These are the forms that went above and beyond the hype. Join Ashley as we count down the most iconic transformation scenes across the Dragon Ball franchise
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the coolest and most memorable
00:11power-ups in the Dragon Ball franchise.
00:25Number 30 – Vegeta, Super Saiyan God – Dragon Ball Super Broly
00:43By the time Super began, the Saiyan Prince had already skipped the transformation preamble
00:48and went straight to the shiny new blue hair.
00:51But with one fight, Vegeta showed that Super Saiyan God is still worth a look, especially
00:57when it comes to spectacle.
00:59Watching the red aura glow and ignite around him is downright breathtaking, and that's
01:05without even getting to the epic thrashing he gives Broly immediately after.
01:10As the first time we'd seen Vegeta go red in animation, he made everyone remember why
01:15Super Saiyan God used to be the talk of the town.
01:27Number 29 – Kula – Final Form – Dragon Ball Z – Kula's Revenge
01:41If you thought Freeza's last form looked slick, Kula upstaged his brother with a last-minute
01:47power-up that's bigger, badder, and, well, cooler.
01:51Turns out he wasn't kidding around when he said he's stronger.
01:55If anything, Kula's trump card is menacing on appearance alone.
01:59Rather than the sleek design of his prior form, Kula's upgrade goes all-in on bulging
02:06muscles and spiky armor.
02:08He even gets a sick Shredder mask, too, just for good measure.
02:16Kula may be an irredeemable villain and all, but it's sure cool to see him strut his
02:21stuff.
02:22Although, Goku may disagree.
02:25Number 28 – Top – God of Destruction – Dragon Ball Super
02:30Given their name, it's no surprise that a pride trooper has enough ego to go around.
02:36What is shocking, however, is that Top abandoned all his ideals in favor of a major god complex.
02:43That's no turn of phrase.
02:52With the fate of his universe on the line, Top accepted the mantle of God of Destruction,
02:57earning a new title, an indestructible aura, and enough strength to pummel Freeza silly.
03:04Having a mortal ascend to godhood is certainly something to behold, and Top doesn't waste
03:09the opportunity to show off.
03:15It's just a shame these crazy thralls also spell doom for the seventh universe.
03:23Number 27 – Vegeta and Baby – Super Baby Vegeta – Dragon Ball GT
03:31When Baby arrived on Earth, the first thing on the parasite's agenda was to find a powerful
03:37host.
03:38Originally, he tried Goten, and then Gohan, before finally settling on the Prince of All
03:44Saiyans.
03:45And thus, Super Baby Vegeta was born.
03:56Trust us, the Super part of his name isn't just for show.
04:00With all of Vegeta's strength mixed with Baby's vengeful agenda, the villain became
04:05a threat to not just Goku, but the entirety of Earth.
04:10Antagonist power-ups are always a treat, but this one goes the extra mile by also serving
04:16as a nostalgic reminder that, once upon a time, Vegeta used to be a bad guy too.
04:30Number 26 – Goku – Super Saiyan Blue – Kaioken – Dragon Ball Super
04:48Just when it seemed Super Saiyan Blue couldn't get any cooler, Goku brought out the big guns.
04:55Also known as the Kaioken.
04:57Bringing back one of Z's most legendary techniques is a surefire way to make longtime
05:02fans giddy with excitement.
05:05Throw in Super Saiyan Blue, and it's no wonder this fight is something else.
05:15It's twice the auras, twice the power level, and twice the insanity, all wrapped into one
05:21nostalgia-fueled power-up.
05:23It even comes with a classic lung-bursting roar from Goku, just for old time's sake.
05:28We aren't joking when we say hits didn't know what hit him.
05:35Number 25 – Gogeta – Super Saiyan 4 – Dragon Ball GT
05:50What could possibly be stronger than a fusion?
05:53A fusion that can go even further beyond, that's what.
05:57Goku and Vegeta put it all on the line to unlock the beastly Super Saiyan 4, but when
06:02that wasn't quite enough to beat Omega Shenron, they locked fingers and went from two to one.
06:09Just saying the words Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta aloud sounds like a fever dream.
06:15But it happened, and boy, was it one for the history books.
06:18Although in Omega Shenron's case, he was nearly wiped from history altogether.
06:23Somehow, Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta managed to be every bit as ludicrously cool as he sounds.
