For any fan of the Dragon Ball series, the Great Ape is a very iconic and nostalgic part of the franchise's lore. Not only is it a huge part of the history of the series but it's become one of the most well-known transformations in its own right, and is just as well known as the Super Saiyan form.
However, did you know there was a Golden Great Ape shown not only in GT but in Dragon Ball Z as well? That specific form of the Great Ape transformation known as Oozaru is the topic of this list where we will be giving you 10 facts you probably didn't know about it.
10 IT FIRST APPEARED IN DBZ
While many may not recall it and mostly remember this form from its appearance in the non-canon sequel to Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, believe it or not, the Golden Great Ape first appeared in DBZ. For those that don't remember this moment, the Golden Great Ape specifically showed up while Vegeta was telling the story of the original Super Saiyan of legend, Yamoshi. You may not remember it due to this scene being a filler sequence.
While he only shows up in a filler flashback, Yamoshi has been confirmed to not only be the legendary Super Saiyan but the Super Saiyan God as well.
9 THIS FORM IS MEANT SIMPLY FOR DESTRUCTION
If you've watched the Dragon Ball television special film Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku you'll see what the Great Ape/Oozaru form was typically used for during the history of the Saiyan race. It basically serves the same purpose during Vegeta and Goku's original bout as well.
The Great Ape's purpose is no different for the legendary Golden Great Ape/Golden Ozaru form, as shown in Vegeta's flashback and Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files.
This means while the legendary Super Saiyan was a form used to protect, Oozaru was simply used for destruction and slaughter.
8 IT IS REQUIRED FOR THE SUPER SAIYAN 4 TRANSFORMATION
While the Dragon Ball GT series and this transformation are now non-canon, the Super Saiyan 4 transformation is still pretty sweet despite the goofiness that comes along with it in certain cases. Who remembers that the Golden Great Ape was a required hurdle to pass when it came to reaching Super Saiyan 4?
In GT, Goku becomes a destructive Golden Great Ape before overcoming the chaotic form and becoming an SSJ4. After overcoming the transformation once, it isn't required again.
7 IT IS LITERALLY A SUPER SAIYAN GREAT APE
While the Golden Great Ape may seem like something very special, the description of this legendary Saiyan form is actually quite simple. This is kind of a trend when it comes to transformations in the Dragon Ball series. The simple explanation behind this monstrous Great Ape form is that it is just a Great Ape that has gone Super Saiyan.
It's honestly pretty self-explanatory unless you missed the last hundred times the Saiyan cast has gone Super Saiyan.
6 THE FORM CAN ONLY BE REACHED BY SAIYANS WITH A TAIL
This fact is one that was shown in Dragon Ball GT and still remains canon despite it. However, that's not all there is to it. The Saiyan who wishes to achieve this form must not only still have the tail they were born with, but they have to be able to achieve the Super Saiyan transformation. This means that it's probably not feasible for most non-full-blooded Saiyans to transform into a Golden Great Ape.
Once the user has reached the Super Saiyan state, they must look at the moon or planetary body to then transform.
5 IT IS STRONGER THAN SUPER SAIYAN 3
While being stronger than the Super Saiyan 3 form is nothing special nowadays in the Dragon Ball world due to forms like the Super Saiyan Gods and Ultra Instinct, when the Golden Great Ape form was introduced, it was a really big deal. The Golden Great Ape obviously surpasses its previous form, the Great Ape, in all areas, but it is surprisingly much stronger than an SSJ3 as well.
While a Saiyan is in this form, its power and strength rapidly increase and keeps increasing.
4 IT IS UNCONTROLLABLE
The Great Ape form is notorious for being one that isn't able to be controlled by the user. This, of course, is seen throughout the series by characters like kid Goku and Bardock. However, control isn't impossible as seen during Vegeta's transformation during the battle with Goku.
With the Golden Great Ape, the berserk state grows even further to the point of becoming uncontrollable. In GT, however, it could be controlled by Baby due to the fact that he wasn't a Saiyan and merely was in control of one.
3 VEGETA CAN TRANSFORM INTO IT ON COMMAND
In Dragon Ball GT, Goku had to become a Super Saiyan to reach the Golden Great Ape form. From the Super Saiyan form, Goku looked at the full Earth and transformed directly into the Golden Great Ape form. However, the case of Vegeta was much different in reaching this legendary transformation.
As seen in the Shadow Dragon Saga, much like Vegeta can transform into Great Ape on command with full control due to his royal heritage, he can also transform into Golden Great Ape directly from his base Great Ape form. However, he still loses control once he becomes one.
2 GREAT APE GOGETA IS A THING
Super Dragon Ball Heroes is a Japanese trading card arcade game obviously based on the Dragon Ball series. However, this arcade game isn't your usual Dragon Ball game. It features tons of dream "What if" characters, team-ups, storylines, fusions, and of course transformations. The transformation at hand is a combination of the two latter features.
In this arcade game, it is possible to have Gogeta transform into a Golden Great Ape. While this fusion-transformation will never happen in canon, it's still really cool to see.
1 IT MAY BE AS STRONG AS SUPER SAIYAN BLUE
In the anime and manga series based on the trading card arcade game of the same name, Super Dragon Ball Heroes, there is a non-canon villain Saiyan named Cunber who battles against Goku and Vegeta. When his power seems too strong for the iconic duo, they turn things up a notch by fusing into Vegito Blue. When Cunber follows suit things get hairy.
Cunber goes into his Golden Great Ape form and goes toe-to-toe with Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken and holds his own even against the fusion. He starts to gain the upper hand when the fusion starts to take a toll on Vegito. This could present a case for believing that the Golden Great Ape is stronger than a simple SSJB form due to the fact that it can take on this form plus Kaioken and the power of fusion. That said, Cunber's incredible strength also did not hurt.