The following article will reveal the origin, history and inner mechanics of the Kaio Ken martial arts technique.

What is the Kaio Ken?

The Kaio Ken is a heavenly martial arts technique taught to Goku by North Kaio.

It is one of Goku’s signature techniques used during the first few sagas of Dragon Ball Z.

The Kaio Ken amplifies Goku’s speed, power, mental acuity and physical prowess for short bursts of high intensity.

In the early episodes of Dragon Ball Z, Goku was killed by his brother Raditz, passed into the afterlife, ran 1,000,000 kilometers (10,000 miles in the English dub) across Snake Way, and then trained with North Kaio on his planet.

Not even North Kaio could fully perfect the Kaio Ken, as it is a very advanced mind-body technique.

Goku eventually surpassed his master.

Terminology of Kaio Ken

Kaio Ken (Japanese Kanji: 界王拳) is pronounced as “Kigh-oh-ken,” not “Kay-oh-ken” as it was pronounced in the original English dub. When spoken properly, the “Kai” in Kaio rhymes with “pie.”

Kaio (界王) can be translated as “Lord of the Worlds.”

Ken (拳) is Japanese for “Fist” or “Hand” and in the martial arts world Ken refers to a particular style or family of techniques.

Kaio Ken thus means “Lord of the Worlds Fist,” or alternatively “Fist of the World King,” and therefore serves as both the signature technique of North Kaio and the name of the Kaio martial arts style in general.

A Kaio is a deity of higher realms that presides over a specific dominion. Each Kaio is a master of their own realm, and beneath them are other lords who rule over their individual sectors or planets.

This system of lord above lord manifests itself from the highest realms to the lowest, like a series of concentric circles, each divided into quadrants.

North Kaio is the ruler of the North Quadrant of the Western Galaxy, and is the lord of Kami, appointed Guardian of the Earth, where Goku lives.

There are other Kaio’s, but it is not known whether they are also able to perform or teach the Kaio Ken.

When was the Kaio Ken Used?

The first time we see Goku use the Kaio Ken technique is in Dragon Ball Z episode 29, while fighting against the Saiyans; Nappa and Vegeta.

Nappa is flying toward Goku’s son Gohan and best friend Krillin to deliver a death blow. Goku is not flying fast enough to catch up to Nappa, so he is forced to use the Kaio Ken technique to intercept the strike.

Goku screams “Kaio Ken!” and is surrounded by a flaming red aura. He propels forward in the sky and punches Nappa with both fists in his spine, mid-flight. Nappa spins around as a result of the blow.

Continuing to surge forward, Goku lands on the ground underneath Nappa, and then catches him with one hand before he makes impact. Goku then tosses his now paralyzed opponent’s body to the ground.

The scene’s immediate aftermath is transcribed here, from the subtitled FUNimation Dragon Boxes:

Vegeta: “What was that just now?! For an instant, his speed and power suddenly increased!”

Krillin: “G-Goku how did you do that? Was that a technique you learned from that Kaio person?”

Goku: “Yeah. It’s called Kaio-ken. By controlling all of the energy [Ki] within your body, you can momentarily amplify it. If you do it right, your speed, power, destructive and defensive forces all increase many times over.”

Krillin: “That’s so awesome! Even after getting that much stronger, you can become many times stronger than that?”

Goku: “Yeah. [But] If I don’t restrain my Ki just right while I’m controlling it, I could kill myself. In short…”

[Flashback to his training on North Kaio’s Planet]

North Kaio: “You have done well to master the Kaio Ken technique, which even I could not handle, to this degree. However, I must stress again that you must not overuse Kaio Ken at your current level. If you mishandle your control, you will end up ruining your body. Do your best to limit yourself to a double multiplier. Remember, using Kaio Ken any higher than that will place too great a burden upon your body. In other words, your body won’t be able to keep up with the Kaio Ken, and it will bite back for what you’re doing to it.”

Goku: “Got it!”

