#SSJ grade 3

[leftpostwerewolf]

[5tt3llar]

DARN HE YOLKED

Experimental piece ft super Trunks. Wanted to mess around with aura effects and shading that comes with it 🦅

[peridotite]

Remember that time when Cell turned buffed?

if you mean when he self destructed yeah i made a joke about that a week ago

[chickenoptyrx]

You do so right by z Broly, you understand his potential. Your au with him and Trunks is a delight

Glad we all appreciate my blatant misrepresentation of the character 😌 im partly joking but man fr, 12 year old me would hate that instead of him bein a badass edgy monster, I draw him as.. *checks notes* .. an immature loser with bad coping mechanisms uwu

Ok but in true ask tradition! :U im hijacking this ask to talk about a dumb theory thats been rolling around in my head for like 2 years now: android 16 and broly similarities:

Ok so. If you aren't aware. The android arc of dragon ball was originally going to focus on the androids 19 & 20 and trunks even names them specifically

But Toriyamas former editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, didn't like them as the main antagonists and so Toriyama changed it to focus on 17 & 18 as the bad guys and introduced 16 as a sort of mystery

Now. This gets almost completely dropped once that same former editor ALSO doesn't like these androids and cell becomes the main villian for the arc (yeah yeah, the bomb thing is technically *there*, but its so inconsequential most people forget its even a thing :T )

So. Idk exactly when movie 8 went into production, but we know Brolys LSSJ form was inspired by trunks SSJ grade3 form that appears several chapters after cell has been introduced and the androids have become power-up fodder, so im gonna argue its safe to say the decision to move away from their story had been made

(side tangent that I find absolutely hilarious btw- despite gokus commentary in the HTC, SSJ grade 3 was the strongest form of ssj we saw at this point, so its pretty appropriate to use it as the basis of the strongest scariest ssj form.... rrriiiiiiiiggght up until toriyama introduced SSJ2 on Feb 2, 1993- near exactly 1 month before the first Broly movie hit theaters. Completely undermined what, up til then, looked like a trend in stronger form = bigger and beefier right as the big beefy strongest guy ever movie came out 🤣 absolutely love it!)

So anyways. The movies overall also tend to have varying degrees of similarities with recent arcs in the show and Toriyama, while not overly involved, would give the studio designs and story notes. And. Idk. Yall can tell me im reaching if ya want, but: A guy who's made into a weapon by his father who's on a quest for revenge and has this conflicting view of his son as both someone he feels he failed to protect, someone he cares about, but also as a tool for that revenge, and someone who's destructive power hes become deeply afraid of.. now where have we seen somethin like that 🤔 may be an extra reach but I also think its neat that despite their different face shape, Toriyamas gave em the same expression

Lol they're also both just ridiculously tall bastards. Like for no gd reason. And yeah, to me atleast, it explains why hating goku specifically gets shoehorned into brolys backstory (listen I can absolutely do the mental gymnastics to make it make sense! I'm fine with it! Its fine! I actually like it! ... but it IS a dumb shoehorned plot point! Both things can be true D:< ) look just lookit these tall ass shits

Anyway. My last note is just this statement from Toriyama about 16 and Gero. The way gero is presented is really in line with how I see Paragus as this tragic failure of a father- honestly caring about his kid, but letting grief and revenge drive him into conflicting corners where he wants revenge FOR the life denied his son, but also actively shaping his son into such a terrifying weapon that ultimately hed rather his kid just never be conscious cause thats the 'only way to keep them safe'

“Dr. Gero’s son who died young a long time ago served as the visual model for Android 16. He was a high-ranking soldier for the Red Ribbon Army but was shot down by the enemy. Dr. Gero reserved special feelings for 16 as “his son,” and although he equipped 16 with immense power and a frightening destructive device, he didn’t want to see him be defeated on the battlefield and thus programmed him to have a gentle personality. 16 was consequently considered a failed creation.” The smaller caption below Toriyama’s quote reads: “Was the reason Dr. Gero didn’t want to activate 16 perhaps because of his parental love to not see him destroyed?”

