Dragon Ball: All of Goku's Mentors & Trainers, Ranked From Weakest to Strongest

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is full of larger-than-life characters who accomplish unbelievable feats. Some of these individuals are predisposed to strength and success, but nobody is simply born at peak power. Many of Dragon Ball’s strongest characters have only been able to reach such milestones because they’ve put in the work and trained under prolific martial artists and mentors.

Goku is especially privileged when it comes to martial arts masters. He’s studied under diverse legends that include powerful humans, divine beings, and Angels. Goku wouldn’t be a fraction of the fighter that he is today without the essential skills that he’s learned from these different trainers. Some of these skills have been more helpful than others, but it’s curious to consider how each of Goku’s mentors would rank against each other and who possesses the most power.

8Grandpa Gohan Ignites Goku’s Initial Passion For Martial Arts

Grandpa Gohan Possesses Remarkable Power For A Human

Goku’s first martial arts mentor is also, unsurprisingly, the weakest of his teachers. That being said, Grandpa Gohan plays an irrevocable role in Goku’s life and his influence on Goku doesn’t always get enough credit. Grandpa Gohan is already out of the picture when Dragon Ball begins, but his presence hangs heavy over everything that Goku does during the series’ earliest story arcs. Grandpa Gohan instills a basic martial arts foundation in Goku, equips him with several silly techniques, like Rock, Scissors ‘N’ Paper, and gives him the versatile Power Pole. Grandpa Gohan’s reputation becomes more impressive when Master Roshi explains that Grandpa Gohan trained under him – alongside Ox-King, no less – and mastered the Kamehameha.

Goku actually gets a taste of Grandpa Gohan’s power when he battles against his spirit in the Fortuneteller Baba Tournament. Grandpa Gohan confidently counters all of Goku’s techniques, which indicates that he’s around Goku’s strength upon his participation in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. This level of power is nothing to be embarrassed over, but it’s still on the weaker side when it comes to the many revered martial arts masters who take Goku under their wings.

7Korin Subtly Boosts Goku’s Overall Skills

Korin Holds Dominion Over Earth’s Special Tower

Dragon Ball reaches a really special turning point when Goku begins to explore divine heights that push him further out of his comfort zone. Goku faces a serious challenge when he ascends Korin Tower and gains the privilege of spending time with the location’s namesake. Korin looks like an anthropomorphic housecat, but he’s earned the title of “God of Martial Arts.” In the grander scheme of things, Korin’s teachings at Korin Tower feel like a prelude to the real test that Goku experiences at Kami’s Lookout.

Dragon Ball Super's brand-new chapter confirms that Gohan never stopped training, which is perfect for Dragon Ball Super Superhero.

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Korin doesn’t fight Goku, but his challenge to obtain the Sacred Water naturally improves his speed, strength, and instincts. The Sacred Water is just regular tap water, but it’s the “journey” to drinking it that triggers Goku’s improved strength. Korin is fast, but it’s unclear how well he would do in an actual fight. He likely lacks the physical strength to defeat stronger guardians, like Mr. Popo and Kami. However, his extreme skills might still be enough to overwhelm Grandpa Gohan.

6Kami Is Earth’s Guardian With A Surprising Backstory

Kami Stands Tall As Earth’s God

Goku accomplishes quite a bit in the original Dragon Ball, but it’s really something else when he ostensibly meets God and trains under him. Goku’s arrival on Kami’s Lookout comes with the honor of training under Earth’s Guardian, Kami. Kami’s lessons occur in tandem with Mr. Popo and they both seem to build upon the same foundation of ki control and understanding. The extent of Kami’s lessons is realized when Goku is next seen, three years later, and he’s seriously surpassed his limits and added skills like flight to his arsenal. Kami is an elderly Namekian, but there are a few glimpses of his power.

Kami co-opts a human’s body to participate in the 23rd World Tournament to defeat Piccolo, but falls short in this department. Dragon Ball Z’s Garlic Jr. filler material also allows Kami to do a little fighting. Kami is powerful in the grander scheme of things, but he gets absorbed by Piccolo at the right time in Dragon Ball Z. Characters become so strong that Kami is ultimately more helpful as a power boost than a hero in his own right.

5Mr. Popo Is An Enigmatic Individual Who Is Deceptively Strong

Mr. Popo Is A Demon Realm Expat With Prolific Power

Mr. Popo is certainly one of Dragon Ball’s odder individuals, and he helps usher in a new brand of divine individuals. Mr. Popo is rarely seen outside of Kami’s Lookout, where he passionately works as an attendant. Mr. Popo is a cryptic character, but he trains Goku for the three years that lead up to the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. He seriously improves Goku’s speed, concentration, and battle efficiency so that he eliminates any wasteful combat movements. Many of Mr. Popo’s training sessions with Goku happen offscreen or come in the form of filler episodes.

Dragon Ball's Gohan and Piccolo have a winning teacher-and-student dynamic, but there's a lot more they could bring to the table as genuine rivals.

