10 transformations in Dragon Ball, ranked by difficulty
Dragon Ball features an entire pantheon's worth of transformations. From Kaio-Ken to Ultra Instinct, these all help boost a person's power and enhance their stamina and endurance.
The sheer number of transformations that have come and gone in the series is almost farcical at this point. First, there was the Kaio-Ken, now there's godhood and their own style of transformations! Fans have eagerly clamored to see which ones are the best and have hotly debated which ones they'd personally like to have.
There are quite a few fans, however, who have remarked on how difficult they all are to complete and achieve. Most require backbreaking work, if not traumatizing experiences, to achieve, let alone master.
Note: This article contains spoilers for all of Dragon Ball (anime, manga, Ball through Super), and is the opinion of the author.
Ten complex Dragon Ball transformations
10) Great Ape/Ōzaru
This one probably shouldn't be this low. But the requirements aren't exactly extraordinary.
One only has to be a Saiyan with their tail intact and look at a full moon. It's an innate Saiyan ability akin to a werewolf. It literally turns the user into a giant ape, akin to King Kong, and allows them to fire beams from their mouth and enhance their strength.
It's one of the first big transformations in Dragon Ball, albeit one of the lesser ones compared to the ridiculous ones seen in Z or Super.
9) Frieza Transformation
This is the innate ability of Frieza's race, first seen in Dragon Ball Z's Namek Saga. Frieza's race all wear power restricting armor that suppresses their power, but transforming helps reach their final form.
They're not used unless they truly need to tap into their power, which isn't often thanks to almost nobody being able to catch them off guard.
As this is an innate ability, it's lower on the list since it takes no real effort to attain. It may take an effort to transform, or at least to break the limiters, but not quite to attain.
8) Great Namekian
Similar to the Great Ape, Namekians can change size at will as seen in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Unlike the Great Ape, however, there is a degree of difficulty with this technique.
It involves using innate regenerative abilities to alter the body's volume via concentrating nerves throughout the body to increase size. It's very painful due to excessive additions made to the body.
The state may not increase power levels, but it does make Namekians heavier and more durable without impacting speed and increasing physical strength. The only way to attain this power is through fighting other Namekians as per Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.
Although the canonity of that is dubious, it's the only information we've got on how to attain the form.
7) "Perfect" Cell Form
Cell's forms are a headache to explain. Cell is an android modified by Dr. Gero to get stronger as he absorbs other androids. Because 17 and 18 were the only viable ones at the time, Cell targets them and goes after them.
This one is slightly up there, only because the efforts needed to procure the form don't really require training, just absorbing the Androids via his tail. It requires some effort, however, as live bait is much harder to catch than inner transformations.
6) Max Power
Master Roshi, as well as others, have had this transformation. With Master Roshi, it bulks him up from an older man with noodles for arms to a muscular man capable of producing a Kamehameha that puts out an inferno. Likewise, he also blew up the moon with it.
The only thing one needs to do is charge one's ki to the maximum it can go. This isn't difficult for people who can already charge ki, which took a long time for Roshi to master, but what's bad are the drawbacks.
Anyone that's gone max power suffers reduced speed and mobility, which can be lethal. It also gives blowback when they power down, usually exhausting them.
5) Kaio-Ken
Now the difficulty increases. Kaio-Ken technique is the first real "power boost" style technique seen in Dragon Ball that can multiply the user's ki for a heartbeat's worth of time. The user's aura becomes crimson and the speed and power increase by a set amount (times five, 10, all the way up to times 20 in the anime but 100 in the Lord Slug movie).
The problem is that the technique requires an intense training regime to activate: Goku had to train on King Kai's planet for a long time where the gravity was higher, then had to break his body at 100 times gravity en route to Namek! The other downside is that the user's body is so thrashed that even a friendly tap causes immense pain.
4) Super Saiyan (1-3, and others)
Here's an iconic technique that's in the top five! The Super Saiyan technique was once legendary and has not been seen for 1,000 years. That changed when Goku transformed into one in Dragon Ball Z following Krillin's death at Frieza's hands.
