Summary
- Super Kaioken combines Kaioken with Super Saiyan, amplifying powers but is not considered canon in the manga.
- Only Goku has managed to use Super Kaioken, making it a unique combination of techniques.
- The deadly combination of Kaioken and Super Saiyan is excluded from the Dragon Ball Super manga, making it unlikely to be included.
Kaioken is one of the first power-up techniques introduced in Dragon Ball. Unfortunately, as Super Saiyan takes the spotlight, Kaioken becomes less relevant as a power-up, especially because it is a dangerous technique.
However, in Dragon Ball Z, Goku actually combines Kaioken and Super Saiyan, and creates Super Kaioken, but this technique is not canon in the manga. What exactly is Super Kaioken, and why isn't it "canon"?
Dragon Ball: Kaioken, Explained
One of the most important moves Goku has ever learned from King Kai is the Kaioken. What does it do?
How Does Super Kaioken Work?
Kaioken, or Kaio-Ken, is a technique that multiplies one's ki, greatly increasing one's powers. However , this power-up comes at a high cost, as it requires refined ki control and causes a great deal of stress, which can easily lead to exhaustion if the technique remains active for too long.
Super Kaioken is what happens when a Saiyan combines the Kaioken technique with the Super Saiyan transformation, amplifying the already massive powers of a Super Saiyan. In the series, Goku uses it as SSJ and SSJ2.
Who Has Managed to Use Super Kaioken?
Kaioken was created by North Kai, and o nly Goku has learned to use it. Even though other characters trained with Kai in the Other World, no one else has learned this technique. Maybe human characters can't handle the technique, but it would be nice if the show gave a proper explanation for it.
Is Super Kaioken Canon in Dragon Ball?
Super Kaioken is a creation of the anime series, and it is not featured in the manga. The first time Goku combines SSJ and Kaioken is during the Other World Tournament in DBZ, when he fights Pikkon (or Paikuhan). So, it is only canon for those who consider anime events as canon, and, unfortunately, the anime hasn't explained how Goku has been able to use Super Kaioken, at least for now.
Goku later uses Super Kaioken again in the Dragon Ball Super anime, but it was not included in the manga, which probably means that Toriyama never intended for SSJ and Kaioken to be combined in the way it happened in the anime. The only time that Kaioken and SSJ are combined in the manga series is when Goku uses Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken (Kaioken plus Super Saiyan Blue).
I know it's risky, but there's a big payoff, too!
— Goku in Dragon Ball Super
There's actually an explanation for why Kaioken and SSJ cannot be combined: according to Old Kai, this combination is lethal. Super Saiyan is all about emotional stress and rage, making it hard to control ki as precisely as required by Kaioken. However, Super Saiyan Blue can only be unleashed with a calm mind, so that's why Kaioken can be combined with Blue in a safe way.
Kaioken is a technique, not a transformation. So hypothetically, it is possible to combine it with Super Saiyan. The problem is that SSJ makes ki control more unstable, so trying to combine them would likely lead to certain death.
Are There Any Chances It Will Be Included in the Manga?
Since the Dragon Ball Super manga excluded the use of Kaioken and SSJ altogether, it seems that Super Kaioken is not supposed to be canon in the manga series. Thus, it seems unlikely that this technique will be included in the next DBS arcs.
However, the official explanation only establishes that Kaioken and Super Saiyan are a potentially deadly combination. So Super Kaioken could still be used hypothetically, although it is not recommended and is extremely dangerous. With that in mind, it would be nice to see Goku or another Saiyan (someone else could learn it, after all) forced to combine Kaioken with SSJ in an extreme situation.
Dragon Ball Super is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
- Created by
- Akira Toriyama
- First TV Show
- Dragon Ball
- Latest TV Show
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
- First Episode Air Date
- February 26, 1986
- TV Show(s)
- Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA
- Upcoming TV Shows
- Dragon Ball DAIMA
Dragon Ball is a franchise by Akira Toriyama which follows the adventures of Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the earth with his group of friends. A recent title from the series is Dragon Ball: The Breakers, an action style game where 7 players have to survive being hunted by the Raider.