Saiyan Sized Secret

Goku activates Kaio-ken times three and unleashes a ferocious assault that overwhelms Vegeta for the first time in their battle. The Saiyan prince is pummeled repeatedly, his noble blood spilling from wounds inflicted by a warrior he considers low-class trash. Goku's body begins to strain under the technique's toll, and he realizes he must finish the fight quickly.

Vegeta, driven to blind fury, decides to destroy Goku along with the entire planet. He launches the Galick Gun, a devastating beam aimed straight at the Earth's core. Goku counters with a Kamehameha powered by Kaio-ken times three, but finds it is not enough. In a moment of pure desperation, he pushes to Kaio-ken times four. The amplified Kamehameha engulfs Vegeta's attack and rockets the prince into the upper atmosphere.

Goku collapses from the strain, barely able to move. Yajirobe, who has been hiding throughout the battle, comes out to congratulate him, and a simple pat on the back sends Goku screaming in pain. Vegeta barely escapes the beam and returns to the wasteland, his armor shattered and his pride in ruins. Finding the moon destroyed by Piccolo, Vegeta reveals a secret: he can create an artificial moon using a Power Ball technique. He hurls the energy sphere into the sky, stares at it, and transforms into a Great Ape, towering over the exhausted Goku.

Kaio-ken times three lets Goku punish Vegeta, but the enraged prince fires a Galick Gun powerful enough to destroy Earth. Goku meets it with his Kamehameha and escalates to Kaio-ken times four, overpowering Vegeta and sending him skyward. The victory is short-lived; Goku's body is wrecked from the strain.

Vegeta survives, creates an artificial moon with a Power Ball, and transforms into a Great Ape. The dynamic shifts entirely as the exhausted Goku faces a building-sized opponent with no energy left to fight.

The Galick Gun versus Kamehameha clash is one of the most celebrated beam struggles in Dragon Ball history. Goku's use of Kaio-ken times four, a level that could have torn his body apart, demonstrates his willingness to risk everything for Earth. Vegeta's Power Ball technique reveals that Saiyans do not need a natural moon to transform, raising the stakes considerably.