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The Super Saiyan Transformations: What Are They?

The Super Saiyan Transformations: What Are They?

The Super Saiyan Transformations: What Are They?

Fighting anime is a genre where the author has to keep the audience motivated. Sure, you can have a main character that might not be as strong at first, but he gets there with training and hard work. You can also have the most unique villains. The ones who have an intriguing background and gray moral code. With these two, you have the main ingredients to have a fight.

But what happens if the anime is just fighting after a fight? If everything is fighting? Most viewers will get bored. There has to be a new villain from now and then. Someone who challenges our heroes and makes them train even harder like there was no tomorrow. All to fight and win.

A constant that also has to be present is the power levels. Every franchise needs to have one, especially if the characters have power or something that defines their way of fighting. Power levels help the author know who could win in a fight between two people while making it realistic. Now, the main character needs to have their power levels well defined at first, and there has to be a line on where he is getting better at his fighting or not. Then, it surges another problem: Is the main character's power always gonna be the same? It shouldn't be since the audience would never want a series to be repetitive. It's better when, time after time, the character has a way to get better at its job.

And here is when the transformations come up. As the name suggests, a new form in fighting anime tends to be a higher form of something the character achieves. It allows the author to give the main character a power boost without taking a hundred pages talking about their training and hard work. Since anime is very visual, transformations tend to physically change the character, adding things that could make him more appealing. Besides, that way is easier to show that a character had a transformation without necessarily screaming it to the public.

In Dragon Ball, the primary transformation, and one we hear a lot is the Super Saiyan one. Dragon Ball first started, and the Saiyan transformation was the most impressive one, but as the series progressed, we realized more Super Saiyan transformations than we first thought about.


What Is A Saiyan?

In Dragon Ball, Saiyans are an almost extinct race characterized by being skillful warriors. In the DB universe, some people call them the best warriors race! The main characters, Goku with his rival Vegeta, are part of the most powerful Saiyans in the series.


And What Is A Super Saiyan?

Super Saiyan is a transformation that only the Saiyans can achieve. If an Earthling with Saiyan heritage wants to achieve it, they have to unlock their Saiyan powers first. The first Super Saiyan transformation appears in Dragon Ball Z, specifically in episode 95. Today, we know about different and more powered Saiyan forms.


What Do The Characters Know About Saiyan Transformations?

According to the wiki, and our own knowledge, achieving the Super Saiyan form is something very challenging, at least in the universe. It is considered a legend, and it's something that serves as a catalyst so the story can begin.

We're sure you remember Frieza, and if you don't, we will summarize it for you. It's the principal villain in the Dragon Ball series and the one who destroys the planet where the Saiyans reside. Part of the reason he destroys it is that he was paranoid about the legend becoming true. He was afraid of losing control of his Saiyan soldiers, so according to him, he did what he had to do. And that included killing every Saiyan! Later, we learn there are some survivors, like Goku, Vegeta, or Raditz.

Even if Frieza was obsessed over this fact, it didn't matter since, in the end, Goku achieved the SS form, and it was in a battle with Frieza, precisely.


At What Moment Does The Transformation Appear?

The trick about the Super Saiyan transformation is that the person needs to have a significant number of S Cells. Besides that, the transformation can come when the Saiyan needs it, not when they want it. An example of this is when Vegeta fights Frieza, and he believes he has achieved the form, but no.

The challenging part of achieving the SS form is the first time. After that, everything is easy, and the Saiyan can activate the form whenever they want it if they concentrate hard enough. The worst part is that the person needs to experience extreme feelings of sadness or angriness. Only then someone achieves the SS form.

The main difference between the manga and the anime is that, in the manga, the ability will appear when the Saiyan is in need. In the anime, the person has to experience extreme feelings.


Saiyans Are Warriors. Does The Personality Of A Saiyan With The SS Transformation Change?

It does! Someone like Goku tends to be collected and can turn aggressive while in the SS state. Apparently, this is especially true when the Saiyan has their first transformation, where they can lose any rationality and become vengeful against whatever caused their rage.


S Cells? What Is That?

Maybe you learned something about that in Biology, but this is Dragon Ball we're talking about! The S Cells are a part of the Saiyan physiology. In theory, every Saiyan has them, and the amount determines if the Saiyan can transform into SS. If they have a lot of it, they can easily transform.


What Does Someone Need To Be A Super Saiyan?

Besides being a Saiyan, a requirement is to have a good heart. This is relative since someone like Vegeta doesn't necessarily can be considered someone "good". Still, he achieves it at some point. The theory behind this is that being gentle allows a Saiyan to have more S Cells, and having S Cells helps you become a Saiyan. Everything is connected!

The inheritance is also essential. The child of someone who has a higher number of S Cells will also have an easier time achieving the transformation!

And lastly, the context where the child grows up plays an important role. If the child is surrounded by stress and worry, it's more likely that they develop a cold personality, thus not having a gentle heart in the process. On the other hand, if the child grows up with love and affection from his parents, they can have a higher level of S Cells.


How Does Goku Achieve It?

In short, he was angry and sad because of Krillin's death. 


Is It Hard To Achieve The SS Form?

In Planet Vegeta, where the way Saiyans were raised differently, it was very tough. The reason could be explained since the way they lived was more challenging. As a fighter race, the children probably fought since they were little, making it hard to have a "gentle heart".


Are All Of The Super Saiyans Only Men?

Until Dragon Ball Super, all of the Super Saiyans were men. Then, Caulifla achieved the transformation. Some other characters that could transform into Super Saiyans are Bulla and Pan, mainly because of their inheritance.


Is There Anything Else I Need To Know About The Super Saiyan Transformation?

Just a few things!

  • Vegeta and Goku's sons are able to obtain the Super Saiyan form.
  • Along with the Kamehameha, the Super Saiyan transformations are one of the more known things about Dragon Ball.
  • ChiChi doesn't seem to like the Saiyan form, and when Gohan achieves it, she first believes his son dyed his hair. This disliking for blonde hair is a reference to most conservative mothers in Japan, where people who dye their hair seem mischievous or rebels.
  • Apparently, not even Goku can combine this form with the Kaoi-ken. The reason is, whoever did it would probably die because of the effort. The only moment when Goku tries to do this is when he is dead while in the Other World Tournament.

That's it for today! Talking about Dragon Ball is also talking about the countless transformations that Goku, Vegeta, and other Saiyans have. Being a Super Saiyan was something challenging to achieve a hundred years ago, and it is the main reason why Frieza kept being paranoid over his Saiyan soldiers. Still, since Goku is totally different from what Saiyans tend to be, he developed the necessary conditions to be a Saiyan in his twenty-five years. His sons achieved it way before, especially Goten because Goku had already obtained his Super Saiyan form when he was born.

If you like DB, we invite you to look at our store! We have all things Dragon Ball Z, like Goku statues, DBZ posters, and random stuff like Dragon Ball Z pins. Besides, you will find iconic DBZ stuff like the potara earrings or the time rings. Don't let anyone tell you about it: come see it for yourself! 

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