Goku is, for many, the heart and soul of Dragon Ball, leading the various anime series as the courageous and strong protagonist that saves the world time and time again. Initially, Goku is a naive and good-natured kid, willing to sacrifice so much for the friends he makes. Through the different anime series, he keeps getting stronger with every fight, growing into one of the most powerful warriors in anime.
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Throughout the many episodes and series, Goku faces a lot of friends and foes on his journey to become stronger, yet he does not emerge victorious from all of them. There have been a plethora of characters Goku has never actually beaten, some of them because he chose to forfeit or never had the chance to battle again. Nevertheless, there were more than a few fights he lost that completely impacted his trajectory. This means only major and decisive losses are taken into account, including the times when Goku's opponent actually managed to win, despite all the protagonist's efforts.
10 Goku VS Jackie Chun
Master Roshi Manages To Beat His Young Student In A Tournament
- Anime: Dragon Ball
- Episodes: 26-28
Despite Goku participating in so many tournaments throughout the franchise, he lost a lot of important fights, including during his first World Martial Arts Tournament. As the most exciting fight in the competition, Goku goes against Jackie Chun, who is actually his mentor in disguise.
Not only dealing with a giant Ape Goku in the middle of the fight, Jackie Chun's experience is able to give him an edge over the powerful protagonist. Even though the end was very close, the final two-way kick ends up with only the master getting up, resulting in a loss for Goku, that only inspires him to get stronger.
9 Goku VS Mercenary Tao
A Dangerous Defeat That Almost Killed Goku
- Anime: Dragon Ball
- Episodes: 59-60
When the Mercenary first appears in Dragon Ball the anime takes a darker turn as the antagonist kills Bora, releasing Goku's rage for the first time. However, no matter his efforts, Goku is unable to seriously hurt the assassin, even as he releases his Kamehameha wave.
Simply destroying the mercenary's clothes, Goku is hit with a dangerous attack that would probably have killed him if it wasn't for his dragon ball. For the first time in the anime, it felt like Goku was actually in danger, having to train hard to eventually overcome his opponent.
8 Goku VS Tenshinhan
A Technical Loss But A Moral Win For Goku
- Anime: Dragon Ball
- Episodes: 97-101
Losing on a technicality, the protagonist was not able to win against Tenshinhan when they first met during a World Martial Arts Tournament. Their confrontation was epic, especially when considering they were each carrying the ideologies of their martial arts training and masters.
Tenshinhan ends up winning the battle as Goku hits the ground first as a car passes, yet the protagonist's purity causes his opponent to renounce his own master's ideology and eventually join the Z fighters.
7 Goku VS King Piccolo
King Piccolo Leaves Goku For Dead In Their First Confrontation
- Anime: Dragon Ball
- Episodes: 109-110
King Piccolo brought a darker storyline to Dragon Ball, showcasing how much Goku still has to grow, especially considering he initially loses a fight with Tambourine. Although Goku's loss to Tambourine was a minor one, his fight with King Piccolo was a major defeat for the protagonist, despite eventually killing him with an iconic punch.
After Goku defeats Tambourine, King Piccolo goes after the protagonist in a fight that ends with Goku's inevitable defeat. Despite young Goku's strength, he is no match for King Piccolo, who almost kills Goku by stopping his heart and leaving him for dead.
6 Goku VS Android 19
A Loss Triggered By A Dangerous Heart Condition
- Anime: Dragon Ball Z
- Episodes: 127-129
Goku might have been able to overtake Android 19 if he was on top of his game, but his health at this point caused the protagonist to lose the fight. With a heart condition that should have caused his death, according to future Trunks, it is not long into the fight that Goku feels the disease's side effects.
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Low on energy and drained, the fight ends with Goku close to dying, albeit because of his heart condition. Yet, the Android is the clear winner of the fight as he leaves Goku barely alive and in need of his antidote, letting the rest of the Z fighters take over.
5 Goku VS Cell
Goku Surrenders Because He Knows He Would Lose
- Anime: Dragon Ball Z
- Episodes: 177 - 180
While plain surrenders by Goku are not being taken as defeats, this one is a different case as the hero decides to give up mid-fight with Cell. Knowing he cannot defeat his opponent, Goku steps aside and gives the chance to someone who has the ability to do so.
It is clear that Goku gives it his all in this fight, yet he notices he does not have the power to defeat Cell, but he knows Gohan has the power to do so. Giving the spotlight to his son, Goku loses the fight against Cell as he knows he cannot win, making this one of the best tournaments in the franchise.
4 Goku VS Majin Vegeta
Goku Lets Down His Guard In A Polarizing Loss
- Anime: Dragon Ball Z
- Episodes: 229-231
There is some discussion surrounding this fight, as some believe that Goku was capable of winning against Majin Vegeta but chose not to use his full power. Despite being able to transform into Super Saiyan 3 form, albeit not for long, Goku does not use his full power.
Nevertheless, Goku lets his guard down, allowing Majin Vegeta to deliver a finishing strike and defeat Goku. Whether the protagonist was strong enough to overpower his rival does not change the fact that he lost to this iconic version to Vegeta.
3 Goku VS Beerus
Goku Saves The World But Looses The Fight
- Anime: Dragon Ball Super
- Episodes: 10-14
Dragon Ball Super starts with Goku losing to the God of Destruction, Beerus. Even though Goku achieves a new level of Super Saiyan that uses the strength of other Saiyans, Beerus is simply too strong.
There is no denying that Goku gave it his all and, in a way, managed to save Earth from destruction, but he still lost the fight protecting the planet from an attack that leaves him unconscious while Beerus leaves unscathed.
2 Goku VS Zamasu And Goku Black
Various Defeats Wrapped In A Big Loss
- Anime: Dragon Ball Super
- Episodes: Future Trunks Saga
Goku lost a few fights against both Goku Black and Zamasu, as well as against their powerful fused form. Initially fighting together against Goku Black and Zamasu, all Z fighters are unsuccessful, having to escape from battle. Later on, Goku also fights against Goku Black after finding out what the villain did to his family in another reality, yet his rage is not enough to defeat the villain.
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With fused Zamasu being at the height of his power, Vegeta and Goku have to fuse to stand a chance against the enemy, yet their fusion is cut short, resulting in another loss. Even though the Z fighters eventually dealt with the threat, the many small defeats Goku suffered against the two characters definitely felt like a major loss.
1 Goku in the Tournament of Power
A Defeat Filled With Minor Losses And A Major Win
- Anime: Dragon Ball Super
- Episodes: Tournament of Power Arc
Even though Goku managed to stay in the tournament until the very end, defeating Jiren by sacrificing himself with Frieza, he did not win all the battles in the competition. As the rules state, one has to be knocked off of the platform to lose, meaning Goku only lost at the very end, despite being unsuccessful against other opponents.
By being careless in the fight against Kale, putting his guard down against Golden Frieza and taking too long with Jiren, Goku was unable to defeat them during their battles. Although Goku was able to defeat Jiren with the help of Frieza and Android 17, both Goku and Frieza had to sacrifice themselves to allow 17 to win, marking this as both a loss and a win for Goku.
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