Talking about Goku, the protagonist of Dragon Ball, there’s no way not to mention his repertoire of moves that leave any fan excited. Of course, everyone knows the famous Kamehameha, the Spirit Bomb and Ultra Instinct, movements that marked not only the series, but also influenced other works, such as Gintama and Reincarnated as Slime. This in itself already shows how much these movements have become pop culture icons.
Goku’s Underrated Technique: Instant Transmission
An Underappreciated but Powerful Movement
But look, Goku has more up his sleeve than just these flashy moves. One such technique, which perhaps hasn’t gained as much attention as it should, is Instant Transmission. This move isn’t as visually spectacular as a Kamehameha, but it has saved Goku and his friends several times.
Instant Transmission is basically teleportation. While several Dragon Ball characters boast of being fast, they all still need to physically move from place to place. Instant Transmission, on the other hand, allows Goku to go from one point to another in the blink of an eye, without even needing to move a muscle. This puts Goku on another level of speed, leaving even the fastest ones behind.
Goku learned this technique after facing Frieza on Planet Namek. When Frieza destroyed the planet, Goku managed to escape in one of the Ginyu Force Pods, which took him to Yardrat. This planet, which was under Frieza’s jurisdiction, was home to people who were not so physically strong, but had incredible spiritual abilities, including Instant Transmission. Goku spent a year there, recovering and learning this technique, which required a lot of focus and concentration – things that are not his strong suit. After mastering it, he returned to Earth, ready to show off this spectacular trick.
Goku’s Instant Transmission Mechanism
Understanding how the technique works
Now, let’s take a deeper look at Instant Transmission, Goku’s impressive trick. Basically, the technique works by teleporting Goku to a chosen location, which is marked by someone’s specific Ki signature. Every living thing has its own unique Ki signature, and that’s what Instant Transmission uses to take Goku exactly where he wants to go. The process is divided into three parts: First, Goku locates the Ki signature. Then, he enters a dimension that is outside of time and space. Finally, he leaves this dimension directly at the target location. All of this happens in the blink of an eye.
The challenge here is locating the right Ki signature. Goku is good at this, but even he needs to concentrate a lot. That’s why you always see him putting his fingers on his temple when he goes to use the technique.
The cool thing is that, with this technique, Goku can basically go anywhere in the universe, and even to other dimensions or universes. This includes travel to King Kai’s domain, which is on another plane of existence. The only limitation, for now, is that it still cannot reach other universes because it cannot detect Ki signatures so far away. Another interesting point is that Goku can take other people and objects with him, depending on his skill.
Using Instant Transmission in Combat
Strategies and Tactics with Technique
What about using Instant Transmission in combat? Oh, she’s super useful. One of the ways Goku uses this technique is to ambush enemies. He can appear anywhere, totally unnoticed, as he did to intercept Majin Buu’s plan to destroy cities. This also gives Goku a huge advantage in combat, as he can surprise his opponent by suddenly appearing.
Additionally, Goku also uses Instant Transmission to move his enemies to a more appropriate battlefield. This could be to prevent destruction in populated areas or to protect the planet from an angry adversary. A perfect example of this was during his final fight with Cell.
But perhaps the most interesting use of this technique is in surprise attacks. The “Instant Kamehameha” is a great example: Goku starts charging the Kamehameha and, at the last second, uses Instant Transmission to appear close to the opponent, launching the surprise attack.
It’s fascinating to see how Instant Transmission is not just a means of transportation, but a vital strategic tool in Goku’s arsenal. And the most interesting thing is that, besides the inhabitants of Yardrat, only a small number of people in the entire multiverse master this technique. This makes it one of Goku’s most unique and underrated abilities. So, did you enjoy learning more about this technique? It’s too much, isn’t it?
The Dragon Ball anime is available in full on Crunchyroll.
