It would be downright impossible to talk about some of the greatest shonen anime even made without mentioning the pop culture phenomenon that is the Dragon Ball series. The series' massive spike in popularity was mostly due to the massive success of the localized Dragon Ball Z anime in the West, entrancing a number of children all over the world and establishing a fanbase that would grow with the franchise and continue to look back on it fondly.

RELATED: Every Single Dragon Ball Series (In Chronological Order)

Dragon Ball Z became a cultural phenomenon for several reasons, with the emergence of the Super Saiyan transformation being one of the biggest reasons why the series attained such a massive boost in popularity. This form has evolved constantly throughout the years, so let's take a look at all the forms in the show and rank them from totally uninteresting to completely mind-blowing.

9 Super Saiyan God

Goku powers up into his Super Saiyan God state in Dragon Ball Super

The first new Super Saiyan form that's revealed in Dragon Ball Super essentially serves as nothing more than a gateway into attaining godly ki, which is a necessity to escalate to a new height of power in the series.

However, as a result, Super Saiyan God becomes one of the most underutilized forms in the entire series, pretty much squandering all the potential it could've had in one fell swoop.

8 Super Saiyan 4

Anime super-saiyan-4

Dragon Ball GT might be one of the more reviled products of the Dragon Ball series that most people would prefer to ignore entirely. However, even its most vocal haters will have to agree with the fact that the Super Saiyan 4 transformation is a massive highlight of this entire show.

It's unfortunate that the potential of Super Saiyan 4 was never really reached, due to the poor writing and conflicts present in Dragon Ball GT.

7 Super Saiyan Blue

Goku and Vegeta fighting in Super Saiyan Blue Dragon Ball Super

The major Super Saiyan transformation in Dragon Ball Super might've been overused a tad too much for most fans' liking, but one has to admit that the form itself is pretty neat and incredibly powerful as well.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 10 Best Goku Transformations, Ranked From Lamest To Coolest

The impact of this form is certainly helped by the upgraded versions of the same, with Vegeta unlocking an ascended version of the Super Saiyan Blue transformation that certainly adds more weight to the overall transformation.

6 Super Saiyan Rose

An image of Goku Black in Super Saiyan Rose form during Dragon Ball Super

However, while Super Saiyan Blue might be great in its own right, there's no denying the fact that watching Goku Black transform into Super Saiyan Rose was entertaining in every sense of the word.

The novelty of this form has lasted even after the conclusion of the Future Zamasu arc, with fans still looking back fondly on a Super Saiyan transformation that was truly unlike anything they'd ever seen before.

5 Legendary Super Saiyan

Kale gets angry in her Berserker Super Saiyan state in Dragon Ball Super

The Legendary Super Saiyan transformation has seen multiple spaced-out uses — along with a reboot of the entire form itself — over the course of the Dragon Ball series, and one can't pick a single moment when this form has proven to be underwhelming. This form was constrained to Broly for the longest time, before Kale came into the picture in Dragon Ball Super and shocked everyone with a  transformation that brought back memories of Broly's rampage in the Dragon Ball Z movies.

Of course, this Saiyan had to receive some credit in Dragon Ball Super, which he duly received when his character was rebooted to fit into the canon — something that was done in spectacular fashion in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. The Legendary Super Saiyan had never looked better, and fans can't wait to see what the story has in store for this gentle-hearted warrior.

4 Super Saiyan

Goku fighting Frieza as a Super Saiyan

The original Super Saiyan transformation is the stuff of legends, with fans still repeatedly watching the fight with Frieza to witness the classic moment when Goku finally lets all his anger out and ascends to a level of power that was deemed impossible for the longest time.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: Who Was The First Super Saiyan? (& 9 More Facts About The Transformation)

People might joke about the length of the fight between Goku and Frieza — and rightfully so — but fans of the show wanted to witness the amazing Super Saiyan Goku in action for pretty much forever. The subsequent uses of this transformation have always proven to be awe-inspiring, and the fact that it served as the base for some amazing upgrades certainly adds to the allure of this classic transformation.

3 Super Saiyan Rage

An image of Future Trunks in Super Saiyan Rage form during Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super's Future Zamasu arc is one of the best arcs of the show, featuring an antagonist that had destroyed Future Trunks' life bit-by-bit — a tragic occurrence that becomes even sadder when people realize how messed up Future Trunks' timeline already was.

So, when Trunks is finally pushed to his breaking point, his rage absolutely explodes in a transformation that is absolutely incredible. Watching the Super Saiyan Rage power heighten Trunk's abilities to a whole different level is easily one of the biggest and most memorable highlights of this arc.

2 Super Saiyan 2

Super Saiyan 2 Gohan from Dragon Ball Z

The buildup of Gohan as the prime Saiyan warrior had been teased for pretty much the entirety of Dragon Ball Z's first half. So, to finally see the gentle warrior explode in a burst of rage and attain unlimited power was incredibly satisfying, and arguably one of the best moments in Dragon Ball Z.

In fact, there are a ton of fans who would definitely be angry at the fact that Super Saiyan 2 is not at the top of this list, and understandably so — the entire transformation is spectacularly orchestrated, with some going so far as to say that it's one of the best transformation scenes in anime history.

1 Super Saiyan 3

Super Saiyan 3 Goku from Dragon Ball Z

While Super Saiyan 2 might be a conquest of storytelling, Super Saiyan 3 is one of the best performances in the entire show. It's this transformation that finally hammers in the insane amount of energy that these people draw out in battle, sending Goku into a manic state of permanent screaming as he pulls out every bit of power he can generate to attain an exciting new height of power.

The end result is nothing short of magnificent and easily serves as one of the most spectacular Super Saiyan transformations of all time.

NEXT: Dragon Ball: 10 Super Saiyan Forms (That Only Exist In Fan Fiction)