Summary
Fewevents in anime history have developeda degree of significance that has transcended cultural barriers like Goku’s first transformation into a Super Saiyan. In the decades since its debut, the transformation became a landmark moment forDragon Ball Zand theDragon Ballfranchise as a whole, representing the biggest power up Goku or any of his allies had obtained in the entire series. From then on, the Super Saiyan form went on to become a mainstay, and had a central role in the subsequent Cell Saga ofDragon Ball Z.
However, as the series has progressed into sequels such asDragon Ball GTandDragon Ball Super, with stronger antagonists and gargantuan increases in power levels, the original Super Saiyan form lost much of its relevance for a number of reasons. Now only a shadow of its former self, the form has little if any utility against the divine beings who currently serve as opponentsfor the Z Fighters to face off against, which begs inquiry into what brought about its rapid downfall in the power scaling of theDragon Ballfranchise as a whole.
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A Legend Realized
At the time of its premier, Super Saiyan was unlike anything many fans ofDragon Ballhad ever seen before. There were undoubtedly anime transformations which came before and after this moment, but the reason why it is significant even now, lies in how it was built up and given sufficient foreshadowing before appearing on-screen. Initially alluded to ina myth concerning the Saiyan race, the legend of the first Super Saiyan described the state as one of such immense power that it had not been attained by a Saiyan in almost a thousand years.
Throughout the Namek and Frieza Sagas, there were multiple allusions to this legend, particularly how it fueled Frieza’s fear of Saiyans, culminating in his destruction of Planet Vegeta which wiped out the Saiyan race. Vegeta himself spoke of the legend on multiple occasions, as he grew more desperate in his fight against Frieza. In the face of Frieza’s overwhelming power, all the Z Fighters, includingGoku initially did not stand a chance. It was only the death of Krillin by Frieza’s own hand that provided the trigger needed for Goku’s rage to erupt, finally allowing him to assume the fabled form.
This gradual foreshadowing, coupled with its now iconic appearance and accompanying power boost, generated the necessary fervor and excitement for it to become an unforgettable moment in the series' canon. Further along in the series, Gohan’s Super Saiyan 2 transformation was also similarly built up, although the narrative breadcrumbs leading up to this momentcould be traced as far back as the Saiyan Saga.
In essence, the original Super Saiyan transformation set a precedent for power ups that has been continued in shonen anime till the present day, where menacing yet dignified appearances, surging fiery auras, and expressive hairstyles are now the norm. While certain other iconic transformations have strived to achieve the same level of importance, many — including Naruto Uzumaki’s Nine-Tails Chakra Mode forms, andeven Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5— have taken obvious stylistic references from the Super Saiyan form.
Constant Power Creep
During its first appearance, the Super Saiyan transformation was portrayed as something that came to a pure hearted Saiyan in a time of need, after they had attained a sufficiently high level of power. In addition, the transformation had to be triggered by intense emotions such as rage or sadness, which contributed to the surge in power. This concept was later tweaked with the introduction of Future Trunks and Vegeta’s Super Saiyan forms, especially since the latter was not pure hearted and did not achieve the form in a time of need.
From then on, any pure orHybrid Saiyan could achieve the Super Saiyan formif they possessed a sufficient amount of S-Cells. Gentler Saiyans such as Goku had higher volumes of S-Cells compared to more violent ones such as Vegeta, and could increase them through training and battle. By this logic, it was much harder for Vegeta to acquire the amount of S-Cells needed to turn Super Saiyan due to his innate nature.
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Children of Saiyans inherit their parents' S-Cells, which allowed Gohan to access the form when he was only a child during the Cell Games Saga. The introduction of the Androids and Cell made the Super Saiyan form a bare minimum requirement for the Z Fighters to take on their new opponents. Under this new status quo, the form was consistently featured in most fights as nearly every Saiyan character gained access to it. That being said,it also lost its value considerably, where the form could just barely keep up with Androids 17 and 18, but was practically helpless against the speed, strength, and regeneration of Perfect Cell.
Even after Vegeta, Future Trunks, Gohan, and Goku trained and developed the Super Saiyan Second Grade, Third Grade, and Full Power forms, there was still a sizable gap in power with Perfect Cell. This necessitated the creation of the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, which eclipsed the original form, beginning the first Super Saiyan form’s gradual decline in utility, which would continue in successive installments of the franchise asnewer, more powerful transformationstook precedence.
Reduced To Child’s Play
Seven years later, in the Majin Buu Saga, both Goten and Trunks were able to access the form with little to no hassle, illustrating how Super Saiyan had been reduced to something even Hybrid Saiyan children could attain with ease. As power levels soared to unprecedented heights in this story arc, this form fell below the bare minimum required to contend with Buu’s various forms, as Super Saiyan 2 now served as the new base state for engagement afterthe introduction of Super Saiyan 3.
The problem would only be exacerbated by the power creep inDragon Ball Super, which saw the debut of godly ki, producing new transformations such as Super Saiyan God andSuper Saiyan Blue that surpassed Super Saiyanby even greater distances than before. The final nail in the coffin would come with the introduction of the Saiyans of Universe 6 such as Cabba inDragon Ball Super, who were able to access the form with little difficulty. For them, the act of turning Super Saiyan was reduced to focusing their power at a point along the spine, described as a tingling sensation.
Caulifla’s transformation into a Super Saiyan was perhaps the most controversial symbol of the form’s depreciation in value, as she was able to access it by simply following Cabba’s instructions, without need for the emotional trigger. With this, the original Super Saiyan form has all but lost its significance, as it is little more than child’s play for most Saiyans, and its power level is no longer even in the same league as theantagonists who now threatenthe Earth and Universe 7 in theDragon Ballfranchise.
