Top 20 Times Goku Went Beast Mode

“Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler” (1992)

Despite a new metallic body, Cooler’s second shot at defeating Goku didn’t go much better than the first. It started out well enough, and after a quick thrashing, the villain was left with two new Super Saiyan batteries for his ship. Unfortunately for Cooler, Goku and Vegeta took their new positions very, very seriously. Even when the spacecraft reached its maximum charge, the two kept raising their power levels until Cooler’s entire ship went boom. After that, all it took was a single stray energy blast for Goku to secure yet another win against Frieza’s family. He didn’t even need a new transformation this time, he did with the pure might of his energy alone.

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

Before the age of Super Saiyans and beam struggles, the franchise put a much greater focus on drawn-out martial arts flurries. But, not here. Following King Piccolo’s reign of terror, Goku arrived back on the scene and wasted no time kicking some villain tail. Sadly for Drum, he was first up on the agenda. With just a single, unforgettable kick to the face, Goku sent the monster all the way back to Other World. Given that Drum nearly killed Tien, watching him get one-shot by a kid is just plain jaw-dropping. The best part, though, is that Goku did it all without even breaking a sweat.

“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

On paper, two-on-one isn’t very good odds. Especially when the pair are Frieza and Cell, who remain some of the most imposing villains the series has ever seen. But, the two failed to consider that, by “GT,” Goku had learned quite a few new tricks. So, before they could blink, the Saiyan made complete fools of them without even really trying. No matter the fact that Frieza and Cell were actually unkillable, Goku still proved that he’s simply in a different league. It’s just a shame he gets put on ice before this brawl reaches its natural conclusion. After all, if the early rounds were any indication, Goku could’ve kept this up all day.

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

After King Piccolo’s terrifying assault on Earth, Goku is quite literally on his last legs. Or, more specifically, his last arm. Thankfully, he only needed the one to take down the Demon King once and for all. Once he mustered all of his remaining strength, Goku didn’t go around or above King Piccolo - he went straight through him. It’s a wicked, glorious knockout that easily ranks among Goku’s coolest finishers ever. And he did it all with just one arm, no less. It just goes to show that not even someone as powerful as King Piccolo can stand between Goku and saving his friends.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Goku has a real nasty habit of showing up late to the party. Like, for example, during the attack of the Saiyans. In his defense, once he realized most of his friends were six-feet deep, Goku quickly made up for lost time. All it took was a brief demonstration of his Kaio-ken, and just like that, the invading-Nappa was left with a broken back and a severely bruised ego. The scariest part of the whole thing is that, somehow, this was Goku being merciful. If he’d pulled out all of the stops here, Nappa would’ve had more than just a few broken bones to worry about.

“Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon” (1995)

It’s not every day you get to see Super Saiyan 3 pushed to its limit. Let alone against a monster of Hirudegarn’s size. But, Goku’s never let that stop him before, and this time was no different. Instead, he gathered his ki, unleashed an iconic Dragon Fist, and sent the monster into utter oblivion. After all the destruction Hirudegarn caused, it’s safe to say no one expected the beast to be taken out so early. Or, at the very least, eliminated with so much style. Someone should let Tapion know that as long as Goku’s around, there’s no need for the ocarina anymore.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

Against just about anyone else, Bergamo’s energy absorption would have been a checkmate situation. But, this was versus Goku. As opposed to running the other direction, the curious Saiyan decided to see just how big his enemy would become. The answer was very, very big. And yet, even with a heaping dose of Goku’s energy, a full-powered Kamehameha still wrecked the giant-sized Bergamo in record time. Universe 9’s warrior had just about every opportunity to win this fight. But, despite it all, his grand transformation didn’t end up doing him any good. If anything, it only makes Bergamo’s laughable defeat all the more embarrassing.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Super Saiyan 3 debuted with one of the lengthiest power-up roars in the entirety of “Dragon Ball.” But, it works so well because the fight that follows does not disappoint. Majin Buu had turned everyone in his path to candy or worse, so it’s downright cathartic to see Goku flex on him with the power of a fully-evolved Saiyan. Babidi’s reaction pretty much says it all: no one has ever been able to take on Buu like this before. Goku definitely got his retribution for Vegeta, that’s for sure. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for Super Saiyan 3’s immense power-drain, Goku might have successfully wrapped up this whole saga right here.

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

After spending most of the original series as a carefree kid, it’s unshakeable seeing Goku in a true, unbridled rage for the first time. Even worse, his grief over Krillin’s murder only leaves him with two options: track down the culprit, or die trying. So, even though Tambourine is clearly too much for him, that doesn’t stop Goku from giving it his best shot. It’s a ferocious display of friendship, but in the end, the only thing Goku’s vengeful crusade accomplishes is nearly getting himself killed, too. If Tambourine hadn’t left Goku for dead, he may have ended up seeing Krillin again a lot sooner than expected.

“Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan” (1993)

There may never be a more brutal thrashing than the original bout between Goku and Broly. The Legendary Saiyan gets the honors for most of the film’s runtime, which is precisely why it’s so gratifying when the tables finally turn. After Goku receives some much-needed assistance from his allies, he practically laughs through all of Broly’s attacks. Then, with one insane gut punch Goku turns the Legendary Super Saiyan into a legend once again. It’s a reversal to end all reversals, and that’s still not doing the scene’s justice. Truly, there was no better way to cap off this film than with yet another reminder that Goku is a proud member of the Warrior Race.

“Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug” (1991)

Goku has some experience when it comes to killing off Namekians, and this giant, drugged up prune certainly wasn’t going to break that record. After being pushed to his limits, Goku finds himself consumed with a bout of righteous rage, his body glowing a distinct golden aura. This form…is not a Super Saiyan. In fact, we have no idea what it is, other than a non-canon pseudo-super form. Still, it gets the job done, since even when Slug bulked up, glittering Goku was able to break his alien body to pieces!

“Dragon Ball GT” (1996-97)

Say what you will about the overall underwhelming nature of this misguided sequel, it did have a few bright spots, and one of them was undoubtedly when Super Saiyan 4 Goku got to smash apart one of Shenron’s evil duplicates. Despite being blinded, Goku is still able to win the day against Eis Shenron by punching a hole through his gut. If that wasn’t excessive enough, he really amps up the overkill by following up with a full-on Dragon Fist! Hard to believe such an OP combination got wasted on such a forgettable villain.

“Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!” (1992)

By himself, Android 13 was just your average mass murdering machine with a trucker hat, but after chowing down on his feeble brethren and getting himself upgraded with a blue sheen, he became quite the handful. Enough to even beat the blonde out of Goku, Vegeta and Future Trunks all at once. Luckily, it’s nothing a quick Spirit Bomb absorption can’t fix. Now imbued with the power of his strongest technique, it didn’t take much for Goku to tear through the waste of scrap with a single blow.

“Dragon Ball” (1986-89)

This lot should be thankful they only had to deal with Kid Goku. If they had pissed him off during his adult years, they would have been wiped out in half the time. Of course, even as a chubby sprout of a Saiyan, Goku was still strong enough to storm an entire base and take down each corrupt soldier that came his way. Even when facing down their military and robotic prowess, Goku’s innate strength, power pole and Kamehameha proved more than the Red Ribbon Army could handle.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

Even when partially tapping into the limitless potential of Ultra Instinct, Goku proved it was more than enough to overcome what would otherwise be impossible odds. With their fusion surpassing all of Goku’s previous forms, Caulifa and Kale appeared to be on one hell of a winning streak, continually levelling up as the Tournament of Power progressed. Alas, that all came to an unceremonious close when Goku parkoured over their own ki blast to deliver a Kamehameha straight to the face. Guess they’ve still got room for improvement.

“Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge” (1991)

Granted, he may have a slicker design when it comes to his final form, but unlike his brother, Cooler was granted no mercy and certainly won’t be returning for any future instalments of the DB-verse. Even with his transformation, Frieza’s sibling hopelessly floundered against Goku’s Super Saiyan form, wherein he falls prey to what would sadly go on to become a lazy trope among DB flicks – getting blasted into the sun. Still, as far as trendsetters go, watching Goku go all out to extinguish Frieza’s immediate family was pretty sweet!

“Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods” (2013)

While Goku may not have technically defeated the God of Destruction outright in this galactic brawl, it was one of the best demonstrations of his capabilities when pushed to his limit. Now with the power of the Super Saiyan God at his disposal, Goku was able to finally go toe to toe with Beerus, who by this point had decided to bring an end to the Earth. The whole thing may have been brought to a stalemate, but watching Goku howl in determination and cancel out that supernova made for some epic viewing!

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

He’s been challenged, he’s been put under pressure, but rare is it do you see Goku give into bloodlust. After Goku Black divulges the revelation that in his timeline, not only did he take Goku’s body for his own, but also slaughtered his wife and son, the original Saiyan loses it. Consumed with anger, he immediately turns the table on Goku Black and Zamasu, blasting and pummelling them with every intention of ending them. This is what happens when you mess with a Saiyan’s family.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96)

Arguably the most iconic battle across the entire Dragon Ball franchise, and the one that gave birth to the golden-haired warrior we all know and love. With many of his comrades finished off by the space tyrant, Goku’s anger unlocks the legendary form of Super Saiyan. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper. Now on par with Frieza’s final form, Goku’s new look proved to be strong enough to knock the space-Jesus out of his nemesis. The threat of a dying planet and one last act of mercy may have done nothing to sway Frieza from his ruinous ways, but Goku’s final attack sure got him to see the light.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18)

His ascension to Super Saiyan may be his most iconic moment, but Goku’s biggest flex is without question the time when he mastered the form only reserved for the strongest beings in the multiverse…and used it to beat the shit out of Jiren. With the Tournament of Power coming to a close, it fell to Goku to ensure Universe 7’s survival, with his only obstacle being the absurdly powerful alien. When Jiren is backed to a corner, he attempts to kill Goku’s friends, a decision he soon regrets as Goku goes to town with him!