Ask anybody about that one special series that got them hooked onto the concept of shonen anime in general, and chances are that the name you'll hear will be Dragon Ball Z. The sequel to the original Dragon Ball took everything that was established in this series and improved on pretty much every aspect. From the scale of the fights to the number of memorable characters, there's no aspect of Dragon Ball Z that hasn't achieved legendary status.

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Keeping this in mind, it goes without saying that the iconic transformations of this series definitely fall under this category. The Super Saiyan form has become a mainstay of the series, with it becoming the base standard when it comes to deciding power levels in the series. The lore behind this transformation is immense, and it's completely possible that even the most devout fans don't know the following ten facts about Super Saiyan transformations that have remained shrouded in history.

10 The Reveal Of The Super Saiyan Form Was Spoiled By Toei Animation

Anime Pseudo False Super Saiyan Lord Slug DBZ

One interesting piece of trivia revolves around its reveal in the anime... and how Toei almost spoiled the surprise.

The movie Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug features the titular villain whose plan to take over Earth almost comes to fruition... were it not for the massive powerup Goku receives in his fight against him.

This powerup was meant to be a bonafide Super Saiyan transformation, but Toei scaled this plan back since the transformation was meant to happen canonically in a fashion that would be way more memorable than a throwaway side plot.

9 The Saiyans Lost Their History, Turning The Super Saiyan Form Into A Myth For The Longest Time

The myth of the first Super Saiyan was quite special when it was revealed for the first time. While it might be something to laugh at right now given the ridiculous power levels our beloved Saiyans have reached, one can't deny the fact that this myth is still somewhat epic to think about.

However, given the fact that various other characters like Guru were aware of this form beforehand, it's entirely possible that Super Saiyans existed up to a point in the race's history. However, a lack of gifted warriors during a given period made the warriors think of this reality as a legend, thus never trying to achieve it.

8 The Power Multiplier Of The Base Super Saiyan Form Is Up In The Air

The Super Saiyan form is an incredible transformation, to the point where no one has a clue about how much the base power of a warrior is actually increased in this state.

Akira Toriyama stated that the power of the Super Saiyan is supposed to be 10 times that of the base warrior's level. However, Daizenshuu (the official Dragon Ball Z guide) puts this multiplier at 50 times — a claim Toriyama has stated to be exaggerated.

However, Frieza was able to thwart a 20-times Kaio-Ken Kamehameha attack from Goku. This makes Toriyama's claim seem wrong.

GT completely throws this concept out of the window, with Kid Goku's Super Saiyan transformation increasing his power level by only two times.

7 Hybrid Saiyans Have A Higher Chance Of Becoming Super Saiyan

For a transformation that was supposed to happen once in a blue moon, it's somewhat odd to see every Saiyan in Dragon Ball managing to achieve the patented Super Saiyan transformation with little to no issues.

A plausible reason for this is that warriors who aren't pure Saiyan have a higher chance of achieving this transformation. Another factor that plays into this situation is described in the next entry.

6 Only Saiyans With S-Cells Can Activate Their Super Saiyan Form

Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan 3

While this might be the controversial aspect of modern Super Saiyans, it's definitely a lore-friendly way to explain the frequency of these transformations.

Basically, as per Toriyama himself, Saiyans are born with a certain number of S-Cells that determine their probability to become Super Saiyan. This is the "tingling on the back" that the Saiyans from Universe 6 feel while transforming — it's their S-Cells reacting to the change.

5 Saiyans With Gentler Spirits Generate A Higher Number Of S-Cells

Super Saiyan Rage Future Trunks

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to S-Cells is that Saiyans with kinder spirits develop a higher number of said cells. This can explain why Goku and the hybrid Saiyans were able to achieve a Super Saiyan form so quickly — their kind nature accelerated their progress towards Super Saiyan.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: The 5 Weakest Saiyans (& The 5 Strongest)

Conversely, this also explains why the vast majority of the bloodthirsty Saiyan race never transformed. Vegeta's initial struggles with becoming Super Saiyan also tie into this — his attitude was simply too murderous for these S-Cells to be generated.

4 Super Saiyan Blue Is Automatically Achieved When A Saiyan's Base Power Exceeds The Super Saiyan God Form

Vegeta reaching SSB Evolved during the Tournament of Power

Training is a focal point of Dragon Ball Z, with every warrior seemingly having the ability to transcend their power limits simply by pushing themselves to the very brink at every given moment.

As per Whis, this training that Saiyans undertake can allow them to achieve the Super Saiyan Blue form, as long as their base power exceeds that of a Super Saiyan God. This explains why Vegeta managed to reach the level of a Super Saiyan Blue without any indication that he'd unlocked its prerequisite.

3 Most Saiyans From Evil Hybrid Races Have White Hair In Their Transformed State

Fused Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super

A major trend noticed across Dragon Ball is that hybrid Saiyans with a heart of pure evil generally tend to have white hair in their transformed state.

Notable examples of these include Fused Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super and Baby Vegeta's Super Saiyan forms in Dragon Ball GT.

2 A Super Saiyan Can't Use The Spirit Bomb Since Their Heart Is Not Pure

Viewers have noticed several times in Dragon Ball that Goku always powers down to his base form while gathering energy for a Spirit Bomb. The reasoning for this is quite simple — when Super Saiyan, Goku's heart isn't pure anymore. Rather, it's seething with rage and hungry for battle. This makes it impossible for him to use the technique.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 10 Of Goku's Strongest Moves (& Who He Stole Them From)

An interesting thing to note here is that in Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan after forming the Spirit Bomb. This causes him to lose control of said energy and absorb it into himself instead.

1 Super Saiyans Are Blond Because Toriyama Didn't Want To Waste Time Coloring Hair In The Manga

The golden-haired look of a Super Saiyan has become iconic in every sense of the word. However, it seems that the reasoning behind the same was pretty weak.

As per Akira Toriyama himself, the reason why he decided to give Goku a blond hairstyle in his Super Saiyan form was that he didn't want to waste time coloring Goku's hair in the manga.

Cue tons of hearts breaking as the epicness of the Super Saiyan form is completely broken in their eyes.

NEXT: Dragon Ball Z: 10 Best Plot Twists