Dragon Ball has been running for over 40 years at this point, and it wouldn’t be where it is today without the Super Saiyan transformation. Although series creator Akira Toriyama had been producing decades worth of the manga’s story before that as Goku grew and took on stronger opponent, there was a switch flipped when Super Saiyan was introduced. It was a real turning point that signaled Dragon Ball would not be the same as it was before, and what ultimately launched an even wider franchise than fans could have ever expected to see with godly levels of power across multiverses of enemies.
Dragon Ball‘s Super Saiyan is one of the most iconic transformations in all anime and manga history, and it’s hard to deny just how much it’s had an impact on everything that has come down the pipeline since from just Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine alone. But within the franchise itself, which of the Super Saiyan transformations is actually the most iconic? With so many different variations, there are so many cool options to choose from so read on for our picks of the best of the best.
12). Pseudo Super Saiyan
The very first glimpse of Super Saiyan came during Lord Slug, but it wasn’t really a Super Saiyan transformation at all. Late into the film, Goku breaks beyond his limits to reach a new level of power and fans got to see him surrounded by a golden aura for the first real time. But because it was done outside of the canon (and outside of Toriyama’s jurisdiction), the form never quite reached what would be known to be Super Saiyan in the years to come. It was later given the “Pseudo” nickname by fans, and at least gets the credit for being the first real time we got to see that aura in action. But thankfully, the idea would take shape into its fully fleshed out (and much cooler) iteration later.
11). Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Evolution
Super Saiyan became such a superfluous form by the end of Dragon Ball Super‘s original TV anime series that it meant that there really weren’t many directions to go in terms of advancing it further. There just weren’t that many possible visual changes that on the table, so Vegeta’s final Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Evolution (or Super Saiyan Blue Evolution) was a bit of a disappointment when it hit. It’s only a slight bit of power boosted Super Saiyan Blue, and only adds a few sparkles. It was hard to immediately tell if there was even a difference to begin with, and a power level difference was pretty much negligible too. It just really didn’t leave a stamp on the franchise.
10). Super He God Super
Compare that to the other variation of Super Saiyan Blue that we see with Goku, and Evolution sticks out even more like a sore thumb. Goku’s Kaio-ken layered onto Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan ended up crafting a much different kind of aura that combines the coolest elements of both. It comes with a clear difference in power from Super Saiyan Blue, and thanks to magnified versions of Kaio-ken (that we’ve seen in action with other forms), this version of the transformation gets to have some key moments of its own. Its double layered aura also makes for a great visual at its core, and that keeps it from being on the bottom of this list.
9). Super Saiyan Rage
Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan Rage form is also a smaller variation of a previous form that may or may not be tied to something we’ve seen before. Trunks has had this kind of variation in the past with his “Super Trunks” form, but Super Saiyan Rage gives it a much more dynamic boost than seen with that. It’s not quite a Super Saiyan 2, but it changes the usually golden aura to a more solid form. Not only that, the lightning seen swirling throughout Trunks’ body is much chunkier than the other transformations as well. But what helps this form to be iconic is the fact that it also leads to one of Trunks’ biggest wins in the franchise. It might not have been enough to defeat Zamasu, but it was a form that really brought Future Trunks’ arc full circle.
8). Super Saiyan Rose
Speaking of that Future Trunks arc, Super Saiyan Rose ends up this high on this list because it’s so iconic within that arc itself. Goku Black is one of the coolest foes in the entire franchise despite being yet another evil variation of Goku (like seen with Raditz or Turles), but gets taken to a whole new level thanks to Zamasu’s god power. He unlocks a unique version of Super Saiyan never seen before with that ability and thus cements his place within the form’s history. This Rose version not only has a great color, but also is stronger than even the base Super Saiyan Blue forms. It was only seen for a short time when compared to some of the other forms seen on this list, but it being the only one exclusive to a villain (and thus not something Goku can unlock through training or other means) lands it on this list.
7). Super Saiyan 4 (Dragon Ball GT)
Super Saiyan 4 is the only reason fans remember Dragon Ball GT. That show had some good ideas of its own, and some interesting sagas that bounced off of Dragon Ball Zbut ask any fan about their favorite things about the show and they’ll (nine times out of ten) bring up Super Saiyan 4 form first. Being first unlocked through a special ray that Bulma had invented and turning Goku into a golden version of Oozaru, this transformation came about when Goku was able to maintain the rage of the transformation and channel it into pure power.
