10 Things You Didn't Know About Dragon Ball Z Power Levels (2024)

Vegeta's most iconic line in Dragon Ball Z's Saiyan saga is one every anime fan has heard, and it wouldn’t be possible without the concept of Power Levels. As Dragon Ball's action took a turn from grounded martial arts tournaments to the epic intergalactic battle royales of DBZ, measuring each fighter's power became more complicated than ever – and Power Levels were Akira Toriyama's answer to that problem. Using the Scouter technology, the Saiyans could measure the Ki output of their opponents in terms of simple numerical data called a Power Level, which made sizing up their enemies that much easier.

While Power Levels did help in raising the tension of some of the earlier battles in DBZ, by the time Goku became a Super Saiyan, Power Levels were well into the millions and only made measuring the power of Dragon Ball Z's strongest fighters all the more complicated. Nevertheless, the concept of the Power Level proved influential for other shonen battle manga series like One Piece, Shaman King and The Seven Deadly Sins, and it had a lasting effect on power scaling for the Dragon Ball franchise that still hasn't gone away.

10 Scouter Technology Evolved to Keep up With DBZ's Increasing Power Levels

Scouters Leveled Up Just as Quickly as Goku and Vegeta Did

In the Saiyan saga, the scouters introduced by Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta – while highly advanced technologically – were quickly made obsolete. In their early version, any power level that measured too high above 20,000 would seemingly shatter the Scouter immediately due to the device's inability to handle calculations of that magnitude.

However, subsequent models did prove able to read even greater levels of power, as was shown during the Namek Saga in use by the Ginyu Force. While the limitations of later versions of the scouter are unknown, Frieza does claim that he has a power level of over one million, thus seeming to confirm that more advanced scouters can at least read up to 1,000,000.

9 The Super Saiyan Form Gives a Set Power Level Multiplier

Goku's Power Increases so Dramatically as a SSJ Because it is Literally Multiplied by Several Times his Base Form

For each Saiyan who transforms into a SSJ, they each get a set multiplier that increases their power level from their base power. Each subsequent Super Saiyan transformation (SSJ2, SSJ3) gives an additional multiplier as well. For standard Super Saiyans, the power level multiplier is times 50, while SSJ2 multiplies a Saiyan's base power times 100 and SSJ3 multiplies it by 400.

So, if Goku's base Power Level is 3,000,000, then his PL as a SSJ will be 150 million. Similarly, SSJ2 would have Goku a PL of 300 million and SSJ3 raises that to a staggering one trillion, two hundred million. These multipliers work the same for every single Saiyan – the only thing that can differentiate the power levels that a Saiyan ends up with in each form is the base Power Level they start out with.

8 Power Levels Were a Strong Factor in Determining a Saiyan's Standing in Society on Planet Vegeta

King Vegeta Took the Battle Power of His Allies -- and His Rivals -- Particularly Seriously

The Saiyans were a warrior race who valued strength above all else, so it's only natural that Power Levels were exceedingly important in determining a Saiyan's place in the social hierarchy. The reason Goku is always referred to as a lower class saiyan by Vegeta is because Goku was only born with a Power Level of 5, which is extremely weak for a newborn saiyan.

In contrast, Broly's Power Level was said to be 10,000 when he was born. Due to his birthright alone, Broly should have been in the upper echelons of saiyan society. Instead, Broly's power was so great that he was considered a threat to the Saiyan royalty, which is the main reason King Vegeta had him exiled from the Saiyan's home planet.

7 Power Levels Increase When Using Certain Attacks

Using a Particularly Powerful Energy Blast Can Increase a Fighter's Battle Power Dramatically

Just as transformations can increase a character's power level, so can using certain techniques. For example, Gohan's Power Level when using the Masenko technique rose dramatically, from only 981 to over 2,800 while in the midst of the technique during the Saiyan saga. Similarly, it was established early on in the fight with Raditz that Goku's Power Level rises significantly when firing a Kamehameha.

Because a fighter has to channel all their power into the blast, it causes a brief spike in Power Level that can theoretically allow a weaker opponent to do substantial damage to a stronger one. That helps explain why Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon was able to penetrate Raditz's defenses despite Raditz being far stronger than the Namekian was. Similarly, Tien was able to hold off Imperfect Cell with his Tri Beam attack despite the fact that he was far weaker than Cell was at the time.

6 Gods Technically Don't Have Power Levels

God Ki Functions Very Differently From That of Mortal Ki

Power Levels are a unit of measurement created to be read on scouters. However, in terms of the God Ki introduced in Dragon Ball Super, DBZ's scouters couldn't even measure a power level for the Gods because God Ki differs so significantly from regular ki. Since God Ki can't even be picked up on a scouter, that means that Godly beings don't technically have a power level in the traditional sense.

