Since Goku became a great ape at the end of the Pilaf saga, transformations have been a part of Dragon Ball. They’ve become much more prominent in DBZ and beyond, with Goku’s initial transformation into a Super Saiyan still being the most iconic moment in the series. Unfortunately, most subsequent transformations have failed to live up to the pioneer’s impact.
Dragon Ball is filled with amazing transformations, but many of them don’t live up to the hype built around them. Some of them become useless as soon as they are introduced, while others only get a single shining moment before becoming useless. These 10 transformations are the most disappointing, compared to fans’ expectations of them.
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1
Piccolo only makes things worse by becoming a Super Namekian
Merging with Kami doesn’t even make Piccolo strong enough to defeat the androids
One of the most important moments in Piccolo’s life is his fusion with Kami. It is both the culmination of his growth from a maniacal villain to a true hero, and the source of his second biggest power-up in Dragon Ball Z. However, while it is great that Piccolo finally found the inner strength to do what should have been done a long time ago, the Super Namekian appears too late to achieve anything.
After merging with Kami, Piccolo only engages in one major fight in DBZ. And, while his battle against Android 17 is undeniably one of the coolest in the franchise, it’s also a battle that Piccolo doesn’t win. Not only that, but Piccolo’s choice to fight 17 is what alerts Imperfect Cell to the androids’ location, leading to their defeat and the androids’ absorption.
2
Super Saiyan Grade 2 is a demonstration of Vegeta’s hubris
Perfect Cell humiliates Vegeta Super Saiyan Grade 2
Throughout the Cell Saga, the Saiyan quartet of Z-Warriors strive to surpass the newly discovered limits of the original Super Saiyan form. The first fighter to display a higher form of Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan Grade 2, is Vegeta. Despite becoming more powerful than ever and having the chance to redeem himself from his defeat against Android 18, Vegeta drops the ball.
Using Super Saiyan Grade 2, “Super” Vegeta completely overwhelms Semi-Perfect Cell. Vegeta then makes the mistake of helping Cell absorb Android 18, allowing him to achieve his perfect form. Due to Vegeta’s poor decision-making, Super Saiyan Grade 2 is rendered useless at the end of the first fight it is used in, as Cell becomes too strong for Vegeta to even harm him.
3
Super Saiyan Grade 3 teaches Future Trunks how out of his league he is
Super Saiyan Grade 3 is horribly impractical
Super Saiyan Grade 3 is an intentionally bad transformationbut that doesn’t change the fact that Future Trunks was bragging about surpassing Vegeta, before revealing it. If he had entered the form against Semi-Perfect Cell, it might have made a difference, but he did not wish to further damage Vegeta’s ego by using it. As a result, Rank 3 is only used for one fight, against Perfect Cell.
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The problem with the Super Saiyan Grade 3 is how impractical it is. This is something that Perfect Cell demonstrates to Future Trunks because, while the Saiyan does indeed have more power than Vegeta, his form makes him too slow to reach the Ultimate Android. The fight ends with Future Trunks surrendering, and the transformation is not used again until Dragon Ball Superwhere Caulifla learns the same lesson as her predecessor.
4
Super Saiyan at full power is just another stepping stone
Neither Goku nor Gohan win their fights against Cell using a full-powered Super Saiyan
Aesthetically, the full-powered Super Saiyan is much more striking than either “Grade” form. Goku and Gohan having Super Saiyan hair, but more normal faces is a fantastic visual that really shows how they achieved full mastery of their Super Saiyan powers. Unfortunately, this form is no more practical than either of the “Grade” transformations that precede it.
Both Goku and Gohan use Full-Power Super Saiyan during their first fights against Perfect Cell. Father and son achieve equally mediocre results, and neither are able to defeat him in this form, with Gohan simply being tortured. While the form has made regular appearances since then, no prominence has ever been given to it.
5
Super Saiyan 2 only impacts one moment in the series
Super Saiyan 2 made an exceptional first impression
After being built as Goku’s legacy for all Dragon Ball ZGohan becomes the first person to achieve Super Saiyan 2 and uses his power to save the universe from Perfect Cell. It’s undoubtedly one of the most iconic moments in the franchise, and Super Saiyan 2 Gohan is the most popular version of the character. It’s just a shame that the Buu Saga quickly sweeps away everything that made the transformation special.