The English version dubbed by FUNimation follows the same basic flow, but misses some important descriptive points, so the original Japanese was referenced here instead.

The Kaio Ken is used over a dozen times throughout the entire series.

How does the Kaio Ken Work?

This is where most Dragon Ball guides stop. They talk about the What and the When. They don’t talk about the How.

The reason most guides to Dragon Ball do not explain how the Kaio Ken works is most likely because the above dialogue is all they have available as reference. This dialogue is as far as the series goes in explaining the Kaio Ken.

But how does the Kaio Ken work, and what are the inner mechanics?

The exact training techniques employed by North Kaio are unknown. All we see is Goku busting through some bricks after he learned it, but not how he actually learned to use it in the first place.

Because of the lack of official explanation, the following explanation for the Kaio Ken represents my best attempt.

Training the Kaio Ken

Recognize that the Kaio Ken is an integrated mind-body technique.

A practice of both mind and body means simultaneously cultivating the mind and tempering the body.

If the body is not trained to a high degree, then even if the mind were capable, the body would falter.

In the case of Goku, tempering of the body involves physical training with a focus on repetition and teaching the body how to react and become integrated with the mind.

Goku cultivated the mind when he worked on proper timing, mental endurance and a sharp focus.

From a metaphysical perspective, by undergoing intense and focused training Goku is able to fill his body on the molecular and sub-molecular levels with more and more energy. In Dragon Ball they call this energy Ki.

Through such training Ki becomes increasingly dense, to a point where it fills up all the cells in the body. The particles of energy are increasingly refined to become smaller and more powerful, even though they fill up the same amount of space.

So the more Goku trains, the more powerful he becomes.

Physical transformations occur at later points in the series, but not now.

Using the Kaio Ken

Analyzing the technique from a Daoist martial arts perspective may produce the following understanding.

The energy is drawn from the Dan Tian (energy field in the lower body, Chinese: 丹田), and sent out to the chest, back, head and four limbs.

The Ki travels underneath the skin and causes the muscles to bulge and the flesh to become thick around the bones.

As the Ki reaches the surface of the body in this dimension it manifests as heat, wind, and electricity.

When Goku employs the Kaio Ken he opens up all the cells in his body and taps into their energy on a molecular and sub-molecular level.

Goku’s cells, molecules, atoms, neutrons, quarks and all other sub atomic particles are opened up and tapped into for a very short amount of time.

The Kaio Ken increases the metabolism of the cells in the body. The cells exert an incredible amount of energy in a short amount of time and are then completely expended.

The cells die and need to be replaced. But this recovery process takes as much time as the normal functions of the body will dictate. So during a battle, the use of Kaio Ken must only be used in desperate times of need.

A correlative explanation to Tibetan “Monk’s Fire” may help.

In this practice monks will wrap a wet cloth around themselves and then sit in meditation in the freezing cold mountains. As they sit, the water in the cloth starts to steam, and eventually the towel becomes dry. Under thermal cameras it can be seen that the monks bodies are much hotter than normal.

The exact science of how the monks do this is still waiting to be discovered. Perhaps they heat up the body by using Ki or by increasing their cellular metabolism via a mental technique. Long distance cold environment runners have been found to use similar a technique.

In the second DBZ movie, The World’s Strongest, Goku uses the Kaio Ken to free himself from the frozen ice of Ebifurya’s attack. He heats up so much that the ice melts and breaks apart.

Having melted the ice and broken free, Goku defeats his opponent.

The Dangers of Kaio Ken

There are repercussions to using the Kaio Ken, because Goku’s Ki is at higher levels than his natural, base form is used to.

Each multiplier of the Kaio Ken increases the metabolic rate and expenditure of the cells. This is why North Kaio warned Goku during his training against the Saiyans to not go beyond Kaio Ken x 2. He said anything else would kill him.

But during the battle, Goku was forced to go to Kaio Ken x 3, and even Kaio Ken x 4 in order to win.

In the Viz English manga, Goku says:

“Oh well… Better to blow myself up than let him do it.”

