Saiyan

Saiyans are an endangered race of sapient humanoids, widely known for being a naturally aggressive warrior race, who are one of the strongest species in the universe.

History
The Saiyans were a group of barbaric aliens who arrived to the Planet Vegeta (once known as the Planet Plant) very long ago. Their home planet, Sadala, had been destroyed due to conflict among Saiyans. The indigenous lifeforms to this planet were the Tuffles, a very technologically advanced race. When the Saiyan first arrived they lived in the arid wastelands on the outskirts of the Tuffles' cities. The Tuffles had no way of knowing the Saiyans would eventually take the whole planet for themselves and destroy the Tuffle race. One day, a civil war broke out and the Saiyans tried many times to overthrow the Tuffles but were unsuccessful, although the Saiyans were bigger in size and much stronger, they were fewer in number compared to the Tuffles. What also gave the Tuffles an upper hand was that they had technology to read the power levels of the Saiyans and advanced weaponry to hold them off. Then one night, the Saiyans were able to transform into Oozaru (also known as Great Apes, which increases their power levels by a factor of 10) thanks to the full moon and the resulting "Blutz Waves" that only came once every twenty years (eight years in the English dub), With this new power, they finally annihilated the Tuffles and had the planet renamed to Planet Vegeta, after their great king who led their people to victory.

However, after their victory the Saiyans had no way of expanding beyond their planet since they didn't have the knowledge to build spaceships. Their lust and hunger for conquest was put on hold until another advanced race made contact with Vegeta. The Arcosians, whom had money and technology, met the Saiyans and formed an alliance with most of the hired Saiyans to take over a planet for them. In return the Arcosians would share their technology. Over the years, the Saiyans also learned how to use the Tuffles' advanced equipment and become smarter and less barbaric, although they still lusted for fighting and destruction. At some unknown time, following the Saiyan victory, the planet was conquered or annexed by Frieza's empire and the Saiyans (like many other races) were drafted to serve as soldiers in Frieza's military. Because of the Saiyans' innate strength and penchant for violence, they were considered to be useful mercenaries and assisted in the conquering of many planets, or if assignment called for, eradication of the planet's population, as even Saiyan children were considered powerful enough to conquer some of the weaker planets, such as Earth. Eventually, seeing how quickly some of the more gifted Saiyan warriors were gaining power through battle, Frieza grew concerned with the potential of the Saiyan race and thought that they would grow strong enough to face him or even become the fabled Super Saiyans, able to defeat him in battle. So as betrayal, the maniacal and heartless alien warlord destroyed Planet Vegeta, almost eradicating the Saiyan race.

It was originally thought that only four pure-blood Saiyans survived the destruction, Kakarot (Son Goku), Prince Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz as they were not on the planet at the time, although many others also survived the world's destruction, including Paragus, Broly, Turles, Onio, and Prince Tarble (although others have been shown to survive, see below). Once Raditz, and ultimately Nappa and Prince Vegeta discovered that their planet's destruction, Frieza lied to them that a comet had hit their world, and offered them continued employment in return for eventual wealth. The Saiyans were avenged when Son Goku defeated Frieza on Namek. Frieza later met his end on Earth when Future Trunks killed him. In the anime only, four more Saiyans survived the catastrophe, appearing in the Dragon Ball Z movies: Turles, Broly, Paragus, and Tarble. Another, Onio, is shown in the joke manga, Neko Majin Z. As a side note, a common racial slur towards Saiyans is the term "monkey" or "ape" (although monkeys and apes are two considerably different types of organisms, despite being quite closely related to one another).

Super Saiyan
The very most powerful ability of a Saiyan is the ability to drastically augment their speed, strength and energy by transforming into a Super Saiyan. The ability is rare and difficult to achieve normally, but gives the Saiyan unbelievable enhancements to their normal abilities. The Saiyans possess several Super Saiyan transformations, each different in appearance and the power they provide. For the majority of the Super Saiyan forms, the Saiyans muscle mass increases slightly, their irises turn emerald-green and their hair turns golden. In Dragon Ball GT a fourth form was achieved where the Saiyan's body becomes covered in a crimson fur. The hair becomes darker and longer, and the irises alter color, although the eye color appears to be different for each Saiyan.

