The term “Power Levels” is almost as iconic to Dragon Ball Z than characters like Goku and Vegeta. Even the most unfamiliar viewer probably knows that a character’s relative strength is measured by how big their Power Level is.
But what they probably don’t know is that the concept of scanning Power Levels stopped after the Namek arc, in which case a character’s true strength was often left ambiguous (but usually easy to ascertain based on just how nervous a character looks when looking at another character). This, of course, has led to many fan-created guides that try and guess the Power Level of characters later on, while official guides were actually released only to be dismissed later as inaccurate.
One thing is for certain, Dragon Ball has an ongoing habit of making characters stronger and/or weaker depending on the circumstance, while also ignoring some of the more secret powerhouses, either because the author forgot about them or because they chose a life of solidarity rather than constant battle. This list catalogues characters who are actually much stronger than they let on, as well as characters who may talk a big game but fail to physically measure up.
If any long-time fan wonders why Yamcha is not mentioned, the answer is simple: he’s always been weak, and the series never forgot to remind you of that. As tempting as it may be to mention the protagonist of the That Time I Got Reincarnated As Yamcha spinoff manga, that doesn’t count since it’s a high-schooler occupying Yamcha’s body. It’s a hilarious story, by the way.
30 Stronger: Master Roshi
Once considered the strongest martial artist in the world, Master Roshi soon hung up the title when he realized that his prize pupil Goku had surpassed him. This was way back in the first Dragon Ball series, during the tournament where Tien was Goku’s final opponent.
But Dragon Ball Super decided to rewrite things, revealing that Roshi was holding back his true strength, which made him an invaluable ally in the Tournament of Power. The Super manga took things even further by having him square off against Jiren (and giving him a hard time)!
29 Weaker: Hercule
The “Champion of Earth” managed to fib his way through most of his fighting career; while he may not be powerful enough to even register hits against the likes of Cell, surely his victory in the World Martial Arts tournament means he is somewhat capable, right?
Wrong.
Turns out that the majority of his challengers at the time forfeited their matches due to various circumstances, including stomachaches, an excuse Hercule himself often uses to get out of most fights.
28 Stronger: Yajirobe
The portly samurai spends the majority of his screen time chilling around Korin’s tower, and any time he’s forced to do any kind of work usually leads to grumbling indifference.
However, his first appearance in Dragon Ball had him effortlessly defeat (and then cook) one of King Piccolo’s minions, a feat even Goku couldn’t accomplish at first. He also managed to take off Vegeta’s tail when he had turned into a Great Ape, where Gohan and Krillin failed. Had Yajirobe shown any effort towards his training, who knows how strong he could become?
27 Weaker: Grand Zeno
As deities go, there is no one above Grand Zeno, a childish being who has the ability to vaporize entire universes with a mere thought.
But strength-wise, Zeno is reportedly not that strong at all.
His limitless powers do not translate into fighting ability, which is why he often prefers to sit back and watch more capable warriors fight for his amusement (he doesn’t even possess the ability to follow the high-speed movements of most fighters, a feat that even the weakest characters can at least manage).
26 Stronger: Frieza
But it turns out Frieza’s defeat wasn’t because of Goku mastering his new transformation; according to Toriyama himself, Frieza possessed more than enough power to take out Super Saiyan Goku, but lacked instead the fighting experience to win. This notion was explored years later when he underwent a training regimen to achieve a new transformation: Golden Frieza. He may be a strange-looking character compared to everyone else but he's a strong fighter feared by many.
25 Weaker: Supreme Kai
When the enigmatic guardian entered the World Martial Arts tournament under the alias “Shin,” his power was reportedly so great that Piccolo (who was his opponent) had forfeited while also claiming that Goku and the others were no match for him.
Turns out Piccolo’s wires must have been crossed because the Supreme Kai is immediately taken back by the tremendous power Goku and Vegeta displayed, and has never had a single worthy battle or (much less victory) under his belt since.
24 Stronger: Chi-Chi
Goku’s wife spends much of the series doting over their son Gohan, desperately trying to steer him towards his studies rather than fighting deadly battles to save the Earth.
As much as a ravenous mama bear she tends to be, Chi-Chi actually is an accomplished fighter in her own right, having once faced off against Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament. She may not have the strength to face off against most of the biggest threats out there, but she’s definitely far stronger than Bulma or Videl (but in the battle of the housewives, Android 18 surpasses them all easily).
23 Weaker: Monaka
The puny looking alien with the grotesque frontal protrusions was chosen by Beerus to participate in the Universe Tournament, with the God of Destruction claiming that he must remain in the reserves on account of being the strongest fighter in the group.
Turns out this was actually a ruse by Beerus, as he was unable to find a replacement in time for Buu (who decided to take a month-long nap). Simply put, Monaka has no power to speak of, though Goku still is unaware of this fact and longs to challenge “the strongest warrior in the universe.”
22 Stronger: Uub
This scrawny and shabbily-dressed youth isn’t just a normal human boy with an innate talent. He is actually the reincarnation of Kid Buu, whose existence is suggested to be attributed to Goku’s wish to challenge the evil enemy again, only under friendly circumstances.
After taking the boy under his wing, Goku went on to train with Uub during the final episode of Dragon Ball Z.
