Dragon Ball Daima: How the Return of Super Saiyan 3 Disproves an Old-School Theory

AlthoughDragon Ballhas teasedVegeta’s transformation into Super Saiyan 3ever since Goku unlocked the form back in the Buu Arc, how the Saiyan Prince achieves the transformation inDragon Ball Daimaactually disproves a compelling old-school theory about a major condition that had to be met before unlocking it. Though he would unlock more powerful forms in extended media, Vegeta didn’t canonically have access to Super Saiyan 3 untilDaima.

The theory initially arose to explain why Vegeta never transformed into a Super Saiyan 3 during the originalDragon Ball. The fact that each instance of Super Saiyan 3 was strange fueled further speculation. It was thought that the transformation could only beunlocked unconventionally or in an altered state of existence. As ofDragon Ball Daimaepisode #12, however that appears to no longer be the case.

Goku embarrassed as Vegeta is annoyed

Vegeta Achieves Super Saiyan 3 Under Normal Circumstances

Vegeta wasn’t in an altered state, nor was he fused or dead

Before Vegeta, the only two Saiyans to achieve Super Saiyan 3 in officialDragon Ballcanon were Goku and Gotenks. For Goku,he learned how to ascend beyond Super Saiyan 3 when he was dead on King Kai’s planet. In fact, Goku was later surprised when he wasn’t able to conjure enough power when fighting Kid Buu as Super Saiyan 3 and that was because he had never fought in that form for a long period of time while alive.

Most of what he knew about the transformation was based on his time in the afterlife. Meanwhile, Trunks and Goten never gained Super Saiyan 3 individually.It was only after they were in a fused state as Gotenks. In other words,fans believed that Vegeta could only reach Super Saiyan 3 when he was dead, fused or in some other altered state.

Yardrat trains Vegeta

Alright, Dragon Ball Daima Really Needs to Lay Off on Its Most Annoying Trope ASAP

Dragon Ball Daima continues exploring the Demon Realm, but a recurring trope of repeated excuses is starting to stand out.

Dragon Ball Daimaepisode #12 seems to disprove this old-school theory whenVegeta transforms into Super Saiyan 3 when fighting the second Tamagami. If that battle had been the first time he achieved that form, then there could still have been a chance that the theory was still logistically sound, since he was in an altered state at the time. He was an adult who had been transformed into a kid. However, there are a few moments in episode #12 that disprove this.

Dragon Ball Daima’s Goku looking amazed with Black Clover’s Asta looking stern behind him.

Though a limited numbers of heroes have canonically unlocked Super Saiyan 3, a wide variety of Saiyans such as Nappa, Bardock, and Gohan have unlocked the form in officially licensed material that isn’t considered canon.

The most obvious is that Vegeta isn’t surprised or amazed when he transforms, alluding to the fact that he obviously unlocked Super Saiyan 3 before the fight, before reverting to a kid. Moreover, when Goku asks when Vegeta learned how to do it, Bulma says, “He’s been training by himself for so long.” So far, this is treated as fact. SoVegeta achieved Super Saiyan 3 under normal circumstances via training. He wasn’t in an altered state, let alone fused or dead.

Did Dragon Ball Daima Create A Massive Plot Hole?

Or did Daima just prove that Vegeta is stronger than Goku?

Unfortunately, there are a number of reason this development might be seen as unappealing. For one, it serves as yet another example ofVegeta having to play catch-up with Goku.Daimamight have further justified Vegeta’s later obsession with surpassing Goku his own way rather than perpetually being in Goku’s shadow, as evident during the events ofDragon Ball Super.

However, there are more than enough examples of Vegeta playing catch-up to warrant another. Additionally, theold-school theory for why Super Saiyan 3 is so raregave the form a far more mystical quality, which was exemplified further by its rarity and the fact that it was more effective when the user was dead.

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However, a comment that a Yardrat later says about Vegeta inDragon Ball Superproves that the Saiyan was even further behind Goku than fans initially thought, and this could have some interesting implications. When training on planet Yardrat, Vegeta is told in chapter #53 that his spirit - or chi - was even less stabilized than Goku’s was when he first arrived there inDragon Ball Z.

SinceDaimatakes place beforeSuper, this means that Vegeta’s chi hadn’t been stabilized yet when he was fighting the second Tamagami. And yet, he was still able to become Super Saiyan 3, even though Goku only first transformed himself after getting his chi stabilized.Dragon Ball Daimaeither just created a plot holeor maybe now actually proves that Vegeta is just more capable than Goku, even though he is playing catch-up.