Body Change

Directory: Techniques → Supportive techniques

The Body Change (ボディ チェンジ, Bodi Chenji) is a supportive technique used by Commander Ginyu.

Usage

First, Ginyu injures himself in the chest and powers up. Next, he brings his arms and legs apart as he fires an energy wave from his mouth into his opponent's mouth. Finally, Ginyu is in his opponent's body and they are in his body.

History

Dragon Ball Z

Ginyu first seen using this attack against Son Goku after being defeated by the Saiyan's Kaio-ken technique. He and Jheese then flew off to find the Namek Dragon Balls (which were already dug up by Son Gohan and Kuririn) as an injured Goku trapped in Ginyu's body slowly followed behind.

Later, after killing Jheese, Vegeta attacked Ginyu and knocked him down into the ground, much to the shock of Goku, Gohan, and Kuririn. As Vegeta charged down towards Ginyu, he attempted to use his Body Change technique against Vegeta. Before the beam could hit Vegeta, however, Goku jumped in the way and got his body back while Ginyu got his back.

Ginyu soon used his Body Change in a final attempt to switch bodies with Vegeta. Before the beam could hit Vegeta, however, an injured Goku threw a Namekian Frog up in the air in front of the Body Change beam. Ginyu's mind became trapped in the Frog's body and the Frog's mind trapped in Ginyu's body. Vegeta attempted to crush Ginyu, but decided to let the Frog go as he decided not to get his boots dirty (and due to the fact that he assumed Ginyu being trapped in the body of a Frog was punishment enough).

Anime filler

In the filler, Ginyu (in the Frog body) was unable to switch to a different body as the Frog was incapable of speech (which apparently was a requirement for using the technique). He encounters an abandoned Bulma Brief, however, who out of loneliness (and wishing for someone to talk to) built a device that would allow her to understand him (unaware he was one of Freeza's henchmen). With the aid of the device, Ginyu took control of Bulma's body (while Bulma was stuck in the Frog's body). Using Bulma's air bike, Ginyu journeyed to the battlefield where Freeza was fighting Goku. Using Bulma's body, Ginyu tricked Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo into thinking he was Bulma. It was hard for Ginyu (given his loyality to Freeza) to keep up the ruse (doing things like admiring and rooting for Freeza out loud) and Bulma (in the Frog's body) tried to warn Gohan (who at first thought she was Ginyu). Eventually, Gohan realized that Ginyu was in Bulma's body and Ginyu was forced to defend himself. Knowing Bulma's body was too weak, however, he tried to steal Piccolo's body, but Gohan quickly threw Bulma (in the Frog's body) between the two, resulting in Bulma regaining her body and Ginyu returning to the Frog's body.

Video games

Body Change is named in the Budokai video game series and the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series and is Ginyu's Ultimate Blast. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi is the only game in the series where Ginyu's Body Change is a real body change with the opponent. In Budokai Tenkaichi 3, instead of switching bodies with his opponent, he switches bodies with a random character (either Goku (Mid), Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, Jeice, or Nail), but as that character he will be unable (just like in the manga or anime) to use any of their transformations, Blast 1, Blast 2, or Ultimate Blast techniques (nor will he be able to return to his own body).

Ginyu's Body Change has been reduced to simply changing with Goku and having all but his Ultimate Attacks available in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast.

Trivia

• The Body Change, while it may seem to give Ginyu an advantage over powerful opponents (allowing him to obtain a powerful body and trapping his enemy inside his wounded body), has several disadvantages. First, if an opponent's (the person whose body he is stealing) high power level is the result of a technique like the Kaio-ken, it is likely that Ginyu would be unable to achieve the same power level using that person's body (which is what happens with Goku's). Second, being in a body he is not use to is a danger in itself (for example Ginyu could not understand how he was unable to use Goku's body at its power level of 180,000, as he was unaware of the Kaio-ken role and had mistakenly assumed Goku's abnormally high power level for a Saiyan was aided via some natural mutation) as Goku quickly discovered while being trapped in Ginyu's wounded body. Third, the Body Change also switches voices but for some strange reason no one, except for the members of the Ginyu Force, can recognize Ginyu's voice after the switch.
• It is often wondered why Ginyu himself never used the Body Change technique to take Freeza's body and power for himself. However, the reason that Ginyu has never done so may simply be due to nothing more than loyalty. This is highly implied by the Japanese dub of the show as Ginyu never tried to use the Dragon Balls for himself when he had the opportunity.