Super Saiyan 2 is pretty much tied to Gohan, and sure enough his SS2 is the only one that looks distinct from his SSJ 1 form. Unfortunately, SS2 doesn't really have much significance beyond that.
It was the point when Gohan unlocked his full potential, but then Goku and Vegeta just casually get it in the following arc, and none of its significance is retained as a result of Gohan's diminished role.
I appreciate the Super Anime for giving it some attention, but that's it.
Hell, Super Saiyan 2 is so similar to the first form that Toriyama straight up forgot that it was its erroneously called Super Saiyan 3 the form.
Super Saiyan 2 is the redheaded stepchild of the original forms; not as iconic as the original and not as visually distinct as its successor. It's primary significance was for Gohan's character, which puts it above 3 at least, but beyond that it's just forgettable overall.
Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Dec 20th 2020 at 12:01:00 PM
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.And they do put a lot of points into the design, at least.
But ultimately, SSJ 2 has one big moment, two if you count the fight between Vegeta and Goku, but that's about it.
That's hilarious part; Cabba is the only other character who has actually made Super Saiyan 2 feel significant since him getting it is his big moment from the TOP. But because Cabba is so thoroughly overshadowed by Caulifa and Kale, nobody cares about it...
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That's a moment entirely on the hinges of the Anime too, because the fight is literally two pages in the manga lmao.
Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Dec 20th 2020 at 12:21:46 PM
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.It makes sense he forgot it existed since it was just treated as ascended SSJ until it was actually named.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.Honestly, in hindsight it would've been better if Super Saiyan 2 (or ascended) was an upgrade exclusive to Gohan, or at least the Saiyan hybrids, that he just couldn't access anymore because of his slacking off, while SSJ 3 was a similar upgrade but exclusive to pure-blooded Saiyans.
And now that I'm already off on fan fiction land, Gohan would've trained just hard enough to keep his relative power level at the end of the Cell Saga but he never went as far as mastering the Ascended level, which is why he's still sitting below both Vegeta and Goku when they show up, and that whole BS with the sword was mostly him learning how to control it again.
That's kind of the problem with Super Saiyan at the end of the day; Uniqueness Decay. It was significant when Goku achieved it, but then it was achieved by every secondary Saiyan since, and nowhere near as significant in later appearances.
We complain about Super Saiyan Blue, but let's not forget that Vegeta got all of his Super Saiyan forms offscreen, and outside of his initial showing with the first form, has never made the forms feel as important as when Goku did against Freeza.
And that's what makes Ultra Instinct feel much more prestigious actually; its exclusive to Goku only, and is treated as a significant event every time it's used. Depending on where Super goes, Ultra Instinct might be better represented than Super Saiyan 1.
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.Wins are aren't the only parts that are relevant. And Ultra Instinct running out doesn't change the fact that nobody has been able to beat it since its debut.
Well in the manga, the mastered version won. Its the omen that gets treated like crap.
Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Dec 20th 2020 at 1:23:53 PM
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.I actually held SS4 in a similarly high regard back when I first discovered it in Budokai 3. And the internet pictures thing is why I held Trunks in such high regard for a long time. But any care I had for GT material deflated by the time I got to see it. I remember watching Gogeta fight Shenron and my response was along the lines of "... is that it?"
Man were those games were hype.
Unlocking SS 4 was so dope.
Edited by slimcoder on Dec 21st 2020 at 2:06:24 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."I'm still partial to Tenkaichi 3 for its stupid humongous roster. If they could just bring that out again and slap on another thirty or so characters from Super, I might never need another Dragon Ball game again.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.I don't care about every Saiyan getting their racial ability, I care about their character development and why they get it in that moment. It's like Digimon and how digivolving is always tied to the growth of the kids; every new level the Digimon unlock is a sign of a new step in the maturation of their human partner, which usually only happens after a major event in the plot of a Digimon show.
This is also why Vegeta and Future Trunks' anime exclusive transformation scenes are more memorable than the manga just having them show up with it, and ultimately why so many fans didn't like Caulifa's tingly back or the kids having it in the Buu Saga. If there's no poignancy or character growth associated with the transformation, it won't be interesting to see.
Edited by VeryMelon on Dec 21st 2020 at 10:25:39 AM

Super Saiyan 2 has the problem that it doesn't really look all that different from Super Saiyan 1; every other transformation remaining on the list has a much more obvious visual cue. I expect the list to be 4. SS2 3. Ultra Instinct 2. Perfect Cell 1. SS1, although I think only 1 is locked in.
Edited by thok on Dec 20th 2020 at 8:51:21 AM