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Although Goku mostly remains the star of the show inDragon BallDaima, considering that he is the protagonist of the long-running franchise, some other characters also get their moments to shine from time to time in the anime. These moments range from some franchise firsts that fans had been looking forward to for a long time to bringing some non-canon concepts over to the canon side to officially add them to the franchise’s lore.
Vegeta finally achieving the Super Saiyan 3 transformation belongs to the former category, which was a moment that solidified Daima’s importance in Dragon Ball history and gave the Saiyan prince some much-needed bragging rights over Kakarot.
Major spoilers for Dragon Ball Z and Daima below.
What Is Super Saiyan 3?
Like the name clearly suggests, the Super Saiyan 3 transformation isthe successor to the SSJ2 form, surpassing it in almost every aspect, especially the power that comes with it. However,there have not been many Saiyansin Dragon Ball that have managed to unlock the Super Saiyan 3 form, which makes it a special milestone that a fighter can achieve.
The Super Saiyan 3 transformation made its debut during theMajin Buu saga in Dragon Ball Z, when Goku comes back to Earth after his extensive training over in the Other World, and it starts to seem like all hope is lost against the final major antagonist of the anime.
But as Goku shows off his various transformations one by one, ranging from the general Super Saiyan state to the rare SSJ3 form, it becomes clearthat the latter is extremely powerful, as the effects of the Saiyan charging up are felt miles away from the actual battlefield. The environment around Goku starts to change drastically, and that is justduring the buildup to the transformation.
Once Goku does turn into Super Saiyan 3, he gains amassive advantage in terms of strength, resulting in him absolutely devouring Majin Buu by constantly attacking him and not giving him the window for a counterattack.
However, the only trade-off is that the Super Saiyan 3 transformationcan’t be used for too long, as it is a form that is primarily focused on the Ki of the user, draining a lot of it in the process. Which is whyit requires rigorous training to achieveand use, or in the case of Gotenks, a fusion between two Saiyans so that the repercussions do not only hurt one body.
Because of the toll that it takeson the user’s Ki and body, the Super Saiyan 3 form is rarely ever seen throughout the history of Dragon Ball, and there have been very few instances where even Goku has opted to use it.
In terms of appearance, the Super Saiyan 3 form takes a detour from the regular blonde spiky hair that SSJ1 and SSJ2 come with and instead increases thelength of the hair to the waistof the user, in the classic blonde color, of course.
Another key difference that happens to the user’s appearanceis the disappearance of their eyebrows, which is unique to the Super Saiyan 3 form because it does not happen with any other transformation.
How Does Vegeta Unlock Super Saiyan 3?
Pride and ego are two major qualitiesthat have defined Vegeta as a character ever since he made his franchise debut in Dragon Ball Z, but unfortunately, both of those sentiments get hurt constantly as he witnesses Goku surpass him at almost every step of the way. The same thing happened whenVegeta found out that Goku had achievedthe rare Super Saiyan 3 form, a transformation that he may not even have fathomed to see in his lifetime.
Dragon Ball Daimais set a few months afterthe battle against Majin Buu, and in the anime, mini Vegeta decides totake on the Second World Tamagamito win the Dragon Ball for his team.
During the intense battle between the two, Vegeta finds himself on the losing side as he keeps getting outclassed by the Tamagami, resulting in him getting thrown into a kraken’s mouth andunleashing his Super Saiyan 2 transformation.
However, even then, the Tamagami keeps up with Vegeta’s new form and does not show any signs of stopping, after which the elderlyNamekian Neva provides the former with a massive power boostthat the Saiyan is no match for. Vegeta goes unconscious, but as soon as he wakes back up, he reveals that he has a surprise hidden up his sleeve, charging up and showing off his brand-newSuper Saiyan 3 form in Episode 12, True Strength.
That leaves the Z Fighter squad quite shocked, prompting Goku to ask when and how Vegeta was able to unlock the transformation, to which Bulma replies that he has beentraining very vigorously during the monthsleading up to Daima.
It turns out that,through sheer hard work and determinationto catch up to Goku, Vegeta was finally able to achieve a transformation that Dragon Ball fans had given up on for him. And although he is still in his mini-state, Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta completely turns the tide of the battle against the Tamagamiwithout even using his handsor breaking a sweat.
SSJ3 Vegeta easily wins the fight by justkicking the Tamagami around and having his arms folded, bringing the Z Fighters one step closer to getting reverted to their adult forms.
Although the power levels between Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta and his other SSJ3 counterparts, like Goku and Gotenks, are quite similar, there is aclear difference in his transformation. Instead of Vegeta’s hair growing down to his waist, itbecomes longer, spikier, and more upwardswhen compared to the Super Saiyan 3 forms that have been featured in Dragon Ball before.
When he finally gets his adult body restored thanks toGlorio’s wish in Episode 19, Betrayal, Vegeta quickly realizes that he needs to transform into Super Saiyan 3 again if he wants to have any chance against Gomah and the Third Eye.
While the mini version of the Saiyan’s SSJ3 form was too much for the Tamagami to handle, theadult Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta is naturally even stronger, as he unleashes unstoppable attacks on Gomah without giving him any time to counter with his own. Unfortunately, the Third Eye keeps helping Gomah with his recovery, and since the Super Saiyan 3 form can’t be used for long,Vegeta has to retreatand let the others take over the battle.
Although Daima madethe Super Saiyan 4 transformation canonfor Goku, Vegeta still has a long way to go before he finally reaches Kakarot’s level, but considering that he unlocked the SSJ3 form in a matter of months,canon SSJ4 does not seem too farfor the Saiyan prince either.