At concept it’s such a cool idea through and through. It’s a transformation that emphasizes the burning rage and animality behind Super Saiyan, but then brings it to the forefront through a fully physical transformation. And out of all the Super Saiyan forms, it’s the one that changes Goku and Vegeta the most dramatically. But when it comes to being an icon, there are just a few that this transformation can’t beat.
6). Super Saiyan 4 (Dragon Ball Daima)
This includes the much cooler version of Super Saiyan 4. Dragon Ball Daima was crafted by the team to be like Dragon Ball GT in spirit, and with it officially introduced the Super Saiyan 4 form into the official canon. This means you can take all the positives about the Super Saiyan 4 transformation, and then take it to the next level with an official stamp of approval from the late Akira Toriyama himself. The base transformation was also changed too as it skips over the Golden Oozaru step in the middle (which may or may not subtract from this version, depending on who you ask), but adds a red flair to the fur that also makes it fall in line more with the Super Saiyan God abilities that Goku would unlock later in Dragon Ball Super. Being official really did make Super Saiyan 4 that much more iconic.
5). Super Saiyan 2
Super Saiyan 2 is such an interesting transformation. Because while it’s not the most impressive as it’s first just casually introduced as something Goku is capable of, it does end up being the center of one of the most important moments in Dragon Ball’s history. It’s hard to argue how iconic Super Saiyan 2 Gohan has been for the franchise to the point where Gohan himself has yet to even surpass this moment either. It’s the strongest he had ever been, but the base form itself just ultimately isn’t as impressive as some of the others. It’s just a spikier haired version of Super Saiyan with a more defined aura and has “transitional phase” written all over it. But thanks to being the transformation Gohan used to beat Cell (and that initial transformation sequence in the first place), it gets a high place on this list.
4). Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan
Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan basically became the base form of Dragon Ball Super. Much like how Goku and the others would immediately go Super Saiyan beyond a certain point of the fights, Super Saiyan Blue became the real base form that was needed to take on the godly opponents seen in the franchise’s later entries. It’s for good reason as it not only was a cool form that Goku and Vegeta had learned how to tap in on their own (off-screen) but it’s also the base for which everything that comes after is compared to. It’s the new standard for Dragon Ball’s future villains. If they don’t at least stack up to Super Saiyan Blue at first, they won’t really matter from that point on. It’s basically become the most notable new Super Saiyan transformation introduced in quite some time.
3). Super Saiyan 3
When it comes to drastic visual changes or making small moments matter, however, there’s no better transformation than Super Saiyan 3. It was introduced under the coolest circumstances as Goku not only teased he had a form that could easily deal with Majin Buu at the time, but it was also one he unlocked while dead. Then thankfully, the transformation itself made its debut and introduced basically the edgy, long haired look of fans’ school notebook scribble dreams. It unlocked a whole new wave of potential for young artists to take their own Saiyans, and although the form itself is highly inefficient, there’s just something so kick ass about seeing a long haired Goku dragon punch straight through a giant monster. It feels so quintessentially Dragon Ball Zand there’s no beating that feeling.
2). Super Saiyan God
Super Saiyan God comes close, however. Introduced during Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Godswhich was the first new Dragon Ball story released since Dragon Ball Z’s original ending, Super Saiyan God really kicked open the door to a literal new universe of possibilities. Not only did it bring Goku to a level of power that only gods could obtain (through a special ritual no less), it came with a significantly different visual gimmick than seen before. It kept Goku’s usual hairstyle and made his body leaner. It gave him a fiery aura that even the Saiyans could not perceive, and ushered in what only could be considered “god” power fitting for the form’s name.
While Super Saiyan Blue would later become the new standard bearer for the franchise in terms of these transformations and their power, Super Saiyan God was the first take on this new echelon of abilities and it’s hard to deny just how big of an impact it had. It was a feature film that sparked Dragon Ball fans’ imaginations, and it started a whole new path that fans are hoping to see continue with Dragon Ball Super someday.
1). Super Saiyan
But while many of the other transformations on this list were considering turning points for their respective eras, there’s really no other way to round out this list than with Super Saiyan itself. It’s the OG for a reason, and it was the form that launched a thousand other imitators, memes, fashion, eras and much more. Goku’s original Super Saiyan transformation is what truly made Dragon Ball Z stand on its own. A legendary form that had been teased as being possible, it introduced a Goku tapping into his rage to such an extent that it exploded out of him with a powerful golden aura. It gave him a much stronger body that could topple foes like Frieza, and began Goku’s journey to even greater heights. There wouldn’t be any of these other Super Saiyan forms without the first one, after all.
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