Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball influenced the Shonen demographic like no other manga ever did, and even now, it serves as an inspiration to several mangakas. Among the many iconic Shonen tropes in the series, transformations are easily considered the best. Over the four decades since Dragon Ball debuted, the franchise has released several series, all of which continue to introduce new transformations to keep fans hooked to the series. The series has several exciting moments where the heroes gain a power-up when forced into a corner or awaken it through intense training.
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While the villains also take on several new forms in the middle of battle, our Saiyan heroes easily outshine them. Apart from Goku, his son Gohan and his former enemy-turned-ally, Vegeta, eventually became Super Saiyans and demonstrated terrifying powers. However, when it comes to the most iconic moments, these five will forever be special to fans.
5) Vegeta Turned Super Saiyan 3 After More Than Three Decades
Goku first became a Super Saiyan 3 in Chapter 280 of the manga, which was released in 1990. Since the manga was in its final phase at the time, Vegeta, who was always one step behind Goku, didn’t get his chance to shine. More than three decades later, Dragon Ball Daima shocked fans with Vegeta’s new transformation, which made the series even more exciting than it was. Daima is Toriyama’s final project, released a few months after his death.
The series was created to commemorate the manga’s 40th anniversary and follows Goku and his friends in the Demon Realm after they were turned into children. Just like everyone else, Vegeta was significantly weaker in his child form, but he still managed to pull off this transformation against Tamagami Number Two, even though it takes up a lot of stamina.
4) Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 Finally Became Canon
Just as always, Goku leaves Vegeta in the dust after the latter gets his moment to shine. Super Saiyan 4 was first introduced in Dragon Ball GT, which was a Toei Animation original. While GT received mixed reviews overall, SSJ4 was still an intriguing look for a Super Saiyan. After almost three decades, Toriyama made this transformation canon by slightly changing minor details and reintroducing it in Daima.
Thanks to Neva for using his magic to awaken Goku’s dormant powers, the Saiyan underwent a new transformation shortly before Daima‘s finale. The transformation happened right before Gomah could deal a finishing blow and claim victory, but luckily, Goku was easily able to overpower the villain.
3) Goku’s Ultra Instinct Sign Broke the Internet
While Ultra Instinct is originally a technique used by divine beings, Goku can use Ultra Instinct Sign as a transformation rather than a simple power-up. The scene happened during Goku’s fight against Jiren in the Tournament of Power, where Goku barely avoided death after taking his own Spirit Bomb. Much to the surprise of everyone at the arena, he came back stronger than ever and was able to close the massive gap in power between him and Jiren.
It’s been over eight years since Ultra Instinct debuted in the anime during a one-hour special broadcast, and it still remains one of the most unforgettable moments of all time. The internet literally broke, crashing streaming platforms with high traffic, and everyone was hyping the episode on social media. In the manga, Goku continues to master this ability, reaching further heights as a mortal being while reducing the drawbacks caused by Ultra Instinct.
2) Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2 Overpowered Cell
Ever since he was four years old, Gohan showed immense potential, even more than his father, Goku. By the time he was eleven, he had already mastered the Super Saiyan transformation and was more than ready to fight Cell during the Cell Games. However, Cell proved to be a much more dangerous enemy than the Z Warriors anticipated. After witnessing the brutal death of Android 16 and seeing his friends get beaten up by the Cell Juniors, Gohan couldn’t contain his rage and frustration.
His outburst of emotions caused him to transform into Super Saiyan 2, the next level of the legendary transformation. This moment further solidified Gohan as one of the most iconic Shonen characters as he completely overpowered the villain, even his father couldn’t defeat.
1) Goku’s First Super Saiyan Transformation Redefined Shonen
When it comes to iconic moments in Dragon Ball, Goku’s first Super Saiyan transformation always comes to mind. He first transformed during his fight against Frieza and redefined the transformation trope in the Shonen demographic. Up until that moment, the gold-haired Super Saiyan was nothing but a legend, a form lost in the annals of history.
The proud warrior race, the Saiyans, continued to exist for centuries or even millennia without ever awakening this form, but Goku was always meant to be special. After transforming, he was easily able to overpower Frieza, the galactic tyrant who had been terrorizing his son and his friends.
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