6 Strongest Versions of the Ultimate Form, Ranked

Transformations and Dragon Ball are like peanut butter and jelly. The series has made a habit of introducing at least one new form in every single arc since the Frieza Saga, and has shown no signs of slowing down if Dragon Ball Super is anything to go by. While there are countless powerful forms that rival literal Gods throughout the franchise, some of Dragon Ball’s greatest forms are, fittingly, its Ultimate transformations.

The strongest Ultimate forms in Dragon Ball live up to their namesake, in some cases turning their users into God Tier fighters who can take on the greatest warriors in the multiverse. While Mystic Gohan from Dragon Ball Z is the most famous Ultimate user, he’s hardly the only one. There are a few variations of Ultimate in Dragon Ball, some of which far more powerful than just about anything else in the franchise.

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6

Potential Unleashed

Users: Gohan, Krillin

When Gohan and Krillin started falling behind during the first half of the Namek Saga, Toriyama’s way to make them strong enough to participate in the series’ fights was to have Guru unlock their potential. Guru’s Potential Unlock ability draws all of the target’s potential, albeit still allowing them to grow stronger via training.

Gohan and Krillin quickly go from weaker than Nappa, to strong enough to fight the Ginyu Force in their Potential Unleashed states. Their Power Levels also continually rise all throughout the Namek Saga. Gohan, especially, gets a huge boost from having his potential unlocked, since he’s also able to combine it with the many Zenkai boosts he gets on Namek.

5

Ultimate Super Saiyan

Users: Gohan, Goku

Although Old Kai tells Gohan that turning Super Saiyan while in his Ultimate state would be overkill, Gohan still uses the form on occasion (mostly when he’s out of practice and no longer capable of using the full power of Ultimate). Interestingly, Ultimate Super Saiyan is probably the only instance of Super Saiyan actually making a form weaker. What makes Ultimate such a good form is that it doesn’t function like a transformation at all.

If Ultimate Gohan is using Super Saiyan, it’s a sign that he is not fighting at his full potential anymore. Gohan was originally going to use SSJ on top of Ultimate in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, before he was changed to his regular Ultimate form for the final movie. In Dragon Ball GT, Gohan uses a version of Ultimate Super Saiyan anytime he’s using SSJ. In the 3DS game, Extreme Butoden, Goku undergoes the ritual with Old Kai to unlock Ultimate, but his version of the form is triggered via Super Saiyan, not his base form.

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4

Ultimate

Users: Gohan, Piccolo

The true version of the Ultimate form can be unlocked via a number of ways. Gohan first triggered the form by undergoing a ritual performed by the Old Kai. Piccolo, on the other hand, unlocked his Ultimate transformation by wishing to have his potential unlocked by Shenron. In both cases, Ultimate draws out the peak of what Gohan and Piccolo would be capable of at the time.

Ultimate Gohan ends up becoming the strongest unfused character by the end of Dragon Ball Z, while Ultimate Piccolo finally gives him a power boost big enough to make him relevant again. Back in the day, Ultimate was the most powerful form in the series, but is now simply a bridge to Gohan and Piccolo’s true ultimate forms. Technically, Granolah and Gas post their wishes on Toronbo could also be considered Ultimate users, as they’ve had their full power drawn out.

3

Saiyan Beyond God

Users: Goku, Vegeta

Saiyan Beyond God is a form from a bygone era where it seemed like Goku and Vegeta were going to leave the original Super Saiyan transformation behind forever. In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Goku absorbs the power of Super Saiyan God into his base form, basically giving him God Ki at all times. Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F doubles down on this idea by having Goku and Vegeta be strong enough to keep up with Final Form Frieza (who is now God Tier) in their base forms.

Despite being a variant of Super Saiyan God, Saiyan Beyond God is functionally the Ultimate form for Goku and Vegeta. They trigger the form the same way they would turn Super Saiyan God: the same principle Gohan follows to trigger his Ultimate state in the Majin Buu Saga. Saiyan Beyond God ends up becoming obsolete in the Tournament of Destroyers, when Goku and Vegeta start making a habit of using their various SSJ forms to test out their opponents. As far as the manga is concerned, Saiyan Beyond God may as well not exist.

2

Orange Piccolo

Users: Piccolo

Orange Piccolo is the extra bonus Shenron added in when Piccolo wished to unlock his full potential. Unlike the Ultimate form, Orange offers Piccolo a distinct visual change. His skin goes from green to orange, he gets buff, and he grows taller. According to both Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, Orange Piccolo rivals both Goku and Vegeta. While Orange Piccolo doesn’t have many feats, he’s equal in power to Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta.

Piccolo is still Dragon Ball Super’s main character alongside Gohan, so once the manga comes back for the Black Frieza Saga, Orange Piccolo might finally get to show his stuff. The most Orange Piccolo does in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is hold off Cell Max for Gohan Beast to kill. Even without major feats to back up his strength, Dragon Ball Super makes one thing very clear: Piccolo’s Orange form is Godly powerful.

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1

Gohan Beast

Users: Gohan

In the same way Orange Piccolo is an extension of the Ultimate form Shenron unlocks in him, Beast is Gohan’s ultimate version of Ultimate. Just like with Ultimate, Beast brings out all of Gohan’s latent potential to the surface, offering him massive power other Z-Fighters could only dream of. By the end of Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103, Gohan Beast is the second most powerful mortal in the multiverse after Black Frieza.

Gohan Beast has some great feats to back up his massive Power Level. According to Piccolo, Gohan was the only person strong enough to actually kill Cell Max. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Gohan goes on to defeat both Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku and True Legendary Super Saiyan Broly at their peak. It’s also implied Gohan defeated Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Goten, and Trunks in Chapter 103’s battle royale. Beast is the pinnacle of what the Ultimate form is capable of.