Top 10 Best Transformations In DBZ
Wassup everybody! Your friendly neighborhood Shounen-Man here with another anime anime-based list to get your inner Saiyan quivering. Today’s list is all about transformations and how they’re one of the best parts of an anime. DragonBall Z is a show slap-full of new forms for the characters to take and it never disappoints. When someone transforms in this series there is lots of screaming, ground being destroyed and enemies trembling. From the Saiyans rage-filled upgrades to the fruits of Frieza’s labor, we are going to check out the top 10 best transformations in DBZ together. Let’s Go!
10. Universe 2 Formation
Coming in at number 10 we have Universe 2 Formation! During the tournament of power, we got to see the unique teams coming out of the other universes. One of these groups, the Kamikaze Fireballs, was very reminiscent of the sailor scouts from Sailor Moon. To power themselves up they had a technique that also brings Sailor Moon and her friends to mind.
Universe 2’s team performed a ritual that then changed them into their magical girl forms. There is even a hilarious moment where 17 interrupts their ritual and gets scolded by everyone. It was awesome seeing DragonBall Super’s version of the magical girl transformation that we have seen in so many shows. It was a beautiful nod to an anime trope that you don’t see as much anymore.
9. Golden Frieza
Coming in at number 9 we have Golden Frieza! When our heroes first faced off against the evil emperor Frieza he was the strongest character we had ever seen. Every time it seemed like our characters were able to crawl an inch towards victory he pulled out a new transformation that redefined his power level. The only reason he was defeated was his own hubris. He could have ended them at any time but instead, he let Goku attain his Super Saiyan form. This proved that Frieza’s arrogance was always his undoing.
Believe it or not, this was an untrained Frieza and after his losses at the hands of the heroes, he decided to change that. The next time he faced our heroes he transformed into a new golden form that put him near Goku ssgss form. The fruits of Frieza’s training was a really cool form that we all got to enjoy. This was awesome due to it coming out of nowhere as an awesome upgrade to DBZ’s best villain.
8. Buu Turns Into Kid Buu
Coming in at number 8 we have Buu turns into Kid Buu! The Buu Saga introduced us to one of the craziest villains from the DBZ storyline. When Buu first showed up he was seemingly unstoppable after defeating both Gohan and Majin Vegeta. Not only did the monster have unimaginable power, he also had the ability to regenerate entirely if any part of him still existed. It wasn’t long before Buu was turning entire cities into candy and eating them. After a lot of battles where most of the humans on earth, including the Z-fighters and their families, died, Goku and Vegeta had finally struck a blow against Buu.
They ripped Good Buu right out of his body along with every warrior he absorbed but this proved to be a mistake. The good part of the monster was the only thing keeping him from becoming his original self, Kid Buu. His transformation was scary as his power skyrocketed and his muscles grew huge before ultimately becoming much smaller. Vegeta and Goku were both relieved but this was incredibly powerful and vicious. His first act in this form was to immediately blow up the earth making him the first to ever successfully do it.
7. Goku Goes Oozaru
Coming in at number 7 we have Goku Goes Oozaru! For this entry, we are taking a trip back to the origins of the series, DragonBall. Goku and his friends were on a quest to find all the dragon balls when they got captured by Emperor Pilaf and his goofy gang. As they sat inside their prison the group of heroes could see the moon. As they all began to talk with one another, Goku told a story about a monster that only comes out during the full moon.
He said this same monster killed his grandpa Gohan and as he finished his tale, Goku’s friends started to suspect that he was the monster. After telling Goku not to look at the moon he looked directly at it. At first, nothing happened and everyone thought they were just being silly. However, after a moment something in the young Saiyan snapped and he started to transform into his Great Ape form. Goku’s body started to grow, ripping through his clothes until he was a giant ape with insane strength. It was really cool to see this happen as before this moment Goku was a complete mystery.
6. Majin Vegeta
Coming in at number 6 we have Majin Vegeta! During the beginning of the Buu Saga, our heroes found themselves battling through the evil wizard Babidi’s ship. They had to go floor to floor defeating his henchmen in order to make it through. At one point during this whole struggle Babidi decided, Vegeta still had enough evil in his heart that he could take over the prince of all Saiyans. As the wizard began to push into Vegeta’s brain he began to scream and fall to the floor.
He seemed to be trying to fight the takeover but it proved to be too much for him. The transformation itself was awesome, Vegeta looked possessed as he rose up into the air. He also has red flares of electricity popping up all around him. If you know DBZ, you know that later on, we learned, Vegeta allowed Babidi to take his mind so he could gain power because when the wizard tries to order him around he blocks him out. That begs the question, was all of this a show? Did he just want people to believe he was trying to fight it or was it just somewhere in the middle where he decided?
5. Goku Goes SSJ3
Coming in at number 5 we have Goku Goes SSJ3! Here we have another entry in the Buu Saga, which is filled with amazing transformations. To buy time for the other heroes Goku goes off to face Majin Buu. During this time Goku was actually still dead but had a pass to the land of the living for the world martial arts tournament. Goku knew that his normal power level wasn’t going to be enough to distract the monster so for the first time he unveiled his secret form. Goku tells Buu,” you’re going to love this, trust me”, before beginning his transformation.
Due to him trying to buy time he starts at the very beginning showing the child-like villain all of his different forms but when he gets to SSJ2 we get a welcome surprise. Goku still had one to go and it wasn’t even his final form yet. As our hero began to scream and power up, the very world moved around him. The clouds whipped by and the oceans threw waves in every direction. His power was felt by everyone, all over the world that day. Unfortunately, he was on borrowed time and using this form cost him the last bit of it.
4. Goku Turns Super Saiyan
Coming in at number 4 we have Goku turns Super Saiyan! This is one of the most iconic scenes in the series. While there technically was a pseudo-Super Saiyan form in the non-canon, Lord Slug movie, this was his first time in canon. The battle with Frieza had raged on through many transformations and a few heroes. Every time one went down another stepped up but it wasn’t until Goku that the evil tyrant was ever in real danger. After Goku used a giant Spirit Bomb on Frieza everyone thought it was all over but the villain doesn’t go down so easy.
He came back and killed Krillin by exploding him. This was traumatic to Goku who believed his friend could never be wished back as it has already happened before. The move was definitely on-brand for Frieza but it proved to be his undoing as for the first time in the entire series, we seen Goku filled with Saiyan rage. He wasn’t just angry, he allowed his instincts as a Saiyan to take over as he became angrier and angrier. He yelled at Frieza as the lightning cracked around him and his pupils disappeared. Goku let out a visceral scream and transformed into his iconic form.
3. Broly Goes Berserk
Coming in at number 3 we have Broly goes Berserk! As we venture into the top 3 we are getting into the territory of my favorites. Choosing between these 3 was almost impossible as I love them all and think DBZ as a whole would be worse off without them. For this one, we go to Broly’s original appearance where he faced off against everyone. The new Broly was just a misunderstood hero but the old one, he was sadistic. His transformation matched his ferocious personality and looked amazing. As Broly looked into the sky he began to scream just like most fighters do before changing.
However, Broly’s transformation affecting things that we had never seen be affected before, His power seemed to change the very world around him. The colors seemed to go in and out as he powered up. As he got stronger and stronger green energy began to pour from his eyes and mouth giving a very ominous feeling to his transformation. After all of it was finished Broly stood before our heroes in his legendary Super Saiyan form, and they were all terrified. His was the scariest transformation in the show and had me truly questioning if the Z-fighters would make it out.
2. Goku Mastered Ultra Instinct
When he does this for the first time after he absorbed the Spirit Bomb, it was against Jiren, whose power was greater than anyone we had ever seen before. He was effortlessly stronger than Goku at the beginning but as the tournament went on our hero began to catch up. However, the real shining moment was when he achieved the mastered version of this technique. White energy flowed from him and you could feel his power. Jiren fired a massive shot at him but Goku appeared behind him holding the ball of energy in his hand. He simply dismissed the energy like it’s nothing before going back to fighting. It was awesome seeing him totally own Jiren as he tried to hi the Saiyan. Goku was hitting him so fast it couldn’t even be seen and it looked like he was getting beaten by an invisible warrior while Goku stood there.
1. Gohan Loses It
Coming in at number 1 we have, Gohan loses it! Here we are at the final entry for this list. For me, this is the best transformation for many reasons but the main one is the emotion of the whole scene. I still get goosebumps every time I watch it and I’ve seen it at least 100 times but probably a lot more. During the Cell tournament, no one could defeat the perfect form of the Villain. Goku seemed like everyone’s best chance but he forfeited the fight in a completely unexpected move. He believed his son, Gohan was going to be the one to stop Cell and after the monster crushed android 17’s head the young Saiyan proved his father right.
Gohan had always had a secret power inside of him that was brought out by rage. He used it all the way back in the beginning when he was still very small to bust Raditz’s armor. Then again he used his power against second form Frieza to save Krillin. At this moment in the Cell Saga he snapped once again but this time he let it go completely and was the first Saiyan to go SSJ2. You could hear the very pain in his voice as he begged Cell to stop his juniors from killing his friends. He begged the monster as he was still transforming because he feared letting it out. Cell got exactly what he was asking for by the end when the young Saiyan shot him into space.
