Beyond 9,000: Every Dragon Ball Character Who Can Go Super Saiyan, Explained

Dragon Ballis one of the greatest anime series of all time. It has set the standard for the art form of anime in a couple of key areas. The franchise has some of the best fights in anime history, one of the best stories, and incredible characters that are always a treat whenever they appear on-screen. One of Dragon Ball's greatest strengths is its legendary transformations, and no transformation is more iconic than the Super Saiyan form.

The Super Saiyan form can be unlocked when a Saiyan (or anyone with S-Cells) experiences rage at unbelievably high levels. Once they reach that threshold, they can tap into their latent power and unlock the amazing form. While the series started with only a few characters being capable of the form, since Dragon Ball Super finished, there are more than a handful of characters who can turn their hair gold and increase their power levels to previously impossible levels.

20 Yamoshi

The Super Saiyan of Legend

Yamoshi is one of the Saiyans of old. He's never shown on-screen the same way the other characters are, but his Super Saiyan form was the inspiration for all the Saiyans who have come after him.

Yamoshi turned Super Saiyan when taking on a bad batch of Saiyans. By tapping into his latent abilites, he became Super Saiyan, slaughtering a group of evil Saiyans and setting the standard for all who came after him.

19 Bardock

Arguably Canon, Inarguably Amazing

While Bardock's Super Saiyan form is decidedly non-canonical, its excellence is unquestionable. Bardock is Goku's (and Raditz's) father, and according to Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock, he could have been one of the first Saiyans to achieve the Super Saiyan status had he lived through the Saiyan genocide. During Bardock's fight against Frieza's ancestor Chilled on the Planet Plant, Bardock turns Super Saiyan to defend the planet's inhabitants against the tyrant once and for all.

18 Goku

The Greatest Saiyan of All Time

Goku is one of the most popular anime characters of all time for several great reasons. He's honest, powerful, and his transformation into the Super Saiyan form is one of the most iconic ever.

During a fight against Frieza on Namek, Goku transformed into the Super Saiyan form after Frieza killed his best friend, Krillin, right in front of him, and he's only gotten stronger since.

17 Future Gohan

His Sacrifice Wasn't In Vain

Measuring the future timeline with the main timeline gets messy, but technically, Future Gohan is the next Saiyan in line to go Super. Future Gohan's death is one of the darkest moments in all Dragon Ball. Before he died, however, he was one of Earth's last defenders with Trunks. He laid down his life to protect Trunks, a sacrifice that wasn't in vain as Trunks would prove invaluable to stopping the androids and eventually Cell.

16 Future Trunks

One of the Coolest Characters in Anime

Future Trunks is one of the coolest characters in anime, and it all started in the future. He's from a timeline where the Z Fighters lost to the Androids. He first reached the Super Saiyan form after Future Gohan laid down his life to protect him. He finds his master's body lying face down in a puddle, screams into the air, and becomes a Super Saiyan.

15 Vegeta

The Prince of All Saiyans

Vegeta is one of the best anti-heroes in anime. He starts the series as one of the scariest villains imaginable before becoming a fervent defender of the same planet he once tried to destroy. Vegeta's transformation into the Super Saiyan state is a brutal one. He trained intensely, flew to an alien planet, and gave up all of his hope, ironically reaching the Super Saiyan form after he decided he didn't care anymore.

14 Gohan

The First to Reach Super Saiyan 2

A lot was thrust onto Gohan's plate in the regular timeline. He really only wants to study, but because his dad is the Earth's strongest fighter, he kind of has to fight too.

Gohan and Goku train for an entire year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to get ready for Cell. During that time, Gohan was able to become the youngest Super Saiyan ever, until his brother came into the picture.

13 Cell

S-Cells Run Through His Body

Cell is an interesting character who can use the Super Saiyan state because he technically isn't a Saiyan. He has Saiyan cells in his body, and because of them, he can go Super Saiyan.

It's hard to tell exactly when Cell was able to achieve the Super Saiyan form, but it was most likely after he became Perfect Cell. As Super Perfect Cell, he was able to go Super Saiyan 2.

12 Trunks

The Son of a Prince

Trunks in the regular timeline was able to go Super Saiyan way before his future counterpart. Future Trunks went Super Saiyan in his teens, while regular Trunks achieved the same form at the age of eight.

Trunks' first ever Super Saiyan moment was never on-screen, but he did surprise Vegeta with the form one day when they were training together, marking the young Saiyan as a child-prodigy who could even surpass his father in strength.

11 Goten

Goku's Second Son

Canonically, Goten is the youngest Saiyan to ever go Super. He achieves the form at just seven years old, blowing his dad, older brother, and even Vegeta out of the water.

​​​​​​​While Gohan is training one day, Goten turns Super Saiyan out of nowhere. While impressed, Gohan is a little disappointed by his brother's transformation, only because it means he no longer holds the title of the youngest Super Saiyan.