Dragon Ball: Super Saiyan 3 had only one aspect that made it stand out (but fans know it wasn't enough)

Modified Apr 05, 2024 18:00 GMT

Understanding why Super Saiyan 3 transformation is bad (Image via Toei Animation)

Among Dragon Ball fans, there seems to be one recurring topic of discussion that has given rise to an interesting set of debates: Super Saiyan 3. This is one of the transformations that we see Goku perform in the anime and manga series during the Buu Saga arc.

This transformation garnered a ton of fans since it looked quite aesthetically pleasing, and the process of undergoing the transformation itself had fans hooked. However, when we take a closer look at the transformation itself, it doesn’t offer much in terms of plot progression.

There were quite a few problems with this particular transformation, despite its popularity among fans.

Let’s take a closer look at the transformation and understand why some consider it useless.

Dragon Ball: Understanding the fault with Super Saiyan 3 with respect to its contribution to the plot

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Super Saiyan 3 marks Goku's transformation when confronting Kid Buu, one of the series' strongest villains. Unfortunately, one of the biggest reasons why fans love this transformation is due to its aesthetic appeal, which makes it stand out. That’s not to say it has no functional advantage. Goku’s powers increase by 8 times in comparison to his base state. This makes him incredibly strong, however, power does not justify the tradeoff.

The tradeoff to achieving the Super Saiyan 3 state is that it puts unbelievable amounts of strain on the user. This means Goku cannot stay in this state for too long, and if he did, it would result in the complete depletion of his energy, rendering him useless in a battle. This was also one of the reasons why Goku doesn’t use this transformation that often in the series. Its impracticality makes it one of the most useless transformations in the Dragon Ball series.

Another problem with the Super Saiyan 3 transformation is that it was utilized in a very inefficient manner. It didn’t particularly come at a time that helped the Saiyans in a battle, which is the whole purpose of a transformation. There was a lot of hype around this transformation when Gotenks decided to use it against Buu. The villain managed to absorb Gotenks and became even stronger.

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Additionally, in both the anime and manga series, a plethora of transformations have been showcased, necessitating repeated use for a transformation to truly resonate with fans. This is one of those transformations that was used just once in the Animanga series, and fans never saw it again. From a writer’s perspective, the very design of this transformation was flawed, setting it up for failure.

Its impractical design ensured that it could only be used scarcely in the series. Another issue with this transformation was its application. If this transformation was used to beat an opponent, the overall reception would have been better. However, Goku’s decision to drag out a fight and give Vegeta an opportunity is another reason why Super Saiyan 3 has a bad reputation. This resulted in unnecessary damage that could have been controlled.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.