06:36Number 24 – Freeza – Final Form – Dragon Ball Z
06:44Freeza has always been a monster, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
06:49His third form definitely looked the part, but in a cruel twist of the knife, Freeza
06:54revealed he'd just been toying with everyone till then.
06:58After one last power-up scream, the Freeza everyone knows, loves, and fears finally made
07:03his grand entrance.
07:05Rather than monstrous, his final stage is all slim, lean, and menacing, perfectly befitting
07:11Freeza's sinister disposition.
07:13The ensuing fight on Namek is one all of anime history remembers, so it's obvious
07:19why hundreds of episodes, forms, and specials later, this transformation remains Freeza's
07:25most iconic look.
07:34Number 23 – Trunks – Super Saiyan – Dragon Ball Z
07:45This Saiyan knows how to cut to the chase, emphasis on the word, cut.
07:50In his very first appearance in the entire show, Trunks turns into the second Super Saiyan
07:55we've ever seen, slices Freeza into finger food, and even blasts King Cold away too.
08:01By the time our eyes adjust to the sight of another Super Saiyan, Trunks has already
08:06powered down and read the Freeza family their last rites.
08:11It's a staggering display of strength that few things in all of Dragon Ball live up to.
08:16After a debut like that, it's safe to say Trunks' golden-haired entrance is worth
08:21the hype and then some.
08:32Number 22 – Goku – Super Saiyan God – Dragon Ball Z – Battle of Gods
08:38Following a dry spell of new animation for the series, Goku hopped back on the proverbial
08:43Nimbus with more than just his classic yellow do.
08:47Unable to compete with the God of Destruction Beerus, Goku abandoned the golden locks and
08:52unveiled the first new form the franchise had seen in years.
09:02It took the Dragon Balls, an ancient legend, and a six-way Saiyan ceremony, but it paid
09:07off with not just a new stage of Super Saiyan, but the series' first Super Saiyan God.
09:17Goku's displayed near-divine feats of strength before, but his epic first bout with God Ki
09:25was literally out of this world.
09:36Number 21 – Goku and Vegeta – Gogeta – Dragon Ball Z – Fusion Reborn
09:42No Potara, no problem.
09:44When the incarnation of all evil decides to make the afterlife hell in more ways than
09:49one, this Saiyan duo joined fingers to debut a new kind of fusion.
10:04The appropriately named Gogeta doesn't just look cool, he's also strong enough
10:09to make Janemba wish he still had an afterlife to go to.
10:13What's almost more impressive is that this new form managed to become iconic with barely
10:18a few minutes of screen time.
10:32This isn't the series' first fusion, and it's far from the last, but the outstanding
10:37direction and effortlessly cool techniques make Gogeta's debut hard to forget.
10:51Number 20 – Broly – Super Saiyan – Dragon Ball Super – Broly
10:55Freeza's two-for-two when it comes to instigating golden-haired transformations.
11:00After murdering Broly's father, the Space Turret shows off his acting chops and sends
11:06the rampaging Saiyan into an utter frenzy.
11:15As disheartening as it is to see Broly completely lose control of himself, it does provide some
11:20of the most bombastic and unreal action the series has ever seen.
11:33He's able to keep up with Goku and Vegeta's combined assault as a mere Super Saiyan, and
11:38that's without any proper training.
11:40Who knew Freeza was such a believable thespian?
11:44Thankfully he got his comeuppance in the form of a glorious thrashing from the same Saiyan
11:49he provoked.
11:50Now that's some karmic justice.
12:03Number 19 – Goku Black and Zamasu – Fused Zamasu – Dragon Ball Super – Goku
12:09As if this misguided deity didn't have enough of a superiority complex, he decided to fuse
12:15with the only worthy individual in the entire cosmos – himself.
12:27They were technically from different timelines, but that didn't make the result any less
12:32imposing.
12:33Zamasu's near-immortal body paired with Goku Black's Saiyan strength was enough
12:38to pass judgment upon the entirety of Trunks' timeline, Goku and Vegeta included.
12:44There's an undeniable novelty about a villain fusing, especially when the stylish upgrades
12:59lead to some creative imagery and exceptional fight choreography.
13:04The most damning downgrade is that Fused Zamasu merging didn't quite quell his penchant
13:09for dramatic monologuing.
13:21Number 18 – Piccolo – Orange Piccolo – Dragon Ball Super – Super Hero
13:27The Z Fighters resident Namekian spent years and years watching the Saiyans get a never-ending
13:32cycle of multi-colored transformations.
