Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z is a formative shonen series full of unforgettable moments. The fandom is frequently divided over what qualifies as Dragon Ball's best battle or character breakthrough. That being said, every Dragon Ball fan remembers their reaction to the first time that Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan. Goku's iconic transformation is a major turning point for the series, and Super Saiyans are now so prevalent it's hard to imagine a version of Dragon Ball Z without them. Dragon Ball Z's first Super Saiyan reveal is hard to top; at that moment, it feels like Goku has achieved peak power. It's an exciting experience for both Goku and the audience, but it's also the start of a dangerous precedent that Dragon Ball Z fails to ever completely abandon.
Dragon Ball Z's Cell Saga marks the start of fresh horizons. There's initially an unpredictable feeling as the anime subverts past ideas. One of the first things that needs to get addressed is Goku's newfound Super Saiyan strength. Dragon Ball Z establishes Frieza as the universe's strongest threat, so it's difficult to feel worried about the heroes when they have superior Super Saiyan strength on the team. Super Saiyans could have been handled in several different ways in the Frieza Saga's aftermath, and it's fascinating how Cell's attack temporarily solves this issue, only to escalate it even further.
The Cell Saga Disproves The Singular Super Saiyan Theory
Goku's Super Saiyan transformation on Planet Namek is a game-changing moment; at one point, it was even considered to be a possible ending for the manga. Dragon Ball Z really leans into the Super Saiyan's lore. Everyone believes that there is only one Saiyan who's worthy to ascend to this special status. This is why Vegeta is so crestfallen when he learns that Goku is the Super Saiyan rather than himself, which he considers his birthright. Dragon Ball Z could have followed up Goku's Super Saiyan win by making this transformation a temporary experience and something that Goku can't control at will.
Rather than backpedal, Dragon Ball Z course-corrects through the simple revelation that anyone can become a Super Saiyan if they endure the right conditions. This already helps the series out by not needing Goku to always be the one to save the day with his Super Saiyan strength. Vegeta masters this transformation, but Dragon Ball Z also hammers in the commonplace nature of Super Saiyans through Future Trunks' introduction. The Cell Saga further humbles the Super Saiyan concept when Gohan achieves it at the young age of 9. Gohan has always been stronger than the average child, but a Super Saiyan comes across as less godly if a kid can accomplish it. All of Dragon Ball Z's Saiyans become Super Saiyans in the Cell Saga, which really does help demystify it through its prevalence among the characters.
Super Saiyan Strength Gets Devalued
The Cell Saga makes Super Saiyans feel less special by giving this power to everyone. However, Super Saiyan strength suddenly becomes subpar in the face of these new villains. Super Saiyan Goku and Future Trunks' ability to dominate Frieza makes it seem like this transformation is an easy way to win any battle. The Cell Saga quickly disabuses audiences of this notion through repeated instances where Super Saiyans fail. Vegeta has never been cockier than when he's in his "Super Vegeta" state, and it'd be easy to let the character coast for a while as the world's strongest. It's very intentional that Dragon Ball Z depicts each of its Super Saiyans facing crushing blows against the Androids. Goku loses to Android 19, and more than just Vegeta's ego gets bruised by Android 18.
For what it's worth, Piccolo appears to fare best against Android 17, even if the two aren't able to finish their fight. It still seeds the idea that perhaps Namekians will represent Dragon Ball Z's future just as much as Super Saiyans. It's also particularly chilling that Future Trunks comes from a dystopian timeline where Super Saiyan strength wasn't anywhere close to saving the world. Future Trunks' broken world is living proof that Super Saiyans aren't enough to solve every problem. His timeline even has a Super Saiyan adult Gohan who's helpless against Androids 17 and 18. All of this together really highlights how much the heroes previously overestimated the utility of a Super Saiyan.
New Super Saiyan Stages Are Discovered
These active choices to devalue and normalize the Super Saiyan boost were helpful toward the Cell Saga building a unique identity. Unfortunately, Toriyama goes back to what works and embraces Super Saiyans more than ever in a way that pushes the concept to the point of no return that still plagues Dragon Ball. Stronger enemies prompt Dragon Ball Z to suggest that Super Saiyan isn't a blanket transformation and it's instead a multi-tiered system. This turns what used to be the apex of power into merely the first rung of greatness. The Cell Saga explores some curious cost/effect analysis with Super Saiyan Third Grade, which boasts greater strength but at the sacrifice of speed and agility. This could have been an interesting direction for future Super Saiyan transformations where characters must take into consideration various pros, cons, and when it's the right time to use which Super Saiyan form.
These Super Saiyan setbacks don't last long; DBZ returns to Saiyan tunnel vision by the time the Cell Games begin. It's really just Goku, Vegeta, Future Trunks, and Gohan who contribute in a significant capacity, even though there's still an eclectic cast of characters to pull from. Cell's defeat by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan gets a lot of praise simply because it's a rare occasion where Goku isn't the hero. However, Gohan's convenient Super Saiyan 2 turn is still just an echo of what Goku experiences on Namek with Frieza. This decision to have a new Super Saiyan transformation lead to victory is a trend that continues in Dragon Ball to this day. Fans practically expect a new transformation — Super Saiyan or otherwise — to be the solution to Dragon Ball's biggest fights rather than it being a genuine martial arts strategy. Much like with Cell himself, Dragon Ball Z's Super Saiyan problem briefly reaches perfection before it's all thrown away.