Believe It or Not, Goku Flubbed Spirit Bombs in Dragon Ball More Often Than Not
Every great shōnen series has its signature attack. In Naruto, it's the Rasengan, in Yu Yu Hakusho, it's the Spirit Gun, and in Dragon Ball Z, it's the Spirit Bomb. Most signature attacks are always lethal. It's hard to push a main character to their limits, but when their backs are against the wall, they break out their most devastating attack to great effect.
Goku's Spirit Bomb is less than effective during multiple key moments. While it's super lethal in most of the Dragon Ball movies, the same can't be said about its usage in the main series. Goku's Spirit Bomb almost never works, which is a rarity for not only a character as strong as Goku, but for the whole shōnen genre. Almost every other character's signature attack is a guaranteed win, but with the Spirit Bomb, it usually means that Goku has run out of options.
9 Vs. Vegeta (Doesn’t Work)
Goku's First-Ever Spirit Bomb Is Less Than Successful
Vegeta was the first major antagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise. He came after Raditz warned the Z Fighters of his overwhelming strength, and he and Nappa were every bit as fearsome as Raditz described them to be. Vegeta took Goku to his limit. Like most of the villains in the series, Goku had to go well beyond his limits if he wanted to take down the Prince of Saiyans.
Their fight wasn't going well for Goku, so he had to resort to his signature ability: the Spirit Bomb. Unfortunately for 'Kakarot', it didn't work. Vegeta was on the edge of death because of the attack, but it didn't finish him off like Goku had hoped for. This turned out to be a great move for Goku though, as Vegeta becomes a defender of the Earth later in the series and the one person to constantly push Goku to get even stronger.
8 Vs. Dr. Wheelo (Works)
In the Dragon Ball Movies, the Spirit Bomb Is Lethal
Chronologically, Goku's fight against Dr. Wheelo is supposed to be the next instance of the Spirit Bomb in the series. While the Dragon Ball movies aren't necessarily canon, it's nice to see the Z Fighters whenever they're in action. Dr. Wheelo was devastating the Z Fighters, including Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin. Like most of Goku's fights, he realized he had to pull out his strongest ability if he wanted to dispatch this foe.
Because The World's Strongest is a movie, the Spirit Bomb actually works. It's a lot smaller in this movie than it normally is, looking closer to a Kamehameha than the big ball of energy in the sky it normally looks like. Still, even though it was small, it was strong enough to kill Dr. Wheelo and save the Earth once again.
7 Vs. Turles (Doesn’t Work Initially, Then Works)
Goku Had to Go to the Tree of Might For Energy
Goku's fight against Turles during the Tree of Might movie is one of the rare instances of the Saiyan using two Spirit Bombs back to back. Turles, looking identical to Goku, pushed the Saiyan well beyond his limit in their fight. Turles was so much stronger than Goku that he didn't even take any damage during their fight. If it wasn't for the second Spirit Bomb, Goku would have died.
Goku summoned all the energy that he could from the Earth, but Turles swatted the attack away like a pesky fly. Unfortunately for the Goku lookalike, Goku then summoned all the energy from the Tree of Might itself, taking down Turles in one singular attack that took the Tree of Might with it. Because it was a Dragon Ball movie, the Spirit Bomb finally gets the job done and saves the day.
6 Vs. Lord Slug (Works)
The Spirit Bomb Destroyed Lord Slug and His Terra-Former
Goku's battle against Lord Slug is the final battle before he takes on Frieza on Namek and finally achieves the legendary Super Saiyan transformation. Lord Slug was his strongest opponent yet, boasting all the powers that Namekians are known for, including unbelievable regeneration and powerful Ki blasts. Not only was he massive, but he used the Dragon Balls to revert to the moment he was at his strongest, regaining his peak just in time to fight Goku.
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug gave Goku a chance to use his Spirit Bomb successfully. When Lord Slug was close to death, he flew towards Goku in the sky to try and take the Saiyan down. Goku sent a powerful Spirt Bomb towards him, destroying Lord Slug and his Terra-Former in one fell swoop.
