Techniques in Dragon Ball have stood the test of time and have remained some of the most iconic in anime. Even non-Dragon Ball watchers can name iconic techniques such as the Kamehameha and Super Saiyan.
However, several techniques will never leave the more dedicated fans’ memories because of specific epic scenes where a character harnessed this technique. The same can be said about the signature moves used consistently throughout the series that are impossible for fans to forget. Some of these techniques appeared as early as the original Dragon Ball anime, and others as late as the most recent series,Dragon Ball Super.
10 Kaioken
Kaioken was a technique Goku relied upon heavily in the Saiyan Saga and a little in the Frieza Saga. Kaioken enabled Goku to increase his strength, speed, and other senses dramatically. The only limit of this technique is how much his body can handle.
This technique was constantly regarded as many fans’ favorites. Goku is the only character seen performing Kaioken even though Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu have all undergone training with King Kai too. In response to this, some of these characters have acquired Kaioken in video games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. While this technique was a gimmick only used in the early section of Dragon Ball Z, it made a major return in Dragon Ball Super as Goku mixed it with his Super Saiyan Blue form.
9 Big Bang Attack
Vegeta has always specialized in iconic finishing moves. One of his most well-known is the Big Bang Attack, which he used to kill Android 19. This technique became iconic because of the build-up.
Vegeta appears, saves Goku’s life, and transforms into a Super Saiyan. He then handily defeats an opponent Goku couldn’t and defeats him with a single large charged blast. Since then, the Big Bang Attack has made appearances in Resurrection ‘F’ and Broly. While Vegeta is never seen using this technique in Dragon Ball GT, Gogeta’s signature wave is the Big Bang Kamehameha, which mixes it alongside Goku’s primary attack.
8 Wolf Fang Fist
Yamcha’s popularity has fluctuated throughout the years. He began as a relatively popular character who transitioned into an internet meme. While he hasn’t always been favored, his technique has.
Yamcha’s Wolf Fang Fist is one of the first techniques ever seen in the Dragon Ball series. The rough and rugged fighting style was even enough to damage Goku at the time. While the technique has failed more often than not, it’s remained the staple technique for Yamcha, with the hero creating many variations. Due to his intense mastery of this technique, it has risen as one of the most well-known in Dragon Ball.
7 Ultra Instinct
The hype Ultra Instinct generated within the Dragon Ball fanbase was unprecedented. Since the initial appearance of Goku’s Ultra Instinct technique, fans have been glued to the Tournament of Power.
While the transformation became far more of a plot armor method in the anime, it didn’t stop fans from getting chills when Goku gained that godly aura and his epic theme began. The hype grew even greater when Goku finally mastered Ultra Instinct and gained the silver hair and cosmic aura that allowed him to fight on par with Jiren and even surpass him. In the manga, Toyotaro and Akira Toriyama have been taking steps to make Ultra Instinct even more interesting and complex.
6 Final Flash
Final Flash is another one of Vegeta’s epic finishing moves. This technique was first used in a jaw-dropping scene against one of Dragon Ball’s most powerful villains, Cell, where the planet itself was at risk if hit dead-on by the attack. The attack wasn’t able to finish its job. However, it managed to remain one of Vegeta’s best scenes.
Vegeta doesn’t use this attack again in Dragon Ball Z, though Vegito does combine it with the Kamehameha. This is a bit less obvious in Dragon Ball Z and more so in the games and Dragon Ball Super. In Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta also uses his Final Flash and fires it alongside Goku’s Kamehameha to recreate the Final Kamehameha. It was the strongest technique that Vegeta ever used in Dragon Ball Z and remains one of Vegeta’s best.
5 Spirit Bomb
The Spirit Bomb is one of Goku’s most impressive and most used techniques in Dragon Ball. He’s used it as an attempt to finish off several major antagonists like Vegeta, Frieza, and Jiren. However, despite the attack’s many failed attempts, he defeated Majin Buu with the blast.
This helped wrap up the series beautifully and let the people of Earth defeat Majin Buu rather than Goku himself. The Spirit Bomb has also been a major feature in the Dragon Ball Z films, with Goku killing Dr. Wheelo, Turles, and Android 13 with the attack. It was also the final attack Goku used in Dragon Ball GTto defeat Omega Shenron. No matter the series, the Spirit Bomb makes a constant return with a suspenseful build-up.
4 Galick Gun
The Galick Gun was initially Vegeta’s technique that was equivalent to Goku’s Kamehameha. The initial scene of the wave made it one of the most iconic attacks in the franchise as he throws it down in Goku’s Kaioken Kamehameha.
While Vegeta never actually uses Galick Gun in Dragon Ball Z, it remained a staple technique for him in the video games. Dragon Ball Super likely saw the technique’s popularity and decided to make it a much more important attack for Vegeta. He uses it numerous times throughout the series, and it becomes one of his primary signature techniques. Vegeta even has a memorable scene with Future Trunks, where they fire a Galick Gun at Zamasu, reminiscent of Goku and Gohan’s Kamehameha against Cell.
3 Instant Transmission
Instant Transmission is one of the most useful techniques that Goku has ever learned. This technique allows Goku to travel instantaneously to wherever he desires as long as he is locking onto a ki signature.
This technique has gotten Goku out of many tough binds and has allowed him to save many of his friends from death. His best utilization of the technique was charging his Kamehameha against Cell and teleporting in front of him to let loose his full-powered attack. However, his over-usage of this technique gained Cell’s constant attention and fascination, leading to Cell’s eventual mastery of the technique.
2 Super Saiyan
The Super Saiyan transformation has become of the biggest staples of Dragon Ball. In some ways, many of the characters are known better by their Super Saiyan forms rather than their base forms.
This technique has undergone many changes throughout the years, but it has remained a transformation that dramatically increases a Saiyan’s power. Super Saiyan can be further enhanced seemingly continually, but the greater the power, the more drain it is on the body. The biggest change in the form was the introduction of god ki, which had Goku and Vegeta unlocking Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue.
1 Kamehameha
There are a few techniques that non-Dragon Ball watchers would know, like Super Saiyan. However, the Kamehameha is even more recognizable and appears as a reference in many popular shows and other anime.
The Kamehameha has been Goku’s signature attack since the beginning of Dragon Ball when he learned it after watching Master Roshi use it on Fire Mountain. It has been the most relied-upon technique in the series and is used by many characters beyond just Goku. The technique has undergone many alterations, with Goku himself coming up with some of the cleverest tactics when using the technique, like the Sliding Kamehameha.
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