Akira Toriyama has stated that there were no female Saiyans to transform until the introduction of Pan and she never had the motivation to transform, though three female Super Saiyans appeared in Dragon Ball Heroes.

Appearance
Saiyans are outwardly very similar to humans, with the exception of their monkey-like tail and muscular builds. They are commonly seen to have spiky, black hair although there have been rare occasions when they have also been shown to have brown hair.

In the episode "Saiyans Emerge", Vegeta states that the hair of a pure-blooded Saiyan does not deviate from its appearance the day the Saiyan is born. However, this is not the case with half-Saiyans like Gohan and Trunks who are shown to have several different lengths of hair, and wear their hair in different styles throughout the series. Both of Vegeta and Bulma's children inherited their hair color from their mother's side. Goku's children both have black hair like him, but then their mother Chi Chi also has black hair.

Tail
All pure-blood Saiyans possess a prehensile tail that is monkey-like in appearance and covered in brownish fur. The tail is a particularly sensitive area for Saiyans; when grabbed or injured, it causes great pain to the owner, and temporarily immobilizes them. However, elite class Saiyans can train themselves to overcome this weakness - as did Nappa, Prince Vegeta and also Goku, and the tail becomes no more fragile than any other limb.

Great Ape
The tail also provides a unique gift in that it allows a Saiyan to transform into a Great Ape and potentially a Golden Great Ape (or Super Great Ape). If the tail is removed, this power is lost. Saiyan children seem to have the ability to grow back their tails at various times, but at some point in life this regenerative ability is lost. Gohan for instance, who is not even a pure-blooded Saiyan, grows his tail back numerous times after having it removed, however, it never seems to grow back after it is cut off by Vegeta.

Flight
Saiyans can fly due to their manipulation of ki. They can fly at hypersonic speeds, and can move so fast in flight that a human can't see them.

Strength
Saiyans possess large quantities of superhuman strength, which is superior to many different species - at least thousands of times that of humans - and are quintessentially built for fighting. The naturally high gravity of Planet Vegeta develops their strength further making them inhumanly strong at young ages. Even weaker Saiyans are capable of conquering most planets alone. Notably, the Saiyan sent to conquer Earth, Kakarot, was an abnormally weak newborn at the time. Through tough training, Saiyans are able to reach new levels of power, and the more intense training and fights they go through, the stronger they become.

Zenkai
If a Saiyan survives a near-death experience through extreme injury to the body then when the body recuperates, the Saiyan grows much stronger than they were previously, their body adapting to compensate for the damage dealt. This ability is known as a zenkai, and increases the Saiyan's power level by an inconsistent multiplier. The duration of recovery does not seem to hinder this ability as Saiyans have healed through natural, technological and mystical means and still gained substantial increases in strength. Saiyans also appear able to heal from injuries at a faster rate than humans and possess a greater deal of durability to damage.

Saiyans also possess a natural affinity to the manipulation of ki energy allowing them to utilize flying and energy-based attacks with incredible ease as well as unlock great depths of power when needed, or lending energy to others in battle when it's actually necessary. Lost energy is regained by the Saiyan in a very short span of time, regardless of the amount of energy lost. Sometimes, the energy the Saiyan regained is multiplied, as noted by their power level.

Speed
The Saiyans also have great speed and agility. They also have much faster reflexes than an average human; reflexes so fast that they can avoid (or catch) a bullet or energy beam without much of a problem. Super speed can easily be seen in their fighting skills; their movements occur in fractions of seconds which are not visible to human eyes. Their agility is also substantial in their battles and training. These movements can be improved by training, transformations, and other methods. These natural powers of speed and reflex make nearly all Saiyan hand-to-hand combat exceedingly fast.

Invulnerability
Even the most basic Saiyan is immune to all earthly weapons, and most alien races with only the most advanced weaponry, being able to hurt them, but a Saiyan can also channel ki into their invulnerability making them even more powerful. Even a weak Saiyan, like Raditz, could withstand a full power blast from Piccolo, and Piccolo could destroy one 30th of earth at the time (150 moons including size gravity and density). Saiyans are very resistant to temperature with Saiyans being able to survive extreme sub-zero temperatures as well as extremely high temperatures with ease, and Goku who at the time had a power level of 800, could withstand a temperature which could kill a human in a second.