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Nevertheless, Dragon Ball Z does feature a scene where Mr. Popo casually spars against simultaneous attacks from Super Saiyan Goten and Trunks. This likely suggests that Mr. Popo is actually stronger than Kami, but he just doesn’t like to show it off. Kami struggled against Piccolo during the 23rd World Tournament, who is nowhere near Super Saiyan strength. It’s possible that he still possesses much more power than anyone realizes. He does nonchalantly swallow a Kamehameha, after all.

4King Kai Exposes Goku To New Heights & Essential Skills

King Kai’s True Power Is Largely Left To The Imagination

Dragon Ball Z fans were devastated when Goku dies only a few episodes into the series. Ironically, death is one of the best things that ever happens to Goku because of the rigorous training that he’s given in Other World. It takes Goku some time, but he finally reaches King Kai’s Planet after he successfully traverses Snake Way. King Kai doesn’t look especially tough, but he possesses incredible ki control. He helps Goku master gravity training, but also the mechanics behind the Kaio-Ken Attack and the Spirit Bomb.

King Kai has more of a hands-off approach to training and he doesn’t actually fight against Goku. Nevertheless, it’s clear that King Kai isn’t just all talk and that he’s able to utilize the techniques that he teaches Goku. King Kai is a great teacher, but he doesn’t seem particularly interested in training himself. He has strong enough skills to conquer some of Earth’s divine beings, like Korin or Mr. Popo, but he’s not going to fare well against any stronger deities.

3Master Roshi Sets New Standards For What Humans Can Accomplish

Roshi Refuses To Admit That His Best Days Are Past Him

Goku picks up martial arts basics under Grandpa Gohan, but Master Roshi is his first true martial arts teacher, and the Turtle School’s principles inform the rest of Goku’s heroic life. Master Roshi is well over 100 years old when he begins to train Goku and Krillin for the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. Roshi typically looks frail, but his 100% Max Power form turns him into a muscular force of nature. Roshi has won two World Martial Arts Tournament and casually blows up the moon. Curiously, Roshi accepts that he might be no match for the next generation of martial artists and he takes a step back after the 22nd World Tournament.

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Dragon Ball Super: Everything You Need to Know About Mutaito, Master Roshi's Master

Dragon Ball's greatest master is Master Roshi, but less is known about Mutaito, the powerful master who trained Roshi to be the top martial artist.

Master Roshi is a very passive presence in Dragon Ball Z and if that was the last that was seen of him, then his strength wouldn’t be much greater than Grandpa Gohan. Roshi happens to make incredible gains in Dragon Ball Super, whether it’s during the Tournament of Power or the Galactic Patrol’s assault on Moro’s Galactic Bandit Brigade. Roshi even temporarily taps into Ultra Instinct, which is a testament to his growing skills as a martial artist. Roshi’s accomplishments in Dragon Ball Super make it very clear that he wouldn’t struggle against certain divine beings, like Kami or King Kai.

2The Galactic Patrol’s Merus Pushes Goku Past A Vital Breaking Point

Goku’s Heroic Actions Carry On Merus’ Legacy

Angels represent some of Dragon Ball Super’s most fascinating – and powerful – figures. When Dragon Ball begins, no one would imagine that Goku gains godly ki and trains under Angels, but this becomes an important part of his character development in the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga. Goku dutifully trains under the Galactic Patrol’s strongest member, Merus, who is actually an Angel trainee who has attempted to hide his Angel status. As an Angel, Merus’ power dwarfs Goku’s strength, and his Super Saiyan 3 form is nothing for the Angel.

Goku trains under Merus for the equivalent of six months (two in real time), which is all that it takes for Goku to properly master Ultra Instinct Sign and proceed to greater control over Perfected Ultra Instinct. Merus’ violates Angel Law when he battles against Moro and his Angel powers are eventually copied by the villain, which puts him on par with Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku. Merus helps Goku reach new divine milestones, but he’s still not the strongest trainer to help out Goku.

1Whis Is Universe 7’s Ultimate Angel Ally

Goku’s Multiverse Knowledge Has Expanded Under Whis

In some ways, it may seem like Goku accomplishes more during his training under Merus than he does with Whis. However, it’s important to understand that Merus has gone rogue to some extent and isn’t worried about intervening with Angel Law. Additionally, Goku already understands how to control godly ki and access Ultra Instinct power by the time he meets Merus. Perfected Ultra Instinct is the flasher end result, but Goku attaining Super Saiyan Blue power with Whis is arguably even more important.

Whis is a full-blown Angel, not just a trainee, and he’s able to accomplish unbelievable things. Whis’ Temporal Do-Over rewinds time several seconds, his Angel Staff contains a massive pocket dimension, and he perpetually operates in a state of Perfected Ultra Instinct. All of Goku’s mentors combined wouldn’t be able to defeat Whis. There are very few Dragon Ball Super characters who are strong enough to accomplish such a task, which would be limited to Omni-King Zeno and maybe Black Frieza.