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Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball has endured for more than three decades and at this point there should be little doubt that it’s a shonen series that’s here to stay. Audiences continue to celebrate Dragon Ball for a number of reasons, whether it’s the suspenseful storytelling, impressive animation, or the hundreds of lovable characters. Goku is Dragon Ball’s guiding light and audiences have watched this special Saiyan grow up from a precocious child to a battle-weary warrior with the power of a God.
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Goku’s physical strength is vital to his victories, but so are the many unique techniques that he’s added to his arsenal. Some of Goku’s maneuvers, like the Kamehameha or Spirit Bomb, are in regular rotation. Goku also knows some more obscure moves that are easy to forget because they’re rarely utilized.
Goku’s Telepathy Helps Him Get Into Others’ Heads
Communication is vital on the battlefield and Goku and many other Dragon Ball heroes have suffered defeat when they neglect such a thing. Telepathy is a popular psychic ability in science fiction, but its use in Dragon Ball is much more erratic. Telepathy is most famously used in Dragon Ball when Goku arrives on Planet Namek and uses the power to get caught up on what he’s missed.
This skill is likely introduced to simplify the storytelling, but that doesn’t mean that Goku’s telepathy couldn’t be used in future endeavors. Goku could even invade his enemy’s thoughts and learn their plan of attack.
Dragon Fist Transforms Goku Into An Unwieldy Creature Of Carnage
Goku will occasionally spend an entire arc attempting to master a new technique, but then there are other skills that appear out of nowhere with zero context on how they came to be. The 13th Dragon Ball Z movie, Wrath of the Dragon, concludes with the explosive release of Goku’s Dragon Fist.
This technique ostensibly turns Goku into a dragon, which proceeds to tear through and constrict its target. Some Dragon Ball fans consider Goku’s Dragon Fist to be non-canonical since it only shows up in a movie and then again during Dragon Ball GT. A Dragon Fist appearance in Dragon Ball Super would go a long way.
Super Saiyan Healing Uses The Warrior Race’s Power To Reverse Damage
Dragon Ball places a tremendous amount of importance on the idea of a Super Saiyan before it becomes a common occurrence in the series. Goku’s initial Super Saiyan transformation on Planet Namek slightly inflates the powers of the hero’s new form.
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A memorable moment occurs during Goku’s fight against Cooler when he sees a wounded sparrow and uses his Super Saiyan energy to heal the bird back to full strength. It’s a beautiful moment that reflects that a Super Saiyan doesn’t need to be a tool of destruction. Dragon Ball Super briefly returns to this idea with Super Saiyan God Goku’s God Heal, but it’s still a forgotten footnote.
Goku’s Mastered Cloning To Help Increase His Numbers In Battle
There have been creative ways to manipulate perception and create the illusion of extra fighters ever since the original Dragon Ball. After-Image Techniques and other crafty skills can give the impression of clones, but Goku actually attains this skill once he dips into the higher levels of Ultra Instinct.
In Mastered Ultra Instinct, Goku can summon powerful clones of himself, which he prominently uses against Granolah. Goku’s massive energy avatar that he wields against Moro and Gas could also be viewed as a form of cloning. Cloning is the perfect way for Goku to close in on his opponent, but it’s yet to become a regular tool in his arsenal.
Tail-Helicopter Technique Takes Goku To The Skies
It’s hard to believe that there was a time in Dragon Ball where characters were stuck on the ground and mid-air battles seemed impossible. A young Goku flippantly turns his tail into a makeshift helicopter blade, which allows him temporary flight. Admittedly, the reason that Goku no longer uses this technique is because he can fly through ki manipulation and doesn’t need to rely on this inferior travel method.
It’s also been ages since Goku has actually had a tail. However, Goku still barely utilizes his Tail-Helicopter Technique during his younger years before he can rocket through the sky. It feels more like a sight gag than a practical skill.
Spirit Bomb Absorption Remixes One Of Goku’s Most Powerful Techniques
The Spirit Bomb is one of Goku’s most popular finishing moves and it’s the ultimate celebration of how much people have grown to trust him. Many of Dragon Ball’s biggest villains have been eviscerated by Goku’s Spirit Bomb, but in one unusual scenario Goku actually uses this collected energy as a source of power instead of an overwhelming projectile.
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In the seventh Dragon Ball Z movie, Super Android 13!, it’s this Spirit Bomb Absorption that gives Goku the necessary strength to destroy the fused mechanical menace. Goku also appears to unintentionally absorb his Spirit Bomb prior to his initial Ultra Instinct awakening in the Tournament of Power.
Eight-Arm Fist Turns Goku Into A Multi-Limbed Legend
Initially developed by King Chappa, the Eight-Arms Technique involves the speedy movement of one's limbs to give the impression that they have eight arms. Chappa uses this technique on Goku during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, but Goku is able to make it his own during his fight against Tien.
Goku counters Tien's Four Witches Technique with his Eight-Arm Fist. It's a flashy skill, but one that's become increasingly irrelevant to Goku as he gets stronger. Although, it'd be amazing to see current Goku use an upgraded Eight Million-Arm Fist and push it further.
The Evil Containment Wave Is A Tricky Technique To Neutralize Wickedness
Master Roshi speaks of the Evil Containment Wave with extreme reverence during the original Dragon Ball. The Evil Containment Wave is a special procedure that allows demonic individuals to get sealed away in a sacred container. The Evil Containment Wave is proposed as a way to defeat Demon King Piccolo, but Goku doesn’t learn the ability until several decades later in Dragon Ball Super.
The Evil Containment Wave seems like it might be the heroes’ breakthrough when it comes to the defeat of the immortal Zamasu. Things don’t go as planned, but it’s frustrating that Goku hasn’t attempted to use it again against Moro or Gas.
Rock, Scissors 'N' Paper Turns Combat Into Comedic Charades
Dragon Ball has become an action-packed and dramatically suspenseful anime, but the original Dragon Ball comes from highly comedic roots. Action slowly takes precedence over broad gag comedy, although humor has never fully left the series. Rock, Scissors ‘N’ Paper is one of Goku’s sillier go-to techniques during his youth.
There’s really nothing special about this technique and it’s mostly effective because it catches the opponent by surprise. It definitely makes more sense to finish off a foe with a Kamehameha than a poke to the eyes, but it’d still be quite amusing if Goku were to use Rock, Scissors ‘N’ Paper on Beerus or Black Frieza.
Hakai Is Pure Destructive Energy With Irrevocable Consequences
Hakai, also known as Destruction, is the primary tool that Lord Beerus and other Gods of Destruction use to erase undesirables from existence. It’s a huge deal when Hakai is used by anyone outside this small pool of people and Goku briefly accesses some of this strength when he’s locked in combat with Fused Zamasu.
This pure destructive energy seems somewhat antithetical to Goku’s beliefs, which is perhaps why he hasn’t attempted to work the skill into his routine. Conversely, Vegeta has become more comfortable with Hakai power and it seems like the right expression for his rage.
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