5 Vs. Frieza (Doesn’t Work)
Another Failure in the Main Timeline
Not counting the Dragon Ball Z movies, Goku is 0 for 1 when using the Spirit Bomb so far. His fight against Frieza drove him to his limits yet again, and even after coming back from a healing pod and becoming much stronger, Frieza still had the upper hand. Just like Goku's fight against Vegeta earlier in the series, the Spirit Bomb doesn't work against Frieza either.
It deals a ton of damage, but Frieza is still strong enough to deal a devastating blow to Piccolo and kill Krillin brutally. Goku, after failing with his strongest attack and watching his best friend get killed, gains the anger needed to become the legendary Super Saiyan. It's this second power-up that gives Goku the strength to finally beat Frieza.
4 Vs. Super Android 13 (Works by Goku Absorbing It)
Spirit Bomb + Super Saiyan = Unstoppable
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! is a thrilling movie that takes place during the events of the Cell Saga but before the actual Cell Games. It features Androids 13, 14, and 15 as they make their one and only appearance, taking on the Z Fighters as the final Android threat, apart from Cell himself. Like the rest of the villains in the franchise, the new Androids are strong enough to take on the Z Fighters evenly, and when Super Android 13 debuts, it takes everything to stop him.
Goku's Spirit Bomb during his fight against Super Android 13 is interesting for two reasons. First, it's the first time he uses it in his Super Saiyan state, proving that he mastered the Super Saiyan state by remaining pure of heart (the only way someone can use the Spirit Bomb). Second, he was able to absorb the power of the Spirit Bomb, flying at Super Android 13 and punching him through his chest in one of the most jaw-dropping moments in the franchise.
3 Vs. Buu (Works)
Goku Finishes Off Dragon Ball Z's Final Villain in Style
Funnily enough, the Spirit Bomb that Goku uses against Buu is actually the first time that it works in the main timeline. Every other instance of the Spirit Bomb, against Vegeta and Frieza, did a great amount of damage but never got the job done. The same can't be said for Buu. Not only does Goku use his ultimate attack to great effect, but he finishes off Buu in his Super Saiyan form as well.
Goku needs more power than just the Earth can give him to defeat Buu. He asks King Kai for a favor and is able to speak with the entire universe, asking for everyone's power that is still alive. After Mr. Satan intervenes and asks the people to send their energy, they all give it to Goku, giving him the immense power he needs to finish Kid Buu off once and for all.
2 Vs. Omega Shenron (Works)
Ending GT With a Bang
Dragon Ball GT rightfully gets a lot of flak. It had a lot of flaws, especially for an entry into the Dragon Ball franchise. At the beginning, it copied the original Dragon Ball's tone a little too much, and even copied a lot of the ideas for Dragon Ball Z's villains as well. Despite its shortcomings, there are a few moments in the series that stand head and shoulders above the rest, and Goku's final Spirit Bomb is one of them.
After Goku called upon all the energy of the universe, he created one of the biggest Spirit Bombs the series has ever seen. He gave a great speech to Omega Shenron, citing his wanton destruction and his inability to show mercy. Goku then launched the Spirit Bomb at Omega Shenron, ending Dragon Ball GT with a bang.
1 Vs. Jiren (Doesn’t Work, Gives Goku Ultra Instinct Sign)
The Second Time Goku Absorbed the Spirit Bomb
Goku's transformation into Ultra Instinct Sign in Dragon Ball Super is one of the greatest moments in the entire franchise. It's a moment so big, it quite literally broke Crunchyroll's servers when it first debuted. Goku's fight against Jiren saw the Saiyan surpass his own limits twice within roughly 20 minutes, an unreal feat even for Goku.
Goku launches his Spirit Bomb at Jiren, and Jiren doesn't even flinch. He sends the Spirit Bomb right back at Goku for a series first. In what could be a callback to Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, Goku then falls into the imploding attack, gaining its power as a full source and reaching an entirely new level of power, Ultra Instinct Sign, the prelude to his full Ultra Instinct form.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First Film
- Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
- Latest Film
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- First Episode Air Date
- April 26, 1989
