Dragon Ball remains among the most iconic anime of all time. It is perhaps most well known for how a character will inevitably unveil some new power-up transformation strong enough to pummel the bad guys to a pulp in every fight when the situation looks most dire. There’s always a new transformation in Dragon Ball.
Dragon Ball‘s lead character Goku has had many forms over the years, from Great Ape to Super Saiyan. While all of Goku’s forms have utility, not all of Goku’s forms are created equal. Some Goku transformations are truly more awe-inspiring and more unforgettable than others, leaving audiences with their jaws on the floor and leaving the biggest impact throughout Dragon Ball.
Updated on April 16th, 2023 by Michael Colwander:While the Dragon Ball Super anime has ended or is at least on hiatus, Dragon Ball content continues through the Dragon Ball Super manga and Dragon Ball Super movies. This means the list of all of Goku’s forms continues to increase.
13 Base Goku
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Episode 1 “The Secret Of The Dragon Balls”
Goku spends the majority of his time throughout each Dragon Ball series in this form, his natural-born state. However, he is at his lowest level of power while in his base form. In an important fight, Goku often abandons this form in order to transform into something far more powerful. But that doesn’t mean he still isn’t a force to be reckoned with.
Goku’s base form is easily the most iconic in appearance. The black color and unique shape of Goku’s hair are easily recognizable, even by people who have never watched a second of Dragon Ball content.
12 Super Saiyan 2
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Z Episode 223 (“Next Up Goku”)
Gohan’s transformation into a Super Saiyan 2 is one of the most iconic moments in Dragon Ball Z history. But by the time Goku reached this form, it had already become old-hat. Goku only spends one real fight employing the form against Majin Vegeta.
Unbeknownst to Vegeta, by the time Goku could transform into Super Saiyan 2, he had already unlocked the power of Super Saiyan 3, making this form obsolete. While Goku still uses Super Saiyan 2 from time to time, he only really uses it as a measuring stick to gauge another character’s power.
11 Golden Great Ape
First Appeared: Dragon Ball GT Episode 33 (“The Tail’s Tale”)
The Golden Great Ape is a transformation that appears only in Dragon Ball GT. While Baby Vegeta’s Golden Great Ape transformation is more iconic, Goku’s was equally important. Goku transforms into the Golden Great Ape when staring at a full Earth or full moon.
When he first took this form, Goku had little control, causing mayhem and destruction everywhere. It was only when Pan helped Goku regain his senses that he was able to take command of this powerful form, entering into the legendary Super Saiyan 4 form. Golden Great Ape is a nice throwback to the pre-Super Saiyan era of transformations.
10 Great Ape Was Goku’s First Transformation
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Episode 12 (“A Wish To The Eternal Dragon”)
The Great Ape form is Goku’s first transformation in Dragon Ball, taking place only a dozen episodes into the show’s original run. When Goku’s tail is exposed to the light of a Full Moon, he transforms into a gigantic, uncontrollable Ape. With ten times as much strength as usual, Great Ape Goku is a destructive and chaotic force.
The Great Ape form is a force to be reckoned with, but Goku is completely unable to control himself in this form. There’s a reason Goku doesn’t willingly transform into a Great Ape like his rival Vegeta. Without a tail, a Saiyan cannot transform. So as long as Goku refuses to regrow his tail, this form will remain retired.
9 Super Saiyan 4
First Appeared: Dragon Ball GT Episode 34 (“Back In The Game”)
Dragon Ball GT gets a lot of hate from fans for numerous reasons. However, Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 form is one of the coolest things to ever come out of the series. Unlike every other Goku transformation up to this point, Goku’s hair remains jet black, but a red coat of fur sprouts all over his body. Goku goes from his child form to his adult form, sporting an incredibly cool, coarser voice.
The only underwhelming part about Super Saiyan 4 Goku, however, is that it is no longer canon, despite the begging from the Dragon Ball community for it to make a return. On the bright side, Super Saiyan 4 Goku does get a lot of love through the Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime web series.
8 Super Saiyan God
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of The Gods
Perhaps the hardest form for a Saiyan to achieve, Goku’s Super Saiyan God form allowed him to match the strength of the legendary God of Destruction Beerus himself. Only achievable thanks to the unification of pure-hearted Saiyans, Goku’s sheer strength in this form is enough to bend the fabric of reality to the breaking point. One transformation permanently empowers a Saiyan beyond all prior limitations.
Super Saiyan God form is rarely seen after the initial fight with Beerus. It’s quickly overshadowed by the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, thanks to the first two Dragon Ball Super arcs originally being movies. Goku did bring it back late in Dragon Ball Super and the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie, where Vegeta also debuts this form.
7 Ultra Instinct -Sign-
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Super Episode 110 (“Goku Enkindled! The Awakened One’s New Ultra Instinct!”)
