All 7 characters that killed Goku

Goku is one of the strongest anime characters of all time, but he is not invincible. One of Dragon BallThe main theme is that there will always be someone better. For the most part, Goku finds joy in finding and fighting stronger opponents, but he has also suffered some brutal defeats that have resulted in him losing his life.

Goku was killed by a number of different powerful characters in between Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GTand Dragon Ball Super. Death is hardly permanent in Dragon Ball franchise, so Goku (almost) always comes back stronger than ever. However, in several timelines, death truly meant the end for Goku.

7

King Piccolo stopped Goku's heart

Technically, Goku's first death happens in the original Dragon Ball anime. In his first fight with the Demon King Piccolo, Piccolo completely overpowers Goku and stops his heart. King Piccolo even checks Goku's vitals to make sure his heart has truly stopped before he goes to find the rest of the Dragon Balls. Goku's heart miraculously restarts moments later, and Yajirobe takes him to Korin's Tower to drink the Ultra Divine Water.

Interestingly, Goku's revival after his heart stopped has been recontextualized Dragon Ball Super manga. In Granolah the Survivor Saga, it is revealed that Bardock wished for his sons to prosper in the Dragon Balls. With that in mind, Goku's heart starting up is no longer a random event, but a result of his father seeking him out and giving him another chance at life.

6

Piccolo killed Goku and Raditz with a special beam cannon

Goku's death at the beginning Dragon Ball Z is one of the biggest plot twists in anime history. After being the strongest character in practically all of them Dragon Ball Saga and always saving the day, Goku finally finds an opponent in Raditz that he just can't beat. Raditz is so powerful that Goku has no choice but to team up with Piccolo and fight him, but even that isn't enough.

In the end, Goku is forced to sacrifice his life and hold Radtz down so that Piccolo can kill them both with a special beam cannon. Ironically, being killed was the best thing that ever happened to Goku. If Goku hadn't died, he wouldn't have been able to train with King Kai and learn Kaioken and Spirit Bomb. Without both techniques, all the Z-fighters would have died in the Saiyan Saga's final battle with Vegeta.

5

Goku sacrificed his life to save Earth from Cell

Although Super Saiyan 2 Gohan was strong enough to kill Perfect Cell during the Cell Games, he becomes cocky and starts toying with Cell rather than finishing him off when he had the chance. Desperate and stuck in his semi-perfect form, Cell goes insane and decides to self-destruct to destroy Earth and all the Z-Fighters with it.

Realizing he has no choice, Goku says goodbye to Gohan and uses Instant Transmission to teleport himself and Cell to King Kai's planet, where he kills himself alongside King Kai and Bubbles. Unfortunately, Cell's core is not destroyed in the explosion and he experiences an enormous Zenkai Boost, turning him into Super Perfect Cell.

4

Goku Black murdered Goku to steal his body

In the alternate timeline, Zamasu watches Goku's final battle with Hit in the Tournament of Destroyers on GodTube and develops a deep hatred for the fact that a mortal was able to reach the same level of power as the Gods. Zamasu finds and threatens Zen to tell him everything about Goku, then collects his multiverse's Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with Goku.

With Zamasu now inside Goku's body and Goku inside Zamasu's, Zamasu becomes Goku Black and murders Goku before killing Goten and Chichi. Goku Black then uses the Time Rings to go to Future Trunks' timeline, where he wipes out all the gods in his multiverse before personally terrorizing Trunks.

3

Hit Killed Goku after being hired to assassinate him

While fighting Hit in the Tournament of Destroyers, Goku realizes that since Hit is an assassin, he can't really fight at full power or use his killing intent. Goku ends up losing the match and waits for an opportunity for them to fight again. That time will never come Dragon Ball Super manga but Dragon Ball Super the anime features a two-part mini-arc where Goku hires Hit to assassinate him so they can actually fight to the death.

Shockingly, Hit actually manages to kill Goku. Using his time skipping ability, Hit outmanoeuvres Super Saiyan Blue Goku and stops his heart, killing him on the spot. However, just before Hit kills Goku, Goku sends a Ki blast into the air that lands back on Goku's chest, restarting his heart and giving him another chance to fight Hit. In their rematch, Goku and Hit exhaust each other without either of them dying.

2

Vegeta & Goku kill each other in Dragon Ball Online's Future

Dragon Ball Online was the original sequel by Akira Toriyama Dragon Ball Z before returning to writing Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and started working Dragon Ball Super. In Age 801, Goku and Vegeta have aged so much that they are past their prime. Realizing that they are running out of time to go all out against each other, Goku and Vegeta head into space for one final battle where they can fight at full strength without putting anyone else in danger.

This final battle is never seen, but years later a supernova is observed in the general area where Goku and Vegeta left. Neither Saiyan returns to Earth, suggesting that Goku and Vegeta ended up killing each other during their final battle: not out of malice, but out of mutual respect for each other's power. Goku and Vegeta killing each other is a morbid end to their characters, but it makes perfect sense given their intense desire to battle.

1

Omega Shenron killed Goku at the end of Dragon Ball GT

Omega Shenron is one of the most powerful villains in the game Dragon Ball multiverse. At the end Dragon Ball GTOmega is stronger than every single character except Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta. In fact, Omega Shenron is so powerful that he manages to kill Goku during the final battle. Omega's Negative Energy Ball successfully kills Goku. Through Shenron's regular intervention, Goku is restored to a life-and-death state to finish the fight.

None of Omega's attacks connect with Goku from this point on, allowing Goku to finish him off with the Universal Spirit Bomb. However, Shenron then takes Goku and the Dragon Balls away, where Goku becomes a vessel for the Dragon Balls a century later (as seen in Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy). If Shenron didn't somehow bring Goku back, Omega Shenron would destroy the entire universe after killing Goku.

television shows

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA

First TV show

Dragon Ball

Created by

Akira Toriyama

Latest TV show

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Air date of the first episode

February 26, 1986