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This article details a subject that is considered canon. The subject of this article appeared in Dragon Ball anime series. The subject of this article appeared in Dragon Ball Z anime series. The subject of this article appeared in Dragon Ball Kai anime series. The subject of this article appeared in Dragon Ball GT anime series. The subject of this article appeared in the movies. The subject of this article appeared in Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission manga series. The subject of this article appeared in the video games.
Don't play ignorant! Only when the moon is full do we Saiyans show our true power!

Raditz explaining the Great Monkey Transformation to Son Gokū, Chapter 197


GohanGiantMonkey
Great Monkey Transformation[1][2][3]
おうざる Ōzaruka
English TV Great Ape
First Appearance
Manga Debut Volume 2, Chapter 21
Anime Debut DB012
Movie Debut Movie 2
Game Debut Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden
Data
Type Ability
Class Supplementary
Range User
Derived technique(s)
Users
Image Gallery


The Great Monkey Transformation, also referred to as simply Great Ape (おうざる, Ōzaru) is a heightened transformation accessible to any member of the Saiyan race who still possesses a tail.

History[]

The Great Monkey Transformation is a skill that has existed presumably for as long as Saiyans have had tails. In the anime, the Great Monkey Transformation that the Saiyan race possessed was the turning point of their ten-year war on planet Plant with the Tuffles. When the Full Moon rose, all the Saiyans that witnessed it transformed and were able to wipe out the Tuffles in only a single night, claiming Planet Plant for themselves.[4] Additionally, in the anime, the Great Monkey Transformation was the form in which the first known Super Saiyan was able to use his Super Saiyan power in.[5]

Appearance[]

GreatApe

Son Gohan in his Great Monkey Transformation.

Out of all of the transformations achieved by the Saiyan race in the manga, the Great Monkey Transformation is by far the most drastic in terms of an appearance change. When using the Great Monkey Transformation, the Saiyan is transformed into just that, a Great Monkey. The form itself is gargantuan, dwarfing the average Saiyan with relative ease[6] as well as several heads taller than a large castle.[7] The form itself covers the Saiyan in dark brown fur, granting them the muzzle, hands, and feet of an ape, glowing red eyes, and elongated canines and sharpened teeth. No matter the age of the Saiyan, transforming into a Great Monkey places them all within the same relative size of each other. Despite being called a "Great Monkey", the form itself appears to be a cross between a monkey and an ape, with the Saiyan retaining their monkey-like tail, but gaining the overall physique of a great monkey.

Attributes[]

What's going on!? Such an incredible destructive power...!!! If he keeps this up, the entire Earth will be gone before the Saiyans even get here!!

Piccolo on Son Gohan's Great Monkey Transformation, DBZ008

GokuMoon

Gokū's reaction right after looking at the full Moon.

A Saiyan can only transform into a Great Monkey when a very specific set of conditions are met. To transform, a Saiyan must first have a tail,[8] as it is the tail itself that reacts when the transformation begins. The Saiyan next absorbs Bruits Waves, waves that only appear when a lunar body reflects the light of the Sun, and it is only when the moon is full that these waves exceed 17 million zenos, the prerequisite amount of zenos required for a Saiyan to transform into a Great Monkey.[1][2] Absorbing the Bruits Waves through their eyes triggers a reaction within their tail that begins the transformation into a Great Monkey.This occurs because Saiyans are able to absorb the light through their eyes that creates a reaction that activates a certain gland in their tails to make the transformation occur.[9]

A Saiyan requires the full moon to be present to maintain their Great Monkey Transformation,[1][2] and should the moon be destroyed, a Saiyan will revert back to their normal state.[10] A Power Ball is also capable of being used in place of a Full Moon, and produces the same effect.[9]

MouthEnergyWaveApe

Gohan as a Great Monkey releasing a Kikōha from the Mouth.

When transformed, the Great Monkey Transformation provides the Saiyan with a ten-fold power boost.[1][2][11] It also provides them with a massive increase in their abilities; strength, durability, ki output, and even their speed, in spite of their large size, is drastically enhanced.[12] While transformed, mindless Saiyans will utilize their brute force to make short work of their surroundings, destroy buildings and the general area, but if their power level is high enough, a Saiyan can release a Kikōha from the Mouth from their jaw. This is also their common form of attack even when a Saiyan retains their reason, shown by Vegeta.[13] With these power increases, the Saiyans, in a way, became some of Freeza's strongest soldiers, with the likes of a low level soldiers being able to equal power levels of elites, and Vegeta being able to surpass the power of Captain Ginyu, Freeza's second strongest warrior himself, while in his Great Monkey form, with his power level being 180,000[Note 1] as a Great Monkey while Ginyu would have only been a 120,000.[14]

