10 Most Devastating Dragon Ball Transformations, Ranked

Since Goku’s very first time becoming a Super Saiyan on Namek, Dragon Ball has been defined by its flashy, stylish, and ultra-powerful transformations. The battle shōnen genre was forever changed the moment the protagonist’s hair and eyes first changed color, and Akira Toriyama would spend the next several years after Super Saiyan’s debut delivering new, fan-favorite forms.

As the series continued, and the number of power-ups gradually increased, the Saiyans began searching for their own, unique ways to break their limits. Modern Dragon Ball boasts countless unique transformations, each new one stronger than the last, and it might be difficult to track just which rank higher than others.

This list does not include transformations from Super Dragon Ball Heroes, or techniques like Kaioken that act as simple multipliers.

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10

Super Saiyan 4

Both Versions of the Fan-Favorite Transformation Pack a Similar Punch

The recently completed Dragon Ball Daima did the unthinkable, and returned Super Saiyan 4 to canon status with its own stylish redesign. In terms of raw strength, there likely isn’t much difference between the new and old versions of the transformation, despite the major distinctions in how Goku first achieved them.

Super Saiyan 4 draws on the giant ape power responsible for Saiyan strength, and takes on the Oozaru properties in its design. It’s a natural progression from the prior Super Saiyan 3, and can be seen as a sort of perfected Saiyan state, before the series makes the sharp turn into God Ki in Dragon Ball Super.

9

Super Saiyan God

The First God Ki Transformation Took the Series in an All-New Direction

When Dragon Ball took its first steps into the 2010s, it needed an all-new fresh direction that would allow the already three-decade-old franchise to thrive far into the future. Super Saiyan God was just that, setting the series’ main Saiyans on a new path toward divine power.

The form is initially unlocked through a ritual in which six Saiyans give their energy to one, granting them God Ki. The increase in strength is beyond that of Super Saiyan 3, and because the transformation is more like a base form with a boost, further Super Saiyan transformations can be stacked on top of it. It was only thanks to his God form that Goku was able to keep up with Beerus.

8

Super Saiyan Blue

The Natural Evolution of Super Saiyan God Is Dragon Ball Super’s Most Common Form

Super Saiyan Blue, or the much more complicated Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, is the natural evolution of the Super Saiyan God form. Because the former is practically a powered-up base form, Super Saiyan Blue is simply a normal Super Saiyan transformation using God ki.

The form is used throughout the majority of Dragon Ball Super, filling a similar role to what Super Saiyan did following its introduction in the Namek Saga. It might lack some of the pop or originality of the forms that would eventually follow it, though much of the fan base has learned to love Super Saiyan Blue as it’s continued to receive constant screen time.

7

Super Saiyan Blue Evolution

Vegeta Has Found His Own Way to Surpass Super Saiyan Blue

When Goku finds a way to surpass his limits, fans can be sure that it won’t take long for Vegeta to do the same. The prince’s Super Saiyan Blue Evolution, which debuted during the Tournament of Power, is his answer to Goku’s Blue Kaioken, and is described as a perfected version of Super Saiyan Blue.

The form is similar to the perfected Super Saiyan Goku and Gohan use during the Cell Saga, also known as Super Saiyan Grade Four, only with God ki rather than the traditional Saiyan upgrade. In appearance, Blue Evolution is quite similar to the regular Blue form, but with deeper colors and a more pronounced aura. Vegeta is still the only fighter to have used the transformation.

6

Orange Piccolo

The Ultimate Namekian Transformation Puts Piccolo On Par With the Other Heroes

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, regardless of how fans feel about the film, finally returned both Gohan and Piccolo to relevance, with the latter receiving a flashy new orange form that put him on relatively equal footing with the rest of Earth’s heroes. The transformation was a gift from Shenron, and it makes the Namekian far bulkier along with his orange color change.

Orange Piccolo was able to hang in with Cell Max, who, in the manga’s version of events, was stated as being the strongest force on Earth while Goku and Vegeta were off-planet. The transformation is technically Piccolo’s first, and it’s unknown whether any variations or improvements can be made to it in the future.

5

Ultra Ego

Vegeta’s Answer to Ultra Instinct Is Its Complete Opposite

Much like how his Blue Evolution transformation is an answer to Blue Kaioken, Vegeta’s Ultra Ego is his answer to Goku’s Ultra Instinct. The form, which makes use of an ability typically used by Gods of Destruction, is a major upgrade over Super Saiyan Blue in terms of raw power, tapping into the aggression and brutality that used to define Vegeta’s character.

Unlike Ultra Instinct, which requires its user to be perfectly calm while their body does the fighting for them, Ultra Ego is powered by overwhelming emotion and passion in battle. However, there is a potential downside to the form. It becomes stronger the more damage the user takes, leaving them susceptible to unknowingly taking beatings.

4

Ultra Instinct

The Most Powerful Form Goku Has Ever Taken

In some ways, Ultra Instinct represents the peak of Goku’s abilities. What better fighting style is there for someone who doesn’t think that often than a transformation that requires very little thinking? When perfected, Ultra Instinct turns Goku’s hair and eyes totally silver, and envelops him in a blueish glow.

Goku has had trouble reaching what fans refer to as Mastered Ultra Instinct, and has used variations of the form since first tapping into its power. Only in its full, perfected state does Ultra Instinct make major changes to his appearance, and it turns Goku into a sort of fighting machine with few equals. The only drawback of the form is its duration, as it takes a major toll on Goku the longer a fight lasts.

3

Beast Gohan

Gohan Has Found His Own Unique Power, and It’s Devastating

Like Piccolo’s orange transformation, Beast is a form entirely unique to Gohan. Taking on a far meaner, almost animal appearance, Beast Gohan takes the rage that once defined the half-Saiyan and allows him to harness it without losing his wits. Gohan made quick work of Cell Max after transforming, and later went toe-to-toe with, and often overpowered, True Ultra Instinct Goku on Beerus’ planet.

The introduction of Gohan’s Beast form finally revisited the rage that made him so powerful as a child, and with just a bit of training, there’s no telling how powerful the transformation might become. There’s currently no known drawback to Gohan’s latest power-up, though there might be some trouble if he ever loses control of the anger that fuels it.

2

Super Saiyan Full Power/Legendary Super Saiyan

Broly’s Berserk Super Saiyan Seemingly Has No Limits

Broly’s strongest transformation wasn’t given a name during the 2018 film, and while most official games call it Super Saiyan Full Power, it’s similar enough to his prior transformation to share the same name. While in the form, Broly loses control of himself entirely, and his strength continues to climb to seemingly no end.

Though he was entirely overpowered in their fight, there are very few Dragon Ball characters who could take a single blow from post Tournament of Power Gogeta and survive. With proper training, Broly’s berserk form could probably reach heights never before seen, but he’s always at risk of tearing his own body to shreds if he isn’t brought back to his senses. In a sense, the form is similar to Beast Gohan, only far deadlier and less controlled.

1

Black Frieza

The Emperor’s Latest Form Is Terrifyingly Powerful

Just as it seemed Dragon Ball‘s cast was reaching the upper limits of strength, Frieza appeared in his all-new Black transformation and one-punched Goku and Vegeta out of their strongest forms. Both Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego have been overpowered before, but never to such an extent that a single blow left them all but useless.

Frieza trained for 10 years in a Time Chamber to achieve his latest power-up, which is a frightening thing considering only a few months of training brought him from Namek Saga level to Super Saiyan Blue level in the past. There’s a strong chance he could now rival even the strongest Gods of Destruction, and Earth’s heroes will have their hands full when it comes time to take Frieza on.