Dragon Ball has seen everything from extraterrestrials to androids menacing Goku and the Z Fighters across the franchise's history, although it also has a surprising number of literal demons to combat the heroes. As far back as Goku's childhood, he has fought against demons and devils that have emerged from the Demon Realm to wreak havoc on Earth. The original Dragon Ball series introduced Spike the Devilman, while Dragon Ball Z saw the Demon King himself Dabura make his debut as the evil wizard Babidi's righthand man in his mission to revive the monstrous Majin Buu.
Here is a comparison between the Devilman and Dabura, including their unique abilities and special attacks, their approximate power levels and which of the two demons would ultimately emerge triumphant in a hypothetical battle against each other.
Dragon Ball's Spike the Devilman
While searching for the location of the missing Dragon Ball hidden from the Dragon Radar, Goku and his friends agree to fight a team of martial artists recruited by Fortuneteller Baba in exchange for the information. Baba's penultimate warrior is Spike the Devilman -- an actual demon from Hell living in Baba's palace and a master fighter in his own right.
In addition to his natural fighting skills, Spike can fly around thanks to his wings, craft weapons out of thin air and has a powerful attack known as the Devilmite Beam. Anyone struck by the Devilmite Beam has their negative thoughts amplified until it overtakes them and they explode on the spot. While Master Roshi and Yamcha admit that they would easily fall prey to the Devilmite Beam, the pure-hearted Goku is able to endure the full might of the attack before defeating Spike.
Dragon Ball Z's Demon King Dabura
While Spike is described as coming from Hell, Dabura is described by the Supreme Kai as being the King of the Demon Realm. Babidi uses his dark magic to corrupt Dabura by taking advantage of the evil in his heart and making him his unfailingly loyal lackey. Following this, Dabura was rarely seen away from Babidi, destroying anyone the wizard commanded him to.
Similar to Spike, Dabura can summon weapons from thin air instantly, but he also has the unique ability to turn into stone anyone who comes into direct contact with his spit in a matter of seconds. After meditating for several minutes, Dabura can tap into his full potential, which Goku estimates as being marginally more powerful than Perfect Cell and more than capable of standing up to a Super Saiyan 2.
Who Is Dragon Ball's Strongest Demon?
As far as sheer strength goes, Dabura is easily stronger than Spike the Devilman, who was defeated with relative ease by Goku while he was still a child, before the pint-sized hero had even trained under Kami. Conversely, Super Saiyan 2 Gohan could barely keep up with Dabura, although Goku and Vegeta observed that Gohan had let his martial arts instincts fall by the wayside since the Cell Games. In Dragon Ball Super, Super Saiyan 2 Future Trunks barely defeated Dabura in his timeline, further demonstrating just how deadly Dabura truly is.
Dabura has the strength and speed to quickly overpower Spike and wouldn't even have to use his petrifying spittle to stop Spike in his tracks. The only hope that Spike would have of destroying Dabura would be to strike him with his Devilmite Beam. However, given Dabura's superior speed, he would likely be capable of easily evading it, earning his title as King of the Demons.
