10 Best Saiyan Transformations in Dragon Ball History, Ranked

Dragon Ball has amassed a worldwide audience over the course of its run, keeping fans on the edge of their seats while watching Goku and the Z fighters take on adventures and intense battles. The Saiyans are often at the center of these battles, showcasing their power and ability to continuously reach new heights. As the remaining Saiyans build their power, they discover new transformations that exponentially raise their prowess, making them fearsome enemies to stand against and beacons of hope for their friends and family.

Among these transformations, certain forms stand out as the most powerful and iconic in the series. Many are transformations that only Saiyans are capable of, giving them a unique boost that is unattainable to non-Saiyans. While some forms are more powerful or significant than others, some transformations are simply more memorable and impressive, creating iconic moments in the franchise.

10 Golden Great Ape

A Primal Transformation Showcasing the Wild Power of the Saiyans

The Golden Great Ape is a powerful and rare transformation that appears in Dragon Ball GT, blending the Saiyan’s Great Ape form, Oozaru, with the power of the Super Saiyan. When a Saiyan has the ability to turn Super Saiyan and has their tail, they can look at the full moon or a full planetary body to unlock this massive golden form. The Golden Great Ape is a combination of two Saiyan transformations, creating a fearsome force of nature that is nearly unstoppable.

Goku’s transformation into the Golden Great Ape took place during his battle against Baby Vegeta. Goku’s transformation into the Golden Great Ape led to an upsurge in his power and he blindly raged against Baby Vegeta, forcing him to retreat in order to achieve the form himself. The significant damage Goku was capable of in this form prompted Baby Vegeta to seek a different method of transformation to gain more power for himself.

9 Super Saiyan Blue

This Form Pushes Super Saiyan God To Another Level

Super Saiyan Blue is the Super Saiyan version of Super Saiyan God, and made its debut in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ and quickly became one of the most powerful transformations in the series. This form combines the divine power granted by Super Saiyan God and the Saiyans’ ability to transform to reach greater heights of power. Super Saiyan Blue gains its name from the Saiyan’s striking blue hair and radiant aura.

Goku and Vegeta are the first to achieve this form after intense training with Whis, allowing them to fight on equal footing with Golden Frieza and other god-tier opponents. Compared to previous transformations, Super Saiyan Blue is much more controlled and causes no damage to be done to the world around them. Super Saiyan Blue was a transformation that was less of a spectacle and more of an announcement that the Saiyans had yet again reached a greater power level.

8 Legendary Super Saiyan

A Berserk Transformation That Is Unrivaled in Raw and Uncontained Power

The Legendary Super Saiyan is a transformation that is most famously associated with Broly. This is a form said to appear once every thousand years, and its power is unlike any other Saiyan transformation, marked by its berserk and wild nature. Legendary Super Saiyan is a form that allows its user to overwhelm their enemies with sheer force and might. When Saiyans enter this form, their bodies swell with muscle mass, their hair turns greenish-yellow, and their strength increases exponentially.

The Legendary Super Saiyan transformations remained iconic throughout the franchise. In the movie Dragon Ball Z: The Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly’s transformation is massive and terrifying, revealing the well of power under his timid exterior. The Dragon Ball Super characters, Broly and Kale, unleash this form due to a mix of rage and sorrow, causing the transformation to be paired with tremendous waves of energy and light, creating an eye-catching display that fans could never forget.

7 Super Saiyan 3

Goku Pushes His Limits with This Powerful Form

Super Saiyan 3 is the most extreme transformation in Dragon Ball Z, characterized by long golden hair and an immeasurable aura of power. This form was introduced during Goku’s battle with Majin Buu, where Goku himself describes it as a form that pushes past the physical limitations of his body and taps into energy reserves few could handle. Super Saiyan 3 is a form so powerful that it drains the user’s energy, making it difficult to maintain for long periods of time.

During Goku’s transformation, his friends and family locked on to his growing power and were left in shock by the levels they were sensing while the rest of the world felt blistering winds and tremors across the Earth. With this form, Goku was able to match Majin Buu blow for blow, keeping up with the terrifying threat. Super Saiyan 3 is a transformation that unleashes raw and nearly uncontrolled power, serving as a testament to Goku’s never-ending desire to surpass his own limits.

6 Super Saiyan 4

A Fan Favorite Form and The Best Thing Produced by Dragon Ball GT

Super Saiyan 4 is a unique and groundbreaking transformation that quickly gained popularity due to its eye-catching appearance. Unlike previous Super Saiyan forms, Super Saiyan 4 is the evolution of the Golden Great Ape form to create a more refined human-like shape. It marked the departure from the classic golden-haired power-ups to a black-haired, red-furred form with a more muscular appearance and an intimidating aura.

