Power levels are a mess. Honestly, if you’re looking for a neat little spreadsheet where $1 + 1 = 2$, you’ve come to the right place to get your heart broken. Ever since Akira Toriyama introduced the Scouter back in the Namek Saga, fans have been obsessed with quantifying strength. But Dragon Ball Super power levels don't play by the old rules of the Z-era.
The numbers scaled too fast. By the time Goku fought Beerus, we weren't just talking about blowing up planets; we were talking about ripples that could dismantle the fabric of the universe.
It’s chaotic.
The God Tier Shift
When Battle of Gods dropped, everything we knew about scaling went out the window. Remember the old "over 9,000" meme? That feels like a lifetime ago. Now, we're dealing with "God Ki," a concept that basically acts as a soft reboot for how we measure strength.
In the early days of Super, Beerus was the ultimate benchmark. Goku hitting Super Saiyan God (the red-haired version) was supposed to be a massive leap. But then came Super Saiyan Blue. Then came the Kaioken multiplier on top of Blue. If you try to use the old Daizenshuu guides to calculate this, your brain will melt. God Ki isn't just "more" power; it’s a different quality of power. It’s like comparing the voltage of a battery to the heat of a star. You can’t really measure them on the same scale using a standard scouter. It would just explode.
Why Dragon Ball Super Power Levels Feel Inconsistent
Scaling is the biggest headache for the fandom. One week, Goku is trading blows with a literal God of Destruction. The next week, he’s seemingly struggling against Krillin in a sparring match.
Wait, what?
The "Krillin vs. Blue Goku" debate is a classic example of why people get frustrated. Critics say it’s bad writing. Defenders say Goku is just practicing "perfect ki control." The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. In Dragon Ball Super, the series shifted away from raw battle power ($BP$) and started focusing on specialized techniques.
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Take the Tournament of Power. If we went strictly by power levels, 90% of the contestants should have been vaporized the second Jiren flexed. But the "No Killing" rule and the environmental gimmicks forced the writers to make everyone "relevant." This is where the term "narrative scaling" comes in. The character is exactly as strong as the plot needs them to be at that specific second. It's annoying if you like hard data, but it's how the show functions now.
The Jiren Problem
Jiren is a literal wall. He’s the first character we saw who didn't rely on some fancy transformation or divine magic. He was just... strong.
He moved faster than the eyes of Gods could track. When he fought Ultra Instinct Goku, we saw the peak of the "mortal" power scale. At that point, the numbers become meaningless. How do you quantify "Infinity + 1"? You don't. You just watch the pretty lights and hope the galaxy survives the shockwaves.
Transformations vs. Techniques
We have to talk about the divergence between raw strength and mastery. For most of the series, a new hair color meant a higher power level. Super Saiyan 2 was twice as strong as 1. Super Saiyan 3 was four times stronger than 2. Simple.
Now look at Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego.
Ultra Instinct isn't technically a "power level" boost in the traditional sense, though it clearly makes Goku faster and harder-hitting. It's a state of being. It's about the body reacting without the mind. On the flip side, Vegeta’s Ultra Ego—introduced in the Granolah the Survivor arc of the manga—scales based on how much damage he takes. It’s a literal feedback loop of pain and power.
This makes a "Top 10" list almost impossible to pin down permanently. If Vegeta is in the zone and taking hits, his power level is a moving target. If Goku loses focus, his Ultra Instinct drops off.
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The Granolah and Gas Situation
The manga took things to a weird place with the Heeter Arc. Granolah and Gas used the Dragon Balls to literally wish themselves to the top of the power rankings. They bypassed decades of training with a shortcut. This felt like a meta-commentary on power levels themselves. Even after becoming the "Strongest in the Universe," they still got absolutely folded by Frieza.
Why? Because while they had the raw numbers, they didn't have the "refined" power that comes with the Black Frieza transformation. Frieza spent ten years (in a Room of Spirit and Time) training to achieve that form. It suggests that in the current era of Super, "earned" power carries a weight that "wished" power doesn't quite match.
Who is actually at the top?
If we look at the hierarchy right now, excluding the Angels and Zeno (who are basically plot devices), the list is tighter than you think.
- Black Frieza: Currently the gold standard. He one-shot both Goku and Vegeta in their strongest forms. No debate here.
- Gohan Beast: Following the events of Super Hero, Gohan is officially back in the "strongest mortal" conversation. Toriyama himself stated that Gohan is potentially the strongest, though he rarely has the drive to stay there.
- Orange Piccolo: Finally, a Namekian who can hang with the big boys. He’s roughly on par with the higher tiers of the Super Saiyan Blue era, maybe even pushing into the UI/UE territory depending on which interview you read.
- Goku and Vegeta: They are constantly leap-frogging each other. Currently, they are the benchmark for what a highly trained mortal can achieve without a shortcut.
It’s worth noting that Broly is still the wild card. He has the highest "ceiling," but his lack of control means his effective power level fluctuates wildly. If he ever learns to channel that Rage-state into a focused form like the others, he’s probably #1 instantly.
The Reality of Scaling in 2026
The fans who try to assign millions or billions to these characters are fighting a losing battle. The creators have moved past it. Even the official guidebooks have largely stopped providing numerical battle powers because the numbers became too large to be comprehensible.
What matters now is "Effective Power."
How does a character's specific ability interact with another? Moro used magic to drain power. Granolah used pressure points. These aren't about who has the bigger "number," but who has the better strategy. It’s actually made the fights more interesting, even if it makes the power level charts a total nightmare to maintain.
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Myths and Misconceptions
People still think Goku is "Universal" or "Multiversal." While the shockwaves from his fight with Beerus threatened the universe, it’s important to remember that Dragon Ball physics are... flexible. Goku can still be hurt by a common laser if his guard is down. This "Glass Cannon" effect is a huge part of Super. Power levels only matter when the aura is up. If the character isn't actively channeling their Ki, they are surprisingly vulnerable.
How to Track This Yourself
If you want to keep up with the shifting goalposts of these strength tiers, stop looking for scouter numbers and start looking at the "Feat Hierarchy."
- Look at the collateral damage: Is the fight cracking the planet, or is it warping reality?
- Check the reaction shots: If Beerus looks worried, the character is approaching "God Tier." If Beerus is yawning, they aren't there yet.
- The "Base Form" indicator: Pay attention to how well a character does in their base form. In the manga, Goku’s ability to use a "lite" version of Ultra Instinct in his base form is a much bigger deal than a new hair color.
The era of Dragon Ball Super power levels being a simple 1-to-100 scale is dead. We are in the era of divine techniques and biological evolution. To truly understand where everyone stands, you have to look at the manga's progression, specifically the nuances of how Black Frieza dominates the current landscape.
Start by re-reading the Granolah arc with an eye for "Ki efficiency" rather than "Ki volume." You’ll notice that the winners aren't always the ones screaming the loudest; they’re the ones who waste the least amount of energy. That is the new gold standard for power in the Dragon Ball multiverse.
Next Steps for the Hardcore Fan
To get a better handle on the current hierarchy, compare the visual cues of the "Aura" in the latest manga chapters. Notice how Black Frieza's aura is depicted as dense and localized compared to the erratic energy of Gas. This visual storytelling is the new way the series communicates power jumps without needing a narrator to shout out a number. Focus on the Blue vs. Beast comparisons in recent promotional material to see how the "New Gen" of transformations is being positioned against the established God forms.