Goku VS Vegeta: The Strongest Saiyan in All 8 Fights in Dragon Ball

Goku and Vegeta share what is perhaps the greatest rivalry in anime history. Ever since the start of Dragon Ball Z, the two Saiyans have been inspiring one another to grow stronger and surpass their limits. Between Dragon Ball Z, both versions of Dragon Ball Super, and even Dragon Ball Online, Goku and Vegeta have fought multiple times.

Interestingly, even though Goku is far more often stronger than Vegeta, Vegeta actually wins a surprising number of their fights. Several battles between the two are also completely left to interpretation as to who won, especially their final battle at the very end of the Dragon Ball timeline.

Goku vs Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga

Winner: Vegeta

Goku and Vegeta's first fight in the Saiyan Saga is the greatest battle in Dragon Ball history. Akira Toriyama was in rare form, drawing an exciting showdown full of twists and turns. Goku has to pump the Kaioken to its absolute limits just to keep up with Vegeta, and Vegeta's durability is far above any other villain at this point in the series. What's interesting about this fight is that both Saiyans consider it a loss. For Vegeta, Goku wounded his pride – Kaioken x4 full on beat Vegeta in his base form, and the Earthlings force him to retreat.

For Goku, he just straight up loses. After using the Kaioken x4, his body is on death's door. Vegeta didn't even need to transform into a Great Ape. If he wasn't so freaked out, he could have flown down and beaten Goku to death with the Ki he had left. Instead, Great Ape Vegeta breaks every single bone in Goku's body. The only reason Goku doesn't die is because Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe rushed to rescue him. At that point, though, Goku had fully lost the fight.

Vegeta vs Ginyu-Goku on Namek

Winner: Vegeta

Goku has the misfortune of having his body stolen by Captain Ginyu once he lands on Namek. Ginyu's Change ability allows him to swap bodies with anybody he wants, a practice he's used multiple times throughout his career to steal stronger bodies. Unfortunately for Ginyu, he has no idea how to use Goku's powers, in particular the Kaioken. This leaves Ginyu-Goku with a pitiful Power Level of 23,000.

Ginyu-Goku is so weak that both Krillin and Gohan are able to put him through the paces. Vegeta absolutely destroys Ginyu-Goku when they fight, to the point where Goku genuinely worries Vegeta will kill Ginyu before he can get his body back. Luckily for Goku, Ginyu tries to use the Change technique on Vegeta, which Goku jumps in front of in order to get his body back. That said, this is only after Vegeta beats Ginyu-Goku to near-death.

Super Saiyan 2 Goku vs Majin Vegeta's Rematch

Winner: Tied (Technically Vegeta)

The Majin Buu Saga sets up a rematch between Goku and Vegeta that goes horribly wrong. The two were originally supposed to fight in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, but when the tournament gets interrupted by Babidi, Vegeta grows increasingly impatient and loses his cool completely once he realizes Goku unlocked Super Saiyan 2 in the afterlife and surpassed him. To cut the difference, Vegeta allows Babidi to use his Warlock Sorcery on him, turning him into a Majin.

Super Saiyan 2 Goku and Super Saiyan 2 Majin Vegeta are equal in Power Level, and their ferocious battle feeds Majin Buu enough energy to wake him up ahead of schedule. Goku manages to talk Vegeta to his senses, which ends the fight in a tie. Taking responsibility for Majin Buu's awakening, however, Vegeta knocks Goku out when he's off guard and flies off to sacrifice his life against Buu. Vegeta technically wins the battle with this in mind, but it's hard to call it a true victory when Goku was done fighting.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku vs Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber

Winner: Tied

Back in Dragon Ball Z, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had a hard time limit of 48 hours. If a single person stayed in the Room of Spirit and Time for more than two days, the door would close on them, locking them in the dimension for the rest of their life. This rule has conveniently been removed in Dragon Ball Super, allowing the likes of Goku, Vegeta, and even Frieza to train for years on end with absolutely no drawbacks.