Despite this, the Great Monkey Transformation is not without its weaknesses. They retain the same key weakness that every Saiyan possesses; the tail. If a Great Monkey's tail is squeezed with enough force, it will render them immobile, and cutting the tail off will revert them back to normal, as if the moon had been destroyed.[15]

A drastic personality change is what follows after the transformation. An untrained Saiyan will typically lose their reason when transforming into a Great Monkey,[16] and will attack anything within the general area, even attacking their own comrades should they be present. If tempted, as shown in the anime, a Great Monkey will even attempt to devour their own friends.[17] Through sufficient effort, however, a Great Monkey can be reasoned with to a small degree, as shown when Kuririn and Son Gokū managed to convinced a transformed Son Gohan to attack Vegeta instead of his own friends.[18] This is because becoming a Great Monkey seems to bring out a Saiyan's pure, savage nature, theorized by Kuririn while they were under attack by the transformed Gohan. It is also hypothesized by Kuririn that being half-human, Gohan's Saiyan instincts were not as savage, allowing Gokū and Kuririn to reach through to him.[19]

With training, however, a Saiyan can work to control themselves in their Great Monkey state. Vegeta was a prime example, as he did not lose his reason when he transformed into a Great Monkey to fight against Gokū.[7]

As noted by Paragus, the Great Monkey Transformation does cost a Saiyan their speed to some extent. Thus far, Broly is the only Saiyan to overcome this weakness and needing a full moon as well as a tail by tapping into the Great Monkey's power in a human body, allowing him to fight on par with Super Saiyan Gods.

Variations[]

GokuGreatApeDBGT

Gokū in the Golden Great Monkey Transformation.

Main article: Gold Great Monkey

In the same way Dragon Ball GT would attempt to expand on the Super Saiyan transformations, the Great Monkey Transformation was shown to possess a variation, the "Gold Great Monkey".  This form possesses a golden fur, similar to the Super Saiyan state, and increases the power of the respective Saiyan many-fold. It was first accidentally triggered when Gokū looked at a full Earth.

In Other Media[]

Video Games[]

The Great Monkey Transformation is a playable transformation and character in the following video games:

Game name Japanese release English release
Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 July 28, 1995 July 1996 (EU)
March 25, 2003 (NA)
Dragon Ball GT: Transformation None August 9, 2015
Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! October 6, 2005 October 18, 2005 (NA)
October 21, 2005 (EU)
Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! NEO October 5, 2006 November 3, 2006 (EU)
November 7, 2006 (NA)
November 9, 2006 (AUS)
Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! METEOR October 4, 2007 November 9. 2007 (NA)
November 13, 2007 (EU)

Trivia[]

  • In the Arabic dub of the series, a Saiyan would "summon" their Great Monkey Transformation, rather than transforming into one. This often involved rather heavy editing of the episodes.
  • The more literal translation of this transformation is "Great Monkeyfication".
  • Baby, after possessing Vegeta´s body, is the only user to have shown the ability to Fly while being transformed into the Golden Great Monkey.
  • The Great Monkey Transformation was referenced in To-Love Ru, when the lead female, Lala Satalin Deviluke, assures Rito that merely having a tail doesn't mean she transforms during the full moon.

Notes[]

  1. The Daizenshū 7 states Vegeta's present power level at the time of his attack on Earth to be 18,000. A 10-fold boost would have granted him a power level of 180,000

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dragon Ball Daizenshū 2: Story Guide, page 49
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dragon Ball Daizenshū 4: World Guide, page 43
  3. Chōzenshū 4, pages 138-139
  4. Dragon Ball Z episode 20
  5. Dragon Ball Z episode 66, FUNimation Dub
  6. Dragon Ball chapter 233, page 5
  7. 7.0 7.1 Dragon Ball chapter 21, page 14
  8. Dragon Ball chapter 197, page 8
  9. 9.0 9.1 Dragon Ball chapter 232, page 10
  10. Dragon Ball chapter 208, pages 10-11
  11. Dragon Ball chapter 233, page 6
  12. Dragon Ball chapter 233, page 11
  13. Dragon Ball chapter 234, page 4
  14. Dragon Ball chapter 285, page 3
  15. Dragon Ball chapter 22, pages 13-15
  16. Dragon Ball chapter 22
  17. Dragon Ball episode 13
  18. Dragon Ball chapter 240, page 7
  19. Dragon Ball chapter 240, page 6