The Dragon Ball franchise is known within the anime community for having incredible power-ups that have laid the foundation for how transformations have been handled in the industry. Starting with Goku's original Super Saiyan form, the series has since introduced many amazing and powerful transformations in Dragon Ball's storied history.
Unfortunately, with so many transformations to consider, it's no secret that many of them have inevitably become redundant, both in terms of function and design. Dragon Ball is home to countless different transformations, but the greatest forms are on another level design-wise & the best Toriyama has to offer.
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9 Super Saiyan Goku Set The Blueprint For The Anime Industry
Debut Arc: Namek Saga
As far as anime goes, there has never been a transformation as pivotal or important as the original Super Saiyan form which was unlocked by Goku in the Namek Saga. Super Saiyan completely changed how Goku looked, giving him upright golden hair which would become one of the trademarks of the series.
Although it isn't as unique as some of the other forms in terms of how it looks and works, Super Saiyan was the blueprint for all transformations going forward, as each subsequent Saiyan form only further built upon the golden hair and aura. Due to its immovable place in anime history, Super Saiyan 1 is unparalleled in terms of influence.
8 Super Saiyan 3 Goku Brought The Most Aggressive Look Yet
Debut Arc: Buu Saga
Not long after its debut, Super Saiyan was quickly replaced by subsequent transformations, though none could match it in terms of design compared to what came before it. Super Saiyan 3 took this notion and flipped it on its head by bringing forth one of the greatest transformations in the series.
Super Saiyan 3 was always marketed as being incredibly intensive, sapping away a lot of its user's energy for unparalleled offensive output. SSJ3's design with the long hair and lack of eyebrows really sold the 'heavy' look and feel that the form was going for, making it one of the best-designed in the series by far.
7 Majin Vegeta Brought Back The Prince's Killer Instincts
Debut Arc: Buu Saga
The biggest reason why fans fell in love with Vegeta in the first place was because of his amazing redemption arc. Despite his growth, there were quite a few fans who missed his evil and unapologetic persona, which was eventually brought back to the series with his Majin Vegeta state.
Though not strictly a 'form' like the others, Majin Vegeta essentially awoke all the evil in Vegeta's heart while in his Super Saiyan 2 form, making him an evil and bloodthirsty Saiyan once more. The sharp angles and rippling muscles definitely added to his overall aura, and his eventual sacrifice makes everything just that much better.
GameRant Quiz
6 Perfect Cell Was The Best Form Of The Powerful Villain
Debut Arc: Cell Saga
Dragon Ball has one of the greatest rogues galleries in any fictional series ever, and Perfect Cell is arguably the best villain among these titans. Starting off as a terrifying mutated bug creature, Cell would go on to absorb many characters in order to undergo a few powerful transformations, the greatest of which was Perfect Cell.
Naturally, the main reason why Cell is remembered so fondly is because of his infectious personality. That said, Cell's design in his perfect form was the quintessential companion to his cocky nature, sporting the pinnacle of what a cockroach-like being could become with such tremendous power and making use of the best parts of the villains who came before him.
5 Super Saiyan God Was A Welcome Change Of Pace
Debut Arc: Beerus the Destroyer Arc
Towards the end of the Buu Saga, the transformations that the main cast of Saiyans had been undergoing largely became stale, since they just felt like the same forms with longer and spikier hair instead of any meaningful change. There was a massive improvement when Battle of Gods rolled around, and introduced the concept of the Super Saiyan God.
Super Saiyan God was different from those that came before it, primarily because of it being created from a specific ritual to unlock God Ki. Through the God Ritual, the resulting Saiyan became far leaner instead of bulking up, as well as sporting red hair and aura instead of the traditional golden. Because of this, Super Saiyan God gave off a theme of heat and fire, which was even replicated in Goku and Vegeta's move sets.
4 Moro Prime Had A Unique Take On A Villainous Transformation
Debut Arc: Galactic Prisoner Patrol Arc
Moro goes down as one of the most terrifying villains in the entire series, mostly due to his rather uncanny design. When he was first introduced to the series, he was old and decrepit, though he still had the power to drain entire worlds of their life force and energy, which he did to grow in strength substantially.
Due to his goat-like features and posture, Moro originally had a very sadistic and devilish nature about him, and his design really stood out because of this fact. Although many fans felt that Ultra Instinct Moro and Planet Moro were far too generic in terms of design, his original forms really stood out, both in appearance and function.
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3 Super Saiyan 4 Brings Out Goku's Ultimate Power
Debut Arc: Baby Saga
Although Dragon Ball GT did have its flaws, Super Saiyan 4 was one of the greatest ideas to ever come out of the franchise as a whole. SSJ4 took the design philosophy of Super Saiyan 3, in that it was a heavy and powerful state that drew power from the Saiyan's roots, and really built on it to the perfect degree.
Super Saiyan 4 was unlike any Super Saiyan transformation before it and was so beloved by the fandom that the creators finally introduced it to the canon of the series with Dragon Ball Daima, which is only slightly different in overall appearance from its GT counterpart. Ultimately, very few Dragon Ball transformations are as beloved, unique, and amazing as Super Saiyan 4.
2 Ultra Instinct Allowed Goku To Use The Angels' Technique
Debut Arc: Universe Survival Arc
Ultra Instinct was teased in the second arc of Dragon Ball Super, though it would only be fully revealed through a Saiyan's body in the Tournament of Power. In truth, Ultra Instinct itself is a technique, not a form, and one that is mastered by the Angels of the multiverse, to the point where they are always in this state.
Goku unlocked it for himself in the Tournament of Power after being forced to by Jiren, though he did so by using it as a form. Ultimately, fans had been speculating on a white-haired Saiyan form for years, and they finally got it with Ultra Instinct Goku, who remains one of the coolest-looking characters in the series and makes use of the ultimate defensive technique in the multiverse.
1 Ultra Ego May Be The Coolest Transformation Of All Time
Debut Arc: Granolah the Survivor Arc
Vegeta has always been defined by his pursuit of strength to surpass his rival, Goku. However, in the Granolah arc, he learns to finally let go of this desire in order to be stronger for the sake of shattering his own limits, which is why he is able to let go of the need to unlock Ultra Instinct and calls forth his own Divine Transformation; Ultra Ego.
This form is born from the innate technique of the Destroyers and the Energy of Destruction, working as the exact opposite of Ultra Instinct. This is because Vegeta takes extra damage to get stronger instead of outright avoiding it like Goku does in his ultimate form, which perfectly fits in line with Vegeta's fighting style and outlook. Visually, it makes the Prince look like a battle-crazed berserker who just loves to fight, and although there are some flaws to iron out, this is still the best-designed form in the series.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
