Instantaneous Movement

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Directory: Techniques → Supportive techniques → Ki → Movement

Instantaneous Movement (瞬間 移動, Shunkan Idō; Literally meaning "Instant Movement"), Instantaneous Transmission, Instant Transmission, Instant Translocation, Instantaneous Teleportation, Teletransportation, or Teleportation is a movement technique for instantly teleporting. It was learned by Son Goku on Planet Yardrat after his battle against Freeza.

It allowed Goku, and anyone that was in contact with him (although plants did not count), to instantly travel great distances (from meters to light years, or even travel between the Mortal Realm and the Next World) just by concentrating on a particular individual's energy signature and "transmitting" or feeling that being's location. This action was usually accompanied by Goku placing his index and middle fingers on his forehead to help him concentrate, though if extra time was taken, the technique could be performed without this aid.

Because Instant Transmission requires a Ki signature to lock onto (whereas Instantaneous Movement does not), the successful performance of this technique was dependent on one's ability to detect them. For example, at the end of Dragon Ball Z, Goku proclaimed to Dende that he could not travel to New Planet Namek because their Ki signatures were too far away.

This technique had many practical uses throughout the series. Goku could even shift through realms, having no problem teleporting from Earth to Planet Kaishin in the Kaioshin Realm to find information on the location of New Planet Namek. In the FUNimation dub of the anime, Goku described the technique as allowing him to move at the speed of light (specifically 186,000 miles per second), however, it occurs instantly as New Planet Namek for example was light years away.

It is revealed in Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan that this move briefly moved the user into a pocket dimension which then allowed them to move to any location instantly. The user could not travel to an area they had never been to, however, unless they could detect someone familiar to use as a homing beacon.

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 traveled to places a short distance away. As a Super Saiyan 4, however, he was able to use the ability to its full potential.

Usage

The Yardrats taught Instantaneous Movement to Goku during his time on their homeworld. He intended to use the technique to get to Earth before Freeza could harm anyone, but found it unnecessary because Future Trunks had already come to finish Freeza off. Later, he discovered he could use two of his popular attacks with this technique, such as the Instant Kamehameha and Instant Spirit Bomb.Throughout the rest of the series, Goku used the technique often to travel around the universe. In Dragon Ball series, heroes mostly use the technique rather than villains.

Known users

• Goku learned the technique from the Yardrats sometime after the destruction of Planet Namek and prior to his return to Earth during the Trunks Saga.
• Inhabitants of Planet Yardrat supposedly knew this technique since they taught it to Goku.
• Cell learns this technique by absorbing Goku's cells after his self-destruction on King Kai's planet (near the end of the Cell Games Saga of Dragon Ball Z).
• The fusions Gogeta and Vegetto, being two fusions of Goku and Vegeta, could also use this technique.
• Kami, Mr. Popo, Uranai Baba, Tsururin Tsun, Kibito, and later Kibito Kai also knew a variation of this technique called Instantaneous Movement, but it did not require an energy signature to hone in on and did not use the typical Goku gesture.
• Cooler's metal clone servants in the film Return of Cooler also had the knowledge of Instantaneous Movement. His method of obtaining the technique is unknown, however, it was stated that Cooler knew the technique before he came to Earth. Cooler used it to escape from the Sun after Goku launched him into it. Cooler was first seen using the technique during his second fight with Goku on New Planet Namek. He revealed it after Goku used it to dodge a large energy bomb. Cooler stated, "that's quite a clever trick" and Goku responded, "Yeah, it's called Instant Transmission" only to have Cooler blandly reply, "I know... it's of one my favorite techniques". (In the original version, Cooler stated that he was surprised that Goku knew the move as well.) After this, there were times when both used it to fight; when used by both at the same moment, it resulted in the two battling in the pocket dimension that makes up Instantaneous Movement. When this occurred in one instance, Cooler won the first skirmish in the Instantaneous Movement dimension by grabbing Goku by the leg and slamming him through a mountain. Another time, Goku entered it to save Vegeta from a crushing blow from Cooler, who had entered the dimension to surprise Vegeta. He also uses this technique occasionally in the Story mode of Shin Budokai.
• North Kaio mentioned that he could have taught Goku the technique in the Cell Games Saga when Goku visited him on his planet to find the location of New Planet Namek. (This is stated only in the anime, while in the manga North Kaio was amazed by the existence of such an ability).
• Kid Boo also uses this technique to teleport to various planets in search of Goku and Vegeta. He learned it from imitating Goku, however, in the manga it is instead said that he uses Instantaneous Movement.

Character meaning

• 瞬 (shun) = moment, second, instant
• 間 (kan) = interval, space, between
• 瞬間 (shunkan) = instant, moment, second
• 移 (i) = move, shift, change
• 動 (dō) = move, shift, change
• 移動 (idō) = movement, migration, removal

Trivia

• Freeza is the only one of the three major Dragon Ball Z villains not to know this move, as both Kid Boo and Super Perfect Cell learned it after Goku.

• If you consider Vegeta to be a major villain, however, he would also count as a major villain who was unable to use this technique.

• In the Cell Games Saga, King Kai states in filler that he knew the Instantaneous Movement technique and that he could have taught it to Goku if he had asked. This conflicts with a previous statement he makes in the Vegeta Saga, however, when King Kai specifically said that he could not "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 Instantaneous Movement he could have traveled to Planet Namek and rescued Goku.