The introduction of the Super Saiyan mode was one of the most sensational scenes in Dragon Ball. Fans have loved the transformation, and it has gone through many further evolutions over the decades, both in DBZ and other sequels.
Goku was the first Saiyan to reach Super Saiyan mode in almost a thousand years. However, after him, Vegeta, Trunks, Gohan, and several other characters could unlock the mode. The second-gen Saiyans in Dragon Ball could even achieve the mode at a tender age. This has led fans to question why none of the original Saiyans from Planet Vegeta could unlock Super Saiyan.
Why it is Easier for Saiyans from Earth to Achieve Super Saiyan
Akira Toriyama has already explained in an interview that not everyone can become a Super Saiyan. A powerful physique, training and anger aren’t the only elements that are required to make a Super Saiyan because one also needs S-Cells. The author then detailed that when the S-Cells multiply to a certain amount, anger acts as a trigger and increases them even more. It is this dramatic increase in S-Cells that actually transforms Saiyans into Super Saiyans.
While most Saiyans have S-Cells in their bodies, it’s not enough to achieve a transformation. In order to increase them in the first place, you need to have a gentle spirit.
Having a gentle spirit is the best way to greatly increase one’s S-Cells, but most Saiyans have trouble with this, which I think is why no Super Saiyans appeared for such a long time that they became the stuff of legend.
The hostile nature of Planet Vegeta is not fit to raise a gentle spirit as they have an extremely rigid and domineering training regime. In other terms, their lack of humanity causes them to diminish their S-Cells. Both Goku and Vegeta were softened by Earth, and their children reaped even larger benefits due to being born and brought up on Earth.
Why Couldn’t Saiyans Achieve the Super Saiyan State Before Goku in DBZ?
According to a fan theory, it is the overuse of the Ozaru or the Great Ape form that led Saiyans to the deprivation of the Super Saiyan state. Goku was forced to get stronger because he had lost his tail and could no longer use the Great Ape form. Vegeta also underwent the same fate and as their dependency on the form reduced, they had to start looking for other ways to be powerful.
When the Saiyan race fought in battles, they could have been dependent on their Great Ape forms, and did not care to further explore other alternatives. It could have been this blindness and utter dependency that led them to their ruin. If not, their Zenkai Boost power might have kicked in, and they could have become strong enough to overthrow Frieza.
The Great Ape form, while being extremely powerful, also has its limits and is not as powerful as the Super Saiyan form. There is also a tendency for Saiyans to lose all sanity and control when they are overcome by this state. Thus, this power has its own setbacks.
You can read Dragon Ball on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
