The First Super Saiyan Transformation
There are now so many Saiyan transformations in the Dragon Ball series that none of them really feel particularly special anymore. They are still cool for the most part — just not special. In the early days of Dragon Ball Z, however, a Super Saiyan was the powerful leprechaun or Loch Ness Monster of our wildest shounen anime fantasies. We kept hearing about it and anxiously awaiting the day we might see it finally rear its magical head, but an actual sighting was the stuff of myth and lore. Then there was that fateful moment Goku’s battle against Frieza made everyone fall in love with Dragon Ball Z in a way that was never expected.
Frieza’s attempt to kill Goku was thwarted only by Piccolo’s newfound loyalty. Just as Goku was about to get obliterated by Frieza’s Death Beam, Piccolo pushes him out the way and makes the ultimate sacrifice. Frieza was amused by the gesture and ready to subject Goku to the same fate, but the unforeseen tragedy sparked a change in our hero. For the first time ever Dragon Ball Z fans finally got the chance to witness the transformation they had been waiting for. Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan and from that moment forward nothing in Dragon Ball Z was ever the same again.
