Though Goku was the first one to reach the highest Super Saiyan levels in Dragon Ball, many other Saiyans (and Saiyan-like beings) have reached higher and more powerful levels throughout the series’ storied history. There was a time when the always lovable Goku ascending to the level of Super Saiyan was a spectacle for Dragon Ball Z viewers. Now over multiple decades later, Super Saiyan has evolved beyond anything fans expected; with two different timelines, there are two vastly different lineages for the Super Saiyan transformations.
Nearly all Super Saiyan forms are superlative increases to raw power and combat ability. More often than not, the real reveal of these levels of Super Saiyan lies in the new look, and where these godly abilities take the respective Saiyan, particularly in storylines involving Goku’s most powerful enemies. It’s best that casual fans and even longtime viewers have a refresher course on which level of Super Saiyan fits in terms of strength. Some dangerous and powerful Super Saiyan forms might even surprise audiences in terms of where they land on the list.
18 False Super Saiyan
During Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug, one of many Dragon Ball movies made over the years. The eponymous villain shows up on Earth looking for trouble. He’s quickly confronted by the Z fighters, who are easily dispatched. Even Goku has a hard time with Slug until he manages this power boost. In the weakest of the Super Saiyan levels, Goku’s hair didn’t turn yellow, but his pupils disappeared and his aura gained a gold tinge. He also received a huge power boost, although he wasn’t able to maintain it for very long. Technically, Goku was the only one who reached this benchmark, though Vegeta has shown off a technique that is similar.
17 Super Saiyan
Every Dragon Ball fan remembers watching Goku transform into a Super Saiyan for the first time. A Saiyan is able to achieve this state through a combination of intense training and an extreme emotional reaction. For Goku, it was watching his best friend be destroyed. For Vegeta, it was the anger that both Goku and Trunks had beaten him to it. In the first of the true Super Saiyan forms, the Saiyan’s hair stands up straight and turns completely yellow. The Saiyan also displays a golden aura, which Akira Toriyama designed to make Goku easier to animate. Super Saiyan laid the foundations for many of the best Dragon Ball movies.
16 Ascended Super Saiyan
Ascended Super Saiyan, is extremely similar to the base Super Saiyan form. The primary differences are that the muscles grow a little bigger and the hair gets a little bit longer and wilder. Once the Super Saiyan transformation is achieved, a Saiyan can reach this upgrade through immense training. Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku were all able to reach this form through extended periods in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Vegeta was able to overpower Semi-Perfect Cell while using this technique.
15 Ultra Super Saiyan
Out of the different Super Saiyan levels, Ultra is a bit of a wild card. Also known as the Ultra Super Saiyan or the Super Saiyan 1.5, the Super Saiyan Third Grade Transformation is the last one between the original form and Super Saiyan 2. It is similar to Ascended Super Saiyan with a few key differences. Similarly, a Saiyan’s power level increases immensely, their muscles grow huge, and their already spiky hair grows even bigger and shoots out in all directions. Unlike the previous transformation, speed is greatly reduced due to the mass increase. Goku, Vegeta, and Cell all immediately recognized the downside of this technique. It took Trunks a little longer.
14 Super Saiyan Full Power
After Goku reached Ultra Super Saiyan, he came to an important conclusion: the original Super Saiyan form is the most practical thus Super Saiyan Full Power was established. It consumes less energy than either of the two superior forms and there is less rage involved, keeping the user more level-headed. Goku decided that he and Gohan would remain in Super Saiyan form permanently right up until the battle with Cell. This way, their bodies would become accustomed to the power and it wouldn’t drain them. They would also be able to control their rage.
13 Super Saiyan II
The Cell saga was full of all kinds of new Super Saiyan levels. None of them made the kind of impact that this one made, though. Gohan never wanted to fight; he was pushed to his limits by his father and then forced to watch his friends tortured, all so that Cell could witness his ultimate power. In this form, Gohan’s initially short hair spiked and grew much longer. His aura maintained a small amount of lightning around it, and his strength and speed significantly increased. He became confident to a fault, which allowed Cell to briefly gain the upper hand. Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks have all reached this level, as well as Kale and Caulifla more recently.
12 Legendary Super Saiyan
Like Ascended Super Saiyan and its upgrade, the Saiyan’s muscles grow much larger. However, in this form, their speed is not at all affected – arguably the first of the Super Saiyan levels to be truly terrifying. Their hair also gains a green tinge as opposed to the original yellow, and their eyes become white without pupils. At first, the only Saiyan to reach this level was Broly, one of Goku’s strongest foes. The transformation was recently made canon when the timid Universe 6 Saiyan Kale achieved the Legendary Super Saiyan form. It is difficult to control but possesses a raw power that is stronger than Super Saiyan II.
11 Berserker Super Saiyan
Similar to Broly’s Super Saiyan state, the Berserker Super Saiyan or Super Saiyan Berserk unlocked the deep potential of the Universe 6 warrior Kale. After getting the Legendary form’s signature muscle mass increase and white eyes, a golden green glint shines in Kale’s aura and hair – but also at the cost of losing control to sheer rage. Nearly overpowering Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue and also displaying its sheer force in the Tournament of Power, Berserker Super Saiyan is Kale at her deadliest – but also to herself and her allies. Berserk is definitely one of the more dangerous Super Saiyan levels.