During his battle with the Saiyans, Kame Seninn was on Kame Island and felt the energy being exerted by Goku. He said the following:

“It’s said that the flame of a candle burns intensely just before it goes out. It seems to me that Goku is tremendously overexerting himself.” Chi-Chi cries back, “Don’t say anything so ill-fated!”

Goku is fighting for his life against Vegeta and says to himself:

“Damn, he’s a tough one… If I don’t finish this quickly–”

And then part of Goku’s body goes into spasm:

“Damn—My body can’t–! My whole body is aching! Sure enough, it looks like performing a times three Kaio-Ken was asking too much… If I dally around, I’ll be the one who goes down first!”

The power of Goku’s Saiyan genetics and incredible inborn quality of endurance are what allowed him to persevere.

He gained victory and defended the earth, but his body was completely drained and crushed. Only the miraculous power of the Senzu beans allowed him to recover.

Kaio Ken Koncluded

The Kaio Ken was a useful technique but was phased out as the series continued.

By the time Goku becomes a Super Saiyan during the Freeza Saga he no longer employs short bursts of intense but personally crippling power.

The other technique Goku learned from North Kaio was the Genki Dama.

The Genki Dama works in the opposite fashion to the Kaio Ken. It absorbs energy from within a certain expanse of time and space, and channels it into the cells, filling them with righteous life energy that is aligned with the characteristic of the universe.

A person cannot even use this technique unless they have a pure heart. When using the Genki Dama, Goku’s face becomes very peaceful and meditative.

By contrast, when using the Kaio Ken, Goku’s face becomes angry and intently focused, as if he were expelling a great deal of energy.

The Genki Dama and Kaio Ken are corollary techniques within the same family of Kaio Ken martial art. Goku was the only student of North Kaio’s who learned both.

With these two techniques, one of absorbing and the other of expelling, Goku becomes a super powerful warrior.

Combine these with the Kamehameha energy wave and Goku is nearly unstoppable.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

The Kaio Ken Explained

Anger and pain narrow the mind. Compassion and tolerance broaden the mind.

Pain and anger drive one to take immediate actions. Comfort and pleasure pacify the mind to linger in non-action.

In Dragon Ball, villainous forces run amok. Different beings vie for power and control of planets.

Both the Guardian named Kami and North Kaio are passive deities, wrapped in idyllic comfort. They are supposed to protect the people within their domain, but most of the time they don’t do anything.

Placed above the living world in stations of authority, they look out with a broad view at the sentient beings below. Yet they are more dedicated to watching events unfold then changing them. They pass time with voyeurism.

They do not use their vast powers and supernormal abilities. Laws are in place that state how they can interact with the lesser beings. Thus, with restraint in their heart and a broad long term perspective that things will work out on their own, they do not act. They only lament the current state of affairs. The beings below are left to fend for themselves.

Goku’s life is uncomfortable. Whether under attack or in training, Goku is forced to become angry in order to ascend. Goku is a genuinely nice person, but when he is pushed to the limit he becomes filled with rage. He is a true spiritual warrior who directs short term anger in explosive waves.

There were only a couple cases in Dragon Ball when Kami became angry enough to act.

The first was when he descended to earth to fight Piccolo Daimao in the Tenkaichi Budokai martial arts tournament. Filled with rage against his spiritual lesser half, and frustrated with himself for his lack of previous actions to solve the problem, Kami sought to kill his other self.

But even while taking action it was through indirect means, as Kami possessed a pure spirited human’s body to enter the tournament.

In the end, he wasn’t strong enough to win the battle, and Goku had to finish the job.

The second was in the Dragon Ball Z movie called Dead Zone. Kami fought against Garlic Jr., a being who sought to usurp the throne of Guardian. Kami became angry, gained focus, and descended to the earth once again.

But even with his holy powers, Kami was too weak of a fighter to offer a serious challenge.

If Goku and his son Gohan weren’t around to defeat this villain, then Kami’s old age and lack of battle power would have meant the destruction of the world.

