The Z-Fighters (Ｚ戦士, Zetto Senshi) also known as the Z-Warriors, or Z-Team, Earth's Special Forces or, as Mr. Satan calls them, the Gold Fighters, are a small group of warriors located on Earth. Their duty is to defend Earth from major threats and protect the seven mystical Dragon Balls from the hands of evil. 🔮

We had already analyzed the strongest characters in our TOP 10 Most Powerful Characters in Dragon Ball Z , but this list is exclusively reserved for Z fighters, so no villains, fusions or magic spells. Who are the Z-Fighters? Who is the most powerful member of the Z-Team? Quickly discover these heroes, ranked from weakest to strongest! 🤩

Z FIGHTERS DRAGON BALL

One of the things that makes the Dragon Ball saga an iconic series is its evolution in the constant improvement of its characters. Going all the way back to the original series, Dragon Ball has always emphasized fighting prowess and martial arts tournaments, where Fighters & Z Fighters could show off their latest Saiyan techniques and transformations . 🔥

As the series progressed, the fighters' powers and abilities evolved. A significant amount of time has passed between the first World Martial Arts Tournament and the last Power Tournament in the Dragon Ball Super series, and the rankings of the best fighters have therefore changed many times. 📊

Determining who the strongest Z Fighter is isn't always as simple as looking at their power levels. A fighter's intelligence, adaptability, and self-discipline all play a role in achieving the best of their abilities. 👜

Sometimes even self-control beats raw power. Fighters who can outthink their opponents have proven that a higher ki level does not guarantee victory. Those who can judge the weakness of their opponents have brought down enemies much stronger than themselves. 🤕

17. CHIAOTZU

At the top of our list is Ten Shin Han's ally and best friend, Chiaotzu. As a human resembling more of a ghost or small Chinese vampire, Chiaotzu has been present in the vast majority of Dragon Ball canon. He is a martial artist trained under Master Shen , but is notable for his ability to use psychic powers . This grants him several unique abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, and various psyche-based mental attacks. 🙌

Chiaotzu has a strong heart and is always willing to help his friends, but he doesn't have the ability to display much power and he will be rendered obsolete as a fighter soon enough. 😣

He is defeated by Krillin in Dragon Ball and after he and Tenshinhan join Team Z, he is relegated to a supporting character. His finest moment came during a brave but ultimately futile suicide attack on Nappa , which the powerful Saiyan ignored, but which earned him the respect of other fighters and fans as well. 🙏

16. YAJIDRESS

Some might be surprised that Yajirobe , Team Z's gruff and overweight samurai companion, is actually one of the strongest humans on Earth. Yajirobe may be an antisocial man who doesn't fight much, but he has had a few heroic moments throughout the series.

There were many moments where he was there to feed senzu beans to fallen fighters, as well as using his own strength to save them. His physical strength is greater than that of most humans, as he carried Goku on his back to the top of Korin Tower. 🗼

He also managed to defeat Krillin during their fight with Kami , although all of the Z fighters quickly surpassed him in terms of abilities. Yajirobe is also an excellent swordsman, and perhaps his greatest moment was when he cut off Vegeta's tail in his monkey form, saving Goku. Yajirobe is the only member of Team Z who never manages to excel, but thanks to his cunning and opportunistic nature, he has had some success against fighters much stronger than him. 🌟

15. VIDEL

Videl is an intelligent fighter but has her limits. For one thing, she doesn't have the ability to generate much ki, only a marginal amount after Gohan trains her, so she relies almost exclusively on her physical ability.

