10 Years Ago, Akira Toriyama Officially Confirmed Dragon Ball Characters Goku Can Never Beat

Dragon Ball has always been built around Goku finding someone stronger than himself and eventually trying to close the gap. But in a 2016 interview conducted around the release of Dragon Ball Super’s first manga volume, Akira Toriyama revealed that one particular character was not part of that cycle yet.

When Toyotarou described Beerus and Whis as an “unsurpassable wall” for Goku and the others, Toriyama explained that he had no plans at that point for Goku to surpass either of them. Although his answer also included Vegeta, Beerus was especially important to keeping Goku’s new godly power from reaching its ceiling too quickly.

Dragon Ball’s Beerus and Whis Were Toriyama’s Unbreakable Wall

Beerus and Whis from Dragon Ball Super | Credits: Toei Animation

The exchange came during an interview between Toriyama and Toyotarou published around the launch of the first Dragon Ball Super manga volume. Toyotarou pointed out that Beerus and Whis had appeared in Super and had become an “unsurpassable wall” for Goku and the others. He then asked Toriyama what the two characters meant to him (via Kanzenshu):

Toriyama’s response was remarkably straightforward. He said that, “right now,” he had no plans for Goku and Vegeta to surpass Beerus and Whis. The wording matters because it described his plans at the time rather than establishing a permanent rule that Goku could never surpass either character in any future story.

The original answer therefore concerned both Saiyans, but the implication for Goku was particularly significant. The story had traditionally allowed him to catch up with powerful characters eventually, yet Toriyama was deliberately keeping Beerus and Whis outside that progression at this stage of Dragon Ball Super.

Akira Toriyama then explained why Beerus and Whis had become so central to the series. He said that without those two characters, continuing the story after Battle of Gods would have been a nightmare because there would not have been enough to expand upon. He was therefore glad to have them around, even praising their voice actors. That makes Beerus more than just another opponent waiting to be surpassed. He and Whis provided Super with a new foundation, giving Goku room to grow without immediately reaching the highest level introduced by the series.

Why Toriyama Kept Beerus Above Goku in Dragon Ball Super

Beerus had already established himself as a different kind of opponent in Battle of Gods. Goku attained Super Saiyan God and entered a level of power far beyond anything he had previously achieved, yet he still could not defeat the God of Destruction. Beerus therefore gave Goku a powerful new benchmark without turning the character into another temporary obstacle that the Saiyan would quickly overcome.

That distinction was important to the direction of Super. If Goku had simply surpassed Beerus after gaining a new transformation, the series would have lost one of the central characters Toriyama believed gave the post-Battle of Gods story something to build around. Instead, Beerus could remain above Goku while Goku continued developing through new forms, techniques, and battles.

Whis extended that structure even further. As Beerus’ attendant and martial arts teacher, Whis occupied an even higher level of strength. His relationship with Beerus meant that Goku was not merely chasing one distant ceiling. There was another level beyond the God of Destruction, giving the series additional room to develop its power hierarchy.

This was ultimately why Toriyama’s 2016 statement mattered. He was not saying that Goku would literally be incapable of ever defeating Beerus or Whis. He was explaining that, at that point in Super’s development, he had no plans to let Goku or Vegeta surpass either of them.

Ten years later, the interview remains notable because it captured Toriyama’s thinking at a crucial point in Super. Beerus and Whis were designed to function as distant benchmarks for Goku and the other heroes, while also giving the series enough room to keep expanding. For Goku in particular, Beerus was not supposed to be just another rival waiting to be left behind.

What are your thoughts on the Beerus and Whis duo that Goku can never surpass, according to Toriyama? We’d love to know your opinions in the comments below.