Appetite
Saiyans are also noted for being ravenous trenchermen with seemingly insatiable appetites, eating up to 30-40 meals a day to maintain their metabolism. Owing to their immense strength and intense aura, their energy and nutritional intake needs are a great deal higher than most human beings'. They are often shown eating plate after plate of food, resulting in many dishes piling up, often eating more food than logically possible in absurdly short amounts of time. Goku (and later Vegeta) are often seen eating enough food for a dozen people in rapid feeding frenzies sometimes lasting less than a minute, one notable case being a 12-year-old Goku eating a 50-course meal in one minute. This is used as a running gag. In Daizenshuu 4, it is stated that they have no preferences when it comes to food, although they appear to prefer meat over anything else; this is hinted with Vegeta munching on the flesh of an alien creature on the planet he and Nappa were on before departing for Earth. Note that this is not restricted only to full-blooded Saiyans, as even the normally polite Gohan has been seen eating large quantities of food in this way.

Aging and lifespan
According to the Daizenshuu, their lifespan is about the same as an Earthling's. Although Saiyans remain in their youth and prime longer than Humans. As explained by Vegeta in the final chapter, they stay young longer so that they can enjoy battle longer. This is seen when Nappa, who was Vegeta's attendant when Vegeta was a child, is in his prime still long after Vegeta has become an adult, but in actuality Nappa is about 50 years old. Chi-Chi complained of this in Dragon Ball GT when Goku was reduced to a child, thus making the fact that she was getting older faster that much more apparent. This is again demonstrated in the GT finale when Pan is seen one hundred years later still strong but with gray hair.

Reproduction
Saiyan reproduction is the same as humans. The only male full-blooded Saiyans seen were Goku, Raditz, Turles, Broly, Paragus, Bardock, Vegeta and Nappa. One female and pure-blooded Saiyan named Seripa (renamed to Fasha in America) has been shown (although a number of unnamed female Saiyans were seen too in a bar), and the mother of Raditz and Kakarot (Goku) and mate of Bardock (the father of Raditz and Kakarot) was revealed to be a female named Gine, who died along with most of her race when Frieza blew up the planet. Love is a rare emotions for Saiyans and most only mate for reproductive purposes. For this reason family isn't that valued among Saiyans with some rare exceptions like the royal family and Bardock's family.

Inter-species Saiyans
When a hybrid of Saiyan and Human heritage is born, it is very common for them to possess extreme fighting potential. It is also very common for them to develop the ability to transform into Super Saiyans at childhood. Due to their Human emotions and Saiyan abilities these hybrids have almost limitless potential, but with the exception of Future Trunks, don't tend to share the interest in fighting and becoming stronger that pure Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta do. Saiyan Hybrids tend to become easily distracted from training. Other partial Saiyans like Pan seem to lack the qualities hybrids have, age much more like Humans do, and have weaker power levels. Half-Saiyans gain incredible power boosts when angry, as shown when an infuriated Gohan was able to battle Frieza's second form after Frieza impaled and tortured Krillin. Less than half an hour earlier Gohan had been significantly weaker than Frieza's first form.

Family
Saiyan families appear to be far different to that of a traditional human family. Children are kept in pods as infants and monitored by doctors whilst their parents are usually occupied on mercenary missions. Even as infants, their natural strength means that they are capable of conquering planets like Earth single-handedly and so it is unlikely they spend much, if any time with their parents or siblings. Saiyans do tend to have close relationships with their friends/comrades however, with whom they do spend a great deal of time in battle. Of the (pure-blooded) Saiyan families seen, none have had close relationships except Prince Vegeta and his father and Bardock's relationship with his wife Gine (and maybe even Paragus and Broly, to a lesser extent).

In the Bardock TV special when Bardock was asked by Toma (Tora in America) if he remembered what day his new born son was born. He replies, "No, but that was a long time ago," possibly referring to his elder son Raditz. Seripa then goes on to say that it was the day before, and that he should go see him, implying that Saiyans care for their children to some extent.

