10 Best Dragon Ball Dragons, Ranked

Summary The Dragon Ball franchise features various dragons tied to Dragon Balls--some benevolent, others evil.

The strongest dragons ranked from Oceanus Shenron to Super Shenron, with powerful abilities.

Black Smoke Shenron created the Shadow Dragons, and differs from the others in terms of malevolence.

Dragon Ball gets its name from a set of 7 orbs, which, when gathered, can summon a wish-granting dragon. Despite not being seen all that often, dragons play a very important role in Dragon Ball, with their existence often motivating the plot as various characters attempt to get their wishes granted by these powerful beings.

Over the years, quite a few dragons have been introduced in the series, and all of them are associated with the Dragon Balls in some way. Some are benevolent creatures, willing to aid those making a wish in whatever way they can, while others are pure evil, sometimes insulting or even attacking those who've summoned them. Dragon Ball GT in particular introduced a number of evil new dragons, whose power was directly proportional to wishes made in the past. Here are 10 of the strongest dragons seen in the series, ranked by the power they've been shown to display.

10 Oceanus Shenron Doesn't Look Like a Dragon At All

First Appearance: Dragon Ball GT, "The Six-Star Dragon"

Oceanus Shenron is the incarnation of the negative energy stored in the Six-Star Dragon Ball. A master of wind and water elements, Oceanus Shenron was created Oolong stole Pilaf's wish and wished for a pair of underwear. Known to be exceptionally cruel, Oceanus Shenron is first seen impersonating a local deity. Her wind-based attacks made it difficult for Goku to draw close and deliver any powerful blows, so Goku and Pan ultimately end up defeating the Six-Star Dragon with Kamehameha attacks.

Oceanus Shenron is odd in that she initially appears humanoid, but this turns out to be a clever application of her wind powers to alter her appearance. Instead, Oceanus Shenron's true form is a rather ugly humanoid dragon, and it's in this form that she's most vulnerable.

9 Eis Shenron Fought Like a Coward

First Appearance: Dragon Ball GT, "The Four-Star Dragon"

Eis Shenron is the incarnation of the negative energy stored in the Three-Star Dragon Ball. Affiliated with the element of Ice, Eis Shenron is a powerful warrior who's not afraid to resort to dirty tricks in order to win a fight. Eis Shenron was created from the wish Bulma made to revive those killed by King Piccolo. Eis Shenron is the "brother" of Nuova Shenron, the Four-Star Dragon Ball's incarnation. When Goku battles Eis Shenron, the coward begs for his brother to protect him, and when Goku agrees to spare him in exchange for the Dragon Ball, Eis Shenron attempts to blind Goku and attack him while he can't see. Fortunately, Goku is able to destroy him even without sight.

Despite his cowardice, Eis Shenron was able to stand up to Goku in Super Saiyan 4, and ranked as one of the mightiest Shadow Dragons.

8 Nuova Shenron Battled With Honor

First Appearance: Dragon Ball GT, "The Four-Star Dragon"

Nuova Shenron is the incarnation of the negative energy stored in the Four-Star Dragon Ball. Tied to the element of fire, Nuova Shenron is the exact opposite of his brother Eis Shenron--honorable, courageous, and trustworthy. Nuova Shenron is loyal to the other Shadow Dragons, but is willing to stand against them if he feels their tactics have become dishonorable. He was born from the wish that King Piccolo made to restore his own youth, a very selfish wish which seems to have resulted in his respectable personality.

Eventually, Goku was able to appeal to Nuova Shenron's decency and get him to help the heroes instead. Unfortunately, Nuova Shenron's body was ultimately taken over by Syn/Omega Shenron, after forcibly inserting the other Dragon Balls into his body. Nuova Shenron became a puppet, and was destroyed along with the other Shadow Dragons when Goku defeated Omega Shenron.

7 Syn Shenron Was the Most Powerful Shadow Dragon

First Appearance: Dragon Ball GT, "The One-Star Dragon"

Syn Shenron is the incarnation of the negative energy which built up in the One-Star Dragon Ball. He was created by the wish Mr. Popo made to revive everyone on Namek who was killed by Frieza. Easily the most powerful of the Shadow Dragons, Syn Shenron goes on to collect the other Dragon Balls, which allows him to transform into Omega Shenron, an incredibly strong and dangerous enemy. Goku quickly finds that even Super Saiyan 4 isn't a match for Omega Shenron's powers, and begins to despair. However, Vegeta arrives just in time, and the two are able to fuse, creating Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta for the first time.

Unfortunately, Gogeta unfuses before they're able to defeat Omega Shenron. Goku then attempts a Super Ultra Spirit Bomb, drawing in massive amounts of energy from all over and delivering a fatal blow to the dragon, finally purifying the Dragon Balls of the accumulated evil.