The responsibility is repeatedly left to Goku to fight, sacrifice, and endure in order to overcome increasingly greater challenges. As a result, Goku grows in power exponentially and surpasses all the gods, including his martial arts masters.

Burst Through Limits

Goku’s masters do not help him ascend. They only provide the environment and means to do so.

Goku learns by doing. Because Goku is a self-enlightening student, his teachers cannot help him enlighten through lecturing. Rather, they passively provide him with difficult external situations. The training consists of physical suffering amidst external stimuli.

His masters only take direct action after Goku passes one of their challenges and are therefore forced to set up another. Eventually they have no more to offer and he moves onward.

The few martial arts techniques they do teach are ultimately self-taught anyway. Goku’s painful martial arts training forces him to focus on the higher states of mind required to perfect each technique.

His masters are ensconced in comfort, have no focus, and do not grow. They do not cultivate themselves. For ages they stay in their positions and fulfill their roles. Yet as time cycles onward, their lives come to an end. Soon they are replaced by another, who again maintains the status quo.

Goku’s continual progress is the combined result of deadly external circumstances and an internal drive to burst through limits. Even when external scenarios do not provide a barrier to overcome, he finds one within.

This is why Goku is #1.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Anger and Focus in Dragon Ball

Goku Stands in the Shadows

A visitor to the site wrote to me recently asking, “By charging people money for this information aren’t you undermining everything it stands for?”

That’s a forthright and important question.  It’s also one I’ve struggled with for years.

Truth be told, he meant no disrespect by the question, as he was coming at it from a Buddhist perspective of compassion which I completely agree with.

I’ve practiced Shaolin Gong Fu for 10 years, and have taught it for free ever since I was capable enough to do so. My family and friends have sometimes said I’m a fool to give it away for free, but for me, Shaolin Gong Fu is sacred.

Shaolin Gong Fu originates in Buddhism and is (or at least used to be) a martial art that can enable someone to attain the level of Arhat, as taught by Bhodidharma. To charge for that just seems disrespectful. Of course I can understand if it’s your business and livelihood. That’s a different situation.

It’s my understanding that the lower the level, the more complicated and expensive. A great way is simple and free. The only thing you lose is karma, and what you gain is priceless… how could someone put a price on eternal enlightenment?

Buddha Shakyamuni didn’t charge money. He asked you to let go of your attachment to money altogether. Charging money for salvation is the complete opposite of the teachings being promulgated, and is a great hypocrisy.

So that’s the battle I faced when I decided to charge for the book. I rationalize it by saying that I’m not offering salvation to people or trying to start a practice. Just, possibly, lead people to an upright practice that can truly improve their lives or even save them from a downward spiral toward somewhere they don’t want to go. But that’s up to the reader, and it isn’t the main focus of the book.

There’s still a part of me that contests, and I can see both sides of the equation. I kind of feel like I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t, so, as the Buddha Law suggests, I try to walk the Middle Road.

Free to Perceive

Super Saiya-jin Goku

Regarding the ‘getting stuff for free’ thing. Sometimes people don’t value the lessons because they are free.

I taught a Shaolin Gong Fu class at University a few years ago. Sometimes I’d get students and sometimes I wouldn’t, even though they liked the class. They wouldn’t come because they didn’t lose anything by not coming. I imagine that if there were already a financial investment that they’d feel more obligated to show up.

On the other hand, in my senior year I had one faithful student that showed up every time. He was thin and weak in breath but loved Shaolin and wanted to become strong. He valued our time together more than anything and he reciprocally motivated me to work harder.

It essentially comes down to perceived value. What you receive might be the greatest in the universe, but if you don’t value it like the rarest diamond then you might disrespect it or even throw it away like garbage. You might figure that if you lose it, so what? But if you paid for it, even if it was a pet rock, well, by golly you’re going to value it. And the more your money means to you the more you’ll value it.

