Mr. Popo is a powerful character in early Dragon Ball, considered much stronger than most humans and many of the Z fighters at that stage, but he is greatly outclassed by the main characters as the series progresses.
Early Strength Feats
- Mr. Popo could easily defeat kid Goku before he trained under Kami, and even after years of training, Goku could not surpass him until after defeating King Piccolo.
- During the early Saiyan saga, Mr. Popo's stated power level is 1,030, making him considerably powerful compared to most earthlings, but weaker than Raditz, whose power level is 1,500.
Abilities and Skills
- He is immortal in the sense that he cannot die of old age, has lived for thousands or possibly millions of years, and possesses a variety of mystical techniques, such as ki absorption and the ability to fly.
- Mr. Popo trains warriors to become faster than lightning, and his own speed is considered much greater than that.
Later Series Relevance
- As Dragon Ball Z progresses, other characters surpass Mr. Popo in strength. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha overtook him during their Saiyan saga training, with power levels ranging from 1,480 to 1,830.
- In Dragon Ball Z (anime filler), he showed the ability to block attacks from Super Saiyan Goten and Trunks, but could not overpower them. This is notable, as even Android 18 struggled with them, although it's implied Popo was still not at their full level and likely not close to that level in the manga.
Summary Table
Era| Relative Strength| Power Level| Notable Feats
---|---|---|---
Early Dragon Ball| Stronger than Kid Goku, most Z fighters| ~1,030| Defeated
Kid Goku, trained Z fighters1
Early DBZ| Weaker than Raditz (1,500), stronger than most| ~1,030| Outpaced by
newer Saiyan saga characters12
Late DBZ/Anime| Weaker than Super Saiyan children, but skilled| Unstated|
Blocked some attacks from Goten/Trunks24
Overall, Mr. Popo was a major benchmark of strength early in the franchise but was later surpassed by most combat-focused characters as Dragon Ball's power scale expanded.
