The original Super Saiyan transformation has seen multiple variants over the years, but how are they related to one another?
Throughout the landscape of battle shonen manga and anime, there are few moments as memorable as the first time Goku became a Super Saiyan while fighting Frieza on Namek in Dragon Ball Z. At first, this transformation was described as the power that was granted to a pure-hearted Saiyan in a time of need, when they had gone past their limits through intense training. Since then, several upgrades to this original form were introduced as the Z Fighters went up against increasingly powerful antagonists.
Now, achieving the original Super Saiyan transformation has been reduced to child’s play, as power levels surged and new characters were introduced. After the conclusion of Dragon Ball Z, the story was subsequently continued in Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super, where even more new forms made their debut, expanding the roster of Super Saiyan transformations even further. Each form has its own distinct characteristics, as well as a relative increase in power that is also dependent on the skill of the Saiyan using it.
Super Saiyan
The original Super Saiyan transformation had been a legend for centuries, and it was said to come to a worthy Saiyan in a time of need. On seeing Krillin die at Frieza’s hands on Namek, Goku became a Super Saiyan for the first time when overcome by his rage.
Triggered by intense emotions such as sadness or anger, the first Super Saiyan form is marked by a drastic increase in power, speed, and durability from a Saiyan’s base state, where Goku was able to easily overwhelm and defeat Frieza at full power.
Its identifying feature is the golden hue and spikier shape that the user’s hair takes on, in contrast to the traditionally black hair of all pure blood Saiyans. Moreover, they develop cyan pupils, and there is also a golden aura surrounding the user, which is a common feature in successive Super Saiyan forms. Saiyans also become far more aggressive and rash in this state, until they master it. Beyond this, there are supplementary forms which augment the power output and muscle size known as Super Saiyan Second and Third Grade, as well as a mastered form known as Super Saiyan Full Power.
Super Saiyan 2
As power levels rose rapidly with the introduction of the Androids and Cell, the first Super Saiyan form’s usefulness started to wane. Since it was no longer a match for the new antagonists they faced, Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Future Trunks were forced to train in search of a higher form. This effort paid off with Gohan’s eventual transformation into a Super Saiyan 2, triggered by the death of Android 16, who was killed by Perfect Cell.
In this form, a Saiyan’s hair becomes even more spiked up in Super Saiyan 2, with the same gold color, cyan pupils, and pulsating aura around them. This form also features sparks of bio-electricity around the user, which manifest when they transform or power up. Users will have their speed and strength augmented even further, with Gohan able to completely overpower Perfect Cell in this form. Super Saiyan 2 is also one of the most prominently featured transformations in the series, as Goku and Vegeta now generally resort to it when fighting semi-seriously. Future Trunks also displayed an enhanced version of this form with a dual blue and gold aura in Dragon Ball Super, known as Super Saiyan Rage.
Super Saiyan 3
Unlike its predecessors, Super Saiyan 3 was not achieved in the heat of battle. Instead, Goku attained the form while training on Other World, in seven years after Cell’s defeat. Super Saiyan 3 maximizes the utilization of ki and drains stamina at a rate that is leagues beyond Super Saiyan 2, making it difficult to maintain in a mortal body. This impracticality means that it has been used quite sparingly in the series. The transformation is accompanied by a tremendous burst of power that produces shock waves over large distances and may even destroy the user’s body if improperly executed.
Featuring the most drastic change in appearance among the Super Saiyan forms in Dragon Ball Z, Super Saiyan 3 sees the user’s golden hair become smooth and flow down to their waist. Their facial features are more angular, and there is a notable absence of eyebrows with an enhanced brow ridge. Trails of bio-electricity become more pronounced with some augmentation in musculature. This form extracts every bit of power in a Saiyan’s blood, taking their speed and strength to previously unseen levels. However, the cost of using this form is equally high, as the transformation will fade quickly, with the onset of immense fatigue afterward. It is also the last Super Saiyan form featured in Dragon Ball Z.
Super Saiyan 4
Although it is separate from the main branch of Super Saiyan transformations, and there are ongoing debates about its place in the canon with the release of Dragon Ball Super, Super Saiyan 4 combines the strength of its predecessors with the Great Ape form. Goku first achieved it in Dragon Ball GT, with Vegeta soon following suit. The form condenses the power of the Great Ape state, and allows the user to absorb the energy from attacks directed towards them for their own use. Its appearance is also a marked departure from any of the forms before it.
Instead of the usual gold of Super Saiyan, a Saiyan’s hair can stay black or turn another color such as red, but it will grow out considerably in length while using Super Saiyan 4. The user’s body will also be covered in red fur, and they will gain a shadow trim around their eyes. Super Saiyan 4 also features a dramatic increase in stature, which will revert when the form is deactivated. The aura around Super Saiyan 4 is not golden, unlike the other forms, and will either be that of their base state, or take on a reddish hue.
Legendary Super Saiyan
There has been a lot of debate on where this transformation stands in comparison to other Super Saiyan forms, as its power has varied wildly in various depictions. So far, Broly and Kale are the only two confirmed Legendary Super Saiyans in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. The form itself is an extremely powerful variant of the original Super Saiyan transformation, awakened through intense sorrow, and is characterized by green hair and a similarly colored aura in most appearances.
Inducing a noticeable increase in size and muscle definition, the Legendary Super Saiyan form was spoken of in Saiyan folklore as a being of immense destructive ability. The form itself bears many similarities to the Super Saiyan Third Grade, but it grants users sufficient speed and durability to match the boost in strength. Only a few select Saiyans have achieved it over the course of history, with its explosive power comparable to a berserker state.
Super Saiyan God
Making its debut in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, this is the first in a new series of transformations based on godly ki, which diverge from the original sequence of Super Saiyan forms. At first, it was only possible to become a Super Saiyan God through a ritual that required five pure hearted Saiyans to transfer their ki to a designated Saiyan. However, Goku and Vegeta were later able to overcome it and harness its power without needing the ritual.
Unlike previous transformations, the user’s hair does not become spiky or stick upward, and instead turns magenta-red in Goku’s case, or crimson-red in Vegeta’s case. The aura around them takes on a flame like, fiery character, and their irises also become red, while their muscle definition and facial features grow softer. Super Saiyan God is a drastic level up from earlier forms due to its use of godly ki. The augmentation in speed, strength, and endurance is miles ahead of all previous transformations, and allowed Goku to fight against Beerus, although the latter was not at full power. Saiyans become more level-headed and calm after attaining this form.
Super Saiyan Blue
Described as the form attained by a mortal Saiyan who attempts to turn into a Super Saiyan after achieving a base form empowered with godly ki, Super Saiyan Blue is a divine state that can be achieved by Saiyans who have the power of a Super Saiyan God. This form can only be attained and controlled through intense training, and it takes a great deal of time to perfect it. Visually, the transformation is quite similar to the original Super Saiyan form, except for the fact that a user’s hair and eyes turn blue instead of golden. Furthermore, they are surrounded by an electric blue aura, with sparkling particles of energy pulsating around the user, and occasional bursts of bio-electricity when powered up.
The form possesses very efficient ki control for the ridiculous amount of power it grants, exceeding any transformation that came before it. It also provides a calm mind which negates the more aggressive tendencies of other transformations. Goku has been shown using it in tandem with his Kaio-ken, whereas Vegeta took it one step further to create the Super Saiyan God SS Evolved form in the Tournament of Power, in which the color of his hair and aura took on a deeper shade of blue. Divine beings can access a variant of the form known as Super Saiyan Rosé, where their hair and aura turn pink.
