As the series progresses, Krillin becomes Goku's closest ally and best friend as he fights every villain along with Goku or before him and is often depicted as the comic relief.
Piccolo lost his villainous attributes and became one of Goku's closest allies and friends. He even trained Goku's son, Gohan, when he was a little kid.
Goku Admires Chi-Chi's Firey Personality
This fact was presented after Goku explains that part of the reason he's been with Chi-Chi all these years is because he enjoys her feistiness.
1 Krillin Is Goku's Very Best Friend & A Symbol Of His Youth
There's a rivalry aspect to their original dynamic as they both compete for Master Roshi's attention, but the two mature into adults together, build their own families, and remain involved in each other's lives.
However, despite the fact that Vegeta made up for his shortcoming, there was a brief moment in Dragon Ball history where Vegeta wasn't even close to rivaling Goku, which left only Trunks as Goku's true equal.
Appearances. Beerus awakens from a 39-year sleep and goes in search of a Super Saiyan God whom he saw in his dream, his search bringing him to Goku whom he easily defeats despite his opponent being in Super Saiyan 3 form.
Goku has proven himself to be an incredibly great fighter and he would definitely put up a difficult fight. Both characters hate to lose and would probably become fast friends if they were not forced to fight. However, Naruto has proven himself to be the better overall fighter.
Jiren. Jiren is the strongest member of the Pride Troopers and is Toppo's closest and most trusted friend. He is also the strongest fighter of the 11th Universe and is Goku's main rival in the Tournament of Power.
Many fans consider Jiren to be stronger than Goku based on the exceptional abilities and feats that he demonstrated in the Tournament of Power arc. He possesses an overwhelming amount of power and strength.
Goku's fear of needles throughout Dragon Ball has become a cheap-gag-turned-fan-theory. The discussion of Goku's fear of needles stems from and was first discussed during the Namek arc, during the beginning of which a hospitalized Goku is seen being treated by doctors.
It makes sense that Gluttony would beat Goku in the eating category. There's a reason he's named after that particular deadly sin. Gluttony can eat anything. As long as he can chomp down on it, he will be able to take a piece out of it, swallow it, and send it down to the literal bottomless pit in his stomach.
It's pretty obviously Daimao. He was completely berserk and blood thirsty when facing him and, unlike Freeza or Vegeta, who also murdered a lot of Goku's friends, he didn't just want to beat Daimao, he wanted to kill him.
And while Goku's parenting skills have certainly faced scrutiny before, a new fan theory suggests the Saiyan hero may quietly favor one of his sons far more than the other: Gohan.
By the end of the Tournament of Power, despite still being openly as evil and selfish as ever, Frieza has come to respect Goku and his allies, and willingly celebrates with them for a little bit as well after being revived by Whis.
As one of the last remaining Saiyans in the universe, Raditz made his way to Earth in search of his long-lost younger brother, Goku.
Dragon Ball Super
If Goku doesn't want to play a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with his opponent, and instead seeks to prove his superiority with a fully charged Kamehameha, Zeno will beat Goku and destroy his entire universe before looking for a cookie in another one.
Vegeta. While Goku put up a fight against Vegeta during the climax of the iconic Saiyan Saga, in the end, he was no match for the Vegeta Oozaru form who crushed Goku like a bug. However, while this was the final thing that put the battle in Vegeta's favor, Goku had already been struggling prior to that.
It was clear as day that Kid Buu was almost able to defeat Goku, and likely would've if not for Vegeta and Majin Buu's contributions.
Goku Black
This evil Goku might be the most tragic, as he went as far as killing Goku's family and destroying countless planets, claiming Future Bulma's life in the process.
1) Goku's fear of needles
His constant screaming and flailing required more than half a dozen people to hold him down. Eventually, Chi Chi comes in and, through her prodding at Goku's expense, reveals the Earth's hero is indeed afraid of needles.
1 Goku Vs. Gas
Even when they worked together, Gas was still too much for them, and it took Frieza and his new Black Frieza form for him to finally go down. All in all, it's hard to see Gas as anything other than Goku's hardest fight in Dragon Ball up to this point.
Goku's power level at the first rank of Super Saiyan blows Deku's cowling away already granting Goku about 5o times his base power and with no real risk to Goku's body.
The mere comparison of strength between the two characters is crazy. Goku is an extraterrestrial being who has to lose a fight in order to get stronger. Saitama is a man that can defeat any foe with a single punch. If the two of them were to face off in a one-on-one battle, Saitama would easily win.
Not only could Beerus easily defeat Ultra Instinct Goku, but he could do so instantly should he desire, a feat no one else on this list can achieve.