When the new eternal dragon, most fans were undoubtedly more focused on the fact that it was a red version of Namek's Porunga than anything else, and rightly so. But I couldn't help but realize that this dragon is likely much more powerful than Shenron. Although no one knows how strong Shenron is, there are quite a few clues that hint at the limits of the divine dragon's true strength. Meanwhile, the new red Porunga's actions leave no room for interpretation.

Dragon Ball's eternal dragons are intriguing, in part, because they are so mysterious. Almost nothing is known about them, and the franchise understandably puts more emphasis on the types of wishes they grant, or don't grant, as opposed to anything else. This is especially the case for Shenron. Even though he's had more face time with fans over the decades, the fact he's so impatient and wants to grant the wishes as quickly as possible doesn't leave much time to get to know him - or gauge how strong he is.

Dragon Ball Daima Shows A Smidgen of the New Eternal Dragon's Powers, And They're Massive

Red Porunga Is More Powerful Than Gomah Who Outmatches Super Saiyan 4 Goku

Although we've barely had any time with red Porunga, Dragon Ball Daima episode #18 has already given us more than enough information to at least gauge his true strength. When Glorio summons the eternal dragon, this is a direct threat to Gomah, who obviously wants to prevent anyone from making any wishes. The fact that Gomah's winning against Super Saiyan 4 Goku, despite the Saiyan undergoing a whole new transformation, puts his plans at risk since a wish could change the tides of battle. So the demon rather foolishly attacks the eternal dragon head-on. In an incredible display of strength, red Porunga defeats the demon king by just flicking him.

From what we know, Gomah can easily take on Super Saiyan 4 Goku, so the fact that red Porunga could easily subdue Gomah underscores its supremacy. In Daima's world, the red eternal dragon is the strongest deity in Dragon Ball. Even though we still don't know whether Super Saiyan 4 is a more powerful form than Super Saiyan God, this still doesn't pose a problem when it comes to gauging red Porunga's power scaling. There's no contest that Super Saiyan 4 is a massive upgrade, but the eternal dragon's actions against Gomah are enough to equate that red Porunga is likely stronger than Shenron.

Dragon Ball Z's Shenron Was Weaker Than Androids 17 and 18 In The Cell Saga

Shenon Couldn't Grant A Wish That Affected Them

Although no one has been foolish enough to attack Shenron head-on, Dragon Ball Z did present some very convincing facts based on a wish the deity was incapable of granting. At the end of the Cell Saga, Krillin tried to have the eternal dragon change Androids 17 and 18 into normal humans, but Shenron claimed that he couldn't because the sheer power of the two androids sured his own. In other words, 17 and 18 were stronger than Shenron at the end of the Cell Saga.

It's safe to say that even Super Saiyan 2 Goku, who went toe to toe with Cell, could obliterate Androids 17, 18, and Shenron.

If we take into that Dragon Ball DAIMA's Super Saiyan 4 Goku could easily defeat 17 and 18, who both possessed more power than Shenron, and yet couldn't win against Gomah, then it goes to show that Goku stood no chance against the newly awakened dragon. In turn, if Shenron is weaker than two androids and Super Saiyan 4 Goku, who couldn't defeat the demon king that red Porunga easily subdued without even trying. By that logic alone, red Porunga is worlds apart from Shenron in of strength.

It makes sense, too. Neva has proven to be a master of Dragon Balls and Shenron, therefore he is also the creator of the red Porunga. When he came to Earth, he was able to restore the Dragon Balls even though they were regular stones for some time before they could gain back their powers. Meanwhile, Dende, who remolded and upgraded Shenron himself, hasn't been able to alter the rules, and can only make any changes by following certain steps first. Dende might be a prodigy, but he's nowhere as powerful as Neva.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Presents One Caveat

Dende Upgraded Shenon, and That Could Have Made The Eternal Dragon More Powerful

To disprove my theory, some fans might point to the various instances when Dende upgraded Shenron. Although Dende's upgrades have specifically addressed certain aspects of the eternal dragon's abilities other than his power level, there's no way of confirming whether Shenron got stronger in the process. That said, it's important to realize that Dende's first the deity transpired in the middle of the Cell Saga in Dragon Ball Z chapter #200, so the version of Shenron that couldn't alter 17 and 18 has already been upgraded.

Dende does, however, go on to further upgrade Shenron during the later events of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Again, even though Dende makes alterations to allow the deity to unlock a person's latent potential in Super Hero, Shenron could have still altered his power structure in the process. Despite this one caveat, it's very likely the red Porunga is still many times stronger than the original eternal dragon fans are familiar with.

A way for Dragon Ball to prove definitively which eternal dragon is stronger would be if Shenron couldn't grant a wish that affects a certain character who is weaker than Super Saiyan 4 Goku because that recipient was more powerful than Shenron. However, I think that the best scenario that everyone would love to see is if red Porunga and Shenron ever get into a fight after Dragon Ball Daima.