This section is slightly different from the other Transformations sections, in this page you'll see sprites and more detailed info on each of the stages.
*All edited sprites are property of Jit, and are not permitted on any other site other than www.dbgtn.com without express permission*

Basic Saiyan information -

• Humanoid beings 
• Furry brown tails
• Naturally tough bodies 
• Most powerful near death
• Mostly recessive genes, except for the tail and super Saiyan genes
• Hairstyles are genetic

A Saiyan is best describes as an evolutionary mix between a monkey and a human. They have the intelligence, and most of the traits of a human, but have a tail, which protrudes from right below the small of the back, as well as more feral, and primitive behaviors of the primates.  Saiyans are generally well built, as a race as a whole, because of their harsh environment. The original Saiyans lived in caves and in barren wastelands, and thus needed a physique to fit the terrain, not to mention to withstand the gravity, which was ten times that of the Earth's. Male Saiyan are generally stronger than the females, because of their naturally more dense muscles, higher testosterone, and all the other reasons that male humans tend to be stronger than female humans. Saiyans also have the ability to greatly increase their own power from their anger, frustration, rage, and even grief, like humans (though apparently most races do not have this ability). Some Saiyans merely get power spikes, while others get a steady increased power level.  These power ups are only due to a Saiyan not fully tapping the power that they have attained.  The reason for this is simple.  A person can increase their inner ki, and draw it out slowly, at their regular PL.  If they pull it out in higher doses, their body is not used to it.  Thus, power spikes usually are accompanied with bulking of the muscles, unless the Saiyan has reached that power before, when angry.

Contrary to popular belief, Saiyans do not have a low female population, merely, females rarely attained the fighting skills necessary to be in the military force, which were most often seen by other races. The Saiyan genes are just as inclined to have female children as male children. Also, for most genetic traits, except for hair and eye color, Saiyans have the dominating gene. As far as hair goes, the color is a recessive gene, and will only show up in half breeds if both parents have the same color of hair. The same goes for eye color. The hair style, on the other hand, is quite random in dominance, and may only be apparent in the half breeds if the other parent's gene is recessive, because the constant hair style gene is lost on a half breed. Apparently, the Saiyan's gene to have nearly unchangeable hair styles, unless cut, is a recessive trait, yet, every full blooded Saiyan has it.

Now that you understand a Saiyan, the Super Saiyan traits will make more sense.

Please note:  SSJ levels are only crutches.  They bring a Saiyans body up to a certain standard only if it is not already there, and then allows for an increase in ki.  A Saiyan can build up their base form so well that a SS power up would only be a slight increase in power, and their bodies are already that durable.  Thus, they will instead go to higher level of Super Saiyans right off the bat, virtually replacing the lower levels.  Goku and Vegeta do this, often in the latter part of the series, going SS2 right from normal.  Their regular forms are then most likely as strong as they were in their SS1 form (which is why Goku can go against Uubu in GT episode 1, when Uubu is later clearly established as having power surpassing SS2 Vegeta's)  Also, "Triggers" are not required to raise SSJ levels.  Emotional events that fans call "Triggers" merely get the Saiyan angry enough to induce a power spike, which is strong enough to reach the level of SS.

Super Saiyan Levels appear to be genetic, and designed to trigger biological changes and allow someone to reach the new level when they are in dire need of the increase in energy, and can handle it without the strain ripping them apart.  It appears as though only once a person has their body up to standards is their SS ability unlocked.  Younger Saiyans that reach extraordinary power levels for their age can go SS at a lower PL than a full grown adult Saiyan, because their power will only grow until they reach adulthood, in which if they kept their body in the same condition, they would have the same power level at adulthood as regular Super Saiyans.  Also, SS levels appear to be unlocked only when a person's mind is open, free, and focuses on only one thing, that is powerful enough to get them angry.  Simple rage will not cause it.  Each SS level increases the amount of ki that a Saiyan can generate, as well as increasing the duration they can stay at their max power.  SS1 leaves the Saiyan at a high percentage of their power, but not their max, because they still have to power up for mere moments of it.  SS2 has an even higher percentage of their power at all times, but can actually hold their max without charging up intensely, and fight and whatnot while they are doing it, not just do one attack.  SS3 Keeps them at a very high percentage, and can fight at full power for strings of time.  SS4 keeps them virtually full powered all the time, unless beaten up.  Also, whenever you add ki to the body, it increases the power, defense, and speed of the Saiyan, unless another change hinders one of those. 