This transformation turns a Saiyan's hair gold, gives them a gold battle aura, and increases their strength, speed, and hitting power nearly 50 times over. It certainly gave Frieza nightmares.
This transformation may be accessed by anyone with Saiyan Cells. It requires extreme emotions, like anger (Vegeta, Goku) or sadness (Future Trunks).
Its drawbacks are that it requires not just that extreme emotion, but a level of uncontrolled aggression. Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan is a perfect example of losing all control of his mental faculties and going wild on anything and everything in range. The Tournament of Power had Kale go off like that as well.
It's not just the emotion, but it's also the physical toll on the body. Without the required training (which Vegeta needed to trek through space for in Dragon Ball Z, likewise, the others had to go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for), the body is absolutely exhausted unless one trains their endurance and stamina.
Likewise, the higher it goes, the harder the drain. SS3 Goku, when fighting Majin Buu, can only maintain SS3 for a certain length of time due to his very life force being sapped.
There's also a speed drain if one bulks up on the muscle, as Future Trunks found out vs. Perfect Cell. Unless one manages to train hard, this form will drain harder than it helps.
3) Super Saiyan God (and Blue)
This is where Dragon Ball literally goes God Mode on the audience. Introduced in DragonBall Z: Battle of Gods and later expanded on in Dragon Ball Super, Super Saiyan God can only be obtained via a ritual with six righteous Saiyans or special divine training. The hair turns red but becomes more defined, the aura resembles a raging fire. Yet the users themselves become cool-headed when in this form.
The usage is different as well. It gives the godly aura and can see and possess god techniques to paralyze foes and absorb and nullify attacks. It prioritizes predictions and techniques over sheer raw power. The power can be felt across the universe when fists collide.
Unfortunately, there is also a similar drawback to the Super Saiyan form: it drains rapidly. The God form is faster, but the Blue form is used for attack and defense. Super Saiyan Blue is a subset and upgrade used by fusing the powers of a god and a Super Saiyan. A godly ritual isn't required there, but it requires just as hard training with godly beings.
Godly beings that can destroy planets with a sneeze. Imagine how hard that is, now triple that breaking of the body to even attain the form again, much less sustain it.
2) Ultra Ego Mode
As if Vegeta's ego needs inflating any further, along came Ultra Ego mode! Ultra Ego is Vegeta's strongest form to date.
It erases visible facial hair, causes the eyes to go magenta, and makes the muscle mass much more defined. Damage is absorbed and added to the users’ energy and the more they give in to the battle the harder they hit and the more they fight.
There's one huge drawback, however. Lust for battle and ego can make the user act rashly and horrifically violent. Take too much damage? The body won't be able to fight as effectively, much less be able to stand.
The training regimen for it is training with a god of destruction at several hundred times gravity with a whole pile of sadistic rules on top of it.
Put simply, the training would kill a normal human. Much like Ultra Instinct!
1) Ultra Instinct
Sorry, Vegeta, but Goku wins again.
Ultra Instinct is considered an Angel level technique. Higher than the gods of destruction, Ultra Instinct makes the user ultra-fast, and frighteningly calm. It focuses on the lack of thought when moving and can very much knock people flat if they aren't careful around it.
Goku eliminated several people from the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super with it, and fought Jiren to a standstill!
The physical toll is immense as it can rip open the user's spine and kill the user if they're not prepared or careful. It's also difficult to learn. The mind must be clear of distractions, break their limits, and combine the two without losing complete emotional control.
Basically, no telegraphing or thinking in fighting, which is near impossible for people who love to fight, like Vegeta.
This technique is a work in progress, as Goku himself is still learning. He has barely used it because it requires so much, but is training to break that limit.
Conclusion
Dragon Ball has so many transformations it's ridiculous! But here they are, the ten most difficult to achieve. People will probably disagree or speculate on some choices, but truly it takes a very trained body and mind to even access these states.
Note: This article reflects the author's views.
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Ravi Iyer