Whenever the Dragon Ball anime uses the great ape form

The Dragon ball The series has always been known for some of the most epic transformations in anime history. From flashy Super Saiyans to iconic final forms, Dragon ball fans have seen it all. But one of the coolest, albeit rarer, transformations in the series is the Great Ape transformation. It has existed since the original Dragon ball series and was a force to be reckoned with, especially at the beginning Dragon Ball Z.

The coolest thing about the great ape transformation is that it is deeply connected to Saiyan lore. Whenever the Saiyans looked at the full moon, they transformed into a giant ape ten times stronger than their humanoid form. The scary part is that this transformation requires no stamina or Ki loss and draws parallels to Piccolo's giant form. The form is largely believed to be the reason why Saiyans were feared throughout the galaxy.

8 Dragon ball – When the emperor set a trap for Goku and his friends

The first time Goku transforms on screen

This is the first time a great ape transformation is seen in the series. Emperor Pilaf captures Goku along with Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong in a cell designed to amplify the sun's rays. His idea was to burn Goku and his friends to death. However, as they are held captive in a cell on a full moon night, Goku ends up staring at it and transforms into a monkey for the first time on screen.

While this is the first time viewers have seen Goku transform into a monkey, it is not the first time he has done so. Canonically, Goku's transformation into a monkey is what killed Grandpa Gohan, his adoptive father in the series, when he landed on Earth as an infant.

7 Dragon Ball – at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament

During Goku's fight against Jackie Chun

The second and final time we see Goku transform into a canon monkey Dragon ball series is when he fights Jackie Chun at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament in Dragon ball. Jackie Chun – Goku's teacher, master Roshi in disguise, battles Goku to test his abilities and complete his training.

Goku is noticeably stronger than his former teacher, but the fight is still fun. Until when Goku sees a full moon and doesn't regrow his tail after his last transformation. He transforms into a great ape, and Yamcha considers cutting off his tail again to return him to normal, but Jackie Chun fires a Kamehameha wave at Goku, seemingly killing him as a great ape, only for Goku to emerge unharmed. his normal humanoid form later and finish the fight.

6 Dragon Ball Z – In the desert of Piccolo

Gohan transforms for the first time

After Goku's death during a battle against Raditz, Piccolo kidnaps his son Gohan and takes him to the desert to train him, noticing his immense power when enraged and considering training him to become his protégé. His way of training Gohan is to throw him into a wilderness full of wild animals and other challenges, telling him that the first step of training is to survive the night.

It turns out to be the night of the full moon, and after a long day of surviving in the desert, Gohan, exhausted, scrambles up a narrow cliff to get some sleep in a safe place. As a result, he looks at the moon and turns into a monkey. Piccolo destroys the moon, returning Gohan to normal. Piccolo also plucks Gohan's tail while he sleeps.

5 Dragon Ball Z – Goku vs. Vegeta

The prince of all Saiyans turns into a monster

During the Sayan saga in Dragon Ball Zafter Napa's defeat by Goku, Vegeta mercilessly kills him out of sheer frustration and challenges Goku to a duel. Vegeta proves to be much more of a threat than even Goku realized, putting up a strong fight with Goku, who pushed his body to the limit using the Kaioken technique multiplied by three.

Annoyed by Goku's ability to keep up with his strength in battle, Vegeta decides to turn into a monkey to finish the job. To his dismay, he realizes that Earth's moon has been destroyed. However, he reveals that the Saiyans have learned to create artificial companions to turn into an ape at will, which he does. Eventually, Yajirobe cuts off his own tail as he is distracted by Gohan, Krillin, and a crippled Goku, transforming the Saiyan prince back into a humanoid.

4 Dragon Ball Z – Gohan transforms again

Great Ape Gohan crushes an injured Vegeta

After transforming Vegeta into a regular Saiyan, he is badly injured and frustrated by the resilience of Earth's warriors. He takes his time beating up Yajirobe for cutting off his tail. Meanwhile, he forgets that he left his artificial sun, which Gohan ends up looking at. Gohan's tail has grown back since Piccolo last cut it off. Unlike Vegeta, both Goku and Gohan have grown tails at least once in the anime.

This causes Gohan to turn into a monkey. Vegeta, to his credit, is able to survive even Gohan's rampage, though mostly avoiding it. As a result, he used the Destructo Disc to cut off Gohan's tail. Unfortunately for him, this caused Gohan to fall on top of him as he gradually transformed back into a normal Saiyan child, crushing Vegeta in the process.

3 Dragon Ball GT – Goku transforms into a golden great ape

Super Saiyan monkey

Dragon Ball GT this is the next time we see the great ape form, especially during the Baby Vegeta saga. When even Super Saiyan 3 isn't enough for Goku to fight Baby's alien parasite in Vegeta's body, he's on the edge. Old Kai believes Goku can only win by growing a tail, so he does it for Goku. The battle takes place on a nearby planet from which Earth is visible. Goku, even with his tail, is no match for Baby Vegeta, who has become extremely powerful at this point.

Goku looks down at Earth as he lays on the ground, desperately trying to save his friends. This causes him to transform into a monkey, only this time it's golden, meaning it's a Super Saiyan monkey. In this form, he is much stronger than Baby Vegeta, but is too primitive to stay focused and just goes on a rampage. Until Pan talks him into controlling him, he transforms back into a normal Saiyan, except this time in his new Super Saiyan 4 form.

2 Dragon Ball GT – Baby Vegeta transforms with the Blutz Wave Generator

The first non-Saiyan to turn into a monkey

Goku battles Baby Vegeta in his newly unlocked Super Saiyan 4 transformation. Pushed to the limit against Goku's new form, Baby Mind Controls Bulma to use her Blutz Wave Generator on him, allowing him to use Vegeta's body to transform into the Golden Monkey . He is on par with Goku in this form, and is the first time in the series that a non-Saiyan can use the form.

Since Baby is a parasite that just uses Vegeta's body, he is still able to maintain control of the Golden Great Ape form until Goku works with Majin Buu (Majin Buu merged with Wub) to defeat Raspberry Vegeta in his Golden Great Ape form .

1 Dragon Ball GT – Vegeta uses Bulma's Blutz Wave Generator

Finally unlocking Super Saiyan 4

In the final battle of Dragon Ball GT, Omega Shenron, who had merged with the other Shenrons, proved to be too much even for Super Saiyan 4 Goku. Vegeta firmly believes that the only way to defeat him is with the power of two Super Saiyan 4s. Noticing that Goku has achieved transformation by turning into an ape and gaining control over his form, Vegeta asks Bulma to use the Blutz Wave Generator she created for Baby on him.

Unlike Goku's Super Saiyan 4 transformation, Vegeta transforms into a normal ape and like Goku goes on a rampage until Goku talks him out of it and Vegeta is finally able to transform into Super Saiyan 4. This is a departure from Vegeta's original great ape ape transformation, so that Vegeta is able to store his stream of consciousness even in his Great Ape form when he first fights Goku on Earth.