Super Saiyan One

• Hair turns gold due to the golden energy
• Hair is pushed up due to the amount of energy
• Eyes become green (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Base level attributes are much higher than regular Saiyans
• Must have a Saiyan heart (love to fight)
• Must have an untainted heart (no internal conflicts, good vs evil, pacifism vs fighting)
• Produces more outward ki than regular

(SS,SSJ, SSJ1) -After Goku had turned SS, this is what it is called. This is the first Super Saiyan transformation, it is first reached during the Frieza series when Frieza had killed Krillin. This state can be reached by Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten. Broli can also reach SS in movies 8, 10, and 11, and by Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. in the last episode of Dragon Ball GT.

A few Saiyans have the ability to become what is known as a "Super Saiyan" which, in actuality is a Saiyan who becomes completely energized by a golden life force.  Yet, it is more than that.  It appears as though if a Saiyan is in a situation which would trigger a SSJ transformation, the brain checks to see if the body is strong enough to withstand the increase in power.  If it is, then the Saiyan will go Super Saiyan, and if not, only get a power spike, of less strength . Since hair is made of dead cells, the golden energy shines through easily, turning it to gold. The hair itself, having a greater electromagnetic pull on each strand, collects easier, and most often in the upward direction. A Saiyan 's tail would also become golden furred. The eyes become a solid emerald green, perhaps this is a sign of an alteration in the viewing range of light that the eyes have, for Super Saiyans seem to have keener senses. This stage allows more of the Saiyan's ki to flow outward, allowing for a sort of long lasting kaioh-ken.  Upon reaching a higher level of Super Saiyan, towards the maximum stage, other changes occur.

False Super Saiyan, or "Gigi" Super Saiyan is what happens when the saiyan is on the verge of going Super Saiyan.  All the changes that happen when you go Super Saiyan happen except for the golden hair, and there is a lot less power raising.  Goku reaches this state in DBZ Movie 4:  Lord Slug, and Trunks reaches this state momentarily before going SSJ when he faces Frieza.  It's a sign that the saiyan is on the right track.

Super Saiyan - Second Grade

• Must have gone SSJ1
• Hair turns gold due to the golden energy
• Hair is pushed up due to the amount of energy
• Hair collects in more well defined locks of hair than SSJ1
• Eyes become green (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Attributes are above SSJ base level considerably

Ultimately, Goku, Gohan, Future Trunks, and Vegeta all reach this state (as well as Brolly in the movies)

Upon reaching Super Saiyan - second grade stage, the hair collects into more well defined strips, due to an increase in energy, and the muscles increase in mass due to an increase in adrenaline and other hormones, as well as blood flow.  When someone goes SSJ, the energy they produce cause their hair to push upward to a degree, though some hair will still fall down. The person has the exact same hair, just in more well defined locks of hair, some of which might have streaks.

Super Saiyan - Third Grade

• Must have gone SSJ1, first and second grade
• Hair turns gold due to the golden energy
• Hair is pushed up due to the amount of energy, more so than SSJ1
• Hair collects in more well defined locks than SSJ1
• Eyes become green (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Muscle mass increases considerably, bulking up muscles
• Large muscles cause the Saiyan who is not used to it to be slower
• Power, defense, and ki usage are all increased, while speed and agility are decreased

(Also known as Ultimate SSJ, or USSJ) - Now, Trunks powers up beyond second grade, bulking up, and goes Super Saiyan Third-Grade. His hair collects into different strips, and are forced upward, but this is NOT part of the transformation. This is merely a result of even more power surging through him. That explains why afterwards during the Cell fight, Trunks still has the wild hair he had in this form but not the bulkiness.  Only Vegeta Future Trunks, Brolly, and Goku reached this form, which is more than merely bulking up. If he bulked up, only his physical strength would increase, but his ki increased as well. His over all power level skyrocketed.