Personality
Saiyans tend to share common personality traits, even at young ages. Being a war-like people; they share an innate enjoyment for conflict and fighting; choosing violence over peace with other races. Saiyans are typically very aggressive and hard-headed, with short explosive tempers. They are an intensely proud people, with a society heavily based around honor and social hierarchy. Most of them are inclined to be arrogant at times, leading them to allow enemies to gain advantages in battle just for fun. It appears (as demonstrated by Vegeta, Nappa, and Bardock) they have a tendency to let their emotions get the better of them when roused in stimulating situations - resulting in them at times making rash decisions. They also appear to lack sympathetic emotions as though by choice rather than by nature as shown by their relative lack of fear of death and uncaring attitude towards siblings, i.e. Raditz brutal beating of his long-lost brother Goku and Vegeta's indifference to his father's death. Clearly, Vegeta nor Nappa never showed any signs of sympathy for their fallen comrade Raditz when he was killed, they merely laughed and stated that he was only a "weakling", although Nappa did suggest bringing Raditz back to life with the Dragon Balls. Vegeta and Nappa themselves had a good degree of camaraderie between them, but Vegeta did not hesitate to kill Nappa later on when he displayed weakness by panicking at Goku's power. Most Saiyans also possess a keen fighting sense and understanding of battle, which allows them to acquire many new skills, such as overcoming the weakness of their tails, learning to detect ki, and achieving new fighting forms and transformations.

Fighting
Saiyans have an inborn need to fight. Most Saiyans will spend their lives training to become stronger so that they can prove themselves in battle. When Frieza hired/conquered the Saiyans as his planet brokers, he knew of their amazing fighting skills and used that to his advantage. However, Frieza began to notice how powerful the Saiyans were becoming and began to fear that one day one of them would overwhelm him as the most powerful being in the universe. This eventually lead to Frieza's destruction of Planet Vegeta and all the Saiyans on it. Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta are frequently seen training and improving their fighting skills to keep up with each other's skills and the appearance of new, more powerful foes.

Many of the Saiyan/Human hybrids that appear throughout the series possess extreme fighting potential. It is also very common for them to develop the ability to transform into Super Saiyans at childhood.

In Dragon Ball GT, Saiyan hybrids seem to have less potential than full-blooded ones, and female hybrids appear to be weaker. Of particular note is Pan, who fails to achieve even the first Super Saiyan transformation, though her grandson Goku Jr. still had enough Saiyan blood to wield it. This may or may not be because Pan never had sufficient emotional pressure.

Protection
Saiyan Armors are standard armor of Saiyan Warriors and later standard issue for Frieza's army. They're made of an unknown material, which is said to be stretchy yet hard. However, they are known to shatter when dealt enough damage, showing that they are indeed hard and solid. The most commonly seen ones have dual shoulder guards and some form of skirt armor or crotch guard. Matching boots (often white in color, but others do exist) are standard issue, as is a pair of white gloves or fingerless wrist guards. Standard armor has large shoulder plates, but some simply have reinforced shoulder straps. Many also have skirt armor or plate shielding the groin. Most Saiyans wrap their tails around the armor's waist, appearing as if they have a furry belt. Armor appears to vary greatly in durability, as Frieza's armor is significantly more durable than the armor of his underlings, although it is probably ornamental.

Colored Saiyan armor
We see Vegeta wear this when he is traveling to Earth in the Saiyan Saga. When he actually arrives on Earth the armor is much more like the armor Nappa is wearing in the next image. The only thing that sets it apart from regular Saiyan armor is its coloring. It should be noted though that this only occurs in the anime as, at the time the scene was animated, no official colored scenes of Vegeta or Nappa had been introduced in the manga so TOEI had to make up their own color schemes.

Other models
Paragus wore a unique Saiyan armor during his appearance in Movie 8. Its overall design resembled the clothing of those on Yardrat worn by the Yardratians. His gloves and boots were purple throughout most of Movie 8, though in a few flashbacks his gloves, boots, and armor were differently colored (I.E yellow/orange) We also see Cabba wear a model native to Sadala that Vegeta states to look familiar.