13:47But when Super Hero finally came along, Piccolo got his turn at a new form, and it was worth
13:53the wait.
13:54The so-called Orange Piccolo isn't just a palette swap – it turns the nimble Namekian
13:59into a walking sucker punch of a fighter.
14:03Piccolo asks Shenron to unlock his potential, and clearly, the dragon understood the assignment.
14:09At least Gamma-2 definitely thinks so.
14:11If anything, Orange Piccolo makes you remember just how cool it is to have a Namekian on
14:16the front lines.
14:22Number 17 – Goku – Ultra Instinct Sign – Dragon Ball Super
14:27If there's one thing we know about this energetic anime icon, it's that he doesn't
14:32go down easily.
14:34After Jiren seemingly ends Goku's tournament prospects, the Saiyan climbs to a new form
14:39that's more than your average palette swap.
14:50Instead of yet another boost in raw power, this transformation's focus on instinctual
14:55movement paved the way for one of the most high-speed and jaw-dropping fights in Super.
15:07It isn't enough that he finally landed a blow on Jiren – he proceeds to flex his
15:11insane reactions by casually walking through a ki-blast barrage unscathed.
15:16It's a downright epic sequence, but what's even better is that it isn't even Ultra
15:20Instinct's full potential.
15:28Number 16 – Goku Black – Super Saiyan Rose – Dragon Ball Super
15:33From gold to red to blue, there'd been a lot of Saiyan hairstyles by the time Super
15:38rolled around.
15:39And yet Goku's evil doppelganger proved he was more than just a cheap knockoff by
15:44presenting his own shiny transformation.
15:53Enter Super Saiyan Rose – not just one of the most visually distinct forms in the series,
15:59but also one of the coolest.
16:04While functionally it's not too different from your average gold-haired power-up, the
16:08pink tinge adds a lot of personality and flair to Goku Black's techniques.
16:15He was already plenty threatening before, but the unique aesthetic ensured that, while
16:18he had Goku's face, this villain wasn't forsaking any of his menacing identity.
16:24Just ask Vegeta.
16:29Number 15 – Goku and Vegeta – Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan – Dragon Ball Z Resurrection
16:35F
16:36Blue is an apt color for this brawl, since that's exactly how Freeza feels when he
16:41learns his gold form is already irrelevant.
16:44Goku's unveiling of the turquoise hair is as breathtaking as it comes, but naturally
16:50no form is complete without a flashy display of strength.
16:59Luckily against Freeza's new golden coat, this scuffle is so bright it practically needs
17:05sunglasses.
17:12The blues don't stop there, and Vegeta reveals that, for once, he's on par with Goku thanks
17:18to his own teal dew.
17:27It is immeasurably satisfying to see this duo handily whoop their age-old nemesis, even
17:33if the form's redundant name isn't quite as cool as the new color.
17:37Super Saiyan Blue rolls off the tongue much easier.
17:40Number 14 – Goku and Vegeta – Vegito – Dragon Ball Z Step aside, Gotenks, there's a new
17:48fusion in town, and this one doesn't have to do that silly dance.
17:52Admittedly, Goku and Vegeta have always had a pretty glaring weakness in the teamwork
17:57department, but a pair of Potara earrings helped smooth that over real quick.
18:10It's a neat bit of character development to see them literally come together for the
18:14greater good, even if the ensuing fusion is a bit overconfident.
18:20Vegito's easygoing swagger is a perfect foil against the self-serious Super Buu.
18:25And don't even get us started on all that smack talk.
18:38To be fair, as the two strongest heroes in the series combined, their confidence is totally
18:44earned.
18:49Number 13 – Majin Buu and Evil Buu – Super Buu – Dragon Ball Z Training, eating candy,
18:57pretty much the same thing.
18:59The bubblegum-looking Majin Buu had turned countless innocent people into snacks, so
19:04it's deeply poetic when he is chocolatified himself and eaten by a manifestation of his
19:10own evil.
19:18Apparently Majin Buu plus Evil Buu equals Super Buu, who has all the power of his prior
19:24forms with a much more sinister mentality.
19:31It's a little sad to see the round one go after he developed such a heartwarming bond
19:35with Mr. Satan, but the evolution raised the stakes and led to some amazing fights.
19:41Though for what it's worth, Earth was probably better off with the candy-eating Buu.