Goku and Vegeta take advantage of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's new lack of a time limit in the Universe 6 Saga. When they learn about the Tournament of Destroyers from Champa and Beerus, Goku and Vegeta head into the ROSAT and spend three years training together. In the Dragon Ball Super manga specifically, the duo are shown having a battle at full power, using their Super Saiyan Blue transformations. The scene cuts away early, however, so there's no telling who won.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku vs Copy-Vegeta in the Dragon Ball Super Anime

Winner: Goku

Set between the Tournament of Destroyers and the Goku Black Saga, the Copy-Vegeta Saga is a filler arc exclusive to the Dragon Ball Super manga. The Copy-Vegeta Saga is basically Dragon Ball Super's way of making fun of Baby Vegeta from Dragon Ball GT, while giving Goku an opportunity to defeat his rival after multiple losses over the course of the series.

Copy-Vegeta is exactly as strong as Vegeta is following the end of the Universe 6 Saga, and can even use Super Saiyan Blue. SSB Goku and SSB Copy-Vegeta are shown to be on completely equal footing and Goku struggles to get an edge over him. Goku does end up winning, but only because Monaka steps on the Commeson, giving Goku a window to kill Copy-Vegeta with a Kamehameha.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku vs Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta After the Tournament of Power

Winner: Unknown

Since the Dragon Ball Super anime ended with the Tournament of Power, Toei threw in a little fan service to wrap up the series. Following the end of the tournament when everyone heads back to their respective universes, Goku and Vegeta decide to test their power against each other one last time. Notably, Goku does not use Ultra Instinct Sign, nor does Vegeta use Super Saiyan Blue Evovled.

Both fighters instead use the regular Super Saiyan Blue transformation. Absolutely nothing is known about this fight, including the winner, as the Dragon Ball Super anime ends as soon as it begins. The battle is merely a way to call back to Goku and Vegeta's first battle in the Saiyan Saga, and show just how far their rivalry has come. That said, since Goku cannot willingly use Ultra Instinct Sign at this point in the story, while Vegeta can use SSBE whenever he wants, Vegeta is technically stronger and has an easy way to defeat Goku if he wants it.

Base Goku vs Base Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

Winner: Vegeta

Vegeta has defeated Goku plenty of times, but he's never been proud of his wins. In the Saiyan Saga, Goku briefly surpassed Vegeta's Power Level and forced him to turn into a Great Ape, greatly wounding his pride. On Namek, Vegeta only defeated Ginyu-Goku, who couldn't even use Goku's full power. During the Majin Buu Saga, Majin Vegeta only beats Goku through a cheap shot after their fight had already ended.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was the first time Vegeta beat Goku fair and square. Neither fighter was allowed to use their transformations during this battle, meaning they had to fight purely with their own skills in their base form. The fight is extremely close and both Saiyans wear the other one down to near exhaustion, but Vegeta beats Goku with a well-timed dodge and perfectly executed punch that pushes Goku down seconds before Vegeta collapses.

Goku vs Vegeta's Final Battle in Dragon Ball Online

Winner: Unknown

Dragon Ball Online was Akira Toriyama's original vision for Dragon Ball Z's sequel. Despite being an MMORPG, Toriyama was so attached to the project, he wrote an entire timeline for the game depicting what happened to all of the Z-Fighters after Goku flew off with Uub in the Peaceful World Saga. Upon reaching the end of their prime as Saiyans, Goku and Vegeta fly off into outer space in Age 801 in order to have one final battle where they can fight at full power.

Absolutely nothing is known about Goku and Vegeta's final fight other than the fact that neither Saiyan is ever seen or heard from again. The only evidence of their battle is a supernova that explodes in the proximity of where they left for. Goku and Vegeta almost certainly killed one another during their final fight – not out of malice or hate for one another, but to fully test their abilities and powers once and for all. Dragon Ball fans will never know if Goku or Vegeta won their final duel.