Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan on Namek arguably divided the Dragon Ball franchise into before and after. From that point on, the series would fundamentally change – as would manga and anime as a medium, taking cues from Dragon Ball’s storytelling. Super Saiyan represented a crucial point in Goku’s development, an acceptance of his Saiyan heritage with his Earthly upbringing, but it wouldn’t be long until Dragon Ball introduced a successor.
When it comes down to it, Akira Toriyama never let Super Saiyan be special outside of the fight with Frieza. Almost immediately, more Super Saiyans are added into the story. This isn’t a bad thing, though, as it allows Dragon Ball to raise the stakes and ensure that Super Saiyan won’t be Goku’s way of saving the day each arc.
10 Son Goku
The Frieza arc builds up Super Saiyan as a concept all throughout Namek. Vegeta believes that he, Goku, and even Gohan have what it takes to become the legendary Super Saiyan at multiple points throughout the saga, but that it’s a transformation isn’t made clear until Frieza kills Krillin. Watching his best friend die in front of his eyes, Goku taps into a deep primal rage that shakes Namek and turns him into a savage warrior.
Narratively, Goku becoming a Super Saiyan signals his acceptance of his heritage. He’s tapped into a power he’s been uncomfortable with since Raditz, but he does so by reconciling who he is – a Saiyan who was raised on Earth.
9 Future Trunks
Right after Goku defeats Frieza in the manga, it’s revealed that Frieza is on his way to Earth as Mecha-Frieza. In the very same chapter the Frieza arc ends, the Cell arc begins and it’s not long until Future Trunks enters the picture as yet another Super Saiyan. Trunks’ introduction is significant not only for contextualizing the Cell arc’s threat, but easing audiences into the idea that there’ll be more Super Saiyans. Since the Cell arc ends up focusing on Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks’ pursuit of a higher form of Super Saiyan, it’s for the best Dragon Ball introduces another
8 Vegeta
After Trunks warns Goku of the Androids’ invasion, everyone in the main cast goes their separate ways to train for the battle in three years. In the anime, Vegeta travels off world and achieves Super Saiyan in outer space. In the manga, Vegeta arrives late to the fight against the Androids already a Super Saiyan.
Notably, Piccolo points out that Vegets is actually stronger than Goku was (though it’s debatable just how much the Heart Virus debilitates Goku’s Battle Power as a Super Saiyan.) Where Goku masters Super Saiyan outright and Trunks pushes SSJ to Grade 3 (a bulky form that sacrifices speed,) Vegeta strikes a fine enough balance with Grade 2.
7 Son Gohan
Recognizing the deep potential within Gohan, Goku takes his son within the Room of Spirit and Time so he can train him into an even greater martial artist. With no emotional trigger to work off of, Goku has to force Gohan into a Super Saiyan through harsh training. Gohan is able to eventually tap into the form, but it’s a genuine trial.
From there, Goku teaches Gohan how to maintain Super Saiyan as his base form, at which point Gohan begins to surpass Goku considerably. By the time both martial artists leave the Room of Spirit and Time, the son has far surpassed the father. Theoretically, Gohan might have even been able to defeat Cell without turning into a Super Saiyan 2.
6 Broly
Dragon Ball Z movies have a bad habit of basing their antagonists off of whoever was the main villain the story at the time, but Broly stands out as a truly original concept: a pure evil Super Saiyan who’s actually the Legendary Super Saiyan, outright superseding Goku’s triumph on Namek.
Broly himself is a perversion of Son Goku – both seemingly born on the same day and thrust off world upon Vegeta’s destruction. Where Goku finds a comforting home on Earth that nourishes him as a martial artist, Broly is trapped in a harsh prison of abuse that fosters a deeply violent power within him.
5 Son Goten
After the gloom and doom of the Cell arc, the Majin Buu arc calls back to Dragon Ball’s comedic roots. Where Goku, Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta suffered to perfect Super Saiyan for the Cell Games, Goten is able to trigger the form with minimal effort. Gohan is left completely dumbfounded by his brother’s transformation, doubly so when it’s revealed that Goten managed to trigger the form so casually.
4 Trunks
Much like Gohan, Vegeta gets his own Super Saiyan surprise. In a training session with Trunks, the boy suddenly turns Super Saiyan, defying everything Vegeta went through in order to obtain the form. Trunks, like Goten, simply happened on Super Saiyan by play fighting. In-universe, Akira Toriyama would later explain that hybrid Saiyans born without tails are even stronger than their tailed counterparts – a detail which was further expanded on through the introduction of S-Cells.
3 Gotenks
The Majin Buu arc introduces Fusion as a concept, allowing two characters to merge together into a stronger fighter. The first characters to fuse are Goten and Trunks, to perform the Metamoran Fusion Dance (taught by Goku) to become Gotenks.
It doesn’t take long at all for Gotenks to tap into Super Saiyan innately, and he’s even stronger than SSJ3 Goku in the form. After a few days of training in the Room of Spirit and Time, Goten & Trunks make Gotenks strong enough where he can brute force transform himself into a Super Saiyan 3 – at which point he lays waste to Majin Buu (before defusing, of course.)
2 Gogeta
The 12th Dragon Ball Z movie, Fusion Reborn is a loose retelling of the Majin Buu arc set in an alternate universe where both Goku and Vegeta remained dead by the conflict’s end. When all Hell literally breaks loose, Goku & Vegeta team up in the afterlife against Janemba. While they aren’t strong enough alone, the two perform the fusion dance and become Gogeta. With a single Ki attack, Gogeta obliterates Janemba from existence, not so much as breaking a sweat in the process.
1 Vegetto
The result of Goku and Vegeta fusion with the Potara Earrings, Vegetto is the single strongest character at the end of Dragon Ball. In the manga, Vegetto immediately turns Super Saiyan upon being born, delivering a cathartic beatdown on Buuhan who – up to this point – had bested every single character in the main cast.
Vegetto doesn’t end up defeating Majin Buu, instead getting himself absorbed to save Gohan & company, but he’s a fun note to end Buu’s reign of terror on. Vegeta allowing himself to fuse with Goku also sets up that he’s finally put away their rivalry.
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