[velvetvexations]

Hot take but the Buu Saga legit sucks so bad and it's almost entirely because Toriyama couldn't keep Goku dead. If Goku never came back for the tournament or anything it'd be fantastic. If Gohan and Gotenks put down Buu, with an assist from Vegeta probably, everything would be cool and awesome, but Goku coming back fucks it all over so hard and completely ruins the end of the Cell Saga with Gohan's ascendency and Goku refusing to come back to life because he felt he did more harm than good.

My appreciation of Dragon Ball dived when I started reassessing it post-Battle of the Gods and while I can still point to a lot of things about the earlier stuff that bothers me on some level, it's 90% Buu that drives me off a cliff, and what does bother me about what came before would be redeemed if WAIT FOR GOKU really had been countered and put to rest in the end.

It also sucks that Super Saiyan 3 created the very problem it was supposed to parody, because previously SSJ2 had just been Gohan awakening to his true power. It wasn't actually a separate form per se until suddenly it became classified as the middle step between SSJ and SSJ3, not only codifying the infamous trend of forms on yet more forms* but also invalidating Gohan's achievement and what it meant to him.

*yes, Freeza and Cell went through forms, but a limited number in a very short period of time, and for Super Saiyan there was only Grade Two and Three during the fight with Semi-Perfect Cell, both of which were immediately dismissed as not having practical application

[bahnloopi]

Ok just to clarify, I'm asking how one would differentiate

(grade 1)

This, from THIS:

(Grade 2)

And or this:

(Grade 3)

Ahh

The Super grades are replaced with their own technique known as "Flex".

Flex when active allows for the Sento to enlarge a selected limb to deal damage on impact. But there's a catch.

It works similar to Kioken but rather than injure or almost kill the user, it severely drops their stamina for the moment after use. If spammed too much in a short interval of time, they'll tire themselves out indefinitely and rendered inabled the rest of the fight (literally fall asleep right there on the spot). So they can't use it for long and instead uses it in spurts for when they have an opening. They have to be strategic in how or when they decide to use it.

Now for "Paw". Think stacking. SSJ, with Flex active, now add a move called "Paw" thrown into the mix.

"Paw" is a open-palm strike attack that will cause a full body damage effect if hit directly near vital organs. Paw has been known to cause heart failure if the opponent is hit in the chest with all the power stacks active. It's a stinging slap attack that causes a ripple pain effect that can be deadly. They're mainly saved for taking down Ligers but can also be used for CPR should a being be rendered unconscious.

This all ties back into their laid-back/lazy nature when not active. It's not for the fighting to prove themself or be strong. They'll fight out of defense or handle you if you are the trouble to maintain the vibes.

[sweetescapeartist]

FULL POWER FORMS & SUPER SAIYAN GRADE FORMS

These forms allow for characters to amplify their physical strength by swelling their ki to expand their muscles mass & height as it greatly increases the physical power of their current form. I categorize these forms as "Partial Full Power" & "100% Full Power" forms.

Now, here are the characters who have used these "Full Power" forms. (If I missed any, let me know.)

ROSHI: 🕶️🐢

Normal • Partial Full Power • 100% Full Power

GARLIC JR (Z Films): 🧄

Normal • Transformed (100% Full Power)

FREEZA: 🧊

Normal • Partial Full Power • 100% Full Power

VEGETA: 🥗🐒

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 2 (Partial Full Power)

TRUNKS: 🩳🐒

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 2 (Partial Full Power) • SSJ Grade 3 (100% Full Power)

GOKU: 🥕🐒

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 2 (Partial Full Power) • SSJ Grade 3 (100% Full Power)

CELL: 🧬

Normal • Partial Full Power • 100% Full Power

BROLY (Z Films): 🥦🦍

Normal base • Restrained SSJ • Normal SSJ • Legendary SSJ (100% Full Power)

GOKUA (Z Films): 🏴‍☠️

Normal • Transformed (100% Full Power)

ZANGYA (Z Films): 🏴‍☠️

Normal • Powered-up (Partial Full Power)

BOJACK (Z Films): 🏴‍☠️

Normal • Transformed (100% Full Power)

TRUNKS (DBS anime): 🩳🐒

SSJ • SSJ2 • Super Saiyan Rage (Transformed 100% Full Power)

MERGED ZAMASU (DBS anime): 🐵☯🍏

Merged Zamasu • Merged Zamasu [Corrupted] • Merged Zamasu [Corrupted] (100% Full Power)

