There has been a bit of debate about the strongest characters in DBZ for some time now. The purpose of this editorial is to clarify this, or at least, show you my opinion on the subject. Well, first, I'll say that this is simply MY interpretation of the topic, and is not meant to ruffle anyone's feathers who think differently. On with the show!

Note: I don't count any of the fusions because they're just combinations of two other fighters, and never stay for very long anyway.

This editorial is different than some others in the fact that I'm actually going to divide it into categories. "Strength" is a generic term in DBZ, with all their skills, different aspects of fighting come to mind. I'm going to divide Strength into 3 categories:

Power ( Strength of Ki and Physical), Skill, and Spirit.

First, let's do power of Ki. Many people come to mind here, including all of the saiyajin Z Senshi. So let's start with the hero, Son Gokou. Gokou is definitely a candidate, due to the sheer immense power of his Super Saiyajin 3 form. He alone took on the true form of Majin Buu, even though he lost, it was a close fight. But, I say that this isn't Gokou, because most times he never really relies on his sheer Ki power, relying instead on his love for others and his saiyajin love and drive to fight. Plus, Gokou's Super Saiyajin 3 form is no match, really, for the powers of Mystic Gohan, who only lost to Buu after Buu had absorbed a Super Saiyajin 3 himself. So scratch Gokou from the list of ki strength.

Next, everyone's favorite badass, Vegeta no Ouji. Sorry, Vegeta fans, but I'm going to have to give you an emphatic NO. Vegeta relies mostly instead on his skill and fighting genius, instead of sheer power, though he certainly embraces it whenever he can. But Vegeta couldn't fight Majin Buu at all by himself, and when Majin Buu was in his true form, only served to be able to stall for time for Gokou. Plus, there's the numerous losses in Vegeta's carreer, having basically lost to everyone and his mother at one point, but we're not going into that, that's the subject of another editorial.

Likewise for Goten and Trunks ( both versions), they never really develop their power much after their inital SSJ transformations. Which leaves:

Son Gohan.

Savior of the World on multiple occasions, Gohan has proven that even though he may like some of the other Z Senshi's sheer skill and prowess in fighting, he more than makes up with it with the sheer power he posesses. When Gohan becomes Mystic, and his power is fully unleashed, this is all the more evident. He defeats Super Buu without any trouble at all, and actually manages to stand up to him a while even when Buu has added the power of a Super Saiyajin 3 to his repertoire. He even cannot trasnform to Super Saiyajin anymore, because not only has he surpassed the power of any Super Saiyajin, but if he tries to unleash that much power, our world won't be able to take it! Mystic Gohan transforming into an SSJ1 would be the equivalent of any other character in the series transforming into an SSJ6. With that much power, Gohan is definitely, by going on terms os sheer ki, the strongest of the Z-Senshi.

Now, for Skill.

Gokou again automatically comes to mind, here. But once again, everyone's favorite dumbass pure hearted saiyajin comes up short. Gokou derives all of his power and skill from other sources, repeated trainings being one of them. The most naturally adept at fighting skills would not be Gokou.

Gohan? I've already said that Gohan, while certainly the most powerful of all the Z-Senshi, lacks the mind for fighting, he hates it really, while part of him loves it, so his skill is impaired by this. He never really shows much innovation in his style or techniques, always relying on the sheer massive power he posesses instead to finish off his opponent. Goten and Trunks, also a no. While they're definitely contenders for this, as they so often prove their skill at their young age, they really do it for fun and sparring, not pure lethality. ( That a word? ^_^ .)

The rest of the Z-Senshi come even closer to our grand prize winner. Piccolo is definitely up there, his tremendous skill and improvisation skills make him a formidable opponent no matter who you are. So is Kuririn, who invented the devastating Kienzan attack. Forget about Yamcha all together, please. For second, place, I award Tenshinhan. The wide range of his skills and abilities make him a formidable opponent, as showed when he helped the Z Senshi battle Non Perfect Cell using his Shin Kikoho. His multiform, solar flare, and large repertoire of attacks just pretty much make him unbelievable cool. But ultimately, I'm going to have to award this one to:

The Saiyajin Prince, Vegeta no Ouji.

Now don't remind me of what I said before, of Vegeta's constant losses. He is still, undoubtably, THE MAN. He never gives up ( in the series, anyway), and was born the strongest saiyajin back in the good ol days of Vegetasei. He demonstrates extreme prowess in fighting skill, his style being harsher and more lethal than the other Z Senshi's, a backdrop to his saiyajin heritage. He learned how to sense ki from one battle! Plus, his use of ego and confidence ( as demonstrated in the fight with Androids #19 and #20), shows that he is adept at ALL aspects of fighting. Vegeta is, without a doubt, the most skilled warrior out there.

Now finally spirit.

Let's automatically eliminate everyone but Son Gohan, Son Gokou, and Vegeta. No insult to anyone else, but these fighters are the most driven and strongest in the series, unlike the human fighters, can use the strength of their spirit to look deep inside themselves and pull reserves of power where no one thought they had them. I'm sure all of you already know the winner, but humor me. First, Son Gohan. Sorry, but he is eliminated rather easily, as I'm talking about spirit when it comes to fighting. Gohan has known gentle tendencies, and is often proven to torn by a deeper battle in himself, between his saiyajin heritage, which embraces violence, and his human one, which wants nothing but to be another scholar. Nowhere in all of Dragon Ball is this demonstrated better than in the Perfect Cell Saga. Gohan tries, he really does, to warn Cell to stop what he is doing, that he is afraid of killing Cell. But when Cell finally pushes Gohan too far, you can actually see the point where Gohan snaps, giving into his saiyajin heritage and exploding with all the power he could muster, transforming into a Super Saiyajin Level 2. This is possibly the most breathtaking scene in all of DB, you truly feel for the gentle Gohan, who has been forced to fight when he has never wanted to, forced into a life of war when all he wants is peace, and is still a very young child. But it also demonstrates Gohan's torn spirit and inner battle, automatically kicking him out.

Now the clincher. Son Gokou and Vegeta. Son Gokou has proven his pure heart and determined spirit countless times, always sacrificing himself for what he believes in, never giving up. But Vegeta ( in the Buu saga, anyway), demonstrates his own formidable spirit in the Buu Saga. Gokou needs time to gather enough energy to kill Buu, and Vegeta promises all his saiyajin pride to be able to buy Gokou his time. Even when Gokou tells Vegeta that since he's already dead, if Buu kills him, he'll cease to exist, Vegeta laughs it off, and says it needs to be done. He then gets pounded by Buu time after time again, but keeps coming back. The look on Buu's face when Vegeta is crawling out of a crater is priceless. Vegeta shows here that he is formidable no matter how strong his opponent is, that he is indeed worthy of the title of Prince. But, by the same token, Vegeta here has admitted that Gokou is number one ( it was the title of an episode ^_^ ), and has accepted it.

This is why Son Gokou wins. Son Gokou is not only pure of heart, but he never gives up. Only once, in his whole life, to Cell, and that was only because he knew Gohan could do it. He has sacrificed himself for Chikyuu not once, but twice, dying to protect the people he loves. And no matter what the odds, Gokou never gives up. He trains as hard as possible, even during peace time, to be able to defend those who need it, resulting in his gaining the power of a Super Saiyajin Three. Gokou is a hero, in every sense of the word.

Now, for the Strongest in general.

This is rather simple. Power is important, and so is skill, but this is all for all useless without spirit. As Gokou has the strongest and most determined spirit of the Z Senshi, he automatically wins. I present to you:

Son Gokou, son of Bardock, father to Son Gohan, and the strongest warrior the universe has ever known.