Goku and Vegeta may dominate the biggest battles in Dragon Ball Super, but they are no longer the only fighters operating at the highest levels of the series. The manga’s later arcs introduced new warriors while giving familiar characters major power upgrades that dramatically changed Universe 7’s hierarchy.
From Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo to manga characters still waiting for their major anime spotlight, these five characters have enough power to stand alongside, or potentially challenge, the franchise’s leading Saiyans.
1. Gohan
Strongest Form: Beast
Gohan’s days of falling behind Goku and Vegeta appear to be over. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero introduced Beast Gohan, an explosive transformation that pushed his power to an entirely different level.
The manga later provided a better demonstration of that strength when Gohan tested Beast against Goku’s Ultra Instinct. Their encounter showed that Gohan possesses enough speed and raw power to seriously challenge his father.
What makes him especially dangerous is his potential. Gohan has repeatedly achieved enormous jumps in strength without dedicating his entire life to fighting. Beast finally gives that natural talent a transformation capable of competing at Dragon Ball Super’s highest level.
2. Broly
Strongest Form: Full Power Super Saiyan
Few Dragon Ball characters possess raw potential comparable to Broly.
During Dragon Ball Super: Broly, his strength increased at an extraordinary rate throughout his battle against Goku and Vegeta. His uncontrolled Full Power Super Saiyan state eventually became so overwhelming that the two Saiyans needed Gogeta to stop him.
Broly’s biggest weakness was never a lack of power, it was control.
His later training on Beerus’ planet therefore represents an important development. If Broly can access his enormous strength without losing himself to rage, he could become an even more formidable member of Universe 7’s group of elite Saiyans.
3. Granolah
Strongest State: Fully Evolved Right Eye
Granolah reached Dragon Ball’s upper power tier through one of the franchise’s most dangerous shortcuts.
Driven by his desire for revenge, the Cerealian used his planet’s Dragon Balls to become the strongest warrior he could possibly be at that point. The wish came with a devastating price: most of his remaining lifespan.
The resulting power allowed Granolah to battle both Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta. His abilities were not limited to brute force either. Exceptional accuracy and his ability to identify vulnerable points made him particularly dangerous in one-on-one combat.
Although his borrowed power came with severe limitations, Granolah proved that even Goku and Vegeta could be surpassed under the right circumstances.
4. Orange Piccolo
Strongest Form: Orange Piccolo
Piccolo received one of the biggest upgrades of his Dragon Ball career during the Super Hero storyline.
After Shenron helped unlock his latent potential, Piccolo gained a new state before awakening the much more imposing Orange Piccolo transformation. The upgrade dramatically increased both his physical strength and durability.
It was a long-awaited development for a character who had gradually fallen behind Dragon Ball’s Saiyans as transformations became increasingly important.
Orange Piccolo restores him as a genuine heavyweight. More importantly, his intelligence and combat experience make that new strength particularly useful. Piccolo has always been one of Dragon Ball’s smartest tactical fighters; now he once again has the power to complement that experience.
5. Merus
Greatest Ability: Ultra Instinct
Merus is unusual because his strength cannot be judged by the same standards as most mortal Dragon Ball fighters.
Introduced during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, he initially appears to be an exceptionally capable Galactic Patrol member. The story eventually reveals something much more significant: Merus is an Angel in training.
That heritage gives him an understanding of Ultra Instinct that Goku initially struggles to achieve.
Merus becomes particularly important during Goku’s efforts to improve the technique. His involvement in the conflict against Moro also demonstrates why Angel abilities exist on a completely different level from conventional martial arts.
While restrictions surrounding his Angel status complicate direct power comparisons, Merus remains one of the most intriguing powerful characters introduced in the Dragon Ball Super manga.
Dragon Ball Super Has More Than Two Elite Fighters
Goku and Vegeta remain central to Dragon Ball’s modern power hierarchy, but the gap between them and their allies is no longer as straightforward as it once was.
Beast Gohan has demonstrated extraordinary potential, Broly continues learning to control his overwhelming strength, and Orange Piccolo has returned to relevance among Universe 7’s strongest warriors. Granolah and Merus further demonstrate just how much the manga expanded the scale of power beyond the anime’s earlier storylines.
If these characters receive substantial roles in future Dragon Ball Super anime projects, some of the franchise’s most interesting battles may not need to revolve exclusively around Goku and Vegeta.