In addition, how come SSJ-3 causes you to slow? The answer is simple, and I hinted on it before. Ultimate Super Saiyan pushes the limits of Super Saiyan power, sending a lot more ki through the body of the person. The muscles expand and are pumped up, but strained, like what happened when Goku used the Kaioh-ken times four against Vegeta.  Frieza held back his power, and when he went to 100% he was very bulky, yet was even faster. This was because it's his maximum, it's not pushing past his limits.

Thus, if they had trained for an additional year in the Room of Spirit and Time, it is feasible that the Saiyans could have gotten to the level that Ultimate Super Saiyan would not push their limits, like Brolly did. If so, then any of them could beat Cell since they would have the strength that Cell himself admitted was greater than his, but would also be fast enough to hit him.

Super Saiyan - Second Grade (Full Power)

• Must have gone SSJ1, first and second grade
• Hair turns gold due to the golden energy
• Hair is pushed up due to the amount of energy
• Hair collects into more well defined and angular strips of hair than previous SSJ levels
• Eyes become green (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Attributes are pressing the limits of SSJ

When one trains for long enough in Super Saiyan, they can eventually push the 2nd grade form to it's limits, commonly referred to as SSJ Full power. Streaks in the hair are noticed, and there are more angular locks, but it is still basically the same hair as Super Saiyan (I.E. Vegeta while training in the gravity room in the Buu saga as well as Goku and Gohan at the Cell Game)
  Since this type of immense powering up is what happens in the next stage, it is easy to make the step from this stage to Super Saiyan Level Two, and will come from just a bit of training.  This form is the peak of Super Saiyan, muscle mass doesn't build, but flexes to it's regular size for that power. When Goku goes SSJ the first time, his muscles bulge and look bulky, because it pushed the limits of his regular form. Afterwards, he only bulges slightly, because it's just the blood and adrenaline pumping through his body.  This power up is STILL Super Saiyan. Goku, Gohan, Future Trunks (When he returns to his own time and in Movie 9), and Vegeta reach the height of Super Saiyan like this.

Super Saiyan Two

• Must have gone SSJ1, first and second grade
• Hair turns gold due to the golden energy
• A vast majority of hair is pushed almost straight up due to the amount of energy
• Hair collects into thinner strips than previous SSJ levels
• Eyes become green (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Base level attributes are much higher than SSJ1's
• Must have a Saiyan heart (love to fight)
• Must have an untainted heart (no internal conflicts, good vs evil, pacifism vs fighting)
• More external ki flow than previous SSJ Levels

(SS2,SSJ2) -This state is reached by Goku, Vegeta, Gotenks, and Gohan, who is the first one to ever reach it. Gohan turns Super Saiyan 2 for the first time (that we see) during the fight with Cell when Cell reproduces and releases 7 Cell jrs. Later Gohan in this stage, fights with Cell after Goku had died, actually, thanks to this state, Gohan was able to defeat Cell. Gohan also turns SSJ2 in movie #9 in the fight versus Bojack and his henchmen. This stage is reached when Goku tells Gohan to show them his true power and he goes SSJ2, easily defeating Bojack and his Henchmen. This stage is reached by Gohan when his emotions and sentiments changed.  He originally earned this form in the room of Spirit of Time, but could not hold it without passing out.

The next major step is "Super Saiyan Level Two" which is an increase in ki flowing through the body, but the body is trained and strong enough to handle it without needing to bulk up.  This causes a large amount of power to be released, and actually increase the Saiyans speed, because his muscles are invigorated with ki. The muscles are denser though, creating a higher defensive ability.  Also, the hair is pushed up more than any other SSJ form, often only leaving only a few thin strands of hair down in front if the Saiyan has bangs, and also separates into more locks of hair, thinner, as well as smooth, and able to flow easily.  This seems to insinuate that their is less stress on the hair.  Ki also flows out of the body much more efficiently, and in larger amounts in this form.  That is why there is often electricity crackling around the body when at full power.

