Goku is easily one of the most powerful anime characters in existence, and he only grows stronger with time. In fact, Goku has grown so strong in Dragon Ball Super that he can rival many of the Gods of his own universe. While that's certainly impressive, what's perhaps even more impressive is that he can even measure up to some of the gods of the real world as well.
Throughout history, human beings have told the stories of all-powerful gods and goddesses who have displayed feats of unfathomable creative and destructive powers. Mythology is full of their stories. The deities of antiquity such as Zeus, Anubis, and Thor are well known as the most powerful beings that human beings can even imagine, but Goku has never been one to shy away from a challenge. While Goku's encounters with the actual gods of his world make it seem like he still has a long way to go, in comparison to what most people have considered a god historically, Goku has already accomplished feats comparable to a god.
How Goku Stacks Up Against The Gods of Ancient Greece
The Gods of Ancient Greece have earned a formidable reputation for their astonishing displays of power, exemplified by Atlas bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. Among these divine figures, none is more renowned as a warrior than Ares, the God of War. However, even Ares, with all his might, was not impervious. According to the tales of ancient Greek mythology, Ares once suffered a wound inflicted by Diomedes, a mere mortal. In stark contrast, no human, regardless of their strength, could pose a genuine threat to Goku. Not even Krillin, whose power surpasses that of virtually every human on Earth, would stand a chance against Goku if he were to unleash his full strength in combat.
Nevertheless, the ancient Greek narratives offer an intriguing perspective. In one account, Zeus, the most powerful among the Greek gods, merely shook his head, causing the Earth, air, and seas to quiver in response. In comparison, Goku's legendary battle with Beerus was said to shake the very fabric of the universe itself. Contemplating the comparable impact of Zeus's mere nod, one can only fathom the cosmic repercussions that would unfold in a clash between Zeus and Goku.
How Goku Compares To The Gods of Egypt
Even eclipsing Anubis, Osiris is considered the greatest God of the underworld in the Egyptian mythos. While not much is known about his pure strength, Osiris did return from the dead after being killed by Seth. Of course, Goku himself is no stranger to rising from the dead. While he isn't exactly the god of the underworld, Goku has grown incredibly familiar with the afterlife and its inhabitants, and he's so pure of heart that he's one of the few who's allowed to retain his bodily form after death.
In all the Ancient Egyptian tradition, none surpass the deity Ra in power. Ra is mainly known as the God of the Sun, though that is only one aspect of his role. In fact, Ra is said to have ruled the Earth and the underworld just as much as he did the skies. As the creator of all things, it's unlikely Goku could take Ra in a fight. However, Goku does have at least one ability in common with Egypt's most powerful deity: Ra is well known for combining with other gods to create new beings. An example of this is his union with the god of the wind, Amun, to create Amun-Ra. Goku is also no stranger to fusions himself, with his and Vegeta's Gogeta and Vegito being some of the strongest warriors in the Dragon Ball universe by far.
Can Goku Hold His Own Against The Norse Gods?
One of the most well-known mythological figures of any ancient religious tradition is the Norse God of Thunder, Thor. As the son of Odin, Thor is also one of the strongest of the Norse Gods, and his legendary hammer Mjollnir can only be wielded by one possessing god-like strength. One of Thor's most infamous feats of strength is lifting a mountain with his bare hands. While that is an impressive show of strength, it isn't entirely outside the range of Goku's ability. During the Frieza saga, Goku held off a piece of Earth the size of an island and later lifted a city in Dragon Ball GT.
Odin is the central God of Norse mythology, known as the All-Father, and associated with an incredibly diverse range of concepts from war to poetry. If there's any god that can epitomize the powers of the Northern Germanic tradition, it's Odin. One of Odin's greatest feats of power is killing the giant Ymir and creating the Earth from his corpse. As awesome as that is, Goku has faced beings that could quite literally destroy the Earth with one ki blast. In Odin's defense though, he is also the wisest being in the universe, so he could definitely outsmart Goku.
Goku's Design Was Originally Inspired By A God
It makes sense that Goku has the power to stand up against so many Gods throughout history. After all, Toriyama initially created him with another godly being of mythology in mind. The original inspiration for Goku was Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. Wukong is best known for his role in the Chinese novel Journey to the West. In this ancient Chinese folktale, Sun Wukong is a monkey that gained supernatural powers by following Taoist teachings. However, he rebelled against heaven and was imprisoned under a mountain by none other than the Buddha himself. Wukong later meets Tang Sanzang, a monk who is on a journey to obtain Buddhist sutras in India.
Sun Wukong's rebellion toward the heavens is reminiscent of Goku's own tendency to push the limits of his power against the Gods of his own world. While Goku hasn't been imprisoned for hundreds of years like Wukong was (at least not yet), the inspiration is still very clear in other aspects of his character. Aside from Goku's ability to literally turn into a monkey, he also shares a carefree attitude and a healthy hunger for power that are in line with Wukong's character. Not only that, but Sun Wukong was reportedly such a skilled fighter that he could easily rival the strongest warriors in Heaven—a trait that Goku clearly shares as well.