FROST (DBS anime): ❄️

Normal • 100% Full Power

CAULIFLA (DBS anime): ⚪🥦🐵

Normal base • Normal SSJ • SSJ Grade 3 (100% Full Power)

KALE (DBS anime): 🥬🦍

Normal base • Berserker SSJ (100% Full Power) • Controlled Berserker SSJ (Controlled Full Power)

TOPPO (DBS anime): ♨️

Normal • GoD Form (100% Full Power)

SSGSS VEGETA (DBS anime): 🥗🐒

Normal SSB • SSBE (Controlled 100% Full Power)

JIREN (DBS anime): 👽

Normal • Full Power (100% Full Power) • Awakened (Beyond/Super Full Power)

BROLY (DBS anime): 🥦🦍

Normal base • Wrathful State [Stage 2] (Full Power base/Humanoid Oozaru) • Normal SSJ • Full Power SSJ (Legendary SSJ)

GAS (DBS manga): ⛽

Normal base • Instincts Released (100% Full Power) • Instincts Controlled (Controlled Full Power) • Burning (Partial Life Reserves) • Zombie (Life Reserves) • Instincts Released Zombie (Life Reserves 100% Full Power)

THE FLAW OF FULL POWER FORMS: 📉

Often times, the Full Power forms are more of a liability than a benefit. Most quickly burn through ki & put strain on the body while giving brute strength at the cost of speed. All which can make the user vulnerable in a life-or-death battle.

In the case of Kale, Broly, & Gas, their increased muscle mass didn't cost them speed. Instead, their Full Power forms caused them to temporarily lose their sanity; something that can put their own life at risk as well as others they may care about.

However, there are characters who have been able to make use of the Full Power forms immediately without losing speed, stamina, or sanity. Examples being SS Rage Trunks, Merged Zamasu, GoD Toppo, SSBE Vegeta, and Jiren (Full Power & Awakened).

EXTRA THOUGHTS:

Certain names of the transformations are just what I call them. Like Kale's Controlled Berserker SSJ, Jiren's Awakened Full Power state, and all of the names for Gas' forms.

Super Saiyan Grade 2 & 3 forms are essentially Roshi's buffer forms repurposed for a Super Saiyan.

I decided to not classify Freeza's "True Golden Freeza" Form as a Full Power Form of Golden Freeza because it appears to be more akin to Super Saiyan Grade 4/Mastered Super Saiyan.

Knowing that Freeza can increase his power by percentages, this would imply the same for other characters who use Full Power forms. Roshi's semi-buff form would possibly be about 70% while his Full Power form is 100%. Super Saiyan Grade 2 may be about 80% or so depending on the character, while Super Saiyan Grade 3 is 100%.

There's a reason you don't see a Full Power SSJ2 or a Full Power SSJ3 used in combat. Most Full Power forms are not stable and would only be good if they can land a hit. And with the stamina drain of SSJ3, a "SSJ3 Grade 3" would be a very pointless form that greatly multiplies the stamina drain.

I didn't include Majin Vegeta as a Full Power form despite it being SSJ2 Vegeta at Full Power. The power Vegeta recieved was not entirely his own & was power beyond his limits granted to him by magic. He was not using a Grade 3 form either, so I did not consider it to be a Full Power form in the same sense as the others on the list.

From what I can tell, Super Saiyan Rage could be some sort of "SSJ2 form of SSJ2." Meaning its a unique form above SSJ3. Before transforming into Super Saiyan Rage, a SSJ2 Trunks bulks up into a "SSJ2 Grade 3." Then, Trunks controls the power, slims down, gains a new aura, gets sharper and longer hair, & temporarily lacks pupils/irises. This is like Kale's Controlled Berserker SSJ form, but seemingly on a higher level. Future Trunks had already gotten his SSJ2 form to be almost as strong as SSJ3, so a "Controlled Full Power SSJ2 form" (SS Rage) would probably put him on a level around or a bit above SSG. (Maybe I should make a post about Super Saiyan Rage in the future. 🤔) On the other hand, Controlled Berserker SSJ Kale is shown to be somewhat below SSG Goku in DBS EP 114 when she & SSJ2 Caulifla fought SSG Goku when he had his gaurd up. So... from what I can tell, Super Saiyan Rage is a transformation of SSJ2 that began as "SSJ2 Grade 3" before Trunks controlled his Full Power & transformed. Thus, I classified Super Saiyan Rage as a Full Power transformation similar to SSBE. (If you disagree & have evidence of some sort, share it with me so I can adjust my thoughts as needed.)

