It seems like Goku rarely if ever wins these days. With the Moro arc coming to an end, it seems as though Dragon Ball Super will continue its tradition of Goku failing to defeat the arc villain. But this isn’t exactly new, and Goku wasn’t averse to losing in the original Dragon Ball.
In fact, he doesn’t even win most of his fights in Dragon Ball Z. That said, when Goku loses, it’s for a reason. Dragon Ball often uses loss as a means to push a character’s growth, and every defeat Goku suffers is just one more battle to motivate him even more.
10 Jackie Chun
Goku’s first real loss in Dragon Ball comes at the end of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, and it’s an incredibly important one for him. Not just because it’s his first, but because it ends up embodying the core principles that would go on to define Dragon Ball: the notion that there will always be someone better, the inevitability that the next generation will surpass the last, and the benefit of self-betterment for self-betterment’s sake.
Goku losing to Jackie Chun doesn’t break the boy’s spirit. Instead, it spurs him to want to get even stronger and see the world. Losing to his master gives Goku a taste of real martial arts, setting him down a path that would define the rest of his life.
9 Tao Pai Pai
Although Goku had already lost to Jackie Chun one arc prior, he came extremely close to winning and the fight itself was fairly evenly matched. Tao Pai Pai marks a crucial turning point for Dragon Ball, an introduction to a more visceral level of drama and violence. Mere moments after killing Bora, Goku fires a Kamehameha at Tao Pai Pai only to find his Ki has done nothing.
Tao Pai Pai is far beyond what Goku has seen up to this point, and the assassin’s Dodonpa teaches Goku a valuable lesson. Only through the 4-Star Dragon Ball guarding his heart does Goku survive Tao Pai Pai’s blast. Determined to right what went wrong, he vows to scale Karin Tower, train, and revive Bora himself.
8 Tenshinhan
Dialogue in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai seems to suggest Goku was actually stronger than Tenshinhan during their final tournament bout, but as far as feats go, Tenshinhan ends up being the more skilled fighter. That said, this isn’t because Goku fights poorly. In fact, the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai finale is one of the best fights in the series, with Goku & Tenshinhan dead-even for most of the fight.
It’s only until the two take to the skies that Tenshinhan ultimately wins. While Goku propelling himself into Tenshinhan was a clever gambit, it ends up being his downfall. By pure luck, Goku collides with a truck and hits the ground before Tenshinhan.
7 Tambourine
The 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai certainly has its drama, but it never gets too dire and even when characters’ lives are in danger, it’s clear they’re safe narratively. Which only makes Krillin’s sudden death at the end of the arc all the more jarring. What should be a moment for celebration turns into tragedy as Goku rushes off to avenge Krillin.
Unfortunately, this is a situation of reality kicking in as Goku just finished fighting in a three stage tournament (plus preliminaries) that left him utterly exhausted after fighting Tenshinhan. Tambourine even kills Kintoun for good measure, something even Colonel Silver couldn’t do with a rocket launcher. These are dark times for Son Goku.
6 Piccolo Daimao
As if losing Kintoun to Tambourine and nearly dying in the process wasn’t enough, Piccolo Daimao actually does succeed in killing Goku– stopping his heart for a few seconds. It’s only through sheer luck that Goku survives, putting into perspective just how formidable Piccolo Daimao is.
What’s particularly striking about this fight is that Piccolo nearly kills Goku as an old man. Even frail and weak, he was stronger than the Earth’s mightiest warriors. It’s also worth noting that Goku is only just as strong as the youthful Piccolo when they fight at the end of the arc. It’s easy to forget just how overwhelmingly powerful Piccolo Daimao was for the time.
5 Raditz
The fight against Raditz is tricky since Goku does technically result in Raditz’s death, but he dies in the process as well. This is Piccolo’s win more than anyone else’s. It’s the Makankosappo which kills Raditz, and only the Makankosappo that could have. Goku, even at his strongest, wasn’t enough to take Raditz down.
The fact of the matter is that Goku was never going to be able to win this fight, it was always about creating an opening for Piccolo. In the end, that opening results in Goku’s own life, and while the two brothers do die together, Goku is the clear loser.
4 Vegeta
Goku won the beam struggle, but he ultimately lost the fight. When it came down to it, Goku pushed Kaioken beyond what Vegeta could ever imagine but at the expense of his body. Vegeta erroneously believes that Goku can keep fighting– prompting him to expend a considerable amount of energy in creating an artificial moon– when Goku was actually down for the count.
Turning into an Oozaru was a brash move on Vegeta’s part. Had he assessed the situation, he might have realized he’d just won. Goku was completely exhausted and unable to fight back any further. Vegeta still had more than enough energy to beat Goku to death right then & there. Instead, a fake moon puts a target on his head and Vegeta is outmatched by the surviving Earthlings.
3 Captain Ginyu
All things considered, the Namek arc is a pretty good saga for Goku. While he doesn’t see too much of the action, all his fights are well choreographed, his development is easy to appreciate, and the drama surrounding his character makes for some of Dragon Ball’s most compelling storytelling. That said, Goku does suffer one notable loss on Namek.
Despite being considerably stronger than Captain Ginyu, Goku is caught off guard and left for dead when Ginyu forces them to switch bodies. This is arguably the most hopeless situation Goku is put in, and the fact he survives at all is kind of a miracle.
2 Android 19
Despite getting a three year head start to train for the fight against the Artificial Humans, things turn sour fast as soon as Goku starts fighting Android 19. Due to the butterfly effect, Goku fails to get symptoms of the Heart Virus when he should, only triggering through his fight with 19.
The strain of Super Saiyan combined with the Heart Virus’ effect stresses Goku’s body beyond belief, and while he manages to keep for a time, his use of Ki ends up being his downfall. Rejuvenated, 19 manhandles Goku and beats him into near submission, leaving Vegeta to pick up the pieces.
1 Cell
Although Goku has few wins after the Cell Games (really only against Yakon,) he doesn’t exactly lose any of his fights. Majin Vegeta blindsides him and he ends his fight with Buu prematurely, but neither of those are losses. Goku’s true final loss in the original Dragon Ball comes in his battle against Cell.
One of the best fights in the arc, the Cell Games’ inaugural fight is Son Goku’s swan song. It shows off just how skilled Goku is as a martial artist in a setting he can take full advantage of. More importantly, he chooses to forfeit the fight, recognizing that Cell is stronger than him and pacing the way for the next generation– tying into two of the franchise’s core themes.