The Buu Saga of Dragon Ball marked a significant shift in the series, as the power levels of both heroes and villains skyrocketed to unprecedented heights. This evolution felt inevitable after Goku unlocked the legendary Super Saiyan form during his epic fight with Frieza, establishing the Saiyans as the most formidable characters in the story.
The debate over who holds the title of the most powerful character has been ongoing since the conclusion of the story arc. With the introduction of Daima, determining the strongest Dragon Ball character between the end of the Buu Saga and the beginning of Super has become even more complicated. Let’s take a look back at the end of the Buu Saga to identify who was the strongest character then.
The Main Characters In The Running
Who All Is A Part Of This Debate?
At the conclusion of the Buu Saga, Ultimate Gohan stands out as one of the most powerful characters in Dragon Ball. While he was the first to achieve Super Saiyan 2 during his battle with Cell, Gohan chose to step away from fighting to focus on other interests. This decision caused him to neglect his training, resulting in a significant decline in his once-mighty strength as a teenager, even though he could still transform into Super Saiyan 2. Consequently, his power was insufficient against even lesser foes like Dabura.
In order to compensate for this and overcome Buu, Gohan trained in the Sacred World of the Kais, where his hidden potential was unlocked. This resulted in a remarkable new transformation called Ultimate Gohan, making him significantly stronger than anyone else. This was evident when he easily defeated Super Buu, a particularly formidable version of Buu, showcasing the incredible power of Ultimate Gohan.
Fight you? No, I wanna kill you.
In the context of the Buu Saga, Ultimate Gohan is undoubtedly the strongest hero, even more so than Goku. Yet, as Z came to a close, Gohan decided to stop training again, which allowed Goku to regain his edge. This was confirmed in the first episode of Dragon Ball Daima, where it was shown that Goku had maintained his training, making him the strongest fighter once again.
Super Saiyan 3 Goku’s power is nothing short of legendary. His transformation was so significant that it literally shook the universe to its core. Not only did he surpass regular Buu, but in his Super Saiyan 3 form, he matched Kid Buu and ultimately saved the universe from destruction. While Ultimate Gohan was often regarded as the strongest hero during the Buu Saga, Goku’s dedication to his training after that arc solidified his status as the strongest character heading into Daima.
The third choice is the one that fans are still getting familiar with, thanks to its recent introduction. In Episode 12 of Dragon Ball Daima, Vegeta finally tapped into his much-anticipated Super Saiyan 3 form, showcasing immense power even while in his child state. He swiftly took down the second Tamagami in no time at all.
Right now, we don’t know a lot about this transformation and its limitations, especially since it was only briefly used when Vegeta was a child. However, it can be inferred that this form might elevate Vegeta to the same level as Super Saiyan 3 Goku, particularly since he decided to continue his training after the Buu Saga.
So Who’s The Strongest?
The Strongest After The Events Of Buu Saga
As previously noted, if we were to debate who the most powerful character was during the Buu Saga, the clear winner would be Ultimate Gohan. This was highlighted during his confrontation with Super Buu. Nevertheless, because he paused his training until Super began, he doesn’t qualify as the strongest Z-Fighter at the conclusion of the Buu Saga leading into Daima.
Now that Ultimate Gohan is out, we’re down to Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Vegeta. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot to consider for Vegeta, as his only fight was in his child form against an opponent who couldn’t even scratch him. In contrast, Goku had a tough battle with Kid Buu and was able to keep him at bay for quite a while. While it’s a minor detail, this performance gives Goku a slight advantage over Vegeta, even though it’s tough to draw a clear conclusion.