19:53Number 12 – Goten and Trunks – Gotenks – Dragon Ball Z Leaving two super-powered
19:59kids in charge of defending the planet probably breaks a few parenting rules, but these Saiyan
20:04offspring are the exception.
20:06Before their fathers did it, Goten and Trunks linked fingers and debuted the first-ever
20:11fusion in the entire franchise.
20:22As immature as he is all-powerful, Gotenks would sooner come up with cool names for his
20:27attacks than actually use them in combat.
20:30Hey, at least he got serious when put up against Super Buu… not.
20:38He holds back his Super Saiyan 3 transformation for dramatic effect, a gaffe that nearly cost
20:44them the fight.
20:58This may be much more composed than Goten or Trunks, but at least it's one less kid
21:02to babysit.
21:04Number 11 – Semi-Perfect Cell – Perfect Cell – Dragon Ball Z Like a radar to a Dragon
21:11Ball, Cell tracked down Android 17 and 18, but he didn't achieve his flawless form alone.
21:17It takes a village to royally screw the Earth, and that honor belongs in part to Krillin
21:22and Vegeta.
21:29The former for not destroying 18 when he had the chance, and the latter for putting his
21:34pride above the planet.
21:42While it spells doom for the Z-Warriors, at least the transformation itself features all
21:46the scale and spectacle befitting this kind of turning point.
21:53It's hard to label anything as perfect, but Cell's satisfied smirk as he completes
21:58his mission comes pretty damn close.
22:07Number 10 – Vegeta – Super Saiyan – Dragon Ball Z At a time when donning the bottle-blonde
22:13look was still a novelty, Goku's perennial rival launched back onto the scene with a
22:18big bang.
22:19Don't get it wrong, Vegeta was far from a hero, but the androids were a worthy stomping
22:24ground to prove he'd surpassed Goku.
22:27He wasn't just spiky hair and power levels, though.
22:30The new form also prodded him to pose important moral questions like, do androids feel fear?
22:40fully rehabilitated, but after he was a straight-up villain, this was the first time it was easy
22:46to really root for Vegeta.
22:51He'd finally caught up with his rival, and tore off an android's hands just to prove
22:58it.
23:02Number 9 – Frieza – Golden Frieza – Dragon Ball Z Resurrection F It took a few extra
23:09years, but this infamous villain finally achieved what Saiyans had been doing since Namek.
23:15To be fair, Frieza had already transformed a handful of times, so his new coat of paint
23:20was a bit shinier than Goku's initial golden dew.
23:27It's nice to see an old villain return to relevance, especially since the palette swap
23:37also contrasts nicely against the ever-growing list of Saiyan hair colours.
23:44It's just a real shame that by going for the gold, Frieza epically face-planted in
23:52front of Goku and Vegeta's Super Saiyan Blue.
23:56Despite the less-than-gilded debut performance, the visually arresting revival of this classic
24:01villain is at least worthy of a silver medal.
24:11Number 8 – Gohan – Beast Gohan – Dragon Ball Super – Super Hero Beyond the childish
24:17tantrums, Super Saiyan 2 transformation, or even his ultimate form, this is the real moment
24:24that Gohan went Beast Mode.
24:38If the white hair and red eyes don't give it away, the name definitely will.
24:43The whole scene plays out like a homage to Gohan's legendary Super Saiyan 2 reveal,
24:48even down to the fact he's fighting Cell.
24:51But thanks to some flashy animation and a heart-stopping special beam cannon, Beast
24:57Gohan feels like a worthwhile evolution instead of a boring retread.
25:02There's no question about it, you can go ahead and add Beast Mode to the list of iconic
25:06Gohan moments.
25:08Number 7 – Goku – Super Saiyan 3 – Dragon Ball Z In a franchise no stranger to dramatic
25:15power-ups, few literally shake the Earth as much as this.
25:19Goku stretches his lung capacity to the max with a primal roar that tells even Buu to
25:25stay clear of his home or risk some serious thrashing.
25:39All that bravado lives up to expectations with a massive power spike, a no-nonsense
25:44demeanor and a lot more golden hair.
25:47For the low cost of his eyebrows, Goku told the planet, Buu, the universe and beyond that
25:53he wasn't done evolving just yet.
26:06Much like the hair, this form is all the coolness of Super Saiyan, but just more of it.
26:11What's not to love?