After transforming into SSBE, Vegeta said "This is everything I have, Jiren!" So, I classified Vegeta's SSBE as some sort of improved version of the Full Power form while using SSB. It's basically Vegeta as SSB Grade 3, but slimmed down due to god ki giving him better control of the form, so there is no speed drawback. In a way, it's similar to how Trunks transformed into Super Saiyan Rage. Like Father, like son I suppose.

I wonder if DBS Broly's green haired SSJ form is his SSJ form mixed with the power of his Wrathful State (the Humanoid Oozaru form). With how the Wrathful State [Stage 2] made Broly grow in height and muscle mass, and how the Legendary SSJ form makes Broly turn giant and buff... Maybe his Full Power SSJ form is indeed SSJ combine with a [Stage 2] or a hypothetical [Stage 3] of Broly's Wrathful State power? 🤔

The DBS Manga continuity version of Broly's forms differs from its animated counterpart from what I can tell. DBS manga Broly is more similar to DBS manga Kale. [DBS manga Broly & DBS manga Kale have Base • Super Saiyan • Full Power Super Saiyan.]

I believe Zangya was in a partial Full Power form because she had to power-up against Krillin. When she did, her hair stayed floating upwards during her entire battle with Krillin. Her hair returned to normal only after she defeated him. She clearly had to power-up. But, does Zangya have her own green-skinned transformation like Bojack & Gokua? It's possible. Or perhaps she wasn't able to use a Full Power form like them just yet. We didn't see Bido or Bujin power-up to a Full Power form either. It seems like most of the crew don't have access to that Full Power transformation. So, this powered-up state Zangya used against Krillin could be her "Partial Full Power" if she can transform, or even her current "full power" if she cannot transform a true Full Power form. I currently believe that it is Zangya's "Partial Full Power" form & she hadn't unlocked the Full Power transformation yet.

I disagree with the idea of Krillin using the the Full Power form as a "power-up" like Roshi does because it wouldn't allow him to even touch a stronger opponent due to the buff form's speed reduction. As shown in Resurrection F, the Full Power form still quickly depleted Roshi's stamina & Krillin had to come in to save him. Some ppl say it will make Krillin taller, so it's a good form for him. However, being of short stature is actually an advantage because Krillin is harder to hit and his opponent will underestimate his strength like Piccolo did during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, & like how Vegeta & Nappa underestimated Krillin's strength & skill when he fought them. Plus, Krillin being short is not only part of his character appeal, but it is also a reference to Journey To The West.

Since the buff form is pointless for most characters (unless its a controlled Full Power Form), the best goal for the Krillin and the other Earthling fighters would be for them to utilize masterful ki control & performance in their normal state rather than greatly increasing their muscle mass with ki. As displayed by Krillin, Non-Self State is the next level of Earthling "transformation." But, rather than physical, it is a spiritual transformation; a transformation of internal energy. Hopefully Krillin's Non-Self State makes a return in some form & the other Earthling warriors recieve a similar power-up in the future as well. I have my doubts, but fingers crossed. 🤞

[chelzawesomesauce]

tbh it fucking sucks that there's so much Super focus in the Sparking Zero roster The only characters that don't feature in their DBS designs are SSJ Grade 3 Trunks, A18, Saiyan Saga Vegeta, and Mr. Satan. Like, fuck, I know the BT games, 3 especially, are known for their literally-who picks but the fucking catgirl from the tournament of power?????? (Its been a while but I dont remember her at all from what I saw of the ToP, up to ep100 then i dropped DBS bc the nonstop fighting got too repetive, if she got more signifigant later feel free to send me death threats) The fact she got in before any pre-Z or movie characters rubs me the wrong way and all but confirms there's going to be a shit ton of sold-seperatley DLC character packs to fill in the intentionally placed gaps for representation of movie characters, GT, etc. Before they said fuck it and decided to not westernize the name I was thinking they might call the game Dragon Ball Super Budokai Tenkaichi and honestly it's not too late to rename it that lmao

[multiversal-pig-outing]

grade 3 ssj Caulifla

[catgirlmp3]

[secretsofdbz]

Future Trunks isn't a good martial artist and that makes sense

A rewrite/rearranged version of a reddit post I made a few weeks ago.

