Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire is making waves at the box office, surpassing $200 million globally upon its release. The team behind the movie has revealed an interesting inspiration behind Pink Godzilla’s design—none other than Son Goku from Dragon Ball.

Initially, fans were surprised by Godzilla’s pink glow in the full trailer of Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire, sparking a social media trend. Speculations arose about whether the transformation was akin to those seen in Dragon Ball. Now, it appears there’s a connection.

Jared Krichevsky, a veteran artist and creature designer involved in the MonsterVerse, shared insights during a fan Q&A session. In a now-deleted post, Krichevsky revealed that Pink Godzilla’s transformation drew inspiration from Kaio-Ken Goku.

“I didn’t see Goku Rose until years later. But I did base the transformation off of Kaio-Ken. Yeah, it was always supposed to be a temporary transformation. In the movie, he absorbs the DNA of Tiamat,” Krichevsky shared.

This revelation sheds light on Godzilla’s new power, drawing parallels to Kaio-Ken from Dragon Ball. Godzilla’s temporary boost, obtained from Tiamat’s DNA absorption, was utilized to combat Skar King. However, the power surge is short-lived, and Godzilla now rests in Rome after exhausting the enhancement.

Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire is currently showing in theaters, while previous MonsterVerse films are available for streaming on Max.