When you think ofDragon Ball,images of hair turning yellow, energy auras erupting, and wanton screaming inevitably come to mind. Because, without transformations and power-ups, all we'd be left with is a bunch of oddballseating a lot andrunning around with their tails between their legs (literally).
However,thanks to Goku's endless need to improve his abilities anda litany of villains who raise the stakes beyond what's possible every time, there seems to be no end to the changes in hair color that can be achieved.
Running the spectrum from memorable to forgettableand bizarre, Goku's ascensions are ultimately what keeps us coming back for more. So we're ranking them all to see which ones reign supreme.
Note: we're not including video game fusions or hypothetical ones like that time Mr. Satan imagined himself hooking up withGoku to create Gokule.
Without further ado, here isEvery Goku Transformation In Dragon BallRanked.
Veku
What do you get when you combine Goku with Vegeta and some moderately bad dancing?Nobodies favorite overly obese Saiyan:Veku.
This failed fusion attempt was the result of Goku and Vegetatryingtotake down the demonJanembaby transforming into an ultimate fighter.However, Vegeta botches the Fusion Dance by failing to properly extend his index finger at a crucial moment, and Veku pops out instead.
Veku's first and only appearance comes during the movieFusion Reborn. He spends most of his time on screen getting the crap beat out off him by Janemba and hiding.
Unable to do pretty much anything of value, Veku's only two abilities are to run away using what he calls “Rabbite Feet” and fart. Miraculously Veku doesn't get killed by Janemba, providingVegeta and Goku another shot to get their dancing in check.
Pseudo Super Saiyan
Pseudo Super Saiyan is what you get when you remove Akira Toriyama from the equation-- which is to say nothing good.
During the non-canon DBZmovieLord Slug,Goku transforms into an odd state where hiseyes glass over and he starts emitting a golden aura. One could be forgiven for thinking he had just gone Super Saiyan, but noticeably his hair remained black and he didn't seem all that more powerful than before.
Supposedly Toei Animation, the studio behind releasing the film, had heard Dragon Ball'screatorToriyama was planning a Super Saiyan transformation in the manga so tried to beat him to the punch without having a clue what it looked like.
Also known as False Super Saiyan, its hard to really gauge anything about this formother than its a confusing mess that was holds no relevance to anything other than allowing our hero to defeat the movie's villain.
Kaio-Ken
Kaio-ken has the distinction of being the first non-ape power-up achieved by Goku. Given that, and the fact when translated it means “First of the Kind of Worlds,” you would think it would be pretty memorable. Instead it's quite forgettable.
The technique was invented byKing Kai and taught to Goku, who is the only person ever to use it successfully. Kaio-kenmultiplies the user's abilitiesexponentially, but has thedownside ofonly lasting for a few moments and taking a heavy toll on the bod.
Goku first used the Kaio-ken technique early on inDragon Ball Zto stopVegeta. The most powerful Kaio-ken power-up Goku ever attempted on its own was 20 times his base form while fighting Frieza, and he still lost.
As far as power-ups g,o its pretty lamein the grand scheme of things-- that is unless he combines it with hisother transformations.
Great Ape
Remember when Saiyans had tails and could turn into giant monkeys by looking at a full moon?It was laughable then just as much as it is today. There's just something inherently wrong about seeingGokuact like awerewolfand go on a murderousrampage.
As theGreat Ape Goku's powers are tenfold. This might sound amazing but it actually makes this form the weakest of all Goku's transformations. It's also the only one that Vegeta seems to have perfected better than him,making for one all around very embarrassing power-up.
Luckilyeveryone eventually realized just how stupid Saiyan tails were and started to pretend like they never existed. For awhile there though, the Great Ape was the most powerful transformation in all ofDragon Ball.
Golden Great Ape
What could be better than a gigantic angry ape that conquers planets? How about a gigantic angry ape that shoots fire out of its mouth.and hasyellow fur. The Golden Great Ape is the result of Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan while in his Great Ape state.
Appearing solely inDragon Ball GT, this form impressivelysurpasses aSuper Saiyan 3 in power. Witha berserker rage and the ability to shoot energy blasts from its mouth, this is Goku at his most violent and destructive.
It's pretty much a toss up over whether this version or Goku's original Great Ape is more ridiculous. But since there's a convincing theory that the Golden Great Ape may be the“the Legendary Super Saiyan” of lore we'll give him the edge.
Super Saiyan 2
Super Saiyan 2 might seem exactly like a regularSuper Saiyan but look again. For one, in this form Goku's hair becomes slightly more spiky. Also, he yells a little louder when turning into it.
However, we have to admit,when compared to some of the more dramatic transformations to come, this form doesn't really stack up.
The only meaningful use of SS2 waswhen it wasfirst achieved by Gohan. And granted, hisfight with Perfect Cell was nothing sort of awesome. Providing100 times normal power with little stamina drain, Super Saiyan 2 is a nice upgrade and at the time enough to make Gohan look like the Man.
However,since similarly reaching this level, Goku hasrarely bothered with Super Saiyan 2and used it primarily asan immediatestepping stone to Super Saiyan 3.
Super Saiyan God
In the pantheon of Dragon Ballpower-ups, Super Saiyan God came out of nowhere. One moment, everyone's having a good time on a yacht celebrating Bulma's birthday.
In the next Shenron appears and drops the bomb that if four Saiyans and one uterus get togetherin a prayer circle, they can turn Goku intoa god-- no training, no hardship, just hand holding.
Frankly,Super Saiyan God seems like a one-shot afterthought made up on the spot to give Goku an excuse to fight Beerus and not die.
What's more the rules governing a Super Saiyan God are pretty random, since both during the anime's Tournament of Power and throughout the manga Goku can seemingly turn into a SSG at will with no explanation why.
Even more impressively, despite possessing the limitless powers of a deity, allowing regeneration, and turning his hair red, Goku's transformation into a Super Saiyan Goddoesn't really seem like all that big of deal.
Super Saiyan 4
Super Saiyan 4 is basically what would happen if Goku became a punk rocker, started wearing red eyeliner and put on a form-fitting fur jacket-- and grew a tail.
The resultofa Golden Great Ape regaining control over its own mind, a Super Saiyan 4 is considerably stronger then its preceding forms but seemsto have entirelyforgotten how stupid Saiyan tails are.
Fortunately, as the byproduct ofDragon Ball GT, the SS4 form is not canon and so we're likely never to see it again.
This is a good thing because as cool as a superpowered monkey-like man might sound, this transformationremoves all the light-hearted, good-natured fun that makes Goku alikable hero and instead turns him into a heavy metal realjerk.
Saiyan Beyond God
As strangeas Goku's stint as a Super Saiyan God was, one good thing did come out of it.Thanks to his body's natural ability to tap into the god-like energy he momentarily experienced while a Super Saiyan God, Goku's base form was able to achieve a sweet upgrade to an entirely new level.
While not quite as powerful as a Super Saiyan God outright, Goku is still able to put up an admirable fight against Beerus while in this state.
As an added bonus, since it is a base form, there is no limit to how long Goku can sustainthis powerand it opens the door for a whole new realm of ascensions,like Super Saiyan Blue. Best of all his hair was no longer red.
Gogeta
Whereas Veku was an unnatural blundering mess of Saiyan lard, Gogeta was fusioning done right. Though technically not canon, it is hard to deny the impressiveness of Gogeta.
When Goku and Vegeta finally perfect the Fusion Dance inFusion Reborn, they are able to take downJanemba - one of the most powerful characters in theDragon BallUniverse-- without breaking a sweat. They do so asa being that doesn't even bother with base forms and jumps right to Super Saiyan.
Gogetawould later appear inDragon Ball GT as a Super Saiyan 4, but we won't hold that against him. This was by far the most powerful of Goku's transformations inGT, thanks in no small part to his epic Big Bang Kamehameha,but annoyingly the character was even more of a jerk, taunting his opponents and cracking jokes that fell resoundingly flat.
