5 Anime Characters Who Could Actually Beat Dragon Ball's Zeno

Jul 13, 2026 - 07:04

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5 Anime Characters Who Could Actually Beat Dragon Ball's Zeno

Despite his deceptive appearance, Zeno is an all-powerful being who rules over the 12 universes of Dragon Ball. Zeno strikes fear into the Gods of Destruction and counts the Grand Priest and the angels among his subordinates, as he is capable of erasing multiple universes from existence in an instant. So, even though there are hardly any scenes in which the Omni-King displays his powers, making it hard to gauge the full extent of his strength, he is widely considered the most powerful character in the Dragon Ball franchise.

Consequently, given that Dragon Ball is one of the fan-favorite series where powerscaling is off the charts, it seems that there aren't many anime characters capable of defeating Goku, let alone Zeno. However, some of the strongest characters in anime have divine powers that go beyond any understanding and have the ability to beat Zeno or at least face him in a fierce battle of cosmic proportions.

Arceus

Pokémon

While it may be hard to believe for anime fans unfamiliar with the franchise, Pokémon possesses a rich cosmology, and among all its legendary creatures, Arceus holds the supreme position. According to the franchise's mythology, Arceus is the creator of the universe, including Pokémon such as Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, who represent time, space, and antimatter, respectively. In addition to Arceus possessing superior combat capabilities, adapting to any opponent by changing its type, it was confirmed in Pokémon Legends: Arceus that the physical form seen interacting with humans is merely a clone.

Dragon Ball · Character Profile Which Dragon Ball Character Are You? “Power comes in response to a need, not a desire.”

👊 Goku The Fighter

👑 Vegeta The Prince

🧘 Piccolo The Mentor

POWER UP →

A powerful new enemy appears. What’s your first reaction?

AThis is amazing! I can’t wait to fight them and see how strong they are! BI’ll defeat them myself. No one else is worthy of the challenge. CWe need a plan. Rushing in blindly is how people get killed.

How do you train for an upcoming battle?

AFind the strongest sparring partner I can and push myself past my limits every day BTrain alone in isolation — I don’t need anyone holding me back CMeditate, study the enemy’s weaknesses, and train the younger fighters so they’re ready too

Your team is losing a fight. What do you do?

AJump in front of everyone — I’ll take the hits so my friends can regroup BGet angry. I refuse to lose — my pride won’t allow it. I’ll surpass my limits right here. CFall back and coordinate — someone needs to think clearly while everyone else is panicking

A rival challenges you to a one-on-one fight. How do you respond?

AAbsolutely! Let’s go right now — no holding back! BFinally, a chance to prove I am the strongest. I accept — and I will crush you. CIf it serves a purpose, fine. But pointless fighting is a waste of energy.

An old enemy offers to join your side. What do you do?

AI don’t trust them — once an enemy, always an enemy. They’ll betray us. BSure! Everyone deserves a second chance. The more friends the better! CI’ll allow it, but I’m watching them closely. Trust is earned, not given.

What’s your biggest weakness?

AI’m too trusting and sometimes let enemies power up just for the thrill of the fight BMy pride — I’d rather die than accept help from someone else CI keep everyone at arm’s length — caring about people is a liability I struggle with

You sense a massive power level approaching Earth. What’s your move?

AFly straight toward it — I want to meet them first and see what they’re made of BPrepare myself — if this threat is real, I’ll be the one to destroy it CGather the fighters, assess the threat, and make sure the people I protect are safe first

What drives you more than anything?

AProtecting those who can’t protect themselves — someone has to be the responsible one BThe thrill of getting stronger — there’s always a new level to reach, a new challenge to find CProving my worth — I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and I will surpass everyone

REVEAL MY CHARACTER →

Power Level Scanned Your Dragon Ball Identity

👊

Goku

“I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace.” You’re a pure-hearted warrior who lives for the thrill of the fight. Every challenge is an opportunity, every enemy a potential friend, and every defeat just fuel to come back stronger. People are drawn to your infectious optimism and unbreakable spirit, even when your naivety drives them crazy. You’d give your last Senzu Bean to a stranger and charge headfirst into a battle you can’t win — not because you’re reckless, but because you genuinely believe that pushing past your limits is the only way to grow. Like Goku, your greatest power isn’t your ki — it’s your ability to inspire everyone around you to be better.

Pure-Hearted Fearless Limitless Inspiring

👑

Vegeta

“I do not fear this new challenge. Rather like a true warrior, I will rise to meet it.” You carry yourself with the pride of royalty and the ferocity of a born warrior. Second place is not in your vocabulary, and you’d rather break your body than your spirit. People might call you arrogant, but beneath that iron exterior lies someone who has learned to fight not just for themselves, but for the people they’ve quietly grown to love. Your journey is one of evolution — from cold-blooded conqueror to Earth’s fiercest protector — and every scar you carry is proof that pride and love can coexist. Like Vegeta, you don’t just want to be the strongest — you need to earn it on your own terms.

Proud Relentless Fierce Evolving

🧘

Piccolo

“Sometimes, we have to look beyond what we want and do what’s best.” You’re the one everyone depends on when things fall apart — the calm center in the middle of chaos. While others charge in recklessly or let their ego do the talking, you see the bigger picture and make the hard calls that need making. You didn’t choose to care about people, but somewhere along the way it happened, and now you’d sacrifice everything for those you’ve taken under your wing. Stoic on the surface, deeply loyal underneath, you’re the mentor, the strategist, and the last line of defense all in one. Like Piccolo, your true strength is wisdom — and the courage to do what’s right even when no one is watching.

