In many ways, Dragon Ball Z and its various iterations can be described as an ever-escalating power brawl where the strongest is often whoever received the newest form. This is often the reason that DBZ manifests as a fighting game, but done right, action RPGs in the franchise are pretty fun as well. So, with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot releasing next month, many may be wondering how this new action RPG will handle this rising power and which playable DBZ character will the most powerful.
Before moving forward, it's worth mentioning that this is based on the overall DBZ anime, but given Bandai Namco's promise on delivering the most in-depth telling of the story possible, there's bound to be the same level of power for certain characters. Of course, that's also outside any broken builds that haven't been found for characters yet, as Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will use a core level up system for its characters.
Thus far, there have been 9 playable characters confirmed in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot: Goku, Piccolo, Gohan (Kid, Teen, Adult), Vegeta, Trunks, Vegito, and Gotenks. Certain characters will be locked by the chronological advancement of the story, meaning for example, that Vegeta won't be playable before the Frieza Saga and that Gotenks won't be playable before the Buu Saga. That said, the Dragon Balls' wishes have been confirmed to allow non-canon fights, such as Super Saiyan 3 Goku vs. Frieza.
Looking at these characters, it's also worth mentioning who is the strongest of each arc. In the early Saiyan and Frieza sagas, it's Goku after his extensive training. Vegeta and Nappa even comment on Goku's Power Level being over 9000, and he reaches the level of Super Saiyan at the end of the Frieza Saga. Moving forward to the Cell Saga, it would be Gohan, as he is the first to reach Super Saiyan 2.
In the Buu Saga, it gets a little trickier. Super Saiyan 3 Goku is the one to defeat Kid Buu, and is likeliest the strongest character players will be able to play most perhaps. However, for a short stint, Vegito toys around with Super Buu. It's during this time that players may be at their strongest, as Super Vegito is its own form in many ways but ultimately a combination of Super Saiyan, Goku, and Vegeta.
Canonically speaking, Super Vegito is the most powerful character in Dragon Ball Z and is likely to be so as well in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Yet, it's worth mentioning that he has an incredibly short amount of screen/play time, really only appearing during the fight with Super Buu. For his Saiyan Pride (making Vegeta proud), Goku refuses to return to this form later on to take on Kid Buu. To put it simply, Vegito will be the most powerful and canonical form players can take, but they will not be able to do so for the majority of the game.
It remains to be seen how Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot handles endgame content, meaning there could be a non-canonical way players get to stretch their legs as the fan-favorite fusion, but it does seem likely he will be playable in the endgame. The aforementioned Dragon Balls could be one way, thereby potentially allowing fans non-canonical fights such as Super Vegito vs. Kid Buu, or Trunks' Time Machine that has also appeared in screenshots could work. Many speculate the latter will have something with re-trying missions and certain fights, but if that's the case, then once again Vegito would be relegated to the Super Buu fight more than anything.
Whatever the case, fans will know in just a few short weeks. With Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's release date right around the corner, many will be diving into check out the combat, gameplay, and far more. Answers will certainly come then, if not any sooner.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot launches on January 17, 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.