On the other hand, she usually waits for her opponent to move first to retaliate. She will still become a pretty strong human and deserves a lot of credit for her ability to generate any ki, even if she can't control it. ✨

Videl who as we recall is the daughter of Mr. Satan trains hard, but she is unable to compete with lower ranked Z fighters like Krillin and even Yamcha, which places her at the bottom of the list. This does not stop her from doing good, as she regularly helps the police fight crime as the Great Saiyawoman , and she is a loving mother and understanding wife. 🦸‍♀️

14. YAMCHA

Yamcha has been the butt of many jokes among Dragon Ball fans for ages. We even dedicated a special article to it! Originally appearing as a mountain bandit in the original series, Yamcha has become a diligent, even very effective, ally and fighter.

He is a very talented martial artist and one of the strongest humans in the world, but he is always outclassed by both his allies and their enemies. Despite this, Yamcha has several good character traits. 😚

He is a courageous and reliable character. Despite his weakness compared to other Z Fighters , he will always help his neighbor. Let's not forget his fear of women! He also has a very cool power: Sokidan. Designed by Yamcha himself, this technique represents a ball of spirit that he can move in all directions, even in mid-air, and which has surprised more than one enemy.

Yamcha is now largely retired, using his abilities to play baseball, but he still longs for the days when he fought. This antihero wanted to be a member of Universe 7 during the Tournament of Power, but he simply didn't prove strong enough to make it happen. 😫

13. PAN

Even at age 4, Pan was formidable and even knocked out a major competitor in the World Martial Arts Tournament . She was shown to have a fiery personality and a natural at everything related to training and fighting. This is undoubtedly due to his training under his grandfather, Goku. From a young age, she was able to dash, fly, and generate impressive ki attacks . At the end of the DBZ saga, she is shown that she can fight on equal terms with Goten . 🥋

She is only ¼ Saiyan , but it seems that the Saiyan blood is very strong in her. Pan is clearly stronger than Goku as a child and may very well continue to surpass the other members of Team Z in the near future. 😏

12. AWESOME TURTLE

He mastered the most famous attack in the entire Dragon Ball saga, the Kamehameha, which became the movement taught to his best students. Kamé Sennin is 300 years old at the start of Dragon Ball, his extended life coming from drinking an elixir of immortality. 🥛

Master Roshi's combat ability may not be as good as it once was, but he should not be taken lightly, not only because of his power, but also his wisdom. Awesome Turtle is often presented as one of the most thoughtful fighters in the series, able to assess an enemy's strength and weaknesses like no other and capitalize on their mistakes in the blink of an eye. 😎

He is involved in Team Z against Frieza's Army in the film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of "F" , and is a member of Team Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power. Although he fell due to his age, Roshi would score several victories and eliminations before his defeat. 🤼

11. KRILIN

He was Goku's best friend for almost the entire Dragonball series and never completely faded away like the other secondary fighters. So yes, Krillin has died a lot, but it's easy to forget that he also brings a lot to the flagship saga. 🏆

Although he is not as strong as Saiyans , he has enormous talent for ki manipulation, more so than many fighters, stronger than him. He also has the ability to sense hidden powers, and possesses an exceptionally powerful special move, the Destructo Disque , which can cut through a mountain like a knife through butter. 🔪🧈

Krillin is far from the strongest member of the group, but he is still reliable. He's a funny character with his shaved head and his iconic points who will always prove to be as clever as an active member of the Z team .

10. UUB

With the debut of Dragon Ball Super, we learned that the franchise's official timeline was set 6 months after Kid Buu 's defeat, which places Uub , the re-incarnated form of that villain in a similar situation to that of Pan . 🦹‍♂️

Although Dragon Ball GT is not canonical, Uub still exists as his birth took place before Buu's end. For those unfamiliar with him, Uub was brought back to life by the wish Goku made before defeating Kid Buu with the Spirit Bomb . Uub in the human reincarnation of Buu , making him the strongest man who ever lived. Although he lost Buu's race and regenerative ability, he retained his powerful potential and also lost many negative traits, such as Boo's extreme unpredictability and wild nature. 🐗

He's still a baby in the canon, but his potential is almost limitless. He is certainly stronger than any human fighter and at least stronger than Son Goku's Super Saiyan 3 form , who was unable to defeat Kid Boo. Much like Pan, Uub was set up to become a serious player in the future of the Dragon Ball saga.