Unlike SSJ, SSJ2 does not have multiple levels, though it may seem that way.  The hair may change slightly as the Saiyan's power rises over time, but they do not have any sort of power up transformation that causes it, suggesting that the stages of SSJ1 would occur gradually if the Saiyan did not get anger spikes to push them up to that level.  The 1rst grade to 2nd grade differences sure look like they had a slow change.  When the level reaches it's fullest power, it is often referred to as "SSJ2 Gold" or "SSJ2 Max" which only Vegeta reaches.  Essentially, the raw power level will not raise much, and only physical attributes can be increased by training extensively, not ki, for anymore ki than that without the changes of a SSJ3 would be harmful.

Super Saiyan Three

• Must have gone SSJ2 
• Hair turns gold due to the golden energy
• A vast majority of hair is pushed up and back due to the amount of energy
• Hair grows considerably, resulting in thick, triangular locks of hair, the longest reaching to the calves
• Eyes become green (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Eyebrows disappear
• Muscle mass increases some, but not enough to hinder movement
• Jaw gets broader
• Base level attributes are much higher than SSJ2's
• Must have a Saiyan heart (love to fight)
• Must be bloodthirsty, very eager to hurt
• Much more ki flow than previous SSJ levels

(SS3,SSJ3) -This state is reached for the first time by Goku during the fight versus Boo, afterwards, Majin Boo surpasses this phase. It is also used in Movie 12 during the fight with Janemba and in movie 13 against Hildagarn.  This phase is stronger than SSJ2, but this form doesn't defeat anybody strong in particular. It is also reached by Gotenks in the fight versus Boo but he is defeated anyways. In Dragon Ball GT, Goku reaches this stage once again, but the body of a boy doesn't resist it.  

"Super Saiyan Level Three" is a much more primitive state. The eyebrows are essentially burned into nothingness from such a high increase in power, and the brow becomes more pronounced. The facial structure, including the jaw, becomes more primitive, and the body becomes thicker, more muscular, and charged with high energy electrons and similar energy. Such a fast, and high powered rise in energy promotes hair growth, because the hair is used as a storing place for some of the energy, which is well distributed in the long, thick, golden hair. Energy practically floods out of this form, causing often flashy effects during a fight with one.  Regular ki blasts can be as large as previous form's special ki blasts.  This level is hard to maintain for long, because of it's high energy requirements.  In this form, if you are alive, your ki is rushing out, putting you at such a high PL constantly that a Saiyans body could not take it without intense training for long durations.  Though since the transformation simply eats up power too fast, putting the Saiyan near his strongest as much as possible, you can only train your body to reduce the wear and tear on it, and not effect the length very significantly.  However, a fusioned or dead saiyan does not have to obey the regular limits, and is not worn out so easily.

Super Saiyan Four

• Must be in Golden Oozaru for the first SSJ4 transformation 
• Becomes a humanoid form, a few inches taller than the natural Saiyan form
• Body is covered in fur (usually red) except for the head, chest, abs, hands, and feet
• Hair grows thicker, wilder, and longer, creating a rough, savage version of the regular Saiyan hair.  Hair goes down to mid back, and a lock hangs over each shoulder, near the neck
• Eyes become a different color, with black pupils (possibly changing the spectrum they can see in)
• Muscle mass increases some, but not enough to hinder movement, shoulders are most noticable
• Eyelids are red (possibly to shield eyes from light, or for intimidation)
• Base level attributes are much higher than SSJ3's
• Must have a tail
• Must, for the first time, have a longing desire strong enough to focus your Golden Oozaru power and control it
• Ki flow is almost all internal, causing the body not to be as luminated as previous SSJ forms.  Ki blasts can still be strong, but will not be as intense as SSJ3.