Full-blooded members

 * Kakarot/Goku (Goku at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Vegeta (Vegeta at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * King Vegeta (King Vegeta at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Bardock (Bardock at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Raditz (Raditz at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Nappa (Nappa at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Turles (Turles at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Tarble (Tarble at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Broly (Broly at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Gine (Gine at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Selipa (Fasha at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Tora (Tora at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Onio (Onio at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Zorn (Zorn at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Borgos (Borgos at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Shugesh (Shugesh at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Cabba (Cabba at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Caulifla (Caulifla at Dragon Ball Wiki)
 * Kale (Kale at Dragon Ball Wiki)
 * Renso (Renso at Dragon Ball Wiki)
 * King Sadala (King Sadala at Dragon Ball Wiki)

Hybrids

 * Gohan (Gohan at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Future Trunks (Future Trunks at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Trunks (Trunks at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Goten (Goten at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Bulla (Bulla at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Pan (Pan at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Goku Jr(Goku Jr at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Vegeta Jr (Vegeta Jr at Dragon Ball wiki)
 * Bulma Leigh (Bulma Leigh at Dragon Ball wiki)

Great Ape

 * Main Article: Great Ape at Dragon Ball wiki

All Saiyans with tails can transform into Great Apes when they look at the full moon. The key to trigger the transformation is the energy called Blutz Waves, which are produced via sunlight reflecting from the moon to make 17 million zenos. To become Great Apes, the Saiyans look to the sky and see the moon when it was full. As they kept looking at the moon, within a minute or less, they absorb the Blutz Waves, triggering the reaction in their tails and causing their transformation to begin. Then, either before or after the increasing heartbeat goes next, the pupils of their eyes change from black to red. Next, they started to grow muscular and bigger with fur sprouting all over their bodies, their pupils disappear from their eyes which then turned from white to red, even their faces grew muzzle-like while their ears pointed up and their teeth sharpened, thus completing the transformation. For another way to transform, the Saiyans can also eventually developed a Power Ball that mimics the full moon, allowing them to go Great Ape at will. And for the third, the use of a planetary body as the moon's resemblance (Like the Earth in Goku's case during Dragon Ball GT's Baby and Shadow Dragons Sagas). In Great Ape form, a Saiyan has ten times their natural strength, massively increases in size, and is able to fire powerful energy blasts.

Golden Great Ape

 * Main Article: Golden Great Ape at Dragon Ball wiki

The Golden Great Ape (or Super Great Ape) is a far stronger version of the Great Ape, with golden fur from the tail to the rest of the body due to the power of a Super Saiyan. It's also the Saiyans' capability to transform using either the full moon or any planetary body and their Super Saiyan strength. The power of the Golden Great Ape multiplies many-fold, which far surpasses that of a Great Ape's in all areas. Their offensive capacities have become much greater, and their rage is even more intense than the Great Ape's, which is so great, that they can cause major destruction. While in the Golden Great Ape state, the power and strength of a Saiyan increase extraordinarily. Like the Great Apes, Golden Great Apes can fire powerful energy blasts from their mouth, but are also able to breath fire. In Dragon Ball GT, during his fight with Baby on the Tuffle Planet, Goku transforms into this form due to the Blutz Wave reflecting from Earth in the place of a full moon. But because of his near-lack of training from Old Kai, the heroic Saiyan's wild instincts got the better of him and he starts destroying the Tuffle Planet. Fortunately, Pan calms him down and convinces him into remembering everything including who he is, using the picture of their beach vacation on Earth and her tears. Thanks to Pan, Goku's consciousness returns, and with more power from the Earth, he transforms into a Super Saiyan 4.

False Super Saiyan

 * Main Article: False Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

Is a partially transformed Super Saiyan; and serves as a midpoint between the saiyan's regular form and Super Saiyan form. Certain features such as elevated hair, no apparent pupils, and a golden aura are evident, but this is only only part of the full transformation. The aura rubs off on opponents at times with the appearance of golden flames at the point of contact. Users do not seem to be in complete control while in this state. The reason the user reaches this form is that they have the rage and need to transform but lack the necessary power level. This form cannot be retained for very long since stress can build-up enormously from the lack of complete transformation needed to maintain stability of the power.