9. GOTEN

Generally fun, affectionate, and somewhat mischievous, Son Goten actually shows more potential at his age than his father Goku or older brother Gohan. He mastered the Super Saiyan form before even learning to fly, and shocks veteran fighter Piccolo with his natural ability. 😮

Goten is still very young and his powers haven't even reached their peak yet. So the fact that it's not strong enough to deal with any real major threats right now isn't a bad thing. He is still stubborn and needs to learn discipline before moving on to the next level.

His most famous moments are when he merges with Trunks to become Gotenks , one of the strongest and most popular characters on Team Z's side. He and Trunks will show an undeniably powerful tenacity and will to fight. . 💥

Goten's life has only just begun, but his Saiyan blood and his teammates mean that he will one day take his place alongside his father and brother as one of Earth's mightiest protectors. 🌏

8. TRUNKS

Trunks shows a love for technology like his mother Bulma and his grandfather Dr. Brief, creator of the Capsule Corporation, making him much smarter than most children his age. Despite his young age, he possesses impressive power, his father being Saiyan Prince Vegeta . 🤴

He became Super Saiyan at age 8, much earlier than his father did, and constantly trains with him in the Time Room. He was shown to move with ease, 100x faster than gravity in his Super Saiyan form. Even though he can't directly take on doomsday villains like Majin Buu, any other villain will find him difficult. 🦹‍♂️

His arc is said to be as strong as Goku's during the Frieza arc, which is astonishing for a pre-teen. Currently, his appearances are less frequent than those of Piccolo and the Androids, but more notable than those of many of his teammates, and will undoubtedly allow him to climb the rankings as he ages. ⚔

7. PICCOLO

Not only is he a trainer for the young members of the team, but he has always been a strong ally to watch out for any threat that requires the attention of the powerful Saiyan fighters. Piccolo can, however, be considered the weakest member of the Z team's frontline. He is always there to give challenges but never to eliminate the biggest threats. 🙄

Hailing from Namek , Piccolo is a warrior in his own right, strong, motivated, and fully capable of training and fighting. He is one of the few members of the team to have accumulated several victories in the Z Team and in the films, he also has a sizable arsenal of powers. 💥

Perhaps his best fight to date was against the mighty C-17, which fell apart during the Android Saga, but he has fought many other battles as well. He has been a prominent member of every major conflict Team Z has faced in the series and continues to be a vital member today. 👍

6. C-18

The androids mark a serious improvement in villain power in DBZ compared to previous entries. C-18 , real name Lazuli , was at one point more powerful than her younger brother, but the latter has progressed in stages since his last appearance in the Z saga. 🤖

Still, C-18 remains one of the strongest fighters on the team. In fact, only Saiyans can beat them in the power rankings. Android 18 has been a force to be reckoned with throughout the series, defeating all of Z's fighters at one point and breaking Vegeta's arm during their first encounter. 🦾

Androids have unlimited energy and endurance, a trait that makes them nearly impossible to stop by anyone but the strongest fighters. Since Boo's defeat, she took a step back and focused on her role as a wife and mother, but she never completely stopped training. She is a member of Team Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power and has made an impact with eliminations alongside her brother, and occasionally against members of the powerful Team Universe 2. 🐱‍💻

5. C-17

After being resurrected following Cell's defeat, C-17 spent years off-screen recreating a life far from his past. Android 17 is now much more mature, having lived a few years apart and developed into his own person. 🤖

This time and growth has led him to realize the ability that Dr. Gero always said he had within him, and he is now much stronger than he was before. He became a powerful cyborg warrior and especially when Dende said that if there was one more villain left, he would be terrifying. 👺

Fortunately, he has become a good person and accepts Goku 's invitation to be part of Team Z in the Tournament of Power. He is now the strongest Android in the universe, capable of defeating Goku's SSJ2 form and nearly on par with the SSJ3 form.

