Dragon Ball Super, the latest series in the long-running Dragon Ball anime franchise, has reignited people’s passion in the explosive action series. Dragon Ball Super remains faithful to why the previous series were such successes, but it also adds plenty of new developments to the Dragon Ball universe.
One of the biggest additions in Dragon Ball Super is the advent of Super Saiyan Gods. They carry unbelievable power, but there are still lots to learn about this legendary form of transformation. Accordingly, here are 10 questions that Dragon Ball Super fans have about Super Saiyan Gods.
9 Is The Ritual Necessary?
The first time that the Super Saiyan God transformation appears in the series is during the Battle of Gods film. Shenron informs Goku and company that a special ritual can be performed that involves six good-hearted Saiyans. They’ll be able to donate their energy to a worthy individual who can then tap into this ancient power.
It’s a poetic way for Goku to transform, but it doesn’t seem to be an absolute necessity. Despite how the ritual turns up in Dragon Ball video games, Vegeta is able to achieve the form on his own, which shows that alternatives are possible.
8 Does It Have A Time Limit?
New forms of Super Saiyan always provide an exceptional advantage in battle, but Super Saiyan 3 introduces the idea of this power being so immense that it can only be tamed for a short time. Super Saiyan God continues with this principle and the form saps the user’s strength very quickly.
Additionally, the form takes some time for the body to acclimate towards, which can also waste time. Despite the time limit, it appears that the Super Saiyan God power can stay within individuals after they lose the form, with residual effects remaining.
7 Can Its Ki Be Detected?
Strength is integral in Dragon Ball, but the element of surprise is also a crucial way to gain an early advantage in battle. A lot of the fights in Dragon Ball are prompted by someone sensing a high energy level. However, when someone becomes a Super Saiyan God, their ki turns into God ki as a result. This means that only other Gods are able to sense the individual and to everyone else they’re practically invisible. This also allows them the advantage of sensing other Gods, which would be impossible otherwise.
6 Does It Prioritize Strength Or Speed?
A new tier of Super Saiyan is always an exciting thing, but those that are expecting a hefty boost in strength may experience a rude awakening with how Super Saiyan God operates. A lot of stages of Super Saiyan, and even Super Saiyan Blue, focus on an increase in brute strength. However, that’s not all that counts on the battlefield. Super Saiyan God is different and it instead prioritizes evasiveness, speed, and dodging that incorporates God-level reflexes. Intuition becomes so important that sometimes combat isn’t even necessary.
5 Do You Need To Be Good-Hearted?
There are a lot of semantics that surround the various conditions of Super Saiyan. Even the initial stage has loosened up on the requirements and triggers that are necessary to bring on the transformation. This lenience on rules also seems to be the case with Super Saiyan God. The Super Saiyan God ritual stresses the important of good-hearted individuals, but this seems less relevant over time. More unscrupulous characters eventually hit this plateau, which makes it seem like the condition may only be required for the ritual itself.
4 Does It Have Different Levels?
A popular trend in Dragon Ball is that the powerful transformations that take place in the series all have different plateaus that can be achieved. This allows Saiyans to look towards the future, but Super Saiyan God is different enough that it could also function in a unique way. Technically, Super Saiyan Blue is the next level of Super Saiyan God. It’s achieved once a Super Saiyan God brings Super Saiyan energy into the equation. Goku Black’s Super Saiyan Rosé is also another variation on Super Saiyan God, which illustrates the significance of different energy in the form’s evolution.
3 Why Does It Look Different Sometimes?
The Super Saiyan God transformation takes on a different look than the other forms of Super Saiyan that manages to be both subtle and distinct. However, it’s somewhat confusing to see how the form manifests slightly differently in Goku, Vegeta, and others. When Goku becomes a Super Saiyan God, his hair takes on a magenta hue, but Vegeta’s Super Saiyan God sports a darker crimson red color of hair. God Broly also adopts a unique appearance. This isn’t the case with other forms of Super Saiyan, so it’s an interesting anomaly.
2 Was It Designed By Akira Toriyama?
There is still debate over what exactly is canon in the Dragon Ball universe and what’s often used as a tiebreaker is the level of involvement from Akira Toriyama. When it comes to Dragon Ball’s Super Saiyan God design, there was a lot of back and forth between Toriyama and Battle of Gods’ character designer, Tadayoshi Yamamuro. Yamamuro initially envisioned a muscular look, that also featured a cape, and with hair that was between Super Saiyan 3 and 4 length. Toriyama wanted the form to not stray far from Goku’s original look, which is the look that was ultimately embraced.
1 Is Goku The First One?
Goku may be the first character to achieve the Super Saiyan God transformation within Dragon Ball Super, but the elusive form has a history that precedes the series. Shenron's knowledge of the form implies that it has a rather extensive past. He also speaks of how at one point a Super Saiyan God showed up on Planet Vegeta to try to stop the evil Saiyans, but faltered due to the form's time limit. The Namekians also have their own separate history with the form that shows it's been around for a while and in different places.