Dragon Ball: Goku's 5 Strongest Forms, Ranked
by Rafael Motamayor · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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"Dragon Ball" is arguably the anime show, the franchise that is most synonymous with the medium of anime and became the foundation for countless tropes and archetypes that are still heavily used over 40 years later. Akira Toriyama may have never planned to create something like "Dragon Ball Z," but he knew how to change the story to respond to fan reactions and give his readers exactly what they'd enjoy most. Now, Goku is the archetypical anime protagonist — the basis for virtually every anime protagonist that's come after him.
Indeed, Goku is not only the prototype for the charismatic, perpetually-hungry, hard-working protagonist we find in most action anime, but he is also the ceiling of power that any and all superheroes are compared to. Goku was heavily inspired by Superman, and in turn Superman has come to resemble Goku. The two characters share not only tragic backstories but a penchant for never running out of new powers and never fully reaching their peak potential. Much like Superman, Goku's powers are as strong as writers want them to be in any particular moment, with the character continuously evolving to new and more powerful forms as he encounters stronger enemies.
But which are Goku's strongest forms? Though it might be easy to just say "the last ones we saw in the anime," it's not that easy. Some transformations are generally powerful while others are very specifically useful. With that in mind, let's take a look at Goku's 5 strongest forms.
5. Super Saiyan God
When Goku achieved Super Saiyan God in "Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods," it was like nothing audiences had seen before. What makes this form so unique is that it can't be achieved by Goku alone; it's not training or concentration that unlocks it. Instead, it relies on a ritual performed by five righteous Saiyans channeling their ki into a sixth Saiyan who will then transform. Thanks to the efforts of Gohan, Goten, Kid Trunks, Vegeta, and a pregnant Videl with unborn Pan, Goku achieves the godhood status he needs just to keep up with Beerus.
Super Saiyan God makes Goku appear thinner, while his hair and eyes turn red. Sure, he becomes stronger than ever before, but the real power of this form is how it lets Goku anticipate the movements of his opponent. Against Beerus, Goku doesn't just dodge the God of Destruction's attacks, but can also absorb and nullify them. It's not a form that can work on every single opponent, as it drains Goku's ki to the point he can only maintain it for short periods of time at first. But against Beerus, it was the single greatest weapon Goku had.
4. Super Saiyan Blue
After training with a deity and combining the Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan God forms, Goku is able to unlock his strongest form yet in "Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F." That form is Super Saiyan Blue, which physically looks exactly the same as the very first Super Saiyan form, except now Goku's hair and eyes are bright blue, and he gains an electric aura. By adding the God Ki to the Super Saiyan form, Goku essentially makes his default Super Saiyan form stronger, which is why Blue became the default power-up transformation across "Dragon Ball Super."
Unfortunately, this means we will never really see the imagined Super Saiyan 5 form that Akira Toriyama teased, as Blue became the new springboard from which most modern transformations originate. Indeed, after the introduction of Super Saiyan Blue, "Dragon Ball" became more about powered-up techniques rather than full transformations. The franchise became less about Goku harnessing some higher power and more about managing his abilities and emotions in order to better control his strength.
3. Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken
Back in the early days of "Dragon Ball Z," Kaio-ken seemed like the ultimate power: a technique invented by King Kai that Goku learned alongside the Spirit Bomb which allowed him to amplify his speed and power at the cost of extreme physical exhaustion. This helped prepare him for the arrival of Vegeta and the other Saiyans. Unfortunately, once Goku unlocked his Super Saiyan form, he realized using both would be too demanding on his body and could kill him, and so Kaio-ken disappeared from "Dragon Ball" for decades.
But in "Dragon Ball Super," after unblocking Super Saiyan Blue, Goku realized that the form required such control of his state of mind and ki that he could now use Kaio-ken alongside Super Saiyan. This led to Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken, a new form that multiplies Goku's stamina, agility, and strength, simply maximizing the power of Super Saiyan Blue. Unfortunately, much like the original Kaio-ken took a huge toll on Goku when he first unlocked it, Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken became too hard for Goku to control at first and gave him ki sickness, leaving him defenseless and powerless for days. Because of the huge downsides, this form can't be considered as strong as others on this list.
2. Ultra Instinct Sign
It wouldn't be "Dragon Ball" without two things: a tournament, and a big power-up during said tournament. For the Tournament of Power, the ultimate contest of might in "Dragon Ball Super," Goku unleashed his strongest form yet in Ultra Instinct Sign. This form immediately stood out by not relying on Goku transforming into some supernatural being, but rather relying on martial arts and his own body and skills. While in Ultra Instinct Sign form, Goku's hair grows even spikier and gains silver highlights, while his eyes turn silver.
To achieve this form, Goku breaks his limitations and taps into his inner potential, and it gives him the ability to automatically and instantaneously react to any incoming attack with heightened agility. Of course, he also becomes as strong as any god, which is to be expected, but it is his agility that makes this form so powerful. Most of "Dragon Ball" is Goku getting beaten to within an inch of his life before eventually winning the fight. With this form, Goku becomes capable of avoiding most damage, without even requiring that much concentration.
1. Perfected Ultra Instinct
The ultimate form of Ultra Instinct, this is Goku's ultimate power. Perfected Ultra Instinct far surpasses any previous form, allowing Goku to easily defeat Jiren and become as strong as a God of Destruction. The only problem is that Goku needs an absolutely clear and calm mind in order to remain in this form, which also drains an incredible amount of stamina.
But the reason this is at the top of the list despite its limitations is that "Dragon Ball Super" makes it clear that Goku can train in the Perfected Ultra Instinct and become even better at it. Plus, Goku can stack Super Saiyan forms on top of his Perfected Ultra Instinct form the way he does Kaio-ken, meaning there is no ceiling to how strong this form can be.