4. TRUNKS OF THE FUTURE

Future Trunks ' personality was forged in a world where he was prey to relentless villains, and that's why he is more cautious than the young Trunks. It also made him an exceptional fighter whose potential has yet to be fully revealed. 😏

Having Saiyan blood through his father Vegeta means that he is capable of all Super Saiyan transformations, and even manages to reach the third rank of the SSJ, powerful but ultimately quite futile. The time he spent training with the Supreme Kai also gave him and the Z Sword even more power. ⚔️

Trunks has one of the highest mortality rates in Z Team , with his fight against Mecha Frieza , future versions of the Androids, and even the powerful Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super to name a few. 🤖

Unfortunately, Trunks will return to his timeline, which was restored after the death of Zamasu/Black Goku , and therefore cannot be part of the team in the tournament. Nevertheless, Future Trunks remains one of the most popular characters and is one of the strongest members of the Z-Fighters team. 🤺

3. GOHAN

Gohan has always dreamed of being a great scientist. But instead, and he's one of the only characters to actually regain power after reaching his peak. Settling down as a family man is the life he wants, but when called upon, Son Gohan still has the strength to be a threat to almost everyone. Piccolo will encourage him to join the tournament of power and to “awaken his warrior heart” as the Namekian puts it so well. 👽

During the tournament, Gohan even developed new techniques as well as an improved base state that will be able to impress Frieza's final form. He has developed impressive strength in a short time and Vegeta and Piccolo both believe that he would have the power within him to become stronger than everyone. However, it remains to be seen whether he will choose to do so or not... 🙄

2. VEGETA

Saiyan Prince Vegeta has perhaps changed more than any other character in the series over time. Spending most of his time playing behind his long-time great rival Goku, this will always push him to become stronger, Vegeta having always been one of the strongest characters in the universe. 🦾

He was born to be one of the strongest, showing great strength from a young age, even for a first class Saiyan. His time in the series is filled with epic battles and incredible transformations , and many enemies have lost their lives while facing him.

Vegeta is considered one of the three trump cards of Universe 7, along with Goku and Frieza. In the Tournament of Power, he has shown so far that he is the only fighter capable of legitimately taking on Jiren, the strongest fighter in the multiverse . 💥

Vegeta achieved the SSJ Blue form with Goku, rising to the highest level of power he has reached thus far. He never gave up hope and never stopped training, but he became more and more determined as time went on. Vegeta has maintained his position as the second best Saiyan warrior for a long time and now, for the first time, he may be able to surpass Goku for the top spot! 🥇

1. GOKU

No surprise here: protagonist Goku is a combat prodigy, as can be seen from the first episodes of the original Dragon Ball series. In a series where power levels are constantly changing, Goku has managed to maintain his position as the big guy for most of the series. 🤴

Its potential for improvement is seemingly unlimited, both SSJ 1, 2, 3 and even 4 in DBGT, then having developed the Kaio-ken in DBZ and finally wowing us with the Ultra Instinct in DBS . He specializes in developing new techniques and transformations, often in the middle of combat. In Dragon Ball Super, Goku achieved a feat that only a handful of beings in the multiverse had been able to achieve: he became strong enough to compete against a God of Destruction . 💢

Even in his base form now, his strength and endurance are unreal. Some of the lower level fighters can't even see his moves when he really ramps up. He achieved the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, the strongest transformation ever, and even augmented it with his Kaioken technique . 🔥

Goku will continue to impress us repeatedly in the Tournament of Power, with several notable eliminations, including that of Kefla. Vegeta is only a small step behind him now, but Goku will most likely remain the hardest man to defeat in Universe 7, hence his status as the most powerful Z-Fighter. Jiren will even consider Goku as one of the only fighters he will have to eliminate personally. For more information, find our dragon ball wiki !