Ultra Instinct -Sign- is one of Goku’s most powerful forms. While many fans have grown exhausted with the constant flow of new transformations, others were overwhelmed with excitement when Goku debuted this form during the midway point of the Tournament of Power.
Goku utilized this form of Ultra Instinct throughout the rest of the Tournament of Power, including using it to eliminate the powerful Saiyan fusion, Kefla. While he’s since reached perfected Ultra Instinct, Goku still utilizes this form, which later led to the establishment of the True Ultra Instinct form.
6 True Ultra Instinct
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Super Manga Chapter 85 (“To Each His Own Answer”)
After the Tournament of Power, Goku wasn’t able to utilize Ultra Instinct at will. Being able to do so would’ve made his fight against Broly go much more smoothly. While training with Merus during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc, Goku was able to attain his Ultra Instinct -Sign- form at will, and later his Perfected Ultra Instinct form.
Even then, Goku still struggled to find the best way to incorporate Ultra Instinct into his normal fighting style going into the Granolah The Survivor arc. It wasn’t until hearing his father’s voice for the first time and the speech Bardock gave during his fight against Gas that Goku realized the importance of emotions and the desire to win. By using his Ultra Instinct -Sign- form, Goku achieved True Ultra Instinct, which affords him the benefits of Ultra Instinct along with the willpower gained through his Saiyan emotions.
5 Kaio-Ken
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Z Episode 29 (“Lesson Number One”)
The Kaio-Ken technique multiplies the user’s power by a given factor, but in turn puts an incredible strain on the fighter’s body. Goku used this technique in his iconic beam struggle with Vegeta during the Saiyan Saga. Unlike most transformations, its cost makes every fight that employs it all the more incredible.
Following reaching Kaio-Ken x20 against Frieza, the Kaio-Ken technique was mostly retired in favor of Goku’s Super Saiyan form. However, there were periods later on when Goku would employ the Kaio-Ken in conjunction with his Super Saiyan forms, most notably his Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken form.
4 Super Saiyan 3
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Z Episode 245 (“Super Saiyan 3?!”)
Super Saiyan 3 is the Goku transformation that literally rocked an entire planet. It is also the point where Goku’s forms became increasingly ridiculous. Lightning bolts surround his body, he loses his eyebrows, and his hair grows down all the way to his waist.
Super Saiyan 3 remains Goku’s most ridiculous transformation thus far, and that’s why it’s beloved by fans. It’s a form that just looks incredibly powerful. Super Saiyan 3 started the trend of Goku pursuing a new transformation every arc or two. Goku transforming into Super Saiyan 3 for the first time remains arguably the most memorable moment of the entire Buu Saga.
3 Super Saiyan Blue Is Still A Prominent Fixture In Dragon Ball Super
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F‘
Super Saiyan Blue, or Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, takes things back to a simpler time. Less complicated than other high-level transformations, Super Saiyan Blue looks much like the Super Saiyan transformation only with new blue hair. After being first used by Goku against Golden Frieza, it immediately became the flagship transformation of Dragon Ball Super.
While some fans wish the designs of Goku’s transformations would’ve continued the path set forth by Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan 4, other modern fans see it as the pinnacle. Simple, powerful, and incredibly cool, no other form Goku has ever taken remains as prominent as this one in modern Dragon Ball.
2 Perfected Ultra Instinct
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Super Episode 129 (“A Transcendent Limit Break! Autonomous Ultra Instinct Mastered!”)
When Goku first tapped into Ultra Instinct during the Tournament of Power, it was clear that Goku’s Ultra Instinct was incomplete. Goku’s Ultra Instinct -Sign- had numerous flaws, which led to it falling short of Jiren’s immense powers. Toward the end of the Tournament of Power, Goku was able to channel into Ultra Instinct to fully complete it.
Perfected Ultra Instinct is known by other names such as Mastered and Completed Ultra Instinct, and is still the apex of Goku’s power. Not only did Goku beat Jiren in this form, but he also defeated Moro as well. Even though he’s begun to favor True Ultra Instinct, Goku won’t hesitate to shift over to the Perfected Ultra Instinct at a moment’s notice.
1 Super Saiyan Was The Biggest Game-Changer In Dragon Ball
First Appeared: Dragon Ball Z Episode 95 (“Transformed At Last”)
Goku’s initial transformation into a Super Saiyan remains a high point of Dragon Ball as a whole. Frieza pushed Goku a little too far by killing Krillin, which triggered this legendary transformation. At a time when transformations weren’t a regular occurrence, the weight of this moment laid the foundation for everything to come in Dragon Ball. To make matters more interesting, the Super Saiyan form was also utilized throughout the entire Android Saga.
Goku’s decision to make Super Saiyan his base form helped shift Goku’s powers to a whole new level, leading to one of the greatest fights in the series: his battle with Cell. Goku’s Super Saiyan form is and will always be the most iconic in all of Dragon Ball.
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