If there is any anime that knows how to create a spectacle, it’s Dragon Ball, and the franchise has been dutifully introducing awe-inspiring Super Saiyan transformations for decades now. New Super Saiyan forms are probably the franchise’s biggest selling point, because of the incredulous display of power they enable.
While Goku has become the unofficial representative of the Super Saiyan transformation, characters like Vegeta, Future Trunks, Broly, Gohan, and others have also achieved some of the most epic SSJ forms. These moments have already been etched in the history of Dragon Ball, and it’s the perfect time to rank them based on how legendary they are.
Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan Debut Is Drenched in Grief
Future Trunks turning Super Saiyan for the first time in Dragon BallImage via Toei Animation
Goku and Vegeta’s Super Saiyan awakenings pale in front of the utter devastation that forced Future Trunks to gain gold hair. Future Trunks’ first Super Saiyan transformation is achieved in the Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks special, which also unveils the bleak future that the character hails from. It was Future Trunks’ grief over seeing Future Gohan’s cold, lifeless body that turned his agony into pure power.
Unlike Goku, who fights to be stronger than his next opponent, and Vegeta, who fights to be stronger than Goku, Future Trunks fought with everything he had, because stopping meant the extinction of humans. And, unlike everyone from the main timeline, there was no bringing back the only ally he had in his war against the Androids.
Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 Form Shook the Entire Planet and the Hearts of Fans
Goku turns Super Saiyan 3 during the Buu saga in Dragon Ball Z.Image via Toei Animation
Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation in Dragon Ball Z is simply epic, and probably one of the most powerful moments in the franchise’s history. The moment arrives after Goku returns from training for seven years in the afterlife after the Cell Games. Unlike his previous transformations up to this point, Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 did not need an emotional conflict to get triggered; it was simply the product of Goku’s unrestricted training in the afterlife.
Additionally, Super Saiyan 3 Goku’s ridged eyebrows and unrestrained long golden hair gave him a fiercer look. When Goku first unleashes Super Saiyan 3, it shakes the entire planet. Going even further beyond than ever, his power could be felt across the universe, and it really seemed like he’d be able to put a stop to the menace of Majin Buu.
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Vegeta’s First Super Saiyan Transformation Is the Result of His Ego
Vegeta turns Super Saiyan for the first time in Dragon Ball ZImage via Toei Animation
Vegeta is the third character in Dragon Ball Z to undergo the Super Saiyan transformation. Before Vegeta, Super Saiyan transformations were tied to emotionally charged events like the loss of loved ones, but Vegeta proved that he needed none of that emotional junk. Vegeta’s pure rage and ego at being left behind in the dust by Kakarot was enough for him to bust open the dam and fulfill a legend.
While Goku and Future Trunks faced life-threatening challenges, what was killing Vegeta was not being the best. The scene when Vegeta proudly announces his entire ego-trip-powered Super Saiyan mode is the cherry on top. The dialogue when Vegeta declares that he might not be pure at heart, but he is pure evil is nothing short of epic, and cements Vegeta as the one-true true rival of Goku.
Broly’s Super Saiyan Transformation Made For a Bad Time for Goku, Vegeta and Frieza
The first time Broly underwent the Super Saiyan transformation, it quickly became one of the most brutal days in the lives of Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, and everyone in Broly’s radius. No one could have anticipated Broly would beat the living daylights out of Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta. Moreover, the scene reveals the secret ingredient to the best Super Saiyan transformations: Frieza and his nefarious schemes.
Unfortunately, the villain only invited trouble to his doorstep, as Broly promptly pounded Golden Frieza into golden pulp. Broly first turns into Legendary Super Saiyan in the 1993 movie, Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, but his transformation in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie is often considered superior.
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Goku’s First Super Saiyan Transformation Is Embedded in Anime History
Goku turning Super Saiyan for the first time in Dragon Ball ZImage via Toei Animation
Few moments in anime history are as legendary as the scene when Goku undergoes his first Super Saiyan transformation. The spectacle occurs in Episode 95 of Dragon Ball Z, when Goku is enraged by Frieza killing Krillin on Planet Namek. This was the moment when the long-foretold Super Saiyan legend turned out to be true, and changed everything.
What makes Goku’s first Super Saiyan transformation even more impactful is its origin, which stems from an intense feeling of pain, loss, grief, and rage. It was the moment when Goku had to either push past every imaginable boundary or lose everything he loved. No matter how colorful or flashy Super Saiyan transformations become in the later Dragon Ball anime installments, the impact of the first time Goku bathed in a golden glow with fierce teal eyes will never be diminished.
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