Transformations are the bread and butter of the Dragon Ball franchise, as the series has introduced many unique forms over the years. Whether it’s the heroes or villains who undergo them, these transformations often tend to be the highlights of any given story arc due to the overall impact they have on the story and the build up to them.
As such, one of the biggest criticisms that Dragon Ball has received as a whole over the years is the overabundance of such forms, as many believe that some of the earlier ones are quickly glossed over in favor of the newer ones. Because of this, the strength of these older forms is often forgotten about, so let’s take a look at which ones fall into this category.
8
Piccolo Awoke The Power Of The Nameless Namekian
Debut Arc: Android Saga
There’s no doubt that the Saiyans are the most powerful race in the franchise, as well as its main characters. A downside of this has been a bit of an abandonment of other beloved characters in order to make them shine even more, with Piccolo being the greatest example of this. Fans tend to forget the immense power-up he got during the runtime of Z.
In the Namek Saga, Piccolo fused with a fellow Namekian warrior, Nail, in order to increase his strength by a huge degree, and then again in the Android Saga when he fused with Kami. In doing so, he once again awakened the power of the legendary Nameless Namekian, using which he was stated to be equal in overall strength to a standard Super Saiyan.
7
Super Saiyan 2 Is Just A Transitionary Form
Debut Arc: Cell Saga
One of the greatest moments in the history of the franchise was Gohan’s initial unlocking of the Super Saiyan 2 state against Perfect Cell, where the true power of this ascended form truly shone. From here, fans were convinced that this form was going to be the standard going forward, but in the following arcs, Super Saiyan 2 was only really treated like a transitional transformation.
However, many tend to forget the power that this state holds. Of course, there is no better example than the aforementioned battle against Perfect Cell, but even Goku and Vegeta’s battle in the Buu Saga, as well as being the ultimate state that the Universe 6 Saiyans used in the Tournament of Power, proved that Super Saiyan 2 is just as viable today as it was in the past.
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6
Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks Was A Saiyan Prodigy
Debut Arc: Buu Saga
Goten and Trunks are quite unlike the rest of the Saiyans in Universe 7, in that they have always chosen to grow in power collectively as a unit instead of working individually, for the most part at least. This was best shown in the Buu Saga, where they opted to merge into Gotenks through the Metamoran Fusion Dance.
The most impressive part about this fused Saiyan was his ascension into the Super Saiyan 3 state, which was, at that point, more of a mythical form that only Goku had achieved so far. Just by thinking it was cool and by observing him, Gotenks transformed into this state and was able to fight evenly against Super Buu and even broke the dimensional barrier through screaming alone.
5
Super Trunks Boasted Incredible Physical Strength
Debut Arc: Android Saga
When considering the worst Saiyan transformations in the entire franchise, many fans automatically think of Super Trunks, or Super Saiyan Grade 3. Due to the insane increase in muscle mass, the form is incredibly taxing on the user’s stamina and overall energy reserves and was so inefficient in the long run that most of the other heroes simply opted to never use it.
However, despite its obvious and inexcusable downsides, Super Saiyan Grade 3 boasted incredible raw physical might. Not only was he outright far stronger than Imperfect Cell, but Vegeta himself reiterated that, with this power-up, Trunks became so strong that the difference between them was incredibly hard to tell.
4
Majin Vegeta’s Strength Was Astronomical
Debut Arc: Buu Saga
Although not traditionally a separate form like the others on this list, Majin Vegeta is one of the most iconic and beloved states that have ever been shown in the entire franchise. Vegeta thought that the only way to grow in power to surpass Goku was to become the monster that he used to be, forcing him to rely on Babidi to reawaken the evil in his heart.
The result of this was one of the most ruthless and cool forms that the story has ever shown, and it was incredibly powerful as well. Not only did it manage to go toe-to-toe with Goku’s Super Saiyan 2, but Vegeta’s raw power was so great that it almost completely obliterated Majin Buu, who was far stronger than him at the time.
3
Broly’s Ikari Form Was An Absolute Powerhouse
Debut Arc: Broly Ar
When talking about raw power, no one ever underestimates Broly, and for good reason too. However, when talking about his appearance in the anime, his Super Saiyan and Full Power Super Saiyan states are spoken about almost exclusively, with fans often forgetting about the sheer strength and unbelievable potential of his base and Ikari forms.
It should be noted that Broly, in and of himself, is not at all an underrated character, but his Ikari form is undoubtedly overshadowed by his subsequent, stronger states. Without even unlocking his Super Saiyan form, Broly easily overpowered Super Saiyan Blue Goku due to the Ikari form calling forth the strength of a Great Ape within a normal Saiyan.
2
Super Saiyan God Was Replaced Far Too Soon
Debut Arc: Beerus Arc
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Image via Toei Animation -
In the very first arc of Super, it is revealed that there exists a figure whose strength is so above even the likes of Majin Buu that Goku needed a brand-new kind of transformation line to even go up against him. Through the introduction of God Ki, Goku awoke the mythical Super Saiyan God state, which was immediately a hit among the fandom due to its unique design and properties.
However, it was replaced by Super Saiyan Blue in the very next arc, so fans never really got much time with the form and could never truly see what it was capable of. Despite its brief screen time, Super Saiyan God was shown to be able to go up against Beerus to a certain extent, which definitely makes it one of the stronger transformations that fans have forgotten about.
1
Ultimate Gohan Was An Absolute Powerhouse
Debut Arc: Buu Saga
In the current story of Dragon Ball, Gohan has retained his position as one of the most powerful Saiyans in the entire story upon the unlocking of his incredible Beast transformation. However, he has been the strongest character at multiple points in Dragon Ball; most notably in the Buu Saga, where he became the strongest non-fused hero in the entire setting.
However, Ultimate Gohan doesn’t really have the greatest success rate of the many transformations that the Saiyans have undergone over the years, which is why many tend to forget Gohan’s insane strength in this state. He was the only non-fused character strong enough to face Super Buu and even had incredible performances against the Gamma Androids as well as in the Tournament of Power.
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