Super Saiyan
A Super Saiyan (スーパーサイヤ人, sūpā saiyajin), often abbreviated as SSJ, is a special advanced and powerful state of the Saiyan race in the manga /anime of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. There are at least four levels of the state, each more powerful than the previous.
Super Saiyan: The Legend
Saiyan legend says that every 1000 years (3000 years in the English dubbed version) a Super Saiyan is born.
The ability to become a Super Saiyan was once considered to be a myth, because it had not been performed for over a thousand years until Son Goku accomplished it when he was fighting Freeza on Planet Namek. The story goes that one day a Saiyan warrior would push the limits and change state into a superior individual. This fearsome being, a Super Saiyan, would wield exceptionally colossal power. He was told as he wouldn't be the first. There would be a dawn of a new era, starting with this legendary Super Saiyan: the dawn of the Saiyan saga. (It should be noted that in the out of continuity films, a Super Saiyan is born at the same time as Goku, named Broly, and comes into possession of the power first and is claimed to be The Legendary Super Saiyan for whom the legend was born from.)
Freeza feared the Super Saiyan legend (but more so the ability for a Saiyan's power to more than double in growth when they recover from the brink of death) and destroyed Planet Vegeta in the hope that the Super Saiyan legend would never be complete.
As Saiyans trained during the Z series, they discovered levels beyond Super Saiyan never seen before, completely unheard of. The appearance of a Super Saiyan is different in each form, more so in the fourth and final form.
It has been speculated that female Saiyans (Pan, Bra and females seen on Planet Vegeta in the Bardock movie special) cannot make the transformation, however this has yet to be proven as fact. Some have claimed Akira Toriyama said females cannot transform in an interview, but this is a misinterpretation. His excuse he stated is that neither Pan nor Bra had the incentive to transform, and that he never drew female Super Saiyans because he couldn't figure out what they would look like. So females cannot transform in canon, although the DBGT Perfect File implied Pan had the potential to transform and might have become a type of Super Saiyan never seen before. Aside from this, all canon Saiyans still alive (after the Freeza Saga) have managed to reach at least the first level.
There are certain conditions that must be met to initially transcend to Super Saiyan level: one must be pure of heart (Goku) or purpose (Vegeta), usually fiercely enraged, and of sufficient power. There are many rumors about further requirements of the transformation. One hypothesis is that in order for a Saiyan to transform, he must have lost his tail. Another hypothesis is if one's father had previously been a Super Saiyan before the time of conception, one would be born without a tail, and have the ability to transform oneself at a very early age (i.e. Goten and Chibi Trunks). This is actually because they are half-Saiyans, and it is possibly a mere coincidence that Gohan (who was born before Goku had achieved Super Saiyan) didn't achieve Super Saiyan himself until a later age than Goten. Gohan didn't reach it until he was 11, four years later than Goten did. It is also possible that the more powerful the father, the more powerful the child, as Chibi Trunks was fathered by a more powerful Vegeta than Mirai Trunks, and achieved Super Saiyan easier. It should also be noted that Gohan was indeed born with a tail and still reached Super Saiyan and was the first to reach the second stage form, Super Saiyan 2, and that there is no proof of Goten and Trunks being born without tails. Everyone knew the dangers posed by Oozaru at this point, so their tails would have been removed (no matter how many times they grew back) to prevent either Goten or Trunks from turning into one.
It has been speculated that, because Goten and Trunks take after their human halves (supposedly because of lack of a tail) they are weaker than pure Saiyans, and thus cannot transcend the level of Super Saiyan 2. This is mostly unfounded, however; both of the half-Saiyans in question were stronger than their fathers at the same level. Super Saiyan 3 was achieved by only two - Goku, and Gotenks. Due to the fact that Gotenks was genetically a half-Saiyan, half-Human, it can be assumed that all half-Saiyans have the potential to reach this level, if they become strong enough. Because both Goten and Trunks stopped training hard after the end of Dragonball Z, it's more likely that they simply never got powerful enough to reach higher levels, as opposed to their genetics being a limiting factor.