If we take Dragon Ball GT into account, Uub gets a bigger power-up by merging with Fat Buu...too bad we never get to see him do anything worthwhile.
21 Weaker: Shenron
As the Eternal Dragon who grants most wishes throughout the entirety of the series, it would be assumed that Shenron possessed greater power than most of the beings in the franchise.
Turns out that isn’t the case. Aside from his limitations in being unable to destroy opponents stronger than him as a requested wish (if that were possible, most of the conflicts in this series would be instantly settled), he was even taken out easily by King Piccolo, shortly after granting the elderly villain his wish to become youthful again.
20 Stronger: Baby Pan
Pan was already a main character in Dragon Ball GT, but the young daughter of Gohan and Videl didn’t attribute much in the series. In fact, GT’s director even stated that Pan was never allowed to be anything except a damsel-in-distress in order to motivate Goku to fight.
Super’s Pan is far and away more powerful, despite being a baby.
Before she even speaks her first word, she’s already able to fly into space and cause lots of collateral damage.
19 Weaker: Videl
Once a crime-fighting teenager who managed to learn the ability to fly thanks to Gohan, Mr Satan’s daughter seemed to have potential in becoming a far more capable fighter than her father.
Unfortunately, a brutal defeat by Spopovich put her into early retirement, and Videl has been content to be a simple housewife to Gohan since then. As upsetting as this was to her fanbase, it’s also a bitter fact that Videl just didn’t have the chops to match even Krillin’s strength, though her daughter Pan is proving far more promising even as a baby.
18 Stronger: Mr. Popo
Kami’s oddball assistant, whose very appearance tends to stir up controversy (which actually prompted a change to a blue skin color during the show’s brief stint on Nickelodeon), is mostly seen as a kindly caretaker.
But during his first appearance in Dragon Ball, he completely outclassed Goku during a sparring session. Not only was the young fighter unable to land a single hit, his trademark Kamehameha ended up being nothing more than a snack for the enigmatic Mr. Popo.
17 Weaker: King Cold
When Frieza made his revenge trip towards Earth following his defeat by Goku, he brought his monstrously tall father with him. According to Vegeta and the others, King Cold possessed an even greater power than Frieza.
This supposed power was never demonstrated, however, as Trunks dispatched with Cold even more easily than he did with Frieza.
It was often speculated by fans that Cold was not given time to transform into a more powerful form, though it’s unlikely Cold had any other tricks up his sleeve if he resorted to using Trunks’ sword against him.
16 Stronger: Arale
Arale isn’t technically a Dragon Ball character; prior to Dragon Ball, Toriyama wrote the Dr Slump manga, which was a comedy series centered around the young robot girl.
But Arale still makes the occasional appearance in Dragon Ball, even in some of the games, so it only seems fair to include her. It’s unclear just where she ranks strength-wise compared to the rest of Dragon Ball’s cast, but make no mistake, she is quite strong. In her first crossover appearance, Arale completely mopped the floor with General Blue, a member of the Red Ribbon Army.
15 Weaker: Frost
Universe 6 is considered a mirror universe to Universe 7, where Goku and friends reside. That is why Frost appears to be a carbon copy of Frieza, right down to his nefarious nature and multiple forms.
Except Frost is actually much weaker than Frieza. Not only was he unaware of Frieza’s later transformations including his Golden form, but he was easily deceived and dispatched by the sinister emperor of Universe 7, who went so far as to call his counterpart an amateur that could never match his greatness.
14 Stronger: Baba
The elderly fortune-telling witch (and, inexplicably, sister to Master Roshi) doesn’t possess much in terms of fighting ability, but her powers are still nothing to scoff at, even able to perform feats that the Eternal Dragon Shenron could not.
For one, she is able to bring anyone back to life for 24 hours, regardless of how long they’ve passed.
She also commands several powerful deceased fighters, including an invisible man and a mummy. Lastly, she is seemingly immortal, unable to be harmed by bullets and can freely pass between the living world and the underworld with no restriction.
13 Weaker: Tien
Despite being more dedicated to his training as a martial artist as well as having more small victories under his belt, Tien is possibly even more pathetic than Yamcha in hindsight.
While Yamcha gave up fighting long ago, Tien spent every single day of his life dutifully training. Yet, even so, he continues to be beaten handily by every opponent he faces, including losing to a newly powered-up Gohan who only had to undergo a day of training to get back into top form.
12 Stronger: Android 8
The first Android to ever appear in Dragon Ball (and was actually referred to as a “Mechanical Man”), Android 8 was designed as a weapon for the Red Ribbon Army, but went against their orders as he ended up becoming a kind-hearted pacifist.
Much like Android 16, however, he still possessed great strength, and would only demonstrate it when his friends’ lives were in danger. Interestingly enough, Android 16 was based on a human soldier from the Red Ribbon Army, though whatever connection he had with Android 8 remains unclear.
11 Weaker: Piccolo
Once considered Goku’s main rival (until Vegeta came and stole the title right from under him), Piccolo is one of the few non-Super Saiyan characters who is respected as a capable fighter.
But in truth, Piccolo’s power is actually much weaker than most of the top tier characters. That is because his true strength lies in his intellect, which allows him to quickly strategize and find ways to make up for the difference in power levels. This is also why he continues to take up a mentor role for the younger generation of fighters including Gohan and Goten.