Whenever the Great Ape form is used in the Dragon Ball anime

THE Dragon Ball has always been known for some of the most epic transformations in anime history. From screaming Super Saiyans to iconic final forms, Dragon Ball fans saw it all. But one of the coolest, albeit rarest, transformations in the series is the Great Ape transformation. It exists from the original Dragon Ball series and was a force to be reckoned with, especially early on Dragon Ball Z.

The coolest thing about the Great Ape's 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 more powerful than their humanoid form. Terrifyingly, this transformation has no cost in terms of stamina or Ki and draws parallels to Piccolo's giant form. The form is widely considered the reason why Saiyans were feared throughout the galaxy.

8 Dragon Ball – When Emperor Pilaf traps Goku and his friends

The first time Goku transforms on screen

This is the first time in the series that the Great Ape's transformation is seen. Emperor Pilaf captures Goku, along with Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong in a chamber meant to amplify the sun's rays. His idea was to burn Goku and his friends alive. However, as they are held captive in the chamber during the night of the full moon, Goku ends up staring at her and transforming into a Great Ape for the first time on screen.

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

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

During Goku's fight against Jackie Chun

The second and last time we see Goku transform into a Great Ape in canon fashion Dragon Ball The series is when he fights Jackie Chun at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament of Dragon Ball. Jackie Chun is Goku's mentor, Master Roshi in disguise, who battles Goku to test his abilities and push his training to the limit.

Goku is noticeably stronger than his former mentor, but the fight is still fun. Up until the point where Goku sees the full moon and has regrown his tail since the last time he transformed. He transforms into a Great Ape, and Yamcha considers cutting off his tail again to return him to normal, but Jackie Chun launches a Kamehameha wave at Goku, seemingly killing him in his great ape form, only for Goku to emerge unharmed. adjust his humanoid form later and he will finish the fight.

6 Dragon Ball Z – Piccolo's Desert

Gohan transforms for the first time

After Goku's death during the fight against Raditz, Piccolo kidnaps his son Gohan and takes him to the desert to train him, noting his immense power when enraged and planning to train him to become his protégé. His way of training Gohan is to throw him into a desert 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 a full moon night and after a long day of surviving in the desert, an exhausted Gohan climbs up a narrow cliff to get some sleep in a safe place. He ends up looking at the moon and turning into a great ape. Piccolo destroys the moon, returning Gohan to normal. For good measure, Piccolo also tears off Gohan's tail when he sleeps.

5 Dragon Ball Z-Goku vs. Vegeta

The prince of all Saiyans transforms into a monster

During the Saiyan saga in Dragon Ball Zafter Nappa's defeat at the hands of Goku, Vegeta ruthlessly kills him out of pure disappointment and challenges Goku to a duel. Vegeta proves to be a much bigger threat than even Goku anticipated, fighting hard against Goku, who pushed his body to its limits by using the Kaioken technique three times.

Annoyed by Goku's ability to keep up with his strength in the fight, Vegeta decides to transform into a Great Ape to finish the job. Much to his despair, he realizes that Earth's moon has been destroyed. However, he reveals that the Saiyans have learned to create artificial moons to transform into Great Apes at will, which he does. Ultimately, Yajirobe cuts off his tail when distracted by Gohan, Krillin, and the paralyzed Goku, transforming the Saiyan prince into a humanoid.

4 Dragon Ball Z – Gohan transforms again

Great Ape Gohan crushes a wounded Vegeta

After Vegeta transforms back into a normal Saiyan, he is severely injured and frustrated by the resilience of Earth's warriors. He proceeds to take his time beating 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 at this point since it was last torn off by Piccolo. Unlike Vegeta, both Goku and Gohan grew tails at least once in the anime.

This leads Gohan to transform into a Great Ape. Vegeta, to his credit, is able to survive Gohan's fury as well, albeit mostly by dodging him. He ends up using a Destructo Disk to cut off Gohan's tail. Unfortunately for him, this leads to Gohan falling on top of him as he gradually transforms back into a normal Saiyan child, crushing Vegeta in the process.

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

A Super Saiyan great ape

Dragonball GT is the next time we see the form of the Great Ape, specifically during the Baby Vegeta saga. When even Super Saiyan 3 is not enough for Goku to fight the alien parasite Baby in Vegeta's body, he is pushed to the brink. Old Kaioshin believes that the only way Goku can win is to regrow his tail, so he does it for Goku. The fight takes place on a nearby planet from which the Earth is visible. Goku, even with his tail, is no match for Baby Vegeta, who has become immensely powerful at this point.

Goku looks down at Earth as he lies beaten on the ground, desperate to save his friends. This causes him to transform into a Great Ape, only this time he is golden, meaning he is a Super Saiyan Great Ape. He is much stronger than Baby Vegeta in this form, but is too primitive to stay focused and simply goes on a rampage. Until Pan talks him into control, he transforms into a normal Saiyan again, except this time in the new Super Saiyan 4 form.

2 Dragon Ball GT – Baby Vegeta transforms using a Blutz wave generator

The first non-Saiyan to transform into a monkey

Goku is fighting Baby Vegeta in his newly unlocked Super Saiyan 4 transformation. Pushed to the brink of Goku's new form, Baby mind-controls Bulma to use her Blutz Wave Generator on him, which allows him to use Vegeta's body to transform into a golden great ape. He is evenly matched with Goku in this form, and it is the first time in the series that a Non-Saiyan is able to use the form.

Since Baby is a parasite who simply uses Vegeta's body, he is still able to maintain control over the Golden Great Ape form until Goku works with Majuub (Majin Buu fused with Uub) to defeat Baby Vegeta in his Dragon form. Great Golden Ape.

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

Finally unlock Super Saiyan 4

In the final battle of Dragon Ball GT, Omega Shenron, who has fused with the other Shenrons, proves 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 the transformation by transforming into a Great Ape and gaining control over the form, Vegeta asks Bulma to use the Blutz wave generator she built for Baby on him.

Unlike Goku's Super Saiyan 4 transformation, Vegeta transforms into a normal Great Ape and, just like Goku, goes on a rampage until Goku convinces him and Vegeta is finally able to transform into a Super Saiyan 4. This it is a deviation from Vegeta's original Super Saiyan 4. ape transformation because Vegeta is able to maintain his stream of consciousness even in his Great Ape form when he first fights Goku on Earth.