The Buu Saga reveals that Goku and Vegeta have unlocked Super Saiyan 2 off-screen and that Super Saiyan 2’s power is useless against Majin Buu’s weakest form. Super Saiyan 3 and Ultimate are quickly touted as superior forms, and Fusion scores better than anything else. The last memorable fight highlighting Super Saiyan 2 in DBZ was one that Goku could have finished in seconds, as he held off Super Saiyan 3 while fighting Majin Vegeta.
6
Super Saiyan 3 doesn’t do much for either Goku or Gotenks
Super Saiyan 3 fails to defeat any version of Majin Buu
Although there is a lot of recent hype surrounding Super Saiyan 3, following the debut of Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta in Dragon Ball DAIMAwe must not forget how useless the form is. When Goku first transforms into a Super Saiyan 3, it is with much pomp and circumstance, and he becomes the first fighter to seriously challenge Fat Buu, but he still fails to kill the destructive Majin. This is because Super Saiyan 3 quickly drains a user’s energy and, by extension, drains Goku’s limited time on Earth.
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Failure would continue to follow the transformation throughout the rest of the year. Dragon Ball Z. Using Super Saiyan 3, Gotenks achieves more raw power than even Super Buu, but he still loses due to his own stupidity. Later, when Goku uses the form against Kid Buu, he again falls victim to the form’s rapid energy drain. At the time of Dragon Ball SuperGoku’s strongest form doesn’t even allow him to lay a finger on Beerus.
7
The Super Saiyan God was quickly abandoned
Goku and Vegeta rarely use Super Saiyan God
Super Saiyan God had the potential to be the first transformation in the series to match the impact of the original Super Saiyan form. Introduced in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods, Super Saiyan God helped usher in the modern era of the franchiseand this was presented as the next big step in Goku’s growth as a fighter. Of course, that’s not how things turned out.
After an unprecedented big battle between Goku and Beerus, Super Saiyan God was dropped in the very next DBZ movie. With the introduction of Super Saiyan Blue, he was immediately upgraded. While the form still makes occasional appearances, it’s never for big moments and it feels largely redundant.
8
Super Saiyan Blue has never managed to defeat a main villain
Super Saiyan Blue appears weaker than any previous transformation
If a shape in Dragon Ball should not have been created, it’s Super Saiyan Blue. Immediately replacing the much more distinct Super Saiyan God with something more garish and generic, there was never any reason for him to exist. Goku and Vegeta have never fought villains using Super Saiyan God, and yet Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ introduces a supposed upgrade to the form.
A combination of Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan Blue is one of the franchise’s most enduring transformations, and it is still used today. Despite this, it seems to be a weaker form than all the others. Super Saiyan Blue has never been successfully used to defeat the main villain of an arc, and Goku and Vegeta have clashed with many Z-Warriors and Tournament of Power fighters using it.
9
Fit Buu fell asleep before the Tournament of Power
Majin Buu trained for nothing
It can’t be overstated how excited many fans were to see Majin Buu compete in the Tournament of Power. The hype grew even bigger after his excellent fight against Universe 9’s Basil, and it culminated with the introduction of Fit Buu. Fit Buu is the result of Fat Buu’s serious work in his training. and, during his fight against Goku, it truly seemed like he had regained his position as one of the strongest fighters in Universe 7.
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Tragically, Buu did not participate in the Tournament of Power. Just like during the Destroyer Tournament, Buu falls asleep, depriving fans of the chance to see him in action. Fit Buu reverted to Fat Buu, and the former hasn’t been seen since.
10
Ultra Ego is not enough to make Vegeta one of the most powerful warriors in Universe 7
Vegeta caught up with Goku just in time for them both to be outclassed
Ultra Instinct is by far the biggest transformation of the modern era Dragon Ball. It’s unique, it was well constructed, the payoff when Goku finally got to it was exceptional, and it’s a sight to see in action. Received two arcs after Goku discovered Ultra Instinct, Vegeta’s Ultra Ego shares none of these qualities.
Just in terms of practicality, Ultra Ego never scores significant victories against the main villains, like Ultra Instinct did against Jiren and Moro. While Ultra Ego makes Vegeta strong enough to keep up with Goku and Granolah, Gas’ power puts him to shame. This is doubled at the end of the Granolah the Survivor saga, where Black Frieza debuts, kills Gas, and defeats Goku and Vegeta with a single attack.
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Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball tells the story of a young warrior named Son Goku, a peculiar young boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when once the 7 reunite , grants any wish of choice.
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With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by Saiyan warrior Goku defends planet Earth from alien enemies.
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With Majin Buu’s defeat six months prior, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku (now a radish farmer) and his friends now lead peaceful lives.