Super Saiyan

 * Main Article: Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

The first Super Saiyan transformation happens when a Saiyan who has reached his natural limit loses himself to a fit of rage. Even though the physical change is not too drastic, the power increase is quite colossal. Rhe Saiyan's hair becomes bright yellow due to the energy in every molecule of the saiyan's body, their eye color changes to green, their muscules become more defined and toned, and they become enveloped in thick golden flame. Behavioral change is also quite noticeable, the Saiyan becomes more aggressive and temperamental than usual. The first Saiyan seen to reach Super Saiyan in the series is Goku when fighting Freeza. Through training, the negative effects of the transformation can be suppressed and controlled, resulting in a Super Saiyan who can suppress his energy and act normal as if he was not transformed.

Super Saiyan 2nd Grade

 * Main Article: 2nd Grade Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

This isn't really a true transformation but a sudden increase in power. This is a form reached when Super Saiyans train hard, they surpass their basic limits of their original Super Saiyan powers. This state appears as a Super Saiyan, but with the muscle mass on a Saiyan significantly increases. The behavioral changes from the original Super Saiyan level to this one are apparent—this state is known for its increased aggression, even from the original Super Saiyan state. It is considered to be a point in between the original Super Saiyan level and the Super Saiyan 2. This is the form Vegeta and Trunks use for the fight with Semi-Perfect Cell.

Super Saiyan 3rd Grade

 * Main Article: 3rd Grade Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

Is a very muscular and powerful form of the original Super Saiyan. The raw power is greatly superior, but since this form is so muscular, the user's speed drops dramatically and consumes a vast amount of energy. This form's negatives outweigh the positives, so, even though the power increase is drastic, the Saiyan will not even bother with the form due to the speed and energy loss. Perfect Cell also demonstrated that he could mimic this level of Super Saiyan. However, he explained that he lost his speed advantage and retained his 'perfect' form. This form is easy to reach through training after the achieving the previous form, Super Saiyan 2nd Grade, but it is impossible to control all the physical effects. The most noticeable change is the massive muscle increase. The hair becomes spikier, and the locks spread themselves out more than the previous forms of Super Saiyan. The now very wild, radiant aura sometimes surges with bio-electricity; rigid waves of flame, almost as if a crown of fire.

Full-Power Super Saiyan

 * Main Article: Full-Power Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

The Full Power Super Saiyan is a third branch of the advanced Super Saiyan, that is absolutely unrelated to the Ascended and Ultra levels of Super Saiyan and stages of the transformation. Instead, it is a state of mental and physical perfection of the core Super Saiyan state itself. The key to the Full-Power Super Saiyan state is energy conservation rather than boosted energy output, resulting in a Saiyan who is able to fight longer and more efficiently than with the Ascended and Ultra stages of Super Saiyan, and can even remain transformed for days without powering down as long they don't expend too much energy. Their wild emotions are kept in check, resulting in a more strategical fighting style, and ki consumption is reduced to negligible amounts. Energy radiation is reduced in tandem, and the aura takes on a smoother, flow-like appearance. By mastering the transformation, the Super Saiyan is able to retain transformation almost subconsciously. In requiring less ki to contribute to maintaining the transformation itself, the maximum amount of ki can thus be focused into the attacks giving the user access to power greater than that of even an Ascended Super Saiyan.

Super Saiyan 2

 * Main Article: Super Saiyan 2 at Dragon Ball wiki

This stage is very similar to Super Saiyan in appearance, where the muscles do not receive much of an increase in their mass. Other physical changes include longer, finer, and upright hair. The behavioral effects are the same as an un-mastered Super Saiyan and every physical change remains the same color as Super Saiyan. A Saiyan reaches a new level of power when he reaches this level, resulting in a larger aura that now has a very evident blue-colored, bio-electrical field. This form was first achieved by Gohan while battling Cell. This state, similar to the earlier stages of Super Saiyan, is triggered by powerful emotions, but can also be reached through training.