While Goku was lost in a primal state of mind, his granddaughter, Pan, was able to break through to him, leading to the introduction of Super Saiyan 4. Despite being similarly numbered, this transformation is actually part of the Great Ape branch of Saiyan transformations and is separate from the other Super Saiyan forms. While it may not be canon to the main series, Super Saiyan 4 is a memorable and impressive transformation that only Saiyans are capable of.

5 Super Saiyan 2

Gohan’s Transformation Was one of the Most Epic Scenes in Dragon Ball Z

Super Saiyan 2 was introduced during the climactic Cell Games, representing a significant jump in power beyond the original Super Saiyan form. Gohan was the first to achieve a level beyond Super Saiyan, unlocking the transformation after the death of Android 16. This transformation amplified Gohan’s strength, speed, and combat ability and had a more defined appearance compared to the original Super Saiyan form. It also marked the first time someone other than Goku would be taking the spotlight.

Super Saiyan 2 officially marked the fact that Saiyans can continuously grow their power, confirming that there is more room for the Saiyans to become more and more powerful. Goku, Vegeta, and the future Saiyans would later master this form, but Gohan’s initial transformation remains one of the most significant moments in the series, allowing him to momentarily surpass his father, Goku, in terms of raw power. Super Saiyan may have been a legendary moment that opened the doors to a greater terrain, but Super Saiyan 2 was the transformation that signified there was more untapped potential in the Saiyan race.

4 Super Saiyan God

The Power of a Super Saiyan Merges with Divine Energy

Super Saiyan God marked a whole new level of power for the Saiyans to reach and created a shift significant enough to propel a new series, Dragon Ball Super. This divine form was first introduced in the 2013 movie Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, 17 years after the end of Dragon Ball Z. Being the first new Super Saiyan form in nearly two decades, it gained a massive amount of popularity.

Super Saiyan God is a form that is achieved through a ritual involving five Saiyans of pure heart all channeling their energy into one. Super Saiyan God mixed Saiyan power with God Ki, an energy usually only accessible to the gods, giving Goku a sleek and slender appearance compared to his past transformations. This transformation is marked by red hair and a glowing aura that signifies the massive strength hidden beneath the surface.

3 Super Saiyan Rosé

The Most Elegant and Sinister Transformation, Exclusive to Goku Black

Super Saiyan Rosé is an exclusive and visually stunning transformation that is unique to Goku Black, a villain introduced in Dragon Ball Super. As an alternate version of Goku, resulting from the apprentice Kai Zamasu taking over his body, Goku Black achieved this form through his use of a Saiyan body paired with the divine essence of Zamasu. Super Saiyan Rosé is a divine version of Super Saiyan Blue, with eye-catching pink hair and a dark and sinister aura. This form can only be achieved by Saiyans who achieve godhood, or in this case, it is achieved by Zamasu inhabiting a Saiyan body.

Super Saiyan Rosé is unlike traditional Super Saiyan forms as it is more refined and graceful in its execution, a direct reflection of Goku Black’s godly arrogance. This transformation gave Goku Black an edge in battle, wielding divine Saiyan energy with acute precision, enough so that he was able to create a scythe of energy that was powerful enough to tear through dimensions. Super Saiyan Rosé’s elegance and overwhelming dark power make it the most stunning transformation throughout Dragon Ball Super.

2 Super Saiyan Rage

A Super Saiyan Form Driven by Pure Fury

Super Saiyan Rage is a powerful transformation exclusive to Future Trunks in the Dragon Ball Super anime. While Future Trunks maintains the classic golden hair of a Super Saiyan, his aura takes on a gold and blue hue. This form debuts during the battle against Goku Black and Zamasu after Future Trunks is pushed to limits and fueled by his overwhelming anger and desire to protect his timeline.

This transformation allows Future Trunks to battle toe-to-toe with the same opponents who previously overpowered him. His rage manifests into pure power that he wields with vengeance against his enemies, swearing to kill them himself. Super Saiyan Rage showcases all the anger and hardships Future Trunks had to endure, becoming a transformation that is as memorable as it is powerful, making it one of the best Saiyan transformations in Dragon Ball.

1 Super Saiyan

The Most Iconic Transformation in Dragon Ball History

The first Super Saiyan transformation is arguably the most iconic moment in all of Dragon Ball Z, and perhaps the most iconic moment in anime history, forever changing the series and allowing the characters to go beyond their limits. Goku’s transformation into a Super Saiyan was triggered by the intense emotional strain of Krillin’s death at Frieza’s hands. This transformation introduced the new golden-haired and teal-eyed form that signified a monumental leap in power.

This is the transformation that ended Frieza’s reign of terror and shifted the direction of the series. After Goku achieved Super Saiyan, it was only a matter of time before Vegeta and Gohan would reach the transformation themselves. Super Saiyan is one of the most recognized and celebrated transformations in all of anime history, and it paved the way for subsequent transformations, each more powerful than the last.