(SSJ4) - Appears only in DBGT. This stage is reached after the transformation of Golden Oozaru. Only Goku and Vegeta and their fusion, Gogeta are the only ones who obtain this stage.  "Super Saiyan Level Four" is actually a whole new type of Super Saiyan. It can be attained only when one goes through the Golden Oozaru stage, and has only been seen in Saiyans who have gone through all previous Super Saiyan levels, but it is not officially a requirement, and then has an extreme desire, or driving force, that allows them to focus the rage, and use it's power to condense into a smaller form. In this stage, instead of a massive surge of ki that rushes outward, it is all contained, except when charging, which causes the hair, skin, and clothes not to have a lighter, golden tint like normal.  The hair reverts back to the normal color, and general style, but there is an increase in hair mass, causing a sort of "cave-man" style to it, wild and only somewhat recognizable from the original hairstyle. Most often, two locks will hang down, one over each shoulder, and long hair falls down the back, to the waist or mid-back. The body, save the hands, feet, pectorals, abdomen, neck, and face, and perhaps the buttocks, though it is never confirmed, will be covered in a fur, which seems to be a different color based on purity of the race, and bloodline. None of the hair on the body is golden, because all of the energy can be contained inside the body itself, which greatly increases muscle density and tone. The eyes of the Saiyan also become a different color, of which seems to be un-related to anything, except genetics, which is rather hard to prove unless a pair of twins go SSJ4. The eyelids become darker, and reddish, in order to help keep the light, usually created by themselves, from damaging their eyesight, or possibly to instill fear into the opponent. In order to go Super Saiyan Level Four, you must have a tail, for that is where the gland that produces most of the physical changes must be located.

Mystic Gohan -This is a stage Gohan had learned to reach after training with Kaio-shin. With this, Gohan can release all of his energy without an anger-triggered power spike. It is a method of rearranging his energies to allow him to tap his power easily.  This also prevents him from going Super Saiyan as long as his energies are like this (it apparently wears off over time due to Gohan's lack of training). Gohan uses this stage to fight versus Boo.  All Saiyans can reach this form with enough training.  Goku and Vegeta eventually reach a version of this form from intense training that allows them to no longer need to go Super Saiyan level one.  However, they still can, because it is not a spell.  This form allows Gohan to tap all of his hidden power, giving him a power level that rivals SSJ3 Goku.

Oozaru

• Giant mammoth ape
• Red Eyes
• 10 times stronger than regular Saiyan
• Huge size
• Can shoot mouth blasts
• Can be raging, or controlled, depending on the Saiyan
• Is invoked by moonlight
• Tail is the source of the transformation

All Saiyans are born with a tail, and some have them removed, almost always while young. The tail's effect on the Saiyan body suggests that it houses glands which, upon having the brain send a chemical message to it, telling it that there is full moonlight, the tail will start collecting the energy from the moonlight, and use that energy to produce hormones that cause the Saiyan to increase in size to around 65 feet, and become totally covered in fur, except for their face, hands, and feet, and essentially, become a gigantic cross between a gorilla and a monkey, called Oozaru. The power of the Saiyan is increased as well, ten fold. In this form, the only energy attacks that can be done are beams shot from the mouth. If inexperienced in the form of Oozaru, a Saiyan will rage wildly, and uncontrollably, destroying much in it's path, but through practice, one can learn to regain consciousness in that form, and fight accordingly. If the tail is removed, the Saiyan reverts to normal, because the glands, as well as the energy storage are lost.

Golden Oozaru

• Fur becomes golden
• Eyes turn red
• Hair sticks up some, and collects into strips on the head
• Base level attributes are much higher than regular Oozaru
• Must be Oozaru, then power up to Golden Oozaru
• More outward ki flow than Oozaru

If a Saiyan goes Super Saiyan while in Oozaru state, he or she will have golden fur, and a large amount of power, greater typically than a Super Saiyan Level three. In this form, it is possible to use ki attacks that are not mouth-based, but the beams from the mouth are still possible. It is possible for a Saiyan to go Golden Oozaru without ever going Super Saiyan, because of the nature of the Saiyan's ability to get tremendous power from rage, this rage is sometimes only reached in the crazed, Oozaru state. From this state, you can transform directly into Super Saiyan Level Four, under the correct conditions, whether or not the moonlight is still there.