priest being one and two, because they're the two strongest characters we've been introduced to.

Not the worst CBR article, but still a cash grab

This article isn't that terrible compared to some others, but you can tell it's just another way of saying characters stronger than Goku. I don't think that, at the point the series had reached, Broly, Jiren or Toppo can match up with Goku, not after he mastered Ultra Instinct. Beerus is debatable. Whis is a different story. I don't think Goku could beat Whis yet. Whis revealed that the angels are always in Ultra Instinct, so what are you going to do against that? And you know how strong they are. They can reverse time on you. There's just no way.

So again, the article isn't really that terrible, but it's cheap. There are things on it I disagree with, though obviously not everything. Still, stay away from CBR. "This is all a cash grab and that's all it is."

Which character do you think belongs on a list of fighters Goku can't beat on his own?