Summary
Despite being one of the most-watched anime series in the world, theDragon Ballfranchise isn’t without flaws. There arebad story arcs, underutilized characters, and underwhelming transformations that bring the series down slightly from the shiny pedestal many people tend to put it on.
Dragon Ballwasn’t very hot on transformation until the Frieza saga, and before that, there were only minor powerups or visual changes. But after Goku achieved the first Super Saiyan, the franchise introduced way too many new forms, especially in theDragon Ball Superanime, most of which were understandably disappointing.
7Super Saiyan Blue
Blue Aura And Loopholes
Following the Super Saiyan God form in theDragon Ball Super’sfirst story arc, theSuper Saiyan Blue transformation, which is simply the SSJ God form turned Super Saiyan, is a tad bit disappointing. Instead of a slimmer frame and a faster body, not to mention the cool-looking God Ki in the Super Saiyan God form, the SSJ Blue forgoes all of that for blue hair and aura.
Plus, since Goku needed to turn SSJ God before going blue, the anime never explains why Vegeta got this form without undergoing any ritual to turn into an SSJ God first.
6Golden Frieza
An Expensive-looking Frieza
Fans have a lot of problems with Frieza’s golden-colored form. Introduced inDragon Ball Superfor the first time, the evil overlord of the universe andDragon Ball Z’sfavorite villainis back with a vengeance for Goku and Vegeta, and this time, he has a shiny new transformation up his sleeve. However, the problem with his new golden form is that it basically looks exactly the same as his normal final form, with an additional gold plating on top.
And if that wasn’t lazy enough, there isn’t a proper explanation as to how Frieza was able to achieve this new form that rivals that of Super Saiyan Blue, other than training for four months.
5Trunk’s Super Saiyan Rage
Trunks Getting God-level Ki For No Reason
During the Zamasu and Black Goku arc, Future Trunks transforms into a semi-SSJ Blue, but with golden hair of the normal Super Saiyan form. This weird mix of the two forms is never explained in the anime and comes as an underwhelming surprise to everyone.
It would have made more sense if Trunks had achieved Super Saiyan 3, but suddenly being able to become as strong as an SSJ Blue just by fighting alongside SSJ Blue Goku and Vegeta is some serious plot armor. Not to mention that this is a standalone transformation that noother Saiyan, including Gohan, ever achieved.
4Ascended Super Saiyan
A Saiyan On Steroids
Where Goku and Gohan trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to master the Super Saiyan form to fight Cell, Vegeta and Trunks tried to go beyond it, resulting in theAscended Super Saiyan. But this form was not only disappointing in the looks department, but also in how it performed in battles.
The only change that came with this form was the extra muscle mass the duo gained, but being heavier meant that they would also be slow and consume energy much faster.
3Golden Great Ape
A Fancy Great Ape
Throughout the originalDragon Ballanime, the only major transformation that existed was the Ozaru form. This was an impressive change as it increased the Saiyan’s power by 10x, made them bigger in size, but also came with a complete loss of control over themselves. This tied in perfectly with the fact that Saiyans had tails and that’s what allowed them to transform in the first place.
But inDragon Ball GT,both Goku and Vegeta are able to turn into Golden Great Ape, with the premise being that both have achieved the power of Super Saiyan 3, which is necessary to get this form. The Golden Great Ape is, overall, a disappointing transformation with no difference in form other than golden fur, and it only exists as a bridge that leads to the much betterSuper Saiyan 4 transformation.
2Piccolo And Nail Fusion
Like Nothing Even Happened
Namekianspossess a unique ability to fuse with each other, which massively increases their power. The first instance of this happened in the Frieza Saga inDragon Ball Z, where Piccolo fused with a dying Nail to become significantly stronger.
The only problem with this fused form is that it brings no difference to how Piccolo looks; he feels much stronger and is able to keep up with Frieza’s second form. This form, compared to the Great Namekian form, which makes them huge in size, is a massive letdown, and only serves to suddenly bring Piccolo to a similar power level to Frieza.
1Frieza Full Power
Frieza After 6 Months In The Gym
Before Goku broke Frieza’s pride forever and left him helpless on the dying Namek, Frieza tried matching Goku’s newly unlocked Super Saiyan form by ascending up one further level from his usual final form. Similar to the ascended Super Saiyan form that came much later in the anime, the Full Power form made Frieza stronger and able to take Goku’s punches and even give back some.
But compared to Frieza’s Final Form, which was completely different from her previous forms and painted him in a much more menacing light, the Full Power form only added some bulky muscles to Frieza and called it a day.
