One Year Ago, Dragon Ball Finally Gave Vegeta His Due

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Dragon Ball Daima has been a dream come true for many Dragon Ball fans. The series not only brought the powerful Super Saiyan 4 transformation into the main storyline, but it also allowed Vegeta to reach a milestone fans thought would never happen. For years, there was one specific transformation everyone believed Vegeta would never achieve, but the new anime proved them wrong. Exactly one year ago today, Vegeta accomplished something previously only Goku and Gotenks had been able to do – and fans are celebrating!

A year ago, the twelfth episode of Dragon Ball Daima, titled “True Strength,” aired. The episode featured Vegeta, still dealing with a wish made by the villain Gomah that shrunk him into a child. Even in this smaller form, Vegeta could still use many of his powerful abilities and transformations. During a fight with Tamagami Number Two, it was revealed that Vegeta had secretly learned to transform into a Super Saiyan 3 – a form he’d never achieved in the main Dragon Ball story before. This new transformation helped him defeat the enemy and earn a Dragon Ball. Thankfully, when the Z-Fighters returned to their adult sizes, Vegeta got to show off this long-awaited transformation while battling Gomah. As of now, the Super Saiyan 3 form hasn’t appeared in Dragon Ball Super, but if the manga continues, it’s likely the artist Toyotaro will feature this powerful new ability.

Vegeta’s Unique Super Saiyan 3 Form

Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 form shared similarities with those of Goku and Gotenks, but there was a key difference in how it was depicted in the anime. Like the others, Vegeta’s form featured long hair and raised eyebrows. However, Vegeta’s hair stood straight up, unlike Goku and Gotenks, whose hair grew extremely long, reaching their feet. With this transformation now appearing in Dragon Ball Daima, fans have been wondering why it wasn’t shown in Dragon Ball Super or other previous anime content.

The new series, Dragon Ball Daima, was created with input from Akira Toriyama and is officially considered part of the main Dragon Ball storyline. This has fans revisiting past moments, wondering if a Super Saiyan 3 transformation would have been possible. One key instance is the battle against Beerus in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, where Vegeta pushed his power to the limit. There’s a straightforward reason why the Super Saiyan 3 wasn’t used, and it relates to the well-known drawbacks of that powerful, but problematic, transformation.

As transformations like Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, and Ultra Instinct became common for the Z-Fighters, Super Saiyan 3 became less frequently used. Although it’s not as strong as these newer forms, Super Saiyan 3 puts a much greater strain on a Saiyan’s body and quickly depletes their energy. This could explain why Vegeta might have avoided using it during his fight with Beerus.

Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3, Past And Future

I remember before Dragon Ball Daima came out, Vegeta hadn’t actually transformed into a Super Saiyan 3 in the main story. However, we had seen the form before, thanks to the Dragon Ball Heroes series. It showed us what Vegeta would look like as a Super Saiyan 3, though the design was a bit different from what we’ve seen more recently. Specifically, in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, we saw a Time Patrol version of Vegeta turn Super Saiyan 3, and then even go further to become a Super Saiyan 4.

Big news for fans of Dragon Ball is coming next month! The Genki Dama Festival promises to reveal what’s next for the franchise across all platforms. While there’s been speculation, we’ll have official details on January 25th, 2026.

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2025-12-28 00:14