Most ‘DBZ’ Fans Never Noticed One Crucial Detail About Goku’s Super Saiyan Transformation
Dragon Ball Z (1996) introduced the world to the Super Saiyan form, a power boost for Goku and several other characters that has become one of the most iconic elements of the franchise. However, while the power boost is usually seen as a burst of heroic resolve, the truth is a little more complicated.
It also unlocked a more fearsome version of his personality, making him fight with a more vicious edge. This was a key element of the transformation in the original manga, all the way down to the way the dialogue for the empowered Goku was given the same harsh word bubbles that are usually afforded to villains. It’s a key element of the Super Saiyan transformation that some fans don’t recognize as being as brutal as it really is and plays into some of Goku’s worst qualities.
The Dragon Ball Manga Makes Super Saiyan Scary
When Goku turns into Super Saiyan in the manga, there’s one key detail about the character that reinforces the harsher qualities of the transformation. In the manga and the anime, Goku gains the Super Saiyan form after Frieza wounds Piccolo and kills Krillin. The transformation gives Goku a massive power boost and alters his personality just a bit to make him more clear-headed and brutal in combat. It’s a transformation that also happens in the manga, but with a more pronounced element given his dialogue. Once he becomes a Super Saiyan, Goku’s dialogue takes on the same kind of lettering that villains have. It’s a small distinction but an important one, especially in this franchise.
It underscores Goku’s transformation from the chipper martial artist of most of the story and reinforces his more vicious elements. Goku becomes almost excited to keep fighting Frieza, a reflection of his Saiyan bloodlust that keeps him from just resolving the fight more quickly. The anime makes Goku more heroic in these scenes, especially in the English translation. However, the source material really makes this impulse seem scary, underscoring how Super Saiyan, a form often only achievable through great personal reckoning, awakens something harsher in the people who use it. It’s a bloodlust that audiences see repeated when Gohan achieves Super Saiyan 2 in the “Cell Saga” and is reflected in the more battle-ready and focused transformations of Dragon Ball Super (2015). Goku’s transformation in the manga isn’t just a power boost, but a full embrace of his Saiyan heritage.
Goku’s Bloodlust Is His Worst Quality
One of the interesting elements of the Dragon Ball franchise is how audiences have really gotten to grow up with Goku. Introduced in the original show as a child, the Goku of the present day is a grandfather who still strives to push himself past his breaking point. However, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super both gradually establish that Goku’s desire for combat has led to him making some very risky decisions. Goku’s desire for a fair fight, even with other people involved, has led him to give Cell and Moro Senzu Beans.
Wanting a better fight with Buu during the “Buu” Saga, Goku kept his true power hidden for too long, resulting in Buu getting the chance to wipe out most life on Earth. In Dragon Ball Super, Goku’s desire for a rematch with people like Hit prompted the formation of the Tournament of Power, which put several realities at risk of erasure. All of this stems from the same element of his personality that is made more prevalent by Goku: he has always thrived whenever he’s fighting, but that drive to always push himself is taken to a dangerous place. It’s an aspect of his personality that becomes even more prevalent in his Super Saiyan forms.
Super Saiyan Underscores a Key Element of the Franchise
A major piece of the lore of the Saiyan race is that they are warriors by their innate nature. They were conquerors and then soldiers, with an innate drive towards violence, conflict, and triumph. Heroes like Goku and Gohan represent what that drive can be like when applied in more productive forms, whether that be tempered with kindness like Goku or focused on protecting others like Gohan.
However, that drive to push yourself can become something very dangerous when unleashed, something the Super Saiyan transformation naturally does. It takes their attributes and makes them dangerous, to the point where some serious problems have been caused by the Super Saiyans’ bloodlust and thrill over fighting. It’s something that was teased all the way back when Akira Toriyama gave Goku’s dialogue a harsher touch during his first transformation and is a key element of the concept’s DNA.