All we can say is thank goodness for Super Gogeta.
Super Saiyan 3
The long hair and caveman brow might seemridiculous, but that's just because you don't have them. Quite the contrary, Super Saiyan 3 is an awesome force to be reckoned with. This form is so powerful it took Goku overfour minutes of constipated yellingjust to turn into it, nearly destroying the planet in the process.
Afterwards, SS3 Goku single handedly took on Kid Buu and lateradmitted he could have killed the Buu but held back because he wanted Goten and Trunks to get in on the fun. Because that's just the kind of Super Saiyan he is.
Whereas as Super Saiyan 2 provided 100 times the power,Super Saiyan 3 results in a whopping 400x increase. Now that's an upgrade. The only downside is it drains power at a blistering rate, but Goku more than makes up for this with his luscious mane and lack of eyebrows.
Super Saiyan Blue
Also known as the unnecessarily complicated“Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan,” this form is the pinnacle in Super Saiyan ascension. (For now.)
SSSB is the result of Goku going Super Saiyan in hisBeyond God Saiyan state, or has he puts it, "a Saiyan with the power of a Super Saiyan God further transforms himself into a Super Saiyan." Got it? Good.
InSuper Saiyan Blue, Goku isstronger, faster, more relaxed, and able to use ki at a stablerrate than all other previous transformations. Also, he has really cool blue hair.
Whether Super Saiyan Blue Goku is more powerful than Super Saiyan God Gokuis debatable, but this form just seems better in every way. This is probably becauseit didn't require holding hands with an unborn baby to achieve it.
Ultra Instinct
You have to hand it to the creators ofDragon Ball, just when we thought they'd pushed power-uping beyond the point of reason, they come out with Ultra Instinct.
The latest of Goku's forms debuting during the Tournament of Power inDragon Ball Super, Ultra Instinct isn't so much a transformation as it is an enhanced state of being.
Using Ultra Instinct, Gokucan automatically react to any threat without the need to acknowledge it and havehis body automatically adapt to any attack in battle.Thanks to this omni-prescienceGoku is able to give Jiren - the prophesied mortal who can beat upgods-- a run for his money.
So impressiveis the technique that the gods themselves have trouble mastering it and nearly poop their pants when its unveiled. Goku has yet to tap into its full potential, so we're excited to see just how powerful hisUltra Instinct will be.
Vegito
Arguably the most powerful non-deity in theDragon Ball Universe,it's hard to deny the awesomeness of Vegito. While Goku and Vegeta's first successful fusion produced the impressive Gogeta, that transformation in no way compares to the power of their canonized union here.
Whereas the Fusion Dance merely adds the two Saiyan's powers together, the result of a fusion fromwearing the Potara earrings multiples it exponentially-- and that's before the character evengoes Super Saiyan or better still, Super Saiyan Blue.
Whether battlingBuu in his most powerful state or the godly Zamasu, Vegitohas no trouble going toe to toe with the best of them, and still manages to retain Goku's playful spirit. Bonus points for being just as lethal when turned into a hard candy.
Super Saiyan
There may be more powerful forms out there, but none are as cool or classic as Super Saiyan Goku. Its first appearanceduring his fight with Frieza inDragon Ball Z is easily the most iconic transformation of the series. Once Goku's hair turned gold, everything changed.
Up to that point this form was only a legend amongst Saiyans. Multiplying Goku's strengthby 50x it was nothing sort of a revelation and kicked off a power-up frenzy that has defined the series ever since.
Though it was only the tip of the iceberg, Super Saiyan still remains to this day themost popular transformation amongst fans and Saiyans alike.When someone thinksDragon Ball, most likely they're picturing Goku as a Super Saiyan.
And best of all, it doesn't come with a tail.
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Did we get the Dragon Ballrankings of Goku's transformations right? Which transformation do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments.
