Bardock's story is one of the most notable among Dragon Ball's side characters.
We first see this character in the storyline explaining how Frieza destroyed planet Vegeta and later becomes canon in the Dragon Ball Super manga.
But in those stories, Bardock never achieved the Super Saiyan transformation. Although readers never saw him achieve this form, they knew that Bardock gathered everything he needed to be able to transform into a Super Saiyan.
Because of this, there have been many fan art products that show Goku's father achieving his legendary form, which grants warriors of his race impressive power.
Super Saiyan Bardock created by fan @daiki_11090.
This fan art shows all the hallmarks of Goku's father achieving Super Saiyan form. If he can actually achieve this blond form soon, Bardock might have a chance to defeat the villain Frieza, before he wipes out almost the entire warrior race.
Bardock in Dragon Ball
The first glimpse of Bardock came in the 1990s Dragon Ball Z movie. This was the Saiyan warrior's only appearance in about 30 years, since Goku's father reappeared in the Broly movie and in the Granola arc of Dragon Ball Super.
Thanks to Dragon Ball Super, readers have learned more about Goku's father's personality. Unlike the rest of the Saiyans, he is a kind person who completely disagrees with injustice. He showed this when he fought against Frieza, knowing that he would lose. And when he defeated Gas to save Granola.
Sketch of Bardock and his party.
Bardock's basic design was originally conceived for the Toei Animation television special Bardock – Father of Goku. Animator and character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru was primarily responsible for designing Bardock and his crew, during the production of the television special in the mid-1990s.
Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru's original design of Bardock remained largely unchanged after undergoing minor changes by series creator Akira Toriyama..
Bardock's face is scarred, his cold and stern demeanor represents the brutality of a warlike warrior race, but otherwise he is almost identical to Goku. He wears battle armor similar to Frieza's armed forces.
