Goku’s 8 Powers You Probably Missed

Goku’s 8 Powers You Probably Missed

Goku as we well know had many powers. Some would reveal themselves while Goku was under different emotional states, other powers would reveal themselves only after being taught to Goku. Still even more powers , as we will see, weren’t taught to Goku, but rather manga’s hero par excellence has a bit of a perfect ability to mimic any powers used against him. While there are far too many powers than this article has the space to name, I wanted to share with you eight lesser-known powers you may have missed. Some of them will surprise you, no doubt!

1. Jan Ken Punch: Rock, Paper, Scissors (Jan Ken) is Goku’s special attack in early Dragon Ball, but it is soon replaced by the Kamehameha. In Japanese, its user shouts “Jan Ken”, then a name corresponding to the attack. “Gu”, equals rock and indicates that there will be a strong punch. “Chyoki”, equals scissors and Goku’s adversary can expect a poke in the eyes. “Pa”, equals paper and will be an open palm strike otherwise known as SLAP. In the English dub of Dragon Ball, the scissor part was cut out.
2. Telepathy: Goku will never have as strong a telepathy skill as a god like Kaiou, who can literally communicate across the galaxy (he even said this in the Boo arc around the time Vegeta mentions that they’re going to use the Genki-Dama — we see Kaiou talking to Goku and his friends on Earth from his planet in the afterlife). While we never see Goku perform telepathy at that level, he still sometimes relies on his godly powers to help him and his friends, like when he is checking up on the Saiyans (saying something like, “We’ve got some flying Saiyans, all right. On a road to reach Earth in six months. . . “), then in the Freeza arc to ascertain the location of Namek and its population. King Kai is possibly one of the most famous users of this technique, as he is able to speak with people all across the universe at once, something the Supreme Kais thought was impossible. It can be assumed that he taught it to Goku while he trained with him in the Other World, as Goku uses telepathy to stop Krillin from finishing Vegeta after their battle on Earth. Goku also uses telepathy in order to read Krillin’s mind to catch up on their experiences on Planet Namek. Guru can communicate telepathically with his Namekian offspring as well as others. He is also capable of reading a person’s mind while drawing out their power.
3. Handheld Genki Dama: Considered to be the ultimate technique of the Kaio of the North, as well as the trump card of his student, Son Goku, the Genki Dama is regarded as a powerful technique geared toward the destruction of the victim. What sets the Genki Dama apart from most ki manipulation techniques in the series is that it is fueled by the energy gathered from one’s living surroundings. The user, who must be at internal peace, focuses their thoughts on living beings around them — animals and plants, anything with a life force — and pulls on their energy. The accumulated energy gathered by the user is gathered at a specific point

Genki Dama is a technique which can only be performed by a mind undisturbed by negative thoughts; in other words, a pure heart, which is what makes Goku such an excellent user of the technique, and possibly explains why the Kaio of the North never taught the technique to the other members of Dragon Team that had trained under him on his planet. It is also due to this that Goku becomes unable to use the technique while in his Super Saiyan state, as the rage and savage Saiyan tendencies induced by the transformation make the heart and mind clouded.

4. Kienzan: Also known as the Destructor Disk, the Kienzan is Krillin’s signature move but few remember near the end of Dragon Ball where Goku uses Krillin’s brutal technique. Goku arrives with the Potara earrings that are necessary to rescue gohan from Buutenksl. The djinn are cut in half at the torso. Goku should have been facing a full fight but his spared by Buutenks who absorbs Gohan and senses Vegeta nearby. Rare for Goku because of it’s brutal results, the Kienzan is only used by Goku if it is absolutely necessary.
5. Hakai: After achieving Perfected Super Saiyan Blue, Goku is able to perform the Hakai to a limited degree, however, it is much slower than Beerus’, destroying Fused Zamasu progressively and requiring concentration throughout — thus Fused Zamasu takes advantage of the weakness by using Future Mai as a human shield, stopping the technique. Top also uses this method in the Dragon Ball Heroes manga, however, Cumber is able to halt it with his fist. Belmod simply aims his palm at his target and they quickly turn to dust.

The weakest iteration of Hakai releases no destructive power with it’s usage and simply turns the target to dust, an incomplete version of this basic level can be used by someone who is powerful but has no Hakai training, such as Goku. With the more advanced Hakai that releases destructive power — as he has only recently begun learning the technique — Vegeta can only destroy small/weak objects like rocks and large logs, Granolah can destroy very large boulders, while the God of Destruction Beerus can use Hakai on entire planets, releasing a tremendous amount of destructive power.

7. Healing: Goku has on occasion demonstrated minor healing powers when in his Super Saiyan forms. In the movieDragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge, Goku restores the health to an injured bird after Cooler struck it down. During the Tournament of Power, a desperate Goku was able to use his Super Saiyan Blue power to heal Master Roshi. However, it may simply be that Goku gave his target some of his energy, similar to what he did with Frieza. Goku also later showed he can partially heal himself, as during Vegeta’s battle wirh Granolah, Goku began to use his own ki to heal himself of the injuries that Granolah had inflicted upon him. Goku’s Super Saiyan transformations, instant transmission, and Kamehameha technique are the stuff of legend, but those who paid enough attention to the Dragonball franchise will have noticed that Goku has plenty more tricks up his sleeve. So many, in fact, that it’s a wonder he doesn’t use them more often. Of course, a lot depends on whether or not they are actually canon, but we’re including all instances where Goku has shown an ability of which we didn’t know he was capable.
8. Super Sense of Smell: One of Goku’s characteristics in early Dragon Ball was his olfactory sensitivity. Goku had a very keen sense of smell. He could track people and objects, smell food from afar and was very sensitive to strong and putrid smells. Goku’s sense of smell is depicted as being similar to that of a dogs and though Goku is more like a primate than a canine, his strong nose comes from his Saiyan biology. This could have been used for some interesting fights and strategies but it seems like it was forgotten halfway through the series. With Super’s knack for bringing back old techniques and have fights be more strategy-oriented (some of the time. . . ), you’d think they’d bring back this trait in order to give Goku a good fight in which his nose would help him somehow defeat the enemy.

We could go on and on listing Goku’s lesser known powers (and there are plenty to list), but I want to conclude this list with a bit of an explanation why and how Goku’s various characteristics know no bounds. Just read this dialogue between Goku and Team Four Star from Dragon Ball Z Abridged, “Episode 58”:

GOKU: Sorry, Cell. I’m here to win! And you’re never gonna beat me with your stolen techniques!

PERFECT CELL: And what, are you gonna beat me with your stolen techniques?

GOKU: What!? I don’t steal techniques!

PICCOLO: Actually, Goku…yeah, you do.

GOKU: Whhaaaaaa? What about the Kamehameha?

KRILLIN: Naw, that was Master Roshi.

GOKU: The Solar Flare?

TIEN: That’s mine, thanks.

GOKU: The Spirit Bo — ?

KING KAI: (over on his planet) Goku, I’m watching the tournament, don’t think you can pull that shit!

GOKU: Oh hey, King Kai! Quick question: Did I learn the Kaioken on my own?

KING KAI: My f**cking name is in it…

So, Goku is a master at absorbing the powers and skill sets of mostly anyone in the Dragon Ball Z universe. And who said one of the most influential characters in manga requires complete originality? Some of the best hero’s in and outside of the world of manga have to take inspiration from somewhere. That’s some good character development and I think knowledge of Goku’s technique of mimicry only enriches his character.