Instant Transmission
From Dragon Ball Wiki, the ''Dragon Ball'' encyclopedia
Directory: Techniques → Movement techniques
Instant Transmission (瞬間移動 Shunkan Idō, Instant Translocation, Instantaneous Transmission) is a technique for instantly teleporting, learned by Goku on Planet Yardrat after his battle with Frieza.
It allows Goku and anyone that is in contact with him (although plants do not count) to instantly travel great distances (from meters to light-years, or even travel between the living world and Other World) just by concentrating on a particular individual's energy signature and 'transmitting' to that being's location. This action is usually accompanied by Goku placing his index and middle fingers on his forehead to help him concentrate, though if extra time is taken the technique can be performed without this aid.
Because Instant Transmission requires a ki signature to lock onto (whereas Instantaneous Movement does not), the successful performance of the technique is dependent on one's ability to detect them. For example, at the end of DBZ, Goku proclaimed to Dende that he could not travel to New Namek because their ki signature was too far away.
The technique has many practical uses throughout the series. Goku can even shift through realms, having no problem teleporting from Earth to the Sacred World of the Kais in Other World, traveling there to find New Namek. In the Funimation dub of the anime, Goku describes the technique as allowing him to move at the speed of light (specifically 186,000 miles per second), but this is clearly inaccurate given his use of the technique to travel from Earth to New Namek and to King Kai's planet in Other World. Also, even within the Living World, Raditz was shown to be faster than light when he was able to dodge Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon attack, which would mean that Instant Transmission is even slower than Raditz, which cannot possibly be true (It should be noted that Raditz was never specifically stated to be faster than the speed of light, as that was an error present in the english dub of the episode. Originally, Piccolo only expressed surprise that Raditz dodged it and no one is fast enough to dodge it, without even specifying exactly what speed that Raditz was at.).
It is revealed in a movie 8 that this move briefly moves the user into a pocket dimension which then allows them to move to any location instantly. However, the user cannot travel to an area they have never been to unless they can detect someone familiar to them to use as a homing beacon.
When Goku became a child in Dragon Ball GT, however, the ability to use this technique was greatly hindered to the point were he just randomly travels to places a short distance away; however, as a Super Saiyan 4, he is able to use the ability to its full potential.
Contents |
[edit] Usage
The beings on the planet Yardrat taught Instant Transmission to Goku during his time on the planet. He intended to use the technique to get to Earth before Frieza could harm anyone, but found it unnecessary because Future Trunks had already come to finish Frieza off. Later he found a perfect combination use for this technique, Instant Kamehameha. Throughout the rest of the series, Goku uses the technique often to travel around the Universe. In the DBZ universe more of the heroes use the technique than the villains.
[edit] Known users
- Goku learned the technique from the Yardrats sometime after the destruction of Namek and prior to his return to Earth in the Trunks Saga.
- Inhabitants of Planet Yardrat supposedly know this technique as they taught it to Goku.
- Cell learns this technique through absorbing Goku's cells after his self-destruction on King Kai's planet (near the end of the Cell Games Saga of Dragon Ball Z).
- The fusions Gogeta and Vegito, being two fusions of Goku and Vegeta, can also use this technique.
- Kami, Mr. Popo, Fortuneteller Baba, Kibito and later Kibito Kai also know a variation of the technique called the Instantaneous Movement technique, but it does not require an energy signature to home in on and does not use the typical Goku gesture.
- Cooler's metal clone servants in the film Return of Cooler also have the knowledge of Instant Transmission. His method of obtaining the technique is unknown, however it was stated that Cooler knew the technique before he came to Earth. Cooler used it to escape from the sun after Goku launched him there. Cooler is first seen using the technique during his second fight with Goku on New Namek. He revealed it after Goku used it to dodge a large energy bomb. Cooler states "that's quite a clever trick", and Goku responds "Yeah, it's called Instant Transmission", only to have Cooler reply "I know...it's of one my favorite techniques". (In the original version, Cooler stated that he was surprised that Goku knew the move as well.) After this, there were times when both used it to fight; when used by both at the same moment, it resulted in the two battling in the dimension that makes up Instant Transmission. When this occurred, once, Cooler won the first skirmish in the Instant Transmission dimension by grabbing Goku by the leg and slamming him through a mountain; later, Goku entered it to save Vegeta from a crushing blow from Cooler, who had entered the dimension to surprise Vegeta. He also uses this technique occasionally in the story mode of Shin Budokai.
- King Kai mentions he could have taught Goku the technique in the Cell Games Saga when Goku visited him on his planet to find the location of the New Namek (This is stated only in the anime, while in the manga, King Kai was amazed by the existence of such an ability).
- The Instant Transmission dimension is seen in Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan when Goku uses Instant Transmission to head off in search of the Super Saiyan.
- Kid Buu also uses this technique teleport to various planets in search of Goku and Vegeta. He learned it from imitating Goku, however in the manga it is instead said that he uses "Instantaneous Movement".
[edit] Character meaning
- 瞬 (shun) = moment, second, instant
- 間 (kan) = interval, space, between
- 瞬間(shunkan) = instant, moment, second
- 移 (i) = move, shift, change
- 動 (dō) = move, shift, change
- 移動(idō) = movement, migration, removal
[edit] Trivia
- Frieza is the only one of the 3 main Dragon Ball Z villains not to know this move, as both Kid Buu and Super Perfect Cell learned it after Goku.