10 Super Saiyan III
So far only two Saiyans have achieved the Super Saiyan III form. The first was obviously Goku. He used it against Buu, in what came off as a lecture on Super Saiyan transformations. The second was Gotenks, who just kind of figured it out on the fly. This form is drastically different from the first few. For one, the Saiyan’s blond hair grows huge and falls behind their back. They also lose their eyebrows entirely, which makes for a more menacing look. The downside is that it requires a huge amount of energy and therefore can’t be maintained for very long.
9 Golden Great Ape
All Saiyans are born with monkey-like tails. When they look at the moon while their tails are still attached, they transform into a giant ape known as Oozaru. When a Saiyan who has achieved the Super Saiyan transformation turns into Oozaru, they reach the Golden Great Ape form. The form resembles Oozaru in every way except that the fur is gold instead of brown. It is also obviously much stronger, surpassing even the power of a Super Saiyan III. With Dragon Ball GT and its many episodes wiped from canon, the most transformative of the Super Saiyan levels no longer exists.
8 Super Saiyan IV
Super Saiyan IV was the final Super Saiyan transformation before Dragon Ball GT was erased and Dragon Ball Super took its place. It is achieved when a Saiyan manages to gain full mental control while in the Golden Great Ape form. In keeping with the simian theme, the Saiyan also grows red fur all around their body except for the chest. The Saiyan also gains a red outline around their eyes. Goku and Vegeta both reached it in Dragon Ball GT, and their fused form Gogeta was also able to achieve the transformation.
7 Super Saiyan Rage
Just when Dragon Ball couldn’t get any more confusing, Dragon Ball Super went and introduced Super Saiyan Rage. It takes Super Saiyan II’s power and multiplies it. The Saiyan’s hair grows slightly longer and they gain a blue tinge within their golden aura. In this form, Trunks was able to go toe to toe with Goku Black in his Super Saiyan Rose form. Much like Goku’s spirit bomb technique, Trunks was able to gather energy from the remaining humans in his time in order to defeat Future Zamasu.
6 Super Saiyan God
The mostly aptly named of the Super Saiyan levels, Goku was able to reach God through a ritual involving five other Saiyans who were pure of heart. In this form, his hair returns to its normal form. Instead of being pure black, his hair and eyes gain a red tinge. In this form, a Saiyan has access to God Ki and their anatomy is irrevocably altered. While it was never shown on screen, Vegeta was also able to reach this level through intense training with Beerus and Whis. While he wasn’t able to defeat Beerus, Goku was able to go toe to toe with the God of Destruction while in his Super Saiyan God form.
5 Super Saiyan Blue
What happens when a Super Saiyan God turns into a Super Saiyan? It results in a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, or as its most known, Super Saiyan Blue. To prevent further confusion among the Super Saiyan levels, this form resembles Super Saiyan entirely except for the fact that all the gold is replaced with blue. Goku and Vegeta are both able to achieve this form, and while its power is extremely draining on a Saiyan’s body, they’ve both trained enough that they were able to outclass Frieza in his newly attained Golden Frieza form. Their fusion transformation Vegito can also use the technique.
4 Super Saiyan Rose
Upon meeting Zamasu, the first thing Goku obviously does is challenge the unstable being. Upon defeat, Zamasu sets his sights on Goku’s body and strength. To that end, he steals Goku’s body from another timeline and teams up with his future self for all kinds of destructive mischief. This form is exactly the same as Super Saiyan Blue, except for the fact that Zamasu is an actual God, not just a Saiyan who managed to gain access to God Ki. Because of this, instead of Goku Black’s hair and aura turning blue, it turns pink.
3 Super Saiyan White
When an evil God who’s achieved Super Saiyan Rose fuses with his future evil God-self who hasn’t, he gets the purest version of Super Saiyan God to ever be bent on universal destruction. Zamasu is, in theory, the only person able to achieve this transformation. In his Super Saiyan White form, Zamasu maintained his own skin tone and facial features with Goku’s build and, more importantly, his hair. However, because he reached a new level of power, and also because Zamasu’s hair color is white, the hair in this form is also white, a key difference from other levels of Super Saiyan.
2 Ultra Instinct
This form isn’t limited to Saiyans, but it’s worth mentioning because Goku’s version of it is unique. Ultra Instinct is the greatest of techniques even though it has its flaws. Once a warrior achieves it, getting it back is no easy feat. In this form, Goku doesn’t even have to think. He is calm and in perfect harmony with his mind and his muscles.
This is an ability Goku has been trying to master since all the way back when he trained with Mr. Popo and Kami in order to defeat Piccolo. He first used the technique in Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power against Jiren, though he was only able to maintain it momentarily. It also manifested against Kefla. Much more visually muted compared to other Super Saiyan levels, Goku’s hair is slightly elevated and his aura appears as a grey bubbly tinge around him.
1 Perfected Ultra Instinct
This is the newest and most powerful form a Saiyan has ever been shown to achieve and is a fitting way to close out the Dragon Ball Super series. In this form, Goku’s hair and eyes are completely grey. His power is level gains a huge boost, though it is extremely damaging to his body. If he maintains the form for too long, his body could literally explode. The Autonomous Ultra Instinct possesses a power level even higher than Dragon Ball Super‘s Gods of Destruction. Whis and his sister are able to reach this form, as is Jiren, though Beerus is still working towards it. However, this form still doesn’t put Goku’s power level above Jiren’s.
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