Super Saiyan
A Super Saiyan (also referred to as SS as it is スーパーサイヤ人 "Sūpā Saiya-jin" in Japanese) is a special advanced and powerful state of the Saiyan race in the manga Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z and the anime Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. This can be performed at at least four levels, each more powerful than the previous.
Super Saiyan: The Legend
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 Frieza on Planet Namek. Their appearance is different in each form, more so in the fourth.
Frieza feared the Super Saiyan legend (but moreso the ability for a Saiyan's power to grow when they recover from the brink of death) and destroyed Planet Vegeta in the hope that the Super Saiyan legend would never be complete.
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. Aside from this, all Saiyans still alive (as of the Freeza Saga) have managed to reach at least the first level (except Paragus).
There are many stated rumors about the requirements of the transformation. One false theory is that in order for a Saiyan to transform, he must have lost his tail. Also, a very poor technicality theory is that if your father had previously been a Super Saiyan before the time of conception, you would be born without a tail, and have the ability to transform yourself at a very early age (Goten, Chibi Trunks). This is actually because they are half-Saiyans, and is a mere coincidence that Gohan (who was born before Goku had achieved form 1) didn't achieve form 1 himself until a later age than Goten. This theory should be disregarded.
Goten is proportionately weaker than Gohan, for both Goten and Trunks take after their human half, thus have no tail; Goten just looks like his father. Halflings bodies are weaker, and allow for transformation can be achieved at an early age. What you have to understand is that the body transformation is a mechanism to be able to continue a fight, harnessing all of the power at a new plateau. In general, it requires a purpose and formidable power to undergo the transformation. The power can be obtained from an intense rage. The transformation takes place when the body needs to morph in order to handle all of the power.
Fans 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 Frieza. In the game Dragonball Z Budokai 3, the Super Saiyan form of Broly is stated as Legendary Super Saiyan, however Broly was not in the manga so he is considered Non-Canon, proving that Goku is the true Legendary Super Saiyan.
Super Saiyan Levels
The following is a description of each Super Saiyan level, and the Saiyans who reached the level (in chronological order).
False Super Saiyan
This is a mid point between a Saiyan's regular form and Super Saiyan form. Goku reached this form in DBZ Movie #4, when he became enraged at Lord Slug. Certain features such as elevated hair from the power and a golden aura are evident, however, this is only just a small sample of the full transformation. 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. Broly also attain this form In movie #8. Broly achieved this level as a kid and achieved it again when he saw goku for the first time. He has spiky black hair with some purple tints and has a golden aura.
Achieved By:
Super Saiyan
Going Super Saiyan gives the saiyan a huge power boost along with golden hair and green eyes. The first person we see reach Super Saiyan in the series is Goku when fighting Frieza. The transformation is triggered when a Saiyan experiences extreme, intense emotion, which empowers them to a point beyond the limits of power that their body can handle, 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, disallowed Goku the ability to properly preform his Spirit Bomb technique.
Achieved By:
- Son Goku
- Future Trunks
- Vegeta
- Son Gohan
- Broly
- Son Goten
- Trunks (present)
- Gotenks
- Vegetto
- Gogeta
- Goku Junior
- Vegeta Junior
Super Saiyan 2nd Grade/Ultra Super Saiyan
This form is a much more powerful version of Super Saiyan. It increases muscle mass and is more powerful than the standard Super Saiyan level. This is the form Vegeta and Trunks use for the fight with Semi-Perfect Cell. We also see Goku in this form when he is training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Gohan.
Achieved By:
Super Saiyan 3rd Grade/Ultra Super Saiyan 2
More commonly known as Ultra Super Saiyan 2, this is a midpoint between SSJ and SSJ2. At this stage a Saiyan's muscle mass dramatically increases, but they take a big hit in their speed. Goku demonstrated this to Gohan, during the Cell Saga inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Vegeta also noticed this disadvantage during his training. Trunks however failed to spot this, and this led to his defeat by Perfect Cell.
Achieved By:
Super Saiyan, Distinction
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 long periods of time with little or no effort. It is mastery of the Super Saiyan 1st grade form.
Achieved By:
Legendary Super Saiyan
In Dragonball Z movie 8, we see Broly, a Saiyan who has a different transformation, (i.e. his hair illuminates so you can see that it is purple and not black) but the gold aura is there so it is the False Super Saiyan state. The device his father attached to him automatically restricts him to not surpassing this form and is able to control, calm or power-down Broly to a certain extent when activated. Broly breaks it with sheer energy, and transforms into a true saiyan. From there, he can bulk up and strengthen himself into what we call Ultra Super Saiyan, or what the Saiyans knew as Legendary Super Saiyan. His Legendary form is very similar to that of an USSJ, but he is definetly stronger and doesn't lose as much speed and it seems that his ki accumulates to the point he has to release it by blasting energy out of his body. Since he is not canon, his power is never stated. Some fans believe he is a super powered Super Saiyan 1 equal to SSJ3, in strength power only. His speed is that of a Saiyan. To FUNimation it seems he is the Super Saiyan among Super Saiyans, making his transfomation superior to them all.
Achieved By:
Super Saiyan 2
This stage is very similar to SSJ (in appearance), the Super Saiyan's energy has multiplied resulting in a very evident bio-electric field. 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 jump in skills is greater than the jump from 2 to Super Saiyan 3. This form was first achieved by Gohan whilst battling Cell. It too is triggered by powerful emotions.
Achieved By:
Super Saiyan 3
This form is the strongest of all Saiyan forms in the manga. Only Goku and the fused body of Gotenks can handle it. It is characterized by very long, full hair and the Saiyan's eyebrows disappearing. Goku achieves this form whilst training in Other World after the Cell Saga. This form increases power and speed even more, but also uses a lot of power, so it cannot be maintained for very long. While Goku was in the Other World, he could maintain this form for as long as he wished, but in the real world, his living body could not handle it for very long. It can also be achieved by rage.
Achieved By:
Super Saiyan 4
The Saiyan's hair reverts to it's natural color for the individual, in Goku's case it turned black again, the tail is returned (only because you must be an Oozaru before taking this form, not directly because of it) and the body is 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 can only be reached after transforming into a Golden Oozaru and then gaining conscious control over the form. This form was first achieved by Goku when battling Bebi. Super Saiyan 4 is the highest form achieved by a Saiyan in the official Dragonball continuty (this means no Super Saiyan 5 or 6). 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 conscience hands of a Saiyan. Only possible for pure-blood Saiyans, and only Goku has achieved it unaided. This means Gohan, Trunks and any other halflings cannot. Vegeta, who was missing his tail, used a Blutz Wave emitting device(Bruits Wave in Japan) aid his transformation.
(Note that this form is non-canonical to 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.)
Achieved By: