The classic Super Saiyan transformation with blonde hair, green eyes, and bigger muscles represents one of the most iconic forms in anime in general and Dragon Ball in particular. The transformation was first used by Goku back in the Dragon Ball Z anime during his first confrontation with Frieza on Namek.
Later on, other fighters followed suit and became Super Saiyans themselves. While the Dragon Ball Super anime, the show that continues the story long after the majority of the events from Z, raised the stakes even more by introducing new transformations such as Super Saiyan Blue and Ultra Instinct, the classic Super Saiyan form remains iconic.
We’ve made a list of the top tier list of Super Saiyans in Dragon Ball. While we cannot claim to have the absolute truth, so don’t get upset if you disagree with some of the selections. With that out of the way, let’s cut to the chase:
S-Tier:
Goku
Vegeta
Gohan
Goku and Vegeta don’t need any kind of presentation anymore, as they are the main characters in the Dragon Ball universe. Goku was the first character to achieve the legendary transformation in the show, and he did it involuntarily by getting enraged and realizing that there is no other way to take down Frieza. Vegeta, on the other hand, became a Super Saiyan after numerous training sessions and struggles, as he was obsessed with the idea of achieving the transformation so that he could compete with Goku in strength.
Gohan, the son of Goku and Chi Chi, became a Super Saiyan during his training session in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber along with his father. Gohan achieved the transformation and was even the first character in the franchise to achieve Super Saiyan 2. It happened during Gohan’s fight with Cell, the strongest opponent that the Z warriors ever had to face until that point.
A-Tier:
Future Trunks
Broly (DBZ)
Broly (Dragon Ball Super)
Future Trunks came from the future, as his name suggests, in a time machine to warn the Z warriors about the impending danger of Dr. Gero’s androids. Trunks, the son of Vegeta and Bulma, was able to achieve the Super Saiyan transformation, and he even gave Frieza a run for his money by killing him in a very brutal way. Even though he got defeated by Goku on Namek, Frieza came to Earth as a cyborg and was willing to have his revenge.
Broly from Dragon Ball Z was depicted as the Legendary Super Saiyan, a mythological figure known for unparalleled power. Broly was born with an incredibly high power level, making King Vegeta fear his potential and order his execution. Despite this fact, Broly survived and became mad at Goku, blaming the hero for his traumatic childhood incident where Goku cried too loud in the incubator next to him, causing Broly distress. Broly from the DBZ movies possesses a unique form of the Super Saiyan transformation known as the Legendary Super Saiyan, characterized by green hair and absurd power.
As for Broly from Dragon Ball Super, the guy was introduced in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie that came out in 2018. The backstory of the Saiyan was revised and integrated into the main Dragon Ball continuity, thus becoming what the fans know as canonical. Broly from DBS was exiled from his native planet by King Vegeta as a baby because of his absurd power level. Broly was raised on a remote planet by Paragus, his father, who wanted revenge against King Vegeta and Prince Vegeta for Broly’s exile. In the 2018 movie, Broly’s Legendary Super Saiyan powers were high enough to rival those of the Super Saiyan Blue transformation.
B-Tier:
Goten
Trunks (present timeline)
Cabba
Goten is the youngest son of Goku, and he surprised everyone back in the Majin Buu Saga by being able to turn Super Saiyan at only 7 years old. Surprisingly enough, the anime told us that Goten was able to become so strong by training with his mother, Chi Chi, who wasn’t voluntarily involved in a fight since the World Martial Arts Tournament from the original Dragon Ball series.
Trunks from the present timeline was also a child when he first achieved the Super Saiyan transformation, but the explanation for this achievement that the show gave us was a lot more convincing. Trunks was able to become a Super Saiyan after training with his father, Vegeta, in the gravity room of the Capsule Corp’s spaceship.
Cabba is a Saiyan from a different universe than the one where Goku and the gang are – Universe 6, to be more precise. Cabba was able to go Super Saiyan after his battle with Vegeta, who later became his mentor. However, there are plenty of fans who don’t like Cabba as a character, and for good reasons. He’s a child who looks nothing like a fighter.
C-Tier:
Kale
Caulifa
Kale and Caulifa are two female Saiyans also from Universe 6. They were also introduced in Dragon Ball Super, along with Cabba. How the two girls managed to obtain the Super Saiyan transformation has been the subject of controversies and serious unrest among the fans of the franchise, as all they had to do was feel a tingling on their back to ignite the legendary form.
Kale even takes the Super Saiyan transformation to new heights, resulting in what many fans call a “female version of Broly.” Kale loses control when she transforms into a Super Saiyan.
We can keep in mind that there are also various other Saiyan characters who achieved the Super Saiyan transformation throughout the Dragon Ball franchise, such as games and spin-off series.