Goku has been powering up for nearly 40 years, and somewhere along the way the list of forms got long. Super Saiyan 2 or Super Saiyan 4? Where does Blue Kaioken fit? And is Ultra Instinct even a transformation?
Here's the quick answer: Mastered Ultra Instinct is Goku's strongest form in the anime, followed by Ultra Instinct Sign and Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken. At the other end, the classic Kaioken and the Great Ape are where it all began.
This ranking covers Goku's major forms across Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Daima, ordered by how strong each form is relative to the others. We've left out fusions (Vegito and Gogeta) and Vegeta's own forms, because they're not Goku on his own.
With Dragon Ball Super: Beerus premiering on 11 October 2026 and remaking the Battle of Gods era, there's never been a better time to brush up.
11. Great Ape (Oozaru)
Every Saiyan with a tail transforms into a giant Great Ape when they see a full moon. Young Goku did it in the original Dragon Ball without knowing what was happening, and later learned the truth about his "grandpa".
It's a huge strength boost, but there's no control, which makes it the weakest useful form on this list.
10. Kaioken
Goku learned Kaioken from King Kai in the afterlife, and it's the first technique that let him punch far above his weight.
It multiplies his power for a short time at the cost of huge strain on his body. In the Saiyan saga, Goku pushed it to times four against Vegeta. It's a technique rather than a true transformation, but it matters because it comes back much later in a far more dangerous way.
9. Super Saiyan
The moment that changed anime. On Namek, after Frieza killed Krillin, Goku's rage triggered the legendary Super Saiyan transformation for the first time.
Golden hair, green eyes and a power boost so big it turned the fight with Frieza around. It's still the most recognisable form in the franchise, and the template for countless anime power-ups that followed.
8. Super Saiyan 2
Gohan was the first to reach Super Saiyan 2, against Cell. Goku showed off his own Super Saiyan 2 in the Majin Buu saga.
It's sharper, spikier and crackles with lightning. It doesn't look dramatically different from Super Saiyan, but the jump in strength is significant.
7. Super Saiyan 3
The long hair, the missing eyebrows, the scream that seemed to go on forever. Super Saiyan 3 debuted in the Majin Buu saga.
It's one of the biggest raw power-ups in Dragon Ball Z, but it drains energy at a frightening rate. That trade-off is why Goku rarely uses it in later stories.
6. Super Saiyan 4
Super Saiyan 4 first appeared in Dragon Ball GT, and it's one of the most loved designs in the franchise: red fur, a tail and black hair. GT sits outside the main timeline, which kept the form in limbo for years.
That changed with Dragon Ball Daima. In episode 18, Goku reaches Super Saiyan 4 in Daima's final arc, bringing the form into the main story. We rank it below the Super-era god forms because Super-era power levels are on another scale.
5. Super Saiyan God
In Battle of Gods, six righteous Saiyans perform a ritual to give Goku the power of a god so he can face Beerus, the God of Destruction.
Super Saiyan God is slimmer, red-haired and calm. It's the first time Goku uses divine ki, and it set the stage for everything in Dragon Ball Super. This is exactly the story Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is remaking from October 2026.
4. Super Saiyan Blue
Super Saiyan Blue (officially Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan) combines god ki with the Super Saiyan transformation. Goku debuted it in Resurrection 'F' against Golden Frieza.
It's the go-to form for most of Dragon Ball Super, used against Hit, Goku Black and Zamasu, and in the Tournament of Power.
3. Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken
Remember Kaioken? Goku stacks it on top of Super Saiyan Blue, which on paper should be impossible.
He used it against Hit in the Universe 6 arc, and later pushed it to times twenty against Jiren in the Tournament of Power. It's extremely risky, and when even that wasn't enough against Jiren, Goku had to look beyond Super Saiyan altogether.
2. Ultra Instinct Sign
Against Jiren in the Tournament of Power, Goku broke through his limits and reached Ultra Instinct Sign (often called "Ultra Instinct -Omen-").
It's not a Super Saiyan form at all. Ultra Instinct lets Goku's body move and react without conscious thought, a state even the gods find hard to master. It's how he dodged attacks that should have been impossible to avoid.
1. Mastered Ultra Instinct
The silver hair and silver eyes mark Goku's strongest form in the Dragon Ball Super anime: Mastered Ultra Instinct, which Goku reached in the final episodes of the Tournament of Power.
In this form, Goku's body attacks and defends on its own, at its full potential. It's the closest he's come to the level of the angels, and the scene where he reaches it is one of the most replayed moments in the franchise.
The Dragon Ball Super manga takes Ultra Instinct further in later arcs, but in the anime, this is the peak.
Every Goku transformation at a glance
| Rank | Form | First appears |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Great Ape | Dragon Ball |
| 10 | Kaioken | Dragon Ball Z (Saiyan saga) |
| 9 | Super Saiyan | Dragon Ball Z (Frieza saga) |
| 8 | Super Saiyan 2 | Dragon Ball Z (Majin Buu saga, for Goku) |
| 7 | Super Saiyan 3 | Dragon Ball Z (Majin Buu saga) |
| 6 | Super Saiyan 4 | Dragon Ball GT (main story via Daima) |
| 5 | Super Saiyan God | Battle of Gods / Dragon Ball Super |
| 4 | Super Saiyan Blue | Resurrection 'F' / Dragon Ball Super |
| 3 | Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken | Dragon Ball Super (Universe 6 arc) |
| 2 | Ultra Instinct Sign | Dragon Ball Super (Tournament of Power) |
| 1 | Mastered Ultra Instinct | Dragon Ball Super (Tournament of Power) |
Frequently asked questions
What is Goku's strongest form?
Mastered Ultra Instinct is Goku's strongest form in the Dragon Ball Super anime. He reaches it near the end of the Tournament of Power.
Is Super Saiyan 4 canon?
Super Saiyan 4 debuted in Dragon Ball GT, which is outside the main timeline. Goku also reaches Super Saiyan 4 in episode 18 of Dragon Ball Daima, which is part of the main story.
Is Ultra Instinct stronger than Super Saiyan Blue?
Yes. Goku reached Ultra Instinct Sign because Super Saiyan Blue, even with Kaioken, wasn't enough against Jiren.
What is the difference between Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue?
Super Saiyan God is Goku using divine ki on its own. Super Saiyan Blue combines that god ki with the Super Saiyan transformation, making it stronger.
Where can I watch Super Saiyan God for the first time?
Super Saiyan God first appears in the film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013), and the story is retold in Dragon Ball Super. Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, premiering 11 October 2026, remakes it again.
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Featured image: Dragon Ball Super: Beerus scene stills (Super Saiyan God Goku, Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta) © Bird Studio / Shueisha, Toei Animation, via the Dragon Ball Official Site.