Super Saiyan 3

 * Main Article: Super Saiyan 3 at Dragon Ball wiki

This form is the strongest of all Super Saiyan forms in the manga Dragon Ball series. This form is quite unique compared to the other forms because of the fact that it rapidly consumes its own user's energy which leads to fatigue, making their movement less fluid and consistent. This happens so quickly that the Saiyan is only able to maintain the transformation for a short period of time, before the Saiyan's power depletes enough to force him to power down to his normal form, making the form very hard to control. Super Saiyan 3 is characterized by very long, golden hair in full reaching down with a condensed forward strand of hair, in addition to the Saiyan's eyebrows disappearing. Also it is noted that Goku's eyes have changed in that he has green eyes and pupils, however Gotenks does not have the same characteristic. The bolts of lightning flaring up and dancing about are carried over from Super Saiyan 2. This form increases power and speed even more than a Super Saiyan 2's augmentations. In Dragon Ball GT, the fur of Goku's tail is often gold because of his Super Saiyan 3 form during his fight with Baby on the Tuffle Planet, but it remained brown via Super Saiyan during his battle with Super 17.

Super Saiyan 4

 * Main Article: Super Saiyan 4 at Dragon Ball wiki

This is another unique Super Saiyan form known to be reached. The Super Saiyan 4 form can only be reached by transforming into a Golden Great Ape and then gaining conscious control over the form. Once this form is attained, it can be accessed at any point. In this form, the Saiyan's hair changes colo), the tail is present due to the necessity of transforming into an Oozaru before taking this form, and the body and tail are covered in some shade of red fur. A Saiyan in this form also possesses a red shadow trim around the eyes and over the eyelids. The hair is lengthened and grows wild and untamed. This form has the characteristics of a basic humanoid Saiyan and the Great Ape's characteristics. This is why this form has natural color hair with the mighty Great Ape's fur and tail. In addition, the power and abilities of a Saiyan increase tremendously to the point that they can fight at their very utmost.

Legendary Super Saiyan

 * Main Article: Legendary Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

In Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, the audience is introduced to Broly, the Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly's final transformation puts him in a class of his own because it is genetic. The result is a Super Saiyan with an unbelievably vast power that far outclasses the regular Super Saiyan. Beyond his initial Super Saiyan transformation, Broly's final form is very similar to an Ultra Super Saiyan, but with several notable differences. His size, muscle mass, strength, and speed are extraordinarily far beyond that of any regular Super Saiyan to the point of being abnormal. Additionally, his irises and pupils in his eyes seemingly disappear. Broly's seeming invincibility stems from his great power and not his muscles, as he possesses a vast quantity of raw energy.

Legendary Super Saiyan 3

 * Main Article: Legendary Super Saiyan 3 at Dragon Ball wiki

The Legendary Super Saiyan 3 form is a form attainable by those who can use the Legendary Super Saiyan form, it is much more powerful than Super Saiyan 3 and Legendary Super Saiyan. This form is used by Broly in several games.

Super Saiyan God

 * Main Article: Super Saiyan God at Dragon Ball wiki

Super Saiyan God is the ultimate form of a Saiyan, which gives them a fiery aura and red hair, and is attained when there are six pure hearted Saiyans and five of them give their power to the sixth. It is also noted that this form utilizes a diferrent form of Ki than a normal Saiyan, which is known as "God Ki".

Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan

 * Main Article: Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan at Dragon Ball wiki

Also known as Super Saiyan Blue, this form is obtained when a Super Saiyan God masters their transformation and becomes a Super Saiyan using god ki. It is notably more powerful than the normal Super Saiyan God form, and is able to use Kaio-Ken, unlike previous forms.

Super Saiyan True Blue (fan name)
This form is currently only in use by one saiyan which is Vegeta. It is seen being used in episode 123 of Dragon Ball Super. This form not only darkens the hair of Super Saiyan Blue but it also slightly alters the eyes giving them pupils. This form greatly increases ones strength when used aswell as speed. It is speculated this form is even stronger than that of Super Saiyan Blue + x20 Kaioken which is used by Goku.

Ultra Instinct
This is currently Goku's strongest power far exceeding that of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. Ultra Instinct is a very rare and highly advanced mental state. It is notorious among the Supreme Kais and Gods of Destruction for being exceptionally difficult to master, even for gods.