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Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Super is teeming with exceptionally powerful characters capable of effortlessly obliterating entire solar systems. The pursuit of greater strength is a constant theme among the heroes of the Dragon Ball series, with the Saiyans often standing out as the mightiest of warriors. Figures such as Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan exemplify the incredible potential of the Saiyan race, which is further amplified through their awe-inspiring transformations.
Dragon Ball Super has taken the Saiyans to thrilling new heights, introducing innovative techniques and transformations that have reshaped the hierarchy of Saiyan power. While all of Dragon Ball Super’s Saiyans are formidable, certain warriors rise above their peers, showcasing extraordinary abilities.
Pan, the young daughter of Gohan and granddaughter of Goku, is just three years old during her training in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Despite her tender age, the series has already hinted at Pan’s remarkable potential, demonstrated in a spontaneous encounter with Red Ribbon soldiers. In a manner reminiscent of Gohan’s upbringing, Piccolo has taken Pan under his tutelage, subjecting her to a demanding training regimen akin to Gohan’s own wilderness training from Dragon Ball Z.
Pan Is Already Setting Milestones & Proving Her Potential As A Preschooler
Pan, Gohan’s daughter and Goku’s granddaughter, is only three years old during her training in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. However, Dragon Ball Super has already teased the preschooler’s unfathomable potential during an impromptu clash against Red Ribbon grunts. Piccolo has taken Pan, much like Gohan before her, under his wing, and exposed her to a rigorous routine that’s on par with Gohan’s wilderness training from Dragon Ball Z.
Pan has yet to canonically use any ki-based energy attacks, but Piccolo has instilled martial arts fundamentals in her that have already started to pay off. It’s no small feat that Pan can take out trained soldiers, and she’s somehow already mastered flight. Hopefully, Dragon Ball Super will continue to develop Pan’s powers because, at this rate, she’s on track to become the youngest Super Saiyan yet.
Goten & Trunks Need To Find Their Fighting Spirit After A Lengthy Absence
Image via Toei AnimationIt hasn’t always been easy to be a Goten and Trunks fan. These two Saiyans were positioned as the faces of the future during Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga and yet Dragon Ball Super has reduced them into broad gag characters who have actually managed to regress, rather than become stronger.
Goten and Trunks became the youngest Super Saiyans at seven and eight respectively, and can also reach the impressive plateau of Super Saiyan 3 in their fused form, Gotenks. Unfortunately, Goten and Trunks remain at what’s more or less the same strength as when they were kids. These two Saiyans don’t get the luxury of participating in the Tournament of Power, and even their recent efforts to fuse have been unsuccessful.
Cabba’s Cutthroat Commitment Turns Him Into One Of Vegeta’s Prize Pupils
Image via Toei AnimationCabba, unlike his Universe 6 Saiyan peers, gets introduced in Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Destroyers before he shows off even greater strength in the Tournament of Power. Cabba isn’t used to strenuous combat, but Vegeta quickly recognizes talent and tenacity in the inexperienced Saiyan. Vegeta’s brief time with Cabba leads to his Super Saiyan ascension, and he proceeds to tap into Super Saiyan 2 strength during the Tournament of Power.
Cabba even develops the Galick Cannon, his own variation of one of Vegeta’s signature techniques. Cabba’s contributions aren’t as impressive as Caulifla or Kale’s, but it’s still no small feat to casually reach Super Saiyan 2. It’s fair to say that with a little more time under Vegeta’s tutelage, he might even crack Super Saiyan 3.
Caulifla Proves Herself To Be A Super Saiyan Savant After Minimal Training
Image via Toei AnimationDragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power celebrates a trio of Universe 6 Saiyans who all prove to surpass Universe 7’s expectations due to their unnaturally high S-Cell counts. Saiyans with more gentle spirits translate to more S-Cells, which are revealed to be an essential Super Saiyan trigger. Caulifla quickly reaches Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2, and nearly triggers a Super Saiyan 3 breakthrough on a whim.
Caulifla has the same passion for combat as Goku, and he recognizes this Saiyan’s extreme potential. Super Saiyan 2 Caulifla, with Kale’s help, keeps up with Super Saiyan God Goku. Caulifla’s combined power in her fused form, Kefla, also proves to be a challenge for Ultra Instinct Sign Goku. Plus, Caulifla’s power has surely seriously compounded since the Tournament of Power if she’s kept up at all with her training.
Future Trunks Has Overcome Tremendous Adversity To Save Two Timelines
There were always going to be risks involved with bringing Future Trunks back into the mix, especially after the perfect ending he receives at the Cell Saga’s conclusion. And, ultimately, Dragon Ball Super’s use of Future Trunks was quite polarizing, even if Goku Black and Future Zamasu were engaging antagonists.
