WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Thor #5 by Donny Cates, Nic Klein, Matt Wilson and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Since Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby brought Thor into the Marvel Universe in Journey Into Mystery #83, Thor has always been one of Marvel's most powerful heroes, easily ranking among the strongest Avengers and capable of bringing down massive threats all on his own. And after getting a Power Cosmic upgrade from Galactus, the Thunder God just showcased his newest abilities with an energy attack that is surprisingly similar to a move from another franchise.
While fighting constructs of all his greatest enemies in Thor #5, Thor just utilized a specific technique, the God-Blast, that's very reminiscent of a move from the famous Dragon Ball franchise.
THE GOD-BLAST
Thor and Galactus have been engaged in a battle against the Black Winter, a multiversal threat that could wipe out all of existence if given the chance. The threat is so dire that Thor has reluctantly even agreed to become a Herald of Galactus so he may become empowered enough to fight back against the dark force. But when Thor and Galactus actually get the chance to fight the ethereal being, they are quickly overwhelmed and forced into a battle within their very minds and souls.
The Black Winter takes the form of Thor's greatest enemies to try and overwhelm him and kill him. However, Thor ends up charging a great deal of his energy into a cascading, massive expulsion of energy. Called the God-Blast, the attack obliterates everything in its path and even makes the cosmic Black Winter "bleed." It's a genuinely impressive offensive technique and is enough to force the Black Winter away from himself and Galactus. It even forces the being it to change forms and seemingly begin to take the fight seriously.
THOR'S KAMEHAMEHA
The blast is a very impressive new attack from Thor, and reminiscent of one of the most famous elements of the Dragon Ball franchise. In Akira Toriyama's long-running manga and anime series, the heroic Goku and his allies are capable of channeling their inner strength (otherwise known as Ki) into powerful energy attacks. Perhaps the most notable in a franchise full of them is the first one Goku learned in the original Dragon Ball: the Kamehameha Wave. Developed by the legendary Master Roshi, the attack forces the user to force their energy into a single overwhelming blast of blue light and energy.
In practice and appearance, the God-Blast is surprisingly similar to the Kamehameha. While the Dragon Ball technique can require the use both of hands and can be done by anyone who is taught the technique, it's clear that the God-Blast is a move that can only really be utilized by god-like being such as Thor. The blast also stems from Thor's enchanted hammer, while the Kamehameha is produced from the very hands of the user.
Ultimately though, both attacks are similar in the most important ways. It's a destructive ranged attack that gives the hero using it plenty of power to blast away their foes. It requires the inner strength and will-power of the user to be fully unleashed and can be devastating if used at the right time and in the right way. It's capable of fighting off multiple enemies at once if it's got enough power put into it, and it grants the otherwise largely close-combat focused warriors an attack that can cover a large distance. While he isn't the only recent Marvel character to utilize such a flashy and powerful move (with Jubilee of the X-Men performing her own massive energy attack in Excalibur), this is one of the most impressive attacks that Thor has ever used.