6 Toronbo Is the Easiest Dragon to Summon

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Super, manga chapter 69, "The Evolution of Planet Cereal"

Toronbo is a wish-granting dragon and the master of the Dragon Balls of Planet Cereal. Unlike the Dragon Balls of Earth, the Cerealian Dragon Balls only consist of two orbs, rather than seven, making them far easier to collect. Just as the Earth Dragon Balls are tied to Dende, the Cerealian Dragon Balls are tied to a Namekian known as Monaito. Toronbo is first seen when he's summoned by Granolah, who wishes to become the strongest warrior in the universe. Toronbo points out that to do this would require Granolah's life span be shortened to three years in exchange for all the power of his lifetime upfront, and he agrees.

Toronbo is later used again by Elec of the Heeters, who makes the same wish on his brother Gas's behalf, who becomes insanely powerful as a result. Gas and Elec were eventually killed by Frieza, and Toronbo hasn't been seen since.

5 Shenron is the Original Eternal Dragon

First Appearance: Dragon Ball, "The Secret of the Dragon Balls"

Shenron is the first dragon to appear in the series, and the master of the Earth's Dragon Balls. When first introduced, Shenron can grant one wish every year, provided that the Dragon Balls have been collected in one place. Shenron is the ultimate example of neutrality; he exists only to grant wishes, and doesn't care what the wishes are or who it is that does the wishing. Shenron is "upgraded" at a few points in the story, such as in the Cell Saga to allow him to grant three wishes, or two wishes if one wish is used to revive many of the dead.

Shenron possesses some incredible power, but he was once killed by King Piccolo to prevent anyone else from using the Dragon Balls again, proving he's not immortal.

4 Porunga is Even More Powerful Than Shenron

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, "Password is Porunga"

Porunga is the second dragon to appear, and the master of the Dragon Balls of Planet Namek. Porunga is said to be more powerful than Shenron, starting out with the ability to grant three wishes, and with fewer restrictions on what those wishes could be, such as reviving someone multiple times. Porunga is quite friendly, despite his terrifying size and appearance, and often grants wishes in the way most suited to the wisher's desires. Porunga is a bit more difficult to use, however, as he requires the wishes be made in Namekian, thus necessitating a translator for anyone not native to Namek.

Like other Eternal Dragons, Porunga is tied to the lifespan of his creator, in this case Guru. When Guru dies, the Namekian Dragon Balls are rendered useless. Fortunately, Guru was revived using Earth's Dragon Balls, allowing him to pass the torch to a new Namekian and ensure Porunga would remain usable.

3 Black Smoke Shenron is Rude and Crude

First Appearance: Dragon Ball GT, "The Greatest Surprise"

When Goku and friends attempted to wish back the people killed during the Super 17 Saga, they were in for a surprise, as Shenron didn't appear from the Dragon Balls. Instead, this being, Black Smoke Shenron, appeared, a result of the negative energy which had accumulated in the Dragon Balls from their (mis)use over the years. Black Smoke Shenron is a purely evil being, and is responsible for the creation of the seven Shadow Dragons, such as Eis Shenron and Nuova Shenron. While Black Smoke Shenron is capable of granting wishes, his hatred of mortals means that he won't be doing so willingly.

Black Smoke Shenron is said to be exceptionally dangerous; Mr. Popo recounts a story of an evil Eternal Dragon arising on a planet, only to wipe out all life on that world and then begin annihilating the rest of the galaxy.

2 Ultimate Shenron Dwarfs His Counterpart

First Appearance: Dragon Ball GT, "A Devastating Wish"

Ultimate Shenron is a separate dragon who can be summoned by using the Black Star Dragon Balls, a set of Dragon Balls created by the Nameless Namekian before he split into Piccolo and Kami. Ultimate Shenron is absolutely massive, even when compared to the other wish-granting dragons. It's due to a wish on these Black Star Dragon Balls that Goku is turned into a kid again, causing the Dragon Balls to be scattered across not just the Earth, but the entire galaxy. Ultimate Shenron is far more powerful than Shenron, not bound by the restrictions that Shenron must abide by.

Ultimate Shenron is only summoned twice--once by Pilaf, who turned Goku young again, and once by Baby, who wished for Planet Vegeta to be restored in Earth's Solar System. These dragon balls can be used repeatedly so long as they're collected again, but if they aren't returned to the same planet, that planet will be destroyed one year after the wish is made.

1 Super Shenron is Dragon Ball's Greatest Dragon

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Super, "Come Forth, Divine Dragon! And Grant My Wish, Peas and Carrots!"

Super Shenron is the master of the Super Dragon Balls. The Super Dragon Balls are enormous, planet-sized objects scattered across Universes 6 and 7, making them almost impossible to collect for anyone other than a deity. Super Shenron is several orders of magnitude larger than any other dragon, and is capable of granting nearly any wish--even restoring the destroyed universes after the Tournament of Power was but a simple task for Super Shenron.

Super Shenron is without a doubt the most powerful being seen in the series, with the possible exception of Grand Zeno. He does have a bit of quirk, though: in order for one to get their wish granted, they must speak the phrase, "Come forth, Divine Dragon, and grant my wish, peas and carrots!" in the divine language. Even the gods like Beerus are in awe of Super Shenron, making it certain that Super Shenron is the best Dragon Ball dragon in the franchise.