Future Trunks has grown stronger by training under Future Shin and Future Kibito, which gives him Super Saiyan 2 power and limited Supreme Kai abilities, like healing. Future Trunks’ greatest accomplishment in Dragon Ball Super is his convenient Super Saiyan Rage breakthrough and its corresponding Sword of Hope attack. These power-ups are enough to sever Fused Zamasu’s union, which Vegito Blue’s Final Kamehameha couldn’t even accomplish.
Legendary Super Saiyan Kale Channels Pure Power & Endless Aggression
Image via Toei AnimationIt’s a major shock to learn that Universe 6 doesn’t just have a thriving Saiyan population, but that it also has its own Legendary Super Saiyan. Kale is a meek and timid fighter in her base form, but she loses herself and becomes a reckless, rampaging juggernaut as a Legendary Super Saiyan.
Kale, unlike Broly, hasn’t figured out how to harness her power, which makes her a loose cannon who is just as big of a threat to her Universe 6 teammates as anyone else. However, her power is also in a league of its own.
Dragon Ball Super’s manga even indicates that she’ll eventually explode from an endless power overload if the transformation isn’t reversed or contained through fusion. Legendary Super Saiyan Kale isn’t intimidated by Jiren or Super Saiyan Blue Goku in the anime, and the manga also has her antagonizing Golden Frieza and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta.
Broly’s Redemption Arc Has Turned The Legendary Super Saiyan Into An Exciting Ally
Image via Toei AnimationThe Legendary Super Saiyan was one of Dragon Ball Z’s most popular movie villains – appearing in three separate films – while also dominating many non-canon video games. Dragon Ball Super’s first feature film, Broly, remixes and canonizes the Legendary Super Saiyan’s backstory so that he can fit into the franchise’s future. Broly’s Wrathful Form during his first appearance is enough to overpower Goku and Vegeta’s combined Super Saiyan Blue strength.
Goku and Vegeta eventually defeat Broly as Gogeta, but the Legendary Super Saiyan survives and turns over a new leaf as a valuable sparring partner. Dragon Ball Super’s Super Hero Saga reveals that Broly has learned how to control his power, and he temporarily keeps up with Gohan Beast. Broly’s power seems essential to Dragon Ball Super’s endgame, and he hopefully has greater heights to hit.
Goku’s Dedication To Ultra Instinct Has Handsomely Paid Off
Image via Toei AnimationGoku is used to staying in the spotlight as Dragon Ball’s strongest hero, and it’s extremely rare that he’s not front and center during Dragon Ball Super’s biggest battles. Goku masters the Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue forms, and even creates a volatile upgrade when he combines Super Saiyan Blue with his Kaio-Ken Attack. However, all this looks quaint in comparison to Ultra Instinct, a divine zen-like state of mind that’s predominantly used by Angels.
Goku slowly masters each Ultra Instinct stage until he’s battling with enormous energy avatars in Perfected Ultra Instinct. If this weren’t enough, Goku proceeds to pioneer his own Ultra Instinct variation – True Ultra Instinct – that combines the form’s power and speed with his own natural impulses and emotions. Ultra Instinct is essential against Moro, Granolah, and Gas, and it’s further bolstered by his own martial arts mastery, but it isn’t the transformation that currently offers the more offensive firepower.
Vegeta Has Developed His Own Path To Greater Strength
Image via ShueishaVegeta has spent the majority of Dragon Ball following in Goku’s footsteps and matching his rival’s milestones. Vegeta achieves Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue in Dragon Ball Super, and even pushes the latter to new heights with Super Saiyan Blue Evolved. Vegeta’s Super Saiyan God-to-Blue Switching technique also reflects his brilliant strategic skills.
Vegeta accepts that Ultra Instinct doesn’t play to his strengths, but he comes up with his own superior alternative, Ultra Ego. Ultra Ego, combined with Vegeta’s mastering of Hakai and Forced Spirit Fission, turn him into a dangerously versatile warrior. Vegeta defeating Goku during Super Hero’s epilogue also seemingly indicates that he’s finally pulled ahead of Goku. Ultra Ego is extremely temperamental, but it appears to have fewer limitations than Ultra Instinct.
Gohan Beast Has Surpassed His Father To Become Dragon Ball’s Strongest Saiyan
Dragon Ball has been foreshadowing Gohan’s incredible dormant power ever since his first appearance. Gohan has consistently surpassed expectations, staying alive while other strong warriors have fallen, and even becoming the first Saiyan to reach Super Saiyan 2. Rather than continue down the typical Super Saiyan path, Gohan experiences Old Kai’s Ultimate upgrade, which fully releases his true potential.
It took over a decade for Dragon Ball Super to build upon this framework, but Gohan’s recent Beast mode epiphany has catapulted him to become Dragon Ball Super’s strongest hero, Saiyan or otherwise. Gohan Beast destroyed Cell Max, and he continued to dominate his Saiyan peers – Goku and Vegeta included – during a friendly sparring session that concluded the Super Hero Saga.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2018
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Showrunner
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Tatsuya Nagamine
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Masakazu Morita
Whis (voice)
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku/Goku Black/Son Gohan/Son Goten (voices)