Gonna be controversial of course, but a reminder that our Future Boi is my absolute fave. In this essay, I'll demonstrate why he's a terrible martial artist (and only talk about Z, I'll talk about super later) :p

Let's start with the obvious. Trunks is strong, and the fight he does win, he wins by overpowering straight up, no BS, no warming up, not letting people power up or any of that nonsense (especially in the manga). I mean, yes, he tells them "come at me full strength from the get go because I'm not as kind as Goku", but no extra chances (the anime does give Freeza three shots, because gotta be cool et al, and he does confront face to face instead of a sneak attack, but still). But Trunks isn't a good martial artist. His training was always terrible. Training in an apocalyptic world under constant threat isn't exactly a good environment to center your ki, to say the least. Reminder that Future Gohan started training Trunks only when he was around 12-13. So whatever training he got from our absolute Legendary Future Gohan, it was not exactly under good conditions. Stress + interrupted times + often wounded and recovering... And Gohan died soon afterwards. Now, even in how little training he got, perhaps it was quality training? Nah. Future Gohan's own training stopped after the Namek Saga, give or take whatever he could do between Goku's return and the Androids appearing; Depending on source (and interpretations, Goku died when Trunks was a baby in the Anime special, but Trunks -says- Goku died before he was born (one year after his return from Namek). So at -most- Gohan continued training with a capable mentor until he was 8 (as he was 5-6 in the Namek Saga). So Gohan didn't train Trunks for very long, he did it in less than spectacular circumstances, and Gohan himself wasn't exactly a great theoretical teacher (up to and including training with only one arm...). So that's 17 yo Trunks' training background.

Now take him to the past; no training when he meets Goku for like five minutes (with neither of them putting their heart into the cool spar), and then he comes back three years afterwards to help with the present-timeline androids.

What training did he get? One year in the Room of infinite bullshit (I mean the HTC), where Vegeta gave him absolutely nothing. Vegeta is a great tactician up to this point, but he's still kind of a dick, and clearly that year taught Trunks nothing but strength increase, as shown by the Grade 3 fiasco. His second year in the HTC, he went in alone, so again, nothing. 19yo Trunks still hasn't gotten any serious martial arts training.

So what to do when confronted with combat? Overpower asap. Trunks doesn't enjoy fighting, Trunks gets shit done, and Trunks is brutal when doing so. Evidence: Future 17, 18 and Imperfect Cell. Note that his body count is actually one of the highest for the whole manga and anime; kill list including Freeza, Cold, 17 and 18 (twice if you count his dead-by-Cell-self) and imperfect Cell; he'd even have gotten Semi-perfect Cell if Vegeta hadn't been a dumbass. Hell he even blasted Super Vegeta out, too. And if we add Super's Buu saga.. But I'm not going to touch on Super. The movies acknowledge this in an interesting way. His fight against Tenshinhan in the Bojack movie is pure gold. This clash right here; Trunks going for the kick, which Tien blocks and uses his leg to make sure Trunks can't follow up with a punch. Which Tien does. To win this fight, Trunks has to go SSJ and just SLAMS him down. I love every single frame of this fight, and I wish it was reanimated with modern techniques to show the genius of this move (and acknowledging how Tenshinhan is a god damn role model). Win by overpowering.

(you can see this scene right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJucTTTYPtc)

Alternatively, his fight with Kogu has similar issues; especially at the start. He gets easily locked and thrown away by a miscalculated punch attempt, and leaves his guard open quite a couple of times.