26:12Number 6 – Gogeta – Super Saiyan Blue – Dragon Ball Super Broly As Junemba will
26:19attest, this fusion has a habit of making quick work of his foes, and Broly is no exception.
26:33Gogeta was easily flying circles around the belligerent Saiyan before, let alone when
26:38he decided to skip the rainbow and go straight from gold to blue.
26:51Rocking a new hair color, Gogeta demonstrates his signature style with a plomb, and delivers
26:56a gloriously animated Kamehameha that's in serious contention for one of the best in
27:02the whole series.
27:03With power levels high enough to crack open reality itself, it's a testament to the
27:07phenomenal production values that this clash somehow does its overpowered combatants justice.
27:27Number 5 – Goku – Super Saiyan 4 – Dragon Ball GT When a parasitic alien infests most
27:34of Earth, this grand tour proved Saiyans could go even further beyond, but not in the way
27:39most expected.
27:41Instead of adding more hair extensions to their Super Saiyan 3 mullet, Goku's newest
27:45leap in evolution harkened back to one of his race's classic forms, the Great Ape.
27:57The bestial qualities are a welcome breath of fresh air after years of golden locks,
28:02especially since it modernizes one of the franchise's earliest transformations in
28:07an inventive way.
28:17The badass design and epic fights to come are appreciated, but this form's biggest
28:22contribution is proving that GT could still meaningfully add to the series' lore.
28:35Number 4 – Vegeta – Super Saiyan Blue Evolved – Dragon Ball Super Goku wasn't
28:40the only one shattering his limits in the Tournament of Power.
28:43Vegeta's never been one to linger behind for long, so when his rival debuted a new
28:48silver form, the egotistical Saiyan decided to challenge Jiren with his own upgraded transformation.
29:10Bolstered by his will, his pride, and his promise to cover, Vegeta goes from blue to,
29:16well, a different shade of blue.
29:24Repetitive colors aside, it's notable as Vegeta's only form to date that Goku hasn't
29:30reached himself.
29:31For once, Vegeta wasn't just riding his rival's wake, he was forging his own path.
29:36Plus, if his showing against Jiren is anything to go by, this matured state skipped pretty
29:42far ahead in evolution.
29:50Number 3 – Gohan – Super Saiyan 2 – Dragon Ball Z Goku's son never wanted to fight,
29:57so it's poignant that the only thing capable of spurring him on is the dying words of an
30:01android who learned to love the Earth.
30:04When Cell crushes 16, he also unleashes the power that had been boiling inside of Gohan
30:10since his very first appearance.
30:20The beautiful imagery and outstanding score lead towards an epic scream that culminates
30:25literally hundreds of episodes of build-up.
30:27It's all but impossible to resist getting chills from this iconic moment that's physically
30:33just as emotionally affecting as it is exhilarating.
30:41With one transformation, Dragon Ball powered up Gohan from a great character into a masterful
30:47one.
30:56Number 2 – Goku – Super Saiyan – Dragon Ball Z With Namek five minutes away from becoming
31:02space dust, Gohan's stubborn dad faced off against his toughest adversary yet with nothing
31:08more than some ki, an old Saiyan folklore, and plenty of willpower.
31:13But when Freeza makes the mistake of hurting Goku's friends, he counters with a transformation
31:18that's iconic to not just Dragon Ball, but all of anime.
31:30The haunting yell as the world crumbles around him is downright cathartic, particularly since
31:36this was the first time Goku ever tried on the bleach blonde look.
31:48This moment's impact on the franchise can't be understated, but it's how well it caps
31:53off this fight in particular that makes it the gold standard in more ways than one.
32:23Number 1 – Goku – Mastered Ultra Instinct – Dragon Ball Super Somehow, someway, this
32:40spiky-haired Saiyan manages to keep climbing higher.
32:43He'd unlocked new forms before, including in this very tournament, but none had commanded
32:49this kind of attention.
32:51As each god of destruction stands to offer their respect, it becomes clear that the silver
32:55hair isn't just another leap for Goku, it's an exclamation point on a journey over twenty
33:01years in the making.
33:16Ultra Instinct was cool before, but with hype music and stellar animation backing it up,
33:22the mastered form delivers one of the most iconic brawls in the entire franchise.
33:27Goku went beyond his limits for the sake of everyone he loved, and really, there's nothing
33:32more classic Dragon Ball than that.
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