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Instant Transmission (しゅんかんどう Shunkan Idō, lit. "Instantaneous Movement", also translated as "Teleportation") is a technique for traveling long distances instantly. It was taught to Goku when he was on Planet Yardrat after his deadly battle with Frieza.

Overview

This action is usually accompanied by the user 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. When used by Yardrats and those who gained the technique thanks to them, it is achieved via Spirit Control.

In the movies, its seen that utilizing Instant Transmission causes the user to go into the Teleportation Zone, and then drop out of it somewhere else by locking onto ki.

GokuITCellSaga

Goku ready to translocate himself

Instant Transmission allows Goku and anyone that is in physical contact with him to instantly travel great distances (from meters to light-years, between the living world and Other World, or even travel outside time itself) just by concentrating on a particular individual's ki signature, and transmitting or feeling that being's location. Goku can take passengers along with him as long as they are touching him. In Dragon Ball GT, it is revealed that this ability has limits, as Goku said he could not move the entire world's population in one trip.[12]

Because Instant Transmission requires a ki signature to lock onto (whereas Kai Kai does not), the successful performance of the technique is dependent on one's ability to detect them. For example, during the Kid Buu Saga, Goku proclaimed to Dende that he could not travel to New Namek because their ki signatures were too far away.

Goku describes the technique as more complicated than traditional teleportation, but merging your energy into a certain area and demolecularize into all of your atoms and being transferred across the Teleportation Zone, and reassembling in the area where the locked-on signature resides.

Usage

The technique has many practical uses throughout the series. The Yardrats taught Instant Transmission to Goku during his time on their planet. Goku intended to use the technique to get to Earth before the rebuilt Frieza could harm anyone, but found it unnecessary because Future Trunks had already come to finish Frieza and his father off. Instead, Goku simply demonstrated its ability to the fellow Z Fighters after his return by warping to Kame House and stealing Master Roshi's sunglasses in under a few seconds. Throughout the rest of the series, Goku uses the technique often to travel around the universe. Goku can also use two of his signature attacks with this technique, the Instant Kamehameha and the Instant Spirit Bomb. The technique is also frequently used by Goku in battle to disorient opponents who cannot follow his Ki signature as he teleports. The ability is also fairly rare, allowing Goku to gain the element of surprise. Even beings with great knowledge of techniques or lots of experience, such as the Galactic PatrolBabidiMoro and Beerus, are either totally unfamiliar with the technique or do not know how to use it.

SuperPerfectCellInstantTransmission

Cell using Instant Transmission

After blowing up King Kai's planet and killing everyone on it, Cell gained the ability to use Instant Transmission from Goku. He then uses it after regenerating to return to Earth.

In Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!, Goku uses the Instant Transmission to warp everybody to the radish field without looking for a ki.

He uses the technique during his battle against Beerus, while fighting with him in a subterranean cavern.[13]

In Dragon Ball Super, when Goten is distracted by Goku's training and drives his tractor off a cliff, Goku uses Instant Transmission to teleport ahead of the vehicle and catch it, and he uses it when he goes to King Kai's planet.[14]

It is revealed that Goku Black is also able to use this technique, first using it on-screen to try and locate Future Trunks' ki prior to him using the time machine, and he also uses it several times as a Super Saiyan Rosé in his fight with Super Saiyan Blue Goku, who notes he is surprised he also knows the Instant Transmission.

Vegito Blue uses Instant Transmission against Fused Zamasu to use Savage Strike against him.

The Universe 2 Yardrat Jimizu uses the technique during the Tournament of Power in the anime several times. He first demonstrates the technique against Super Saiyan Goku but is interrupted by a sneak attack from Caulifla. Jimizu later uses it to teleport Ribrianne and Roasie to safety after Kakunsa was eliminated by Android 17. Jimizu also used it against Gohan allowing him to best to him briefly before Frieza steps in. Frieza manages to counter the technique and brutally eliminates Jimizu.

Goku also requires much less concentration to use the technique, as shown in his fight with Top.

Goku tries to use Instant Transmission against Dyspo while in Super Saiyan God form but Dyspo is so fast Goku gets punched before he can react and use the technique.

In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Goku uses the technique to save himself and Vegeta from Broly's rampage after pinning him on Frieza to make their escape and teleport to Piccolo, who is spectating their fight from afar. After Piccolo and Goku teach Vegeta the Fusion Dance and the two Saiyans succeed in properly fusing after two failed attempts, the new warrior, Gogeta, uses Instant Transmission to lock onto Frieza's energy to return to the battlefield, then to Whis' energy to face off against Broly in his stead.

After completing his training on Yardrat, Vegeta quickly attempts to return to Earth and tries to have Pybara teach him the technique. Although he initially struggles, Vegeta manages to lock onto Goku's energy signature and manages to use the technique, greatly shocking Pybara. Upon arriving to Earth, Goku expresses shock that Vegeta arrived through Instant Transmission, though Vegeta says he was only able to do it once and likely wouldn't be able to do it again while showing disinterest in mastering one of Goku's signature techniques. Pybara also reveals to Vegeta that normally Yardrats are prohibited from using Instant Transmission to travel off world, though understanding the urgency of the situation, Pybara offers to break the rule just once to teleport Vegeta to Earth but he refuses, saying that he can manage it himself.

Picture 19

Super Saiyan 4 Goku using Instant Transmission

When Goku became a child in Dragon Ball GT, the ability to use this technique was greatly hindered to the point where 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. When he is given energy by Goten, Trunks, and Gohan during the battle against Syn Shenron, Goku is able to properly use Instant Transmission.

Variations

Trivia

  • In the Cell Games Saga, King Kai states in filler that he knew the Instant Transmission technique and that he could have taught it to Goku if he had asked. If King Kai was not kidding, this would conflict with a previous statement he makes in the Vegeta Saga where he specifically says that he couldn't "just zap" Goku back to Earth. Also, in the Frieza Saga, King Kai stated that there was nothing he could do to help Goku escape the exploding planet Namek, whereas if he knew Instant Transmission he could have traveled to Namek and rescued Goku. One theory is that this could have been because both cases would have involved going to the living realm, something which only the East Supreme Kai and Old Kai are known to have done; however, this still would not explain why King Kai could not simply zap Goku to King Yemma's Check-In Station, saving Goku the two-day trip back to Snake Way.
  • In Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II, after Goku uses this move to take Piccolo and Tien to safety, Cell states that he wishes he knew how to do this move. However, in the anime and manga, Cell has no idea what was this technique was.
  • The Ocean dub named the technique the "Instant Translocation" technique. Translocation by definition means "a change of location." Transmit means to send something to another location. Therefore, Instant Translocation means instantly changing location, while Instant Transmission means instantly sending something to another location. Though it can be argued that the users of Instant Transmission send themselves to another location, person, or thing, Instant Translocation technically has a slightly more correct definition despite not being the official name.
  • In Dragon Ball GT episode 37, "Old Kai's Last Stand", when Kibito Kai goes back to Kami's Lookout a second time (after he came back to the Sacred World of the Kais to ask where the Sacred Water was), he uses the Instant Transmission gesture of placing the first two fingers of the users' hand to their forehead and he still has his fingers to his forehead when arriving on the lookout. This later happens in Dragon Ball GT episode 40, "Piccolo's Decision", as well: when Kibito Kai comes from New Planet Plant to Earth (after this occurrence, however, Kibito Kai does not use the Instant Transmission gesture when teleporting in the rest of the episode). He also uses the gesture in the Budokai Tenkaichi series.
  • The Funimation dub states that this technique allows the user to travel at the speed of light, this is not possible, as Goku has been seen using it to travel to other planets and even galaxies in a literal instant. Given that the distances from other star systems would take light entire years to travel across, this would not be possible. Even the star nearest to Sol, Proxima Centauri, would be a four-year trip away at the speed of light.
  • In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, the Instant Transmission technique is revealed to even be able in allowing its user to teleport into a dimension outside of time itself. As Goku did so in order to follow Démigra into the Crack of Time. However, Goku admitted that it was very difficult to do so, and Démigra was shocked that Goku could actually enter the Crack of Time using a technique as simple as Instant Transmission, as Démigra himself had spent 75 million years trying to escape from there and probably realized that if he had known the dimension could be reached by Instant Transmission then it could also be used as a means of escape, meaning had Démigra known the technique he could have escaped much sooner.
  • In Dragon Ball FighterZ, Android 21 learns how to use Instant Transmission after watching Goku perform it. Goku remarks that this is identical to what Buu did. However, Kid Buu instead copied Kai Kai, after Shin used it to save Goku and the others. Though, it possible that Goku was simply referring to 21 being adept at Mimicry in general. In gameplay, Android 21 gains Instant Transmission after successfully landing Connoisseur Cut on Kid Buu, Captain Ginyu, Frieza, Beerus, Hit or Piccolo.
  • In addition to needing a ki source to lock onto, Goku must also need to know in which direction to search for the ki source he is looking for, which is why he needed King Kai's help in finding New Namek first. In Dragon Ball Super, while on Beerus' world, he needed King Kai's help again to find the direction of Earth, and Gohan to light up his aura so he could lock onto it. In essence, Goku cannot use Instant Transmission if he's in an unknown area and has no idea which direction to look for a ki signature.

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References

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