Wise Tactical Protective Stoic

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The Arceus that appears in the Pokémon anime represents only a small fraction of its true power, which makes it difficult to fully grasp the magnitude of its abilities as a deity of infinite cosmic reach. However, even in this diminished form, Arceus was said to be capable of destroying the world, as seen in the movie Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life.

Arceus stands at the pinnacle of the Pokémon franchise, which is consistently confirmed to encompass infinite parallel universes, placing it on a multidimensional scale. This gives the Pokémon god an advantage over Zeno from Dragon Ball, as the concepts of death or erasure from existence do not apply to it. Furthermore, Arceus possesses unbound strength, speed, and capacity to alter reality, whereas the Omni-King is not particularly a fighter.

Super Majin Rymus

Dragon Ball Daima

Rymus, the new strongest character in Dragon Ball.

While Zeno reigned as the indisputably strongest being throughout Dragon Ball Super, capable of erasing anything with a snap of his fingers, it was revealed that he isn't the universe's supreme authority. In Episode 10 of Dragon Ball Daima, Super Majin Rymus was described as the one who created the known multiverse to allow the Demon Realm to expand. Although little is known about Rymus's abilities or current whereabouts, the fact that he created the original 18 universes from a space void suggests that Zeno acts merely as a destroyer, a kind of god of destruction on a bigger scale.

If Zeno’s sole function is to oversee elements within an existing framework to ensure balance, this places him below Rymus because creating something of such magnitude from scratch involves more complex concepts and demands more fundamental logic, as well as a greater energy output, than the simple act of erasing it. Moreover, although the two bear a certain physical resemblance, Rymus projects a maturity far superior to Zeno’s (who comes across as quite childish), giving him the edge in terms of experience should a hypothetical confrontation occur.

They could also be opposing concepts, like yin and yang, that harbor the same power. Or perhaps Rymus passed the torch to Zeno or just designed him as another cog in the system. However, it's been confirmed that Rymus transcends everything seen so far, and yet he was only mentioned once, which hints he could hold even greater powers but preferred to remain a passive observer, making a fight with Zeno highly unlikely. Even so, were it to happen, it would surely be an unprecedented dimensional battle no Dragon Ball fan would want to miss.

Rimuru Tempest

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

If we're talking about Rimuru Tempest up until the last season of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, there's not much debate about Zeno's ability to win in a flash, but his light novel counterpart is a whole other story. What makes Rimuru a formidable opponent is his adaptability, which gives him a great chance to analyze and counter Zeno before he can erase him from existence.

Zeno's lack of judgment and strategic thinking leaves him vulnerable to Rimuru, who not only has a superior intellect but also has extensive combat experience and continuously evolves through battles. At the end of TenSura's novel, Rimuru becomes a transcendent god who goes beyond the laws of space-time and creation, holding enough energy to span multidimensional universes thousands of times over. Also, Rimuru is immune to attacks and can devour anything with his ability, so he could gain a skill to counter Zeno's instantaneous annihilation.

Kami Tenchi

Tenchi Muyo!

In the Tenchi Muyo series, there are three supreme goddesses called the "Choushin," who are all-knowing and all-powerful and who manage an infinitely interconnected multiverse with the intention of creating a being that would surpass them. In Tenchi Muyo's third OVA, Tenchi Masaki, after being killed, overcomes death and awakens to immense power within an elevated state of existence that lies beyond the comprehension of even the hyper-dimensional goddess.

His awakening affected entire dimensions, as evidenced when the universe shook at the impact of his power. He becomes a life form capable of transcending space and altering reality itself. Unbound by time, he can repeat it infinitely without issue; and given that he stands above the Choushin, whose multiversal powers rival those of Zeno, Kami Tenchi is directly superior to Dragon Ball Super's Omni-King. Also demonstrated by how Kami Tenchi manifested within Tenchi's mind, indicating a consciousness that extends beyond conventional limits, unlike Zeno, who is unaware of everything occurring across the universes.

Kami Tenchi can withstand destruction on a cosmic scale, as his true form resides in a super-dimensional space and manifests as the projection of a white figure. Consequently, Zeno can't actually erase him even if he tried. Furthermore, Kami Tenchi can move through time to reunite with his other versions, thereby avoiding any harm, as seen when Tenchi was in the process of awakening and his future self came to his aid.

Featherine Augustus Aurora

Umineko: When They Cry

Featherine smirking with a hand to her cheek

Although somewhat less well-known than other strong anime characters, Featherine Augustus Aurora is one of the most powerful entities in all fiction. She appears as an ancient witch in Umineko: When They Cry and is linked to the Higurashi anime, where she manifests through an avatar named Eua. What makes her so powerful is her nature as a creator, since she can oversee the Umineko and Higurashi franchises and control their narratives, as if she were the author herself. This grants her the ability to script events entirely at will; any command she writes is directed at the universe itself.

Featherine has been seen manifesting in various forms, unconstrained by spacetime, dimensions, or existence. This type of "meta-manipulation" ability implies that she is omnipotent on an outerverse scale. She is capable of visualizing every universe in which she emerges victorious, but she can also rewrite causality to avoid any unfavorable setting or even halt the story itself given her absolute resistance to anything.

While she can already withstand events like the destruction of a universe as a witch, as she operates from a position of total perception, not even Zeno's instant erasure ability would be effective. Few characters in history could face Featherine, and she is directly compared to supreme beings such as Marvel's The One-Above-All and H.P. Lovecraft's Azathoth.