Owing to Dragon Ball’s roots as a martial arts story, Goku is one of the few characters who never lets up on his training. Ever since the early days of the series, Goku has always been seeking higher power through self-improvement and the teachings of others, and that’s led to him becoming one of the strongest characters in the entire franchise.

Goku’s immense raw power is one thing, but even that would be nothing without the specific techniques used to channel it. Whether they’re martial arts techniques or some of the more fantastical energy-based abilities that have become staples of the franchise, Goku has always had a wide array of powers and abilities at his disposal in Dragon Ball, all of which are almost always the deciding factors in his biggest fights. Some of Goku’s powers have gone on to become iconic parts of Dragon Ball and anime, in general, and with that sort of iconography, they’re all plenty worth highlighting.

Situational techniques of Goku's and moves that aren't treated as regular techniques of his in the anime or manga won't be counted.

15 Goku’s First Signature Move Weaponized A Classic Game

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Episode 3

Goku’s first-ever signature technique in Dragon Ball was Rock Scissors Paper, a martial arts combo that, as the name implies, involves punching someone, poking them in the eyes with two fingers, and then finishing them off with a palm strike. Goku stopped using it as he got older, but it remains one of the most iconic techniques of early Dragon Ball thanks in large part to how often Kid Goku uses the move in video games.

14 The Kamehameha Is One Of The Most Iconic Attacks In All Of Anime

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Episode 8

The first of Dragon Ball’s iconic energy attacks was Goku’s Kamehameha technique, a move invented by Master Roshi that Goku picked up almost immediately after seeing it used as a child. Goku and other characters have used numerous variations of the Kamehameha over the years like homing versions, shooting it from the ’s feet, and even using it to skate across another energy blast, and it’s long since become one of the most iconic attacks in all of anime.

13 Goku’s Great Ape Transformation Was The First Clue That He Wasn’t Human

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Episode 12

Near the end of Dragon Ball’s first arc, it was revealed that Goku turns into a giant monkey, later called a Great Ape, whenever he looks at a full moon, and in the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, Goku’s Great Ape transformation would be revealed to be one of the signature abilities of the alien race called the Saiyans, of which Goku is one of the last surviving . Goku lost the ability to turn into a Great Ape after Kami cut off his tail, but it’s still something Goku is technically capable of, regardless.

12 Solar Flare Is Far More Associated With Goku Than Its Original

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Episode 141

The Solar Flare is a powerful technique that releases a blinding flash of light that even the most powerful of enemies are paralyzed by, allowing the an easy moment to retreat or counterattack. While the Solar Flare was originally used by Tien, Goku and Krillin have used the Solar Flare far more often than Tien from Dragon Ball Z, onward, and it’s typically seen as one of their abilities more often than it is one of Tien’s.

11 The Kaioken Was Goku’s First Transformation Ability

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Z Episode 29

Dragon Ball is famous for having characters who can take on powerful transformations, and the first major one of those was Goku’s Kaioken, a technique that multiplies his power at the cost of an increasing amount of physical damage. While Kaioken was phased out after the appearance of Super Saiyan, Dragon Ball Super introduced Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken, which combined the strengths and weaknesses of both forms, and became Goku’s strongest form for a large portion of the series.

10 The Spirit Bomb Is Goku’s Strongest Technique Under The Right Circumstances

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Z Episode 21

In addition to the Kaioken, King Kai also taught Goku the Spirit Bomb, a technique that gathers the energy of anyone willing to give it into a single massive attack. While the Spirit Bomb has infamously failed to end a fight more often than not in canon, it was still the deciding move against Kid Buu, and the Spirit Bomb was often Goku’s finishing move in the Dragon Ball Z movies, so it’s still become plenty iconic on its own.

9 Telepathy Is One Of Goku’s Weirdest Abilities

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Z Episode 35

As Krillin was about to kill Vegeta at the end of the Saiyan saga, Goku suddenly revealed that he had telepathy and begged Krillin to spare him with his mind; Goku would later use telepathy again to read Krillin’s mind on Namek and keep tabs on everything that happened in the Android saga while he was asleep. It can be assumed that Goku's telepathy was something he learned from King Kai during their training, but that’s never explicitly stated, and it remains one of Goku’s weirdest powers, by far.

8 Super Saiyan Was One Of The Defining Elements Of Modern Anime

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Z Episode 95

In the climax of the Namek saga, Goku, filled with rage after witnessing Frieza kill Krillin, unlocked the legendary Super Saiyan transformation, increasing his power to the highest it had ever been and letting him easily defeat Frieza. Since its first appearance, Goku and other characters have unlocked multiple different levels and variations of Super Saiyan, and overall, the iconic nature of Super Saiyan kickstarted the trend of anime heroes having bombastic transformations, making it one of the most fundamental elements of modern anime.

7 Spirit Control Is Responsible For One Of Goku’s Most Iconic Abilities

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Z Episode 123

After narrowly escaping from an exploding Namek, Goku spent a year on planet Yardrat learning Spirit Control, an advanced form of energy manipulation that can be used to greatly augment one’s power and learn a variety of techniques. Spirit Control is the basis of Goku’s iconic Instant Transmission, which lets him teleport anywhere in the universe, so long as he can sense someone’s energy, and in Dragon Ball Super’s Galactic Patrol Prisoner saga, Goku learns how to use Spirit Control to create a giant clone of himself made of pure energy.

6 Goku Introduced A Brand-New Form Of Power In Fusion

First Used By Goku In Dragon Ball Chapter 503

During the seven years Goku was dead between the Android and Majin Buu sagas, he learned about a special technique called Fusion which, as the name would imply, allows two people to combine into a single person with power far above either of the original fighters. Goku has used both the Fusion Dance and the Potara earrings with Vegeta to become Gogeta and Vegito on several occasions, and that’s helped the idea of characters fusing become an iconic part of anime and fiction, in general.