I would think that a true sage could pick a rock up off the ground and peer into its inner dimensions, the microcosmic matter and life that lay within, and truly value what’s inside, while a normal person thinks that rocks are useless and walks right by.

So it’s this little game we play here on planet Earth, giving people something they value in a way that they will perceive it as valuable. If you don’t do it like that then it’s completely up to the other person whether or not they want to value it, and it takes a lot of patience and compassion to continually wait for the person to come around. Of course, that’s what all great masters have.

The Eye of Ones’ Heart

A Blind Boy Offers a Coin to Majin Buu

I’m reminded of a scene in the Majin Buu arc of Dragon Ball Z where the Fat Majin Buu, an evil being who had a spirit of a holy and high level deity inside him (a Kaio-shin), comes across a young blind boy.

He asks if the boy is afraid of him, as everyone else in the world was terrified of his very image.  The blind boy says no, because he can’t see like other people can.

After Majin Buu realizes what’s wrong with his eyes, he places his hand on the boys face and projects energy into his head.  You think that he’s going to kill him like he does everyone else.  But he doesn’t.

After removing his hand the boy opens his eyes and can see!

The young boy receives the gift of light.  More grateful than anyone he had ever met, the boy reaches into his pocket and pulls out his only item of value, a small coin, and offers it to Majin Buu with all his heart.

Majin Buu doesn’t value money at all, but he loves food.  So he picks up the coin, bites it, and spits it out.  “Tastes yucky,” he says.  He then tells the boy to wait there and flies away.

Majin Buu travels to a nearby town where the villagers are afraid of him as usual.  He blasts one of the villagers with his energy beam and transforms into a carton of milk!  He then flies off and returns to the boy.

Majin Buu Gives the Boy Some Milk

He offers the boy the milk and and the boy is grateful for the food.  He sits with Majin Buu on the cliff for a while and they chat.  He is genuinely unafraid and enjoys the time with his new friend.

Now granted, what the boy was drinking was “made of people,” but that’s beside the point!  I chalk that up to the evil that controlled Buu’s actions and the wacky humor of Akira Toriyama.

It’s a notable moment because this was the first compassionate act that Majin Buu ever performed.  And it happened because of the boy’s perception.  His perception was different than all others, and it was the first step toward driving out the evil inside Majin Buu’s mind.  The subsequent reaction of events led to a climactic battle between good and evil that changed the world.

The Awareness of Value

A Victorious Goku Gives the Thumbs Up

In Goku’s case, he understands how to value something right from the start!

Not a single one of his masters ever charged him a penny, and what he received was priceless.  He cherished and valued every moment of it and took full advantage of their time together to learn and improve as much as possible.

Goku himself is essentially penniless and cares not for money.  He occasionally wins cash prizes from the martial arts tournaments but he doesn’t enter the tournaments for the money, he enters because he loves to fight.  Chi-Chi handles the money after he’s earned it.

From Master Roshi, to Kami, North Kaio, Kaio-Shin, Dai Kaio-Shin, all the way from bottom to top, never once do any of these teachers ask for money.

What do they ask for?  Goku’s heart.

They want him to perceive their training as valuable.  And when he does, incredible things happen.

Goku becomes their greatest student of all time.  Each teacher, in sequence, one after the other, is amazed at Goku’s progress and ability to rise up, to break down his own internal barriers and defeat himself.  That’s what makes Goku #1.

In all truth, Goku perceives everything as valuable, not just his martial arts training.  He even perceives his opponents as valuable, which is why he tries not to take away their lives.  He gives them chance after chance to redeem their wicked ways and turn around.  Whether or not they choose to do that, again, comes down to perceived value.

Could you imagine a Goku that didn’t perceive everything and everyone as valuable?  He’d either be fat and lazy like Oolong or vicious and selfish like his brother Raditz.

And Goku had been this way throughout his entire life, not just when he matured and had his own family.  Goku could see the inner beauty in even the ugliest of creatures.

Perhaps that is what made Goku the greatest master of all.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Perceived Value and True Masters