Fans still debate over the identity of the true Legendary Super Saiyan. While Toei Animation stated it is Broly, many fans say it is Son Goku, because Goku was first seen turning Super Saiyan in the fight against Freeza. Even though Goku would be the first Saiyan to transform into a Super Saiyan in over a thousand years, according to the legend revealed by Vegeta, he would not be the only Saiyan to have reached this form. In the sixth book of the Daizenshuu series written by Akira Toriyama and in the video game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, Broly's final transformation is stated as being Legendary Super Saiyan. Though Broly was not in the manga he is considered non-canon, technically proving by omission that Goku is the true intended Legendary Super Saiyan. This is supported by the fact that Akira Toriyama planned to end the Dragon Ball Z saga with Goku killing Frieza and dying as the only Super Saiyan in existence but due to the fans wanting more, Toriyama decided to continue with the series. Another fact that strengthens Goku's status is how he is the only Saiyan to reach all 3 known (canon) stages.
Super Saiyan levels
The following is a description of each Super Saiyan level, and the Saiyans who reached the level (in chronological order).
Giji Super Saiyan (Non-Canon)
(Quasi-Super Saiyan) Also known as False Super Saiyan. This is a mid point between a Saiyan's regular form and Super Saiyan form. Certain features such as elevated hair, no apparent pupils, and a golden aura are evident, however, this is only just a small sample of the full transformation. Users do not seem to be in complete control while in this state. This form cannot be retained for very long since stress can build-up enormously from the lack of complete transformation needed to maintain stability of the power.
However, in the DBZ Series, Goku did use the form a second time against the Ginyu´s in the Otherworld, where he seemed to be in complete control, and his eye pupils were present this time, most likely because Goku had already reached the Super Saiyan level, and higher SSJ levels, during then.
Known Users:
Super Saiyan
Going Super Saiyan gives the Saiyan a huge power boost along with golden hair that stands up on end and green eyes. The aura is a steady flow of flaming energy. The first person we see reach Super Saiyan in the series is Goku when fighting Freeza (although, in a flashback in movie 8 (non-canon), we see Broly as a Super Saiyan and again in his "mind controlled" Super Saiyan form, where his Super Saiyan form is suppressed by his father). The transformation is triggered when a Saiyan experiences extreme, intense emotion forcing a transformation. With training, afterwards the transformation is controlled and happens at will with a smaller spike in emotion (usually includes screaming until they reach a level of mastery where it can be silent and without muscle straining or flexing movements). These Super Saiyan transformations 'taint' your heart or soul, which, for a time, prevented Goku from performing his Spirit Bomb technique.
Known Users:
- Son Goku
- Vegeta
- Son Gohan
- Broly
- Son Goten
- Chibi Trunks
- Gotenks
- Gogeta
- Vegetto
- Future Trunks
- Goku Junior
- Vegeta Junior
Super Saiyan 2nd Grade/Ascended Super Saiyan
This form is a much more powerful version of Super Saiyan. It increases muscle mass and size and is much more powerful than the standard Super Saiyan level. Also the hair gets longer and is much more defined in appearance than before. The aura changes from a gentle flame to a uncontrolled torrent of fiery energy. Though being bulky, Super Saiyan 2nd Grade still retains it's speed unlike Super Saiyan 3rd Grade. It is still, however, not as fast and powerful as Super Saiyan 2. Super Saiyan 2nd Grade isn't truly a form, but a name for the point in between the Super Saiyan level and the Super Saiyan 3rd Grade form. This is the form Vegeta and Trunks use for the fight with Semi-Perfect Cell.
Known Users:
Super Saiyan 3rd Grade/Ultra Super Saiyan
More commonly known as Ultra Super Saiyan. At this stage a Saiyan's hair gets very spiky and seems to increase in size like the muscles themselves, and shoots out in all directions. Their aura also gets more wild and spreads all over the place in the form of surges of electricity, showing how close the Saiyan is to a Super Saiyan 2. Their muscle mass and size dramatically increases along with equal amounts of strength, but they take a big hit in their speed. Also, this form consumes vast amounts of energy. The raw power is close to Super Saiyan 2, but since this form isn't perfect, the speed gets worse than it was originally as normal Super Saiyan. Goku demonstrated this to Gohan, during the Cell Saga inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. However, Trunks failed to notice this flaw, and was defeated by Perfect Cell when he used it against him. Perfect Cell also demonstrated that he could mimic the same level; however, he explained that he lost his speed advantage and retained his 'perfect' form. Trunks believes that Vegeta also noticed this disadvantage during his training and was smart enough to never bother with it. This form is relatively useless on any opponent that calls for this much strength, for they will probably be faster.
Known Users:
Super Saiyan, Full-Power
During the training time before the Cell Games, Goku comes up with an idea. He wanted himself and Gohan to try and remain as Super Saiyans for as long as they could, and so get their bodies used to the form. The result is that the Saiyan can stay in the form for an indefinite period of time with little or no effort and without "that restless feeling" Goku said being a Super Saiyan causes. Goku and Gohan are the only individuals who underwent this, because they are the only ones who trained until they felt natural in the form. This grade indicates complete mastery of the Super Saiyan 1 form. It is unknown whether or not the complete mastery of a Super Saiyan form is available only for Super Saiyan 1.
Full-Power Super Saiyan is not inherently more powerful than Super Saiyan 2nd Grade or 3rd Grade, but because the user is used to the Super Saiyan form, they can put more energy into their body and attacks with less strain, meaning that higher levels of power can be ascended to than with 2nd Grade or 3rd Grade. This is, of course, provided that time is given for the individual in this form to gather the necessary energy to power up. The hair gets much more toned than the normal Super Saiyan and the aura is a unique balance of the aura's from the normal Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2nd Grade and Super Saiyan 3rd Grade.
Known Users:
Legendary Super Saiyan (Non-Canon)
In Dragon Ball Z movie 8, the audience is introduced to Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly's final transformation is different from the transformations of other Saiyans which puts him in a class of his own.
Beyond his initial Super Saiyan transformation, Broly's final form is very similar to an Ultra Super Saiyan, but with several notable differences. His size, muscle mass, strength, and speed are far beyond that of Ultra Super Saiyan. And unlike other Super Saiyan forms that decrease energy due to effects such as fatigue, this form gradually increases his energy as a battle continues. Additionally, his irises and pupils in his eyes seemingly disappear. His seeming invinciblity stems from his power, not his muscles. His transformation to this form involves unleashing his power in an explosive bubble-shaped blast of energy.
Known Users:
Super Saiyan 2
This stage is very similar to Super Saiyan in appearance, where the muscles do not receive much of a boost in their mass. On this Super Saiyan level the Saiyan's energy has multiplied from the first Super Saiyan level, resulting in a very evident bio-electrical field and the aura is very far out the body. The hair becomes spikier, longer, and perhaps finer. The irises obtain a hint of blue as well, resulting in a greenish-cyan. In this form power and speed are proportional to each other and increased several times from the first Super Saiyan stage. This form was first achieved by Gohan while battling Cell. It too can be triggered by powerful emotions.
Many fans have some difficulty distinguishing between the first and second forms due to the their being similar in appearance, and that Toei placed lightning on random auras with no sense of consistency in the anime. In the manga, it is easy to differentiate between them due to the second form's electricity surrounding the aura. Although it can be assumed that whenever we saw Goku and Vegeta after their fight (when Vegeta becomes Majin Vegeta), they only use the second form as it is much more powerful and efficient for an enemy like Buu. Gohan, as a teen, is probably the easiest to recognize, because his hair does receive a radical change. Goku's hair is recognizable due to the fact that in the Super Saiyan 2 state, he only has 3 bangs instead of 4 and they seem to be more inward, hugging his head. An exception to this is Super Saiyan 2 Goku during his fight with Majin Vegeta. The artist probably changed his style of drawing after the Babidi saga to lower confusion among viewers.
As the Super Saiyan state taints your soul, the Super Saiyan 2 state poisons it even more. This is most obvious by the change of Gohan in the Cell Saga. Before the change, even fighting as a Super Saiyan, Gohan was peaceful, and didn't want to fight Cell or anyone, even if he won. After the transformation Gohan became violent and sadistic, prolonging the fight against Cell to make him suffer more. It might be said that turning into a Super Saiyan brings an individual closer to his base Saiyan instincts, and it stands to reason that a more powerful state would increase the intensity of these instincts. Goku and Vegeta likely have more experience, and therefore can resist the maliciousness of the Super Saiyan 2 state (although Vegeta more controls the instincts and incorporates them into his fighting), while Gohan, young and naive as he was, was more prone to be influenced by them.
