'Dragon Ball Z Kakarot': How to beat Great Ape Gohan as Piccolo
No more monkeying around as Goku!
After a brush with death in your fight against Raditz, the defeated Saiyan informs you that his comrades will be invading the earth in a year. With Goku having perished in the battle against Raditz, your main point-of-view in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot switches to Gohan and his reluctant instructor, Piccolo, as he trains the lad for the upcoming invasion.
Gohan’s training doesn’t go quite as planned after a pesky full moon awakens his latent Saiyan abilities, turning him into a rampaging Giant Ape. Piccolo feels an immediate obligation to stop Gohan, but how do you stop a rampaging ape? Or even, how do you play as Piccolo for the first time in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot when you’ve only been taught how to control Goku? There was never a school for Piccolo-based combat! Well, now there is!
But first, read more Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot guides from Inverse:
Playing as “Mister” Piccolo in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
For your whole Dragon Ball: Kakarot life so far, you’ve been Goku, but now you’re stuck in the shoes of Piccolo. If you don’t figure things out, this is the end. Hey, don’t worry, Piccolo isn’t scary, he’s just green.
In many ways, his move set isn’t that different from Goku’s technique arsenal. Like Goku’s Kamehameha, Piccolo uses a ki-based beam attack called Special Beam Cannon. You saw him use it in a cutscene earlier to kill Goku, but now it’s one of the best long-range attacks at your disposal.
Use Special Beam Cannon during moments where your opponent is standing still. It won’t work on a moving target. However, Piccolo’s Rapid Fire Ki Wave is perfect for chasing foes on the go. The move will damage any enemy within your reticle. If the enemy is able to move from the reticle covered area simply move the reticle!
Your other two moves work swimmingly for close combat encounters. Make sure you’re close to your opponent before using either of these techniques. Piccolo’s Demon Flash Strike has him deliver a single decisive blow to his opponent, opening them up for even more attacks. For your second close combat move, Explosive Wave, Piccolo will make a small AoE blast around him. When you’re fighting more than one opponent, Explosive Wave is fantastic for crowd control.
So with the mastery of Piccolo’s moveset in hand, how precisely can you use these techniques to defeat Great Ape Gohan?
Fighting Great Ape Gohan in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
How do you tame a rampaging beast precisely? Well, it’s by dodging their attacks then followed by attacking them into submission.
When Gohan is standing still or hitting the ground, as he so often does, take advantage of his static clompers and fire a long-range attack like Special Beam Cannon. This will do some damage.
When he’s done hitting the ground, he’ll likely fire off his Mouth Cannon technique. Dodge this move. Once you do, he’ll be exhausted, leaving him vulnerable for attack. Take this time to launch yourself closer to Gohan. Once nearby, use a close combat move like Demon Flash Strike. Then wail on him with normal punches in your remaining time.
Repeat this method until Great Ape Gohan has fallen, permanently.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is currently available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC
