What is Goku's greatest feat of intelligence?

[Polyphase Avatron]

Despite his lack of smarts in other areas, Goku is known to be a battle genius. So what is the most impressive thing he has done in terms of cleverness?

Some I can think of:

- Learned the Kamehameha after seeing it once
- Learned to use his tail to fly after being thrown by Giran
- Invented the triple Zanzoken in his fight with Master Roshi/Jackie Chun
- Distracted Freeza with the underwater Kamehameha torpedoes
- Fired a ki blast to knock dust below Freeza to distract him into getting hit by his own kienzan, even though he knew Goku was trying to do that
- Realized that extending training in the ROSAT wouldn't help against Cell (something that Trunks and Vegeta failed to realize)
- Realized how strong Gohan was and that his potential could beat Cell
- Figured out how to counter Beerus' attacks to nullify the damage (even though this makes no real sense)
- Realized Golden Freeza's stamina weakness
- Figured out how to predict Hit's timeskip (although this makes little sense)
- Learned the Mafuba after a day of practicing
- Prepared a ki blast to restart his own heart after Hit killed him (although this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever... a lot of DBS feats are like this, now that I mention it)
- Figured out how to predict Dyspo's movements
- Figured out how to compensate for the lack of attack power in Ultra Instinct Omen against Kefla with the Sliding Kamehameha
- Invented that new technique to try to hold Broly

[Lionel]

Probably his optimisation of Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan Blue's power. Goku's pension involved taking the ability or just general momentum of his opponent and launching it back at them. If he was already stronger than his opponent then he just upped the ante, so to speak.

The most memorable examples of tactical ingenuity in a fight that I can recall from him would be things like the foot Kamehameha against Piccolo, torpedo Kamehameha against Freeza and Instant transmission Kamehameha against Cell. You could also include his goading of Piccolo so as to be given an opportunity to rescue Kami. They were really just basic two-step feints but by Dragon Ball standards they're "inspired".

[nickzambuto]

The fact that he grew to become his own master and can effectively train himself into breaking his limits. Goku needs a master early in the series but eventually he is organizing his own training routines and creating brand new training methods. In fact he basically pioneers a bunch of revolutionary training methods that everyone in his group copies. He is one of those pioneers who pushed the level of martial arts around the world with his training methods and the things he discovered.

[mancini]

As I felt, using the True state of Ultra Instinct is the Goku's greatest feat of intelligence which finally impressed gods

[Polyphase Avatron]

As I felt, using the True state of Ultra Instinct is the Goku's greatest feat of intelligence which finally impressed gods

I think that was more along the lines of him achieving it by being forced into a corner due to an extreme situation. He doesn't consciously know how to use it, after all.

[SupremeKai25]

- Learned the Mafuba after a day of practicing

And then forgot to bring the seal LOL.

[sunsetshimmer]

The way he has beaten Super 17 was pretty genius. He was the one who not only realized his weakness but also a fact that he was holding back from killing #18 and so he knew Super 17 wouldn't counterattack risking killing #18. He had a good plan to keep #18 shooting him so Super 17 remained open for physical attack and Goku used his strongest non-ki based move. Even his plan of self destruction was good as he knew that Super 17 can feel vibrations in air and can't be caught by surprise instant transmission attack, so he waited for him to fire his strongest attack that would cause a lot of vibrations that would completely mask Goku's instant transmission.

Also his secret plan he made with Nuova to kill Omega was brilliant. The only one who realized something was wrong was Vegeta who felt that Nuova wasn't trying to kill him but just wanted to make sure he doesn't interfere with their plan. It's also hinted that swallowing a dragon ball was already part of his plan to bring Nuova back. It is very uncommon for someone like Goku to plan things such ahead.

[Hugo Boss]

Throw a frog in front of Ginyu body-change-beam while being crippled.

[emperior]

Those are all martial arts feats. It’s fighting IQ, which is a form of intelligence but in-universe nobody ever doubted that Goku is a genius fighter.

If we are talking about the standard definition of “intelligence” off the top of my mind I think of Goku learning how to drive Bulma’s motorbike on the spot in the beginning of the serie.
Even recently he was able to drive Merus’ space vehicle and that’s no easy thing, even if he most likely put on autopilot he was still seen manuevering the thing and reaching other human-inhabitated planets, which are very few and even fewer considering Moro’s gang exterminated a few.

[Simere]

Living in the mountains away from the corruption of society.

[Akyon]

Working out how to get Elder Kai on his side by working out he's a pervert.

This is the most socially savvy Goku has ever been.

Martial arts wise, probably the underwater kamehameha torpedos against Frieza which was actually pretty tactical, or working out he can fire one from his feet to avoid a ring out.

All the SSJ optimization seems more like plot contrivance to give the illusion of something impressive happening so I can't count that.

[SSJgogeto]

He figuring out the weak points of the Grades in seconds was a really smart move.

About fighting strategy, I think you guys said almost everything. I remember two things he did in ToP: the trap with the landmine-like ki spheres and the trick with the Kienzan, both in episode 123.

[Polyphase Avatron]

He figuring out the weak points of the Grades in seconds was a really smart move.

About fighting strategy, I think you guys said almost everything. I remember two things he did in ToP: the trap with the landmine-like ki spheres and the trick with the Kienzan, both in episode 123.

To be fair though, he copied that last one from Krillin.

[Sadala Elite]

Base Goku vs Freeza on Namek is arguably the most intelligent battle in the whole series, in terms of feats and tactics from Goku.

[Lionel]

I think Puar and Upa versus Dracula Man is probably one of the greatest examples of tactical ingenuity in the series. It's a rare occasion for the fact that the weaker characters succeeded by means unconventional to Dragon Ball.

Goku's best attempt of a similar nature to the above against a superior opponent was likely the anime exclusive scene with the ki mines and Kienzan in the hopes of ringing Jiren out.

[Psajdak]

Goku talking to Freeza in Hell before ToP arc.

One could argue how much Freeza himself is smart, given that he made some reckless decisions once (but that may be more because of his arrogance), but he definitely seems more intelligent than Goku in general.

Yet the way Goku talked to him at that time, and the way he choose words to deal with someone as Freeza, that was really impressive given the whole Goku is dumb thing.
He even openly admitted his Saiyan nature is actually an explorable weakness of him.

No matter how usually he may seem, when it really matters, Goku always knows what is really going on, and what kind of people he is dealing with.

[DodonRay]

I thought it was really clever when he combined the Instant Transmission and Kamehameha against Cell.