Don't get me wrong, Trunks is the only one who actually straight up wins his fight at this stage, actually, and that win is so god damn satisfying. Like seriously, that punch straight up through the guy after the sword break with that music? Hmpf. So good. But again, win by straight up overpowering. (you can see that fight right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEC2ZWR9860)

So yeah. Give my boy some proper martial arts training. Hell get Vegeta to shine, bond, and show his baby boy some quality fight strategies and analysis. I mean, it makes sense Vegeta didn't do any of that, due to who he was back then, but come on, that second year in the HTC could have been useful (as a way to repair the Grade 3 mistake and make Vegeta attacking Cell in the Cell games much more oof). Vegeta is a tactician and a technique genius. It's mentioned many times until the mid Cell saga (the Saiyan saga fight, the fight with 19 and bluff of 20, his knowledge of Grade 3 but not using of it...). Thankfully fanfics exist and actually dive into that aspect of fucked up (I can't recommend Point of No Return enough, where Trunks lands to Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa before Raditz tries to recruit Goku, seriously please read it).

So where do you think he could've been if he trained with Goku in the Time chamber? Or if Vegeta actually give him the time of the day and actually talked to him or something? Or if he'd went and meet Mr Popo/Korin/Roshi as a kid/teen?

FYI, I do believe why Future Trunks is loved so much is also because of the contrast with his combat persona (take no shit, get shit done) and his actual personality (likes nature, feeds the squirrels, polite, always surrounded by flowers by some reason). That's it for today. Roast me!

[leftpostwerewolf]

[eropandasennin]

Just a Super Saiyan appreciation post because this design is SO iconic yet simple too (even if they went somewhat ridiculous with SSJ 3 and 4, which I still love btw). Basically, every shonen series afterwards had their main character(s) get some sort of transformation similiar to SSJ. 

For those unaware:

Super Saiyan

Ascended Super Saiyan/Super Saiyan Second Grade

Super Saiyan Grade 3 (even bigger muscles and pointy hair)

Super Saiyan 2

Super Saiyan 3

Super Saiyan 4

Legendary Super Saiyan/Super Saiyan B-Type/Berserker Super Saiyan

Super Saiyan God (or Super Saiyan Red)

Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (or Super Saiyan Blue)

Super Saiyan Rose

[57plusthree]

There was a super saiyan rank creator

Can you tell I don't really like power escalation?

Me rambling under the cut. Warning: not very cohesive

Tbh I'm a crotchety old man who thinks things shouldn't have gone past SSJ lmao. I think things were already escalating really fast at that point but after Namek was when it really started to go off the rails. That being said, I have some forms I'm okay with.

Super Broly can do whatever he wants obviously, it's his world we are all just living in it

SSJ2 had that plot relevance and perfect timing so I can't really hate it. My caveat for the power ups is that if they tie it into the plot really well, then it's tolerable, and 2 does that well

I just like how SSJ4 looks that's literally it. I think the design is creative and cool that's it lol it ain't deep

Grade 3 is cool to me because it has a weakness. A lot of the power up abilities in this series have seemingly no drawbacks, but grade 3 actually has the caveat of being powerful but slow. That's something!

And then those last two are just me going "yeah Goku looks good here :)"

After that it all looks like crayons to me bye (also I haven't seen everything that these power ups are from so maybe my opinion will change when I do)

[chickenoptyrx]

Just curious, does your Broly have his tail? Could we see it, if he does?

As an adult, imma say no. And ive got 3 reasons!

• paragus was already terrified of his kid, he def aint keepin a known ×10 power multiplier attatched to his already insanely powerful son. The 1 advantage itd offer him (pulling it to incapacitate) can 1. Be trained away/ done to a point of losing its effect and 2. Is no longer needed after he had the headband

• i know its not a legit theory any more, but i still like the older idea that a saiyan actually couldnt achieve ssj if they still had their tail (the use of the oozaru roar w the transformation and brolys LSSJ form is def more like vegetas initial idea of ssj- still bulking, golden, and p much an oozaru but without the muzzle or tail so i like how the theory ties them together while making them almost opposites)

(I know this image still makes him look furry tho and also, yes, am aware broly is actually based on trunks ssj grade 3 form. But i like the theory damnit >:0

• ....im w toriyama on this 1, i dont wanna keep track of the moon cycles or like.. figure out how to deal w that situation every month 😅

[klaxustarah]

So, Goku, when do you explain that SSJ3 is a completely worthless power-up that's arguably worse than SSJ Grade 3(the super bulky one)?