How Image Training Works in Dragon Ball and the Real Martial Arts Behind It

The first episode of Dragon Ball Super Beerus showed Goku doing intense mind training through a form of meditation, sparring against previous opponents his own mind manifested: Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu. That isn't the first time Dragon Ball has shown mind training, and here I'm going to explain how it works and how it borrows from real life martial arts principles.

During the original run of Dragon Ball Super, we learned that Frieza picked up a form of mind training while he was in the afterlife after Goku killed him. That let him increase his power and unlock what we now know as true Golden Frieza. Back in Dragon Ball Z, in an anime only stretch, Krillin and Gohan used mental training on the ship with Bulma on the way to Namek, so they could train without tearing up the ship or breaking something. Goku himself learned meditation and its importance from Grandpa Gohan and Master Roshi, and Mr. Popo and Kami took it to a new level.

Image training lets Dragon Ball fighters gain from combat without moving

Image training shows up in Dragon Ball time and time again. It simulates actual combat. In martial arts, the mind, body and soul all have to be united and synchronized, and it's no different in the world of Dragon Ball.

Through image training, a fighter can gain the benefits of combat without lifting a finger, and can even unlock new abilities and new combat strategies before practicing them physically. It's useful when you want to train without your body doing anything for fear of damaging something, or when you're trapped and your body can't move. Gohan and Krillin on the ship and Frieza in his cocoon in the afterlife are where image training reaches its full potential.

Goku and Gohan pushed mind linking furthest in Dragon Ball Super episode 83

There's an advanced version called mind linking, where you and a partner share the same thoughts during image training. Both partners need synchronized levels of energy, and they try to create a mental image of the person they want to spar with. It takes intense focus, because they don't want to create the wrong image.

The most advanced version came in the original Dragon Ball Super in the build up to the Tournament of Power. In Dragon Ball Super episode 83, Goku and Gohan use mind linking to create an image battle, role playing as Krillin and another fighter. That demands even more concentration and advanced martial arts ability, because now you're creating the image of another person. "Believe it or not, Goku's not entirely an idiot." He can be goofy, but these advanced mental training regimens show he's smart when it comes to combat.

Another example I think many people forget is Goku's coma. He could still sense some of what was going on around him, and he used that for a form of mental training while he waited for the heart virus medication to work so he could come back and move his body. That's how he discovers there's a form beyond Super Saiyan that he could possibly achieve with more training.

Taoism, Buddhism and Eastern martial arts are the biggest inspiration

With this ability, a fighter can achieve a form of enlightenment, and that's where those real world traditions come in as the biggest inspiration for how Dragon Ball uses martial arts principles. If you've taken old school martial arts or seen kung fu films, you know how often the importance of meditation and of synchronizing mind, body and spirit comes up.

The cool thing is there's something to this, and you can learn to do it yourself. Martial artists teach meditation as a way of keeping your composure and clearing your mind, which is why it comes up in fictional stories like Star Wars and The Matrix. If your mind isn't balanced, you're prone to mistakes and to letting your emotions take over and work against you when the combat gets heavy. Dragon Ball characters from all over the multiverse meditate. Jiren was meditating for something like 80% of the Tournament of Power, so even Universe 11 gets why this works.

Meditation helped me with anxiety, and it has real benefits outside fiction

In real life, meditation can keep you centered and help with anxiety. I learned this myself when I went through therapy, through a technique called mindfulness, and it's very helpful. You learn to breathe properly, usually in through your nose and out through your mouth, to recalibrate your body and brain. That lets you stay calm under pressure, visualize the goals you want to accomplish and find holes in your game. It can help with tension, and, like Goku in his coma, you can discover an awareness of things you didn't realize were there.

There's a version of this in every major culture and religion, not just in the Far East. Going into deep prayer could be a version of it, and it can be surprisingly comforting whatever your beliefs. Many of the world's most powerful people practice a form of meditation every morning as a ritual before they attack the day, much like Dragon Ball characters do before they attack their opponents. The real benefits can make us better, more patient, more understanding and more self aware people, but we won't get what Dragon Ball characters get. That's okay, because it makes the series more cool.

Goku meditates to calm his heart while Vegeta uses it to train his mind

Take the meditation Goku learns while training with Mr. Popo. Much of it is anime only, but it still fits Akira Toriyama's principles in the manga and is among the best anime only content in the franchise. Popo teaches Goku to clear his mind and thoughts, relieve stress and be one with the environment, which lets him go beyond the five senses.

Compare that with Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, in the scene many people talk about where Goku clowns him. Vegeta practices techniques in his own mind repeatedly so they become second nature. Goku's version is about relaxing, calming his mind and centering himself while still getting into battles without moving his body. Goku uses meditation to calm his heart, and Vegeta uses it to train his mind. That's why Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego differ between the two characters and why each fits the road that character takes.

It might be easier for Goku to keep his mind focused, but Vegeta can use his to advance as a fighter, which is why Vegeta ends up beating Goku in that sparring match at the end of Super Hero. It all fits together. In the manga, when Whis trains Goku in Ultra Instinct, a strong mind is a very important part of reaching the higher levels of the form.

Piccolo, Vegeta on Yardrat and Frieza show other paths to the same power

Piccolo's image training is more akin to ninjutsu, shadow work and telekinetic abilities: ridding his mind of intrusive thoughts, controlling his ego and desires, and focusing on overcoming his limitations. Much of this comes up when Piccolo trains Gohan in the anime version of the Tournament of Power, in Dragon Ball Super episode 88. Piccolo's pep talk opens the door for Gohan to go back to his old self and reclaim the power of Ultimate Gohan, which would naturally lead to Gohan Beast in Super Hero.

Another example, with Galactic Patrol coming up soon, is Vegeta training with the Yardrats. He does extreme meditation to learn their strange and unique abilities, and at one point he's told straight up that before this training his body and spirit were completely off balance. Afterward, Vegeta realizes he grew in power without lifting a finger.

The fact that Frieza, a guy who barely trained his whole life, figured this out on his own in the afterlife means he's potentially the biggest prodigy in Dragon Ball history. Unlocking Black Frieza was no accident, because he picks things up quick, maybe even quicker than Gohan.

Goku's strong mind is why Frieza lost on Namek

Classic Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Super both emphasize the mind, and if you don't sharpen yours, you won't keep up with everybody else. Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and Frieza use mindfulness, mental training and image training, and they're all related. "They are all from the same olive branch."

The importance of the mind comes up even when it isn't outwardly stated. Without his mental training and strong mind, Goku wouldn't have truly adapted to Super Saiyan against Frieza. He would have let his anger and primal instinct take over and possibly made a mistake. Even though Goku didn't talk about it much, he was in incredible pain and mourning after what Frieza did to Krillin, and he used his mind and his will as a martial artist to push that aside and focus on winning.

What good is being a Super Saiyan if you don't know how to use your power? That's exactly why Frieza didn't win. Goku explains it to him there and later in Resurrection F: Frieza never took the time to fully adapt to his strong body, so he loses energy as the fight goes on. He never had the training and understanding Goku got on Earth from Grandpa Gohan, Roshi, Korin, Kami and the rest, and that's why Goku was one step ahead of Vegeta for a long time.

Dragon Ball is inspired by real martial arts and classic kung fu films, and image training is an extension of that. In the real world we can do mental rehearsal, imagining ourselves doing something to prepare for it, whether that's a presentation at work or going up to your crush without letting fear of rejection consume you. Those fears are understandable and normal, and through meditation and mindfulness you can train yourself like Goku, Vegeta, Frieza and Piccolo. You won't be able to fire a blast out of your hands, "but don't let me stop you from trying."