Known Users:
Super Saiyan 3
This form is the strongest of all Saiyan forms in Dragonball Z. Only Goku and the fused body of Gotenks can handle it. (There is also the possibility that Vegetto, the first of the fusion forms used by Goku and Vegeta, might have been capable of it, but the fusion form is believed to have never even bothered to go beyond Super Saiyan 2) Goku achieves this form while training in Other World after the Cell Saga. He says, "It's not the easiest thing to control." Apparently, he was referring to the difficulty, fatigue, and energy consumption one experiences while in this form, which makes movement less fluid.
Super Saiyan 3 is characterized by very long, full, golden hair down the back, in addition to the Saiyan's eyebrows disappearing and blue eyes rather then green. The sparks of lightning is carried over from Super Saiyan 2. This form increases power and speed even more, but also uses a lot of energy, so it can only be maintained for a short period of time. While Goku was in the Other World, he could maintain this form for as long as he liked, but once he came back to life his living body could not handle it for very long. The rise to Super Saiyan 3 far surpasses that of all previous levels of Super Saiyan. This form is achieved by unleashing tremendous power: power that lies deep within every Saiyan and just needs to be tapped.
Gotenks is slightly more adept with the use of this form than Goku because he had more time to practice with it. However, his childish attitude and tactics prevented him from being as effective of a fighter as he could have been, whereas Goku fought seriously when in this form, putting everything he had into the battle, while Gotenks spends too much time toying with his opponent and making up moves of his own to use.
It may be necessary for the individual to achieve Super Saiyan 3, initially, in a dimension other than that of the living world, where the laws of physics differ, and do not tire the body. The Afterlife (Other World) and the Room of Spirit and Time (Hyperbolic Time Chamber) are two such dimensions where Goku and Gotenks both achieved Super Saiyan 3 respectively. Once the form has been attained, it can be used anywhere, though the limitations of that dimension could still make it difficult to maintain.
Known Users:
Super Saiyan 4 (Non-Canon)
This form can only be reached after transforming into a Golden Oozaru and then gaining conscious control over the form. In order to become an Oozaru the Saiyan tail must be fully extended. They must be looking at a planetary object (the moon, the Earth, etc.) prior to the Golden Oozaru state. This form was first achieved by Goku when battling Bebi.
In this form the Saiyan's hair changes color (in Goku's case it turned black again), the tail is present (due to the necessity of transforming into an Oozaru before taking this form) and the body and tail are covered in some shade of red fur. A Saiyan in this form also possesses a red shadow trim around the eyes and over the eye lids. The hair is lengthened and grows wild and untamed. This form, like Super Saiyan 3, can only be maintained for short periods of time. Only Rou Dai Kaioshin knew of Super Saiyan 4 and its abilities.
This form has the characteristics of a basic humanoid Saiyan and the "Ape"'s characteristics. This is why this form has natural color hair with Ape's fur and tail. This form harnesses the brute power of the Oozaru in the conscious hands of a Saiyan. Super Saiyan 4 is only possible for pure-blood Saiyans. This means Gohan, Trunks and any other halfbreeds cannot reach this form. Vegeta, who was missing his tail, used a Blutz Wave emitting device (Bruits Waves, the correct term, a pun on 'brute' and 'fruits') to aid his transformation.
(Note that this form is not part of the original manga and anime by Akira Toriyama as it only appears in the anime Dragon Ball GT and that this is the only form that was not actually designed by Akira Toriyama, but by Dragon Ball GT character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru. However, Toriyama created several of the character designs for the series, and has stated that the series more or less went in a direction that he himself would have taken it. In the Japanese DVD boxed set of Dragon Ball GT, released in June 2005, a sketch of Super Saiyan 4 Goku by Akira Toriyama was included as an extra, thus sealing his acceptance of this form.)
Known Users:
- Son Goku (black hair, gold eyes, scarlet/cerise colored fur)
- Vegeta (dark brown hair, aqua eyes, blood red/crimson colored fur)
- Gogeta (fiery red hair (got hairstyle from Goku), light blue eyes (got eyes from Vegeta), burgundy colored fur)