Dragon Ball: Super Saiyan Grades Explained

Key things

• Goku's Super Saiyan Grade 1 form in Dragon Ball Z emerged from a moment of righteous fury and was incredibly powerful, but drained too much stamina to be sustainable.
• Vegeta's Super Saiyan Grade 2 form, “Super Vegeta”, was stronger and bulkier than Grade 1, but had an even faster energy drain, making it ineffective.
• Introduced by Goku and Gohan in the Cell Saga, Super Saiyan Grade 4 was a perfect form with no energy loss outside of combat and improved strategy.

Super Saiyan transformation from Dragon Ball Z is not only the most iconic transformation in the entire anime/manga industry, but the moment when Goku achieves it against Frieza might be the most iconic anime moment of all time. Not only did this transformation change the entire trajectory of the series, but it also changed the way all Shonen series handle their own power systems.

As the series continued, the characters underwent more and more transformations against increasingly powerful enemies. As everyone knows, Super Saiyan was followed by Super Saiyan 2, then Super Saiyan 3, etc. Forgotten aspect though Dragon Ball there are different levels of Super Saiyan between 1 and 2, so let's break them down and see what makes them so special.

Super Saiyan Level 1

First User: Goku

The most memorable and iconic moment from around the world Dragon Ball franchise occurred when Goku battled Frieza at the conclusion of the Namek Saga. After watching the death of his childhood best friend, Krillin, at the hands of a galactic tyrant, Goku realized the ancient power that was native to his people. Goku's Super Saiyan form, born out of righteous fury in response to every innocent's plea for peace, was far more powerful than Frieza, as shown when he defeated the villain with ease, even taking pity on him at the very end.

I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am the truth. An ally for good! A nightmare for you!

When Goku went Super Saiyan for the very first time, there was nothing in the entire universe that was on the same power level as him. However, as the series continued, it was explained that this form, later called Super Saiyan Grade 1, was incredibly powerful but extremely taxing on the user's stamina, showing that the form needed improvement and could not be used for very long periods of time.

Super Saiyan Level 2

First User: Vegeta

Although Goku was the first human to ever achieve the fabled Super Saiyan transformation, much to Vegeta's chagrin, it was actually the prince of all Saiyans who found an even higher level. This form, which he named Super Vegeta, was very bulky and muscular, with much greater strength and speed than the original form, as well as giving him much more firepower to dish out devastating Ki attacks. The best example of this power was his iconic Final Flash, which almost completely obliterated Cell despite Super Vegeta being much weaker than him.

The sleeper woke up. I am the prince of all Saiyans again!

However, in typical Vegeta style, the prince was motivated primarily by the desire to outdo his opponent, and thus did not spend enough time perfecting this form. The biggest downside to Grade 2 is that it consumes energy even faster than the original Super Saiyan transformation, making it relatively ineffective in a long battle. Goku even explained this in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Gohan when he stated that even when he reached a stronger version of Super Saiyan, the energy cost was too high, meaning it couldn't last long.

Super Saiyan level 3

First user: Future trunks

Everything stated about Super Saiyan Grade 2 is further illustrated by this transformation. Super Saiyan Grade 3 is the most physically powerful form of all the Super Saiyan Grades, as can be inferred from its appearance, as it enlarges the user even more than Grade 2 and makes all of their physical attacks insanely powerful. The power of this form is quite impressive as Trunks put up a decent fight against Perfect Cell.

Those bulky muscles make it difficult to move very quickly and I can't afford to lose a step against a monster like Cell!

However, the most obvious caveat to this transformation is the extreme toll it takes on the user's stamina to maintain their incredible physical strength and massive appearance. This form is even more challenging than Stage 2, and what makes it much less effective is the fact that the user's bulky muscles also slow them down incredibly compared to other Super Saiyan stages.

Super Saiyan level 4

First Users: Goku and Gohan

Super Saiyan Grade 4 is also called Perfected Super Saiyan and is the version of the Super Saiyan form that everyone would use since Goku and Gohan introduced it in the Cell Saga. This form has all the benefits of the previous tiers, but is also noticeably faster, though the biggest advantage is the fact that it can be used with virtually no stamina or energy loss outside of combat. This means that the Super Saiyan transformation is enhanced by stage 4, so users can just walk around in this form every day.

Power comes in response to need, not desire. You have to create this need.

It even clears their minds and allows them to focus much more on strategy instead of relying solely on rage and brute force, which is the main strength of previous editions. This form also has the least amount of visual changes from grade 1, only supporting a desaturated yellow color for the user's hair instead of the more golden hue of the original form. After this form was achieved, the other stages were almost never seen as they were not needed and all other transformations in the series basically used stage 4 as a starting point.

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