Dragon Ball Z's transformations have influenced even Godzilla

Dragon Ball Z could be the inspiration behind the most famous anime series that exists to this day. Anime series like One Piece, Naruto, and any other Shounen series could be inspired by this series, specifically its author, Akira Toriyama.

However, there are some references in another industry that fans may be unaware of. There is one such reference in the Hollywood movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, released a few days ago at the end of March, 2024. One of the dinosaur monsters in this series was inspired by Goku's Kaio-ken, and it was revealed by none other than the Creature Designer of the series.

An X user (@BasedPota18) shared the comments of the Creature Designer of this Godzilla movie, who replied to someone skeptical about the origins of a rose-scaled dinosaur monster. There was a misconception in the fan's mind, but the designer cleared it pretty soon.

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Fans react to the Dragon Ball Z reference in the latest Godzilla movie

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the fifth movie of the Monsterverse franchise of the Godzilla series. The film was released on March 29, 2024, and as expected, it was a hit globally. The plot of this movie centered around Godzilla battling a giant gorilla-like creature named Kong.

One fan pointed out the similarity of the Godzilla in the series to a transformation of Goku Black, Super Saiyan Rose, in Dragon Ball Super because its scales were pink. Fortunately, the creature designer of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire replied and cleared the confusion.

Goku in his Kaio-ken form (Image via Toei Animation)

He said that although Super Saiyan Rose was a good inspiration, the base form of the Godzilla used in the series came from a much older Goku transformation, Kaio-ken. This transformation was invented by King Kai, who taught it to Goku during the Dragon Ball Z series.

The transformation required good control over one's ki and multiplied the user's ki by every passing heartbeat. The X user shared this conversation, and fans have been ecstatic over such a big reveal.

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Fans excited over the Kaio-ken reference in the latest Godzilla film

Fans have taken to the internet and were thrilled to see one of the most iconic anime transformations recognized in Hollywood. While some fans appreciated the design, some predicted the future of the series for even more references from Dragon Ball Z.

"Bro is absolutely going to show up with Gold Scales next movie."

Vegeta in his Super Saiyan form (Image via Toei Animation)

One fan even predicted that after Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the sequel movies could feature the dinosaur monster with golden scales. The golden scales are about the Super Saiyan, one of the strongest Saiyan forms in the series.

The Super Saiyan form was first achieved by Son Goku in his fight with Frieza on Planet Namek. The form was achieved by surpassing the limits of a Saiyan and experiencing extreme emotions. With Kaio-ken already up the list, there could be a reference to the Super Saiyan form in the future.

"Even the King of the Monsters can learn a thing or two from Goku."

Gohan feasting on a dinosaur's tail (Image via Toei Animation)

A fan jokingly said that the King of Monster, Godzilla, could learn a few things from Son Goku. This statement was pretty ironic because, in the series, dinosaurs were treated as emergency food by the Saiyan, just like that one time when Gohan ate a dinosaur's tail every day.

"That's funny to think about considering Cell Max was inspired by Shin-Godzilla."

Another fan added another inspiration-based reference to the discussion, but it was the other way around. Shin-Godzilla, the dinosaur monster that appeared in the 2016 film of the same name, was paid homage in the Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO by Cell's transformation. This feature proved that Akira Toriyama loved Godzilla as much as the latter loved the former's series.

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