The concept of power levels inDragon Ballhas long been a point of contention among manga readers and anime audiences alike. They don’t seem to make a lot of sense, it’s unclear how they’re measured, and it seems that someone with a lower power level can still overwhelm someone with a higher power level. Then there is the idea of hiding one’s power level, which adds another level of complication to the affair.
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The manga and accompanying guidebooks tried to explain power levels as best as they could, but this seemed to die off as theseries went on and are virtually unmentionedinDragon Ball Super. Regardless, it is still worth it to go back and look at who had the highest power levels according to the originalDragon Ballsource material–the manga.
Updated June 12, 2025 by Josh Davison:Despite the fact that the series abandoned it long ago in its own lore, the concept of power levels has remained a fascination for fans of the Dragon Ball franchise. It’s an interesting concept on its own merit, as it’s hard to imagine how one could measure strength on that level.
It’s also something of an in-joke, as power levels seemed to mean nothing concrete not too long after their introduction. Regardless, they still introduced a loose metric by which Goku’s strength could be measured against his peers and foes.
15Tien Shenhan Was Likely The Strongest Human At The Time Of The Saiyan Invasion
Tien Shenhan spent the year awaiting Nappa and Vegeta training as hard as any of the other Z-Fighters. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to stop Nappa, and Tien perished in his suicidal attempt at finally dropping Nappa.
At this point, Tien was actually stronger than Krillin, who is generally the strongest human on Earth throughout most of the series (depending on whether you count post-wish Android 18). According toDaizenshuu 7, a companion guide to theDragon Ballseries, Tien Shenhan had a power level of 1,830 when Nappa and Vegeta arrived on Earth to threaten the Z-Fighters.
14Piccolo Was Nothing To Shrug Off When The Saiyans Arrived On Earth
Until Goku arrived, Piccolo was the one who came the closest to giving Nappa an even match. The Namekian had spent the year since Raditz’s arrival training both himself andGoku’s son, Gohan. Piccolo was easily stronger than any human on Earth at that point–Tien and Krillin included. Unfortunately for Piccolo, even he couldn’t quite measure up to the bulky bald Saiyan.
Piccolo has generally been the strongest non-Saiyan hero in the series (though that is somewhat complicated by the arrival of the Androids and Frieza’s heroic turn inDragon Ball Super). This might be the point in the series where the margin between the power of the likes of Tien and Krillin and the power of Piccolo was at its thinnest, as, according toDaizenshuu 7, Piccolo had a power level of 3,500 at this point.
13Nappa Truly Outmatched Any Human And Namekian On Earth At The Time
Piccolo’s power level was close to Nappa’s, but there was still a good bit of distance between them. Nappa was a trained Saiyan warrior charged with protecting Prince Vegeta. He was also an elite soldier in Frieza’s army. Frieza has no shortage of cannon fodder, so it takes a particular strength to survive for very long in Frieza’s army.
When Nappa arrived on Earth to battle the Z-Fighters, he had a power level of 4,000 according toDaizenshuu 7. Unfortunately for Nappa, this put him at half of Goku’s power level when he came back from the dead. No wonder Goku made such short work of Nappa, prompting Vegeta to mercy kill his companion.
12Cui Was Surprisingly Powerful For Such A Minor Character
Few remember Cuifrom the Frieza Saga. Frieza had no small amount of colorful and memorable soldiers such as Zarbon, Dodoria, and the Ginyu Force. It’s going to be fairly easy to fall through the cracks in such company. That said, Cui received a funny line or two in Team Four Star’sDragon Ball Z Abridgedseries.
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Cui receives a little more screen time in the anime than in the manga, as a filler episode shows Cui destroying an unknown planet. In the manga, he is introduced to the reader while mocking Vegeta after his defeat on Earth. This prompts Vegeta to challenge and kill Cui. According to Volume 21 of the manga, Cui’s power level at this point was a shocking 18,000.
11Dodoria Was Just A Notch Under His Combat Partner
Dodoria was one of Frieza’s elite soldiers and served as one of his bodyguards during the Namek invasion. Dodoria was partnered with Zarbon, and the two killed and intimidated every poor Namekian who had the displeasure of seeing them. These two were the cream of the crop in Frieza’s army.
Dodoria was strong but not quite as strong as Zarbon. He also had the misfortune of challenging Vegeta after he killed Cui. This led to a brutal fight where Vegeta completely outmatches Dodoria, and Dodoria tries to bargain the true fate of Planet Vegeta for his life. In the end, Vegeta still kills Dodoria. At this point, Dodoria’s power level was 22,000 according toDaizenshuu 7.
10Zarbon Was One Of Frieza’s Elite For A Reason
Power levels were on the decline of use by the time of the Cell Saga, so it’s hard to find any characters that were in the manga whose power levels were outright stated by a manga-relevant source. Movie characters like Broly, Cooler, and Super Gogeta have been given power levels that would edge out the bottom three of this list easily, but none of these characters have been in a manga.
All these facts conspire to put one of Frieza’s personal guards on this list: Zarbon. He is more powerful than Dodoria, but only by 1,000. Zarbon’s power level comes out to 23,000 according toDaizenshuu 7theDragon Ballmanga guidebook whichAkira Toriyamahimself had a hand in making.
9Nail Was the Most Powerful Namekian Warrior In His Day
Unfortunately for Piccolo, we never got a good read on his power level near his peak as a warrior. That means that Nail gets to be the only Namekian on this list. He was the personal guard of Guru and even made an attempt at fighting Frieza when he invaded Namek.
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Nail’s power level comes from Vol. 24 of the manga, and it caps out at 42,000. Considering how high Frieza’s power level turns out to be, poor Nail didn’t stand a chance.
8Krillin Was No Slouch When He Reached Namek
People like to dunk on Krillin for his seeming inability to keep up with the likes of Piccolo and Goku. However, he is by far the strongest purely human warrior on Earth, and he did his best to be a useful asset to his friends and allies.
His power level grew immensely after having his potential unleashed by Guru on Namek and after his fight with Recoome of the Ginyu Force. According to the manga-focused magazineV-Jump, Krillin’s power level reached 75,000 after his fight with Recoome.
7Captain Ginyu Was The Most Powerful Of The Ginyu Force
Captain Ginyu was the indisputable powerhouse of the Ginyu Force. He was a force to be reckoned with in his own body (assuming that was his body of course), but his trump card was the ability to swap bodies with a target such as Son Goku.
According to Volume 24 of theDragon Ball Zmanga, Captain Ginyu had a power level of 120,000 at the time of his arrival on Namek.
6Kid Gohan Got More Powerful As He Got Angrier
Unfortunately,there is not a reliable source for Gohan’s power level as a teenagerduring the Cell Saga or in his Ultimate Form during the Buu Saga and beyond. The last power level measurement we got of Gohan was during the Frieza Saga as a child.
Then, his power level was reliably at 200,000 according toV-Jumpmagazine. However, it could go up as he got angrier.