For the same reason, mortals who are used to sensing normal Ki are unable to sense God Ki, because it's beyond their normal realm of understanding. However, it is possible for a person to train themself to sense Godly Ki, even if they're unable to use God Ki themselves. Whether there could be a device that employs a similar method to measure God Ki as an actual Power Level is another question, but when measured on the same parameters as regular power levels using any currently known device in Dragon Ball, Godly Ki doesn't even exist.

5 Power Levels Only Lasted For Two Arcs in DBZ

Power Levels Came and Went Faster Than Goku's Instant Transmission Technique

As important as Power Levels seemed to Vegeta and the other Saiyans, Akira Toriyama wasn't as attached to the idea. Power Levels were extremely prominent early on, even helping to drive the narrative in fights like the battle with the Ginyu Force, but by the end of the Frieza Saga, Power Levels were already obsolete. In total, Power Levels were only around for two full arcs (the Saiyan and Frieza arcs), or four Sagas (the Raditz, Vegeta, Namek and Frieza Sagas).

By the start of the Cell Saga, there were four Super Saiyans with Power Levels in the hundreds of millions. It also didn’t help that the Power Levels of the androids would have been impossible to measure anyway. Despite being unable to numerically measure the Power Levels of individual combatants anymore, most of the Z Fighters were skilled enough in Ki control at that point to measure the Ki of their opponents even more precisely than a scouter could anyway.

4 Some Characters Can Suppress Their Power Levels

Characters in Dragon Ball Suppress Their Battle Power to Hide From Powerful Enemies or Take Their Opponents by Surprise

Throwing off one's opponent can be a useful tactic, and it’s one that some Dragon Ball characters who are particularly skilled in ki control do employ. A great example of this was in the Ginyu Saga, when Goku first appeared on Namek. Goku's Power Level was first measured by the Ginyu Force to be only around 5,000, making him appear like a weakling.

However, it was later revealed that Goku's true power level was more like 80,000, and he had just been suppressing his power. Many characters have been shown suppressing their ki to avoid detection from powerful foes throughout DBZ, but the full effect of that can only be appreciated when using the precise measurements given by the scouter technology.

3 The Average Human has a Power Level of 5

The First Character to Ever Have Their Power Level Measured in Dragon Ball Z Was a Human Farmer With a Battle Power of 5

As Raditz discovers upon first arriving at Earth, a normal human being's power level is only around 5. Notably, Goku's power level on Planet Vegeta as a newborn toddler was also said to be 5, meaning that he already had the strength of a full-grown human when he was just a baby. As impressive as that is, it’s a far cry from Krillin's power during the Saiyan saga, which was said to be 1,770. That just goes to show how thoroughly Krillin trained himself, to a point where he was hundreds of times stronger than any normal human being.

Another notable human character whose power level was detailed in the Daizenshuu guide was Master Roshi, whose 180 Power Level proves why he was the strongest human on Earth for several years. In comparison, Kid Goku's power level at the start of Dragon Ball was only around 10. While his PL was still double that of a normal human, Goku clearly still had quite a way to go to catch up to his master, the Turtle Hermit.

2 Demons in Dragon Ball Have Their Own Power Ranking System

Demons Use Their Own Energy Meter Technology to Measure the Kili of Their Opponents

Power Levels are the result of the scouter technology used by the Saiyans and the Frieza Force, but they're not the only means of measuring a warrior's Ki in the Dragon Ball Universe. During the Buu Saga, another interesting method of Ki measurement was introduced: the Energy Meters of the Demon Race.

Using Energy Meters, the Demons measure Ki in terms of "Kili" instead of of Power Levels. Every 1 Kili is equivalent to a Power Level of 50,000, meaning that Goku's 3,000 Kili is the same as a 150,000,000 Power Level. Considering how strength and power take precedence over the inhabitants of the Demon Realm, it should come as no surprise that they would develop their own alternative method for measuring the power of their enemies.

1 Bulma's Power Level is Higher Than Kid Goku's Was

But it Probably Actually Isn't

The Daizenshuu guidebooks and movie pamphlets remain as the few sources for official power levels approved by Akira Toriyama. However, while Daizenshuu is taken quite seriously by fans, the movie pamphlets, on the other hand, should be taken with a grain of salt. That's because, according to the one released in promotion of the Tree of Might film, Bulma's power level of 12 during the Saiyan saga was higher than Kid Goku's at the start of the series, which was 10. This is especially unbelievable considering bullets were already bouncing off Goku, even at that age. By this logic, Bulma should theoretically be able to take a gunshot and remain completely unfazed.

If nothing else, this simple piece of information shows that most Dragon Ball Power Level readings that occur outside the actual series aren't meant to be taken too seriously. While it's entirely possible that Goku could have been suppressing his energy as a child, why he would want to keep his Power Level a secret from the actual creator of the series is an even greater mystery than the possibility that Bulma could beat Kid Goku in a fight. It would, however, help explain why Vegeta is always so scared of making Bulma angry.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball (1986)

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball Super

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Current Series

Dragon Ball Super

Summary

Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.