Summary
A Saiyan signature ability called “zenkai boost” (also known as Saiyan Power) allows them to come back stronger after a near-death experience. This ability has been controversial in Dragon Ball Z because it makes battles predictable and boring, giving heroes a boost whenever they get stuck. Despite Toriyama’s claim that the ability was written out due to its problematic impact on the story, zenkai-enhanced abilities returned in Dragon Ball Super, but they now have clear limits. clear.
All Dragon ball fans are familiar with the idea of a Saiyan Power, sometimes referred to by fans as a “zenkai boost,” which allows a Saiyan to come back from the brink of death stronger than ever. Although this ability played an important role in Dragon Ball Z, its use decreased over time and it was completely discontinued by the end of the series. However, Super Dragon Ball reintroduced it, but now it’s more refined.
Saiyan powers have played a role in many of the series’ most memorable battles and are much more powerful when combined with Senzu Beans, which can heal someone instantly back to health . This ability has been controversial because whenever Goku or another Saiyan hero is in danger, the Saiyan Power kicks in and powers them up, which ultimately has the effect of making battles easier. guess and even a bit old.
Like Vegeta did to Namek, Krillin almost killed him to be healed by Dende, all Saiyan characters in the story can abuse this power to get stronger easily and continuously. In the Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 7 databook, Toriyama himself implied that this ability was effectively written out of the story by making the power boost it provided so small as to be insignificant.
Saiyan power-ups make a comeback in Dragon Ball Super
However, despite this statement, Saiyan power-ups returned in Dragon Ball Super and they continue to play a role in the story – just not helping Goku or Vegeta. In chapter #20 of Dragon Ball Super, during the Future Trunks arc, Goku Black uses his Saiyan Power ability in conjunction with his god Ki to reach unprecedented levels of power, which is how he unlocks Super Saiyan Rosé from the beginning. He can do this by abusing Zamasu’s healing abilities and by fighting at a low enough power level so that incoming attacks can trigger the power. Giving the enemy this much-needed ability to Goku was a pretty brilliant twist and it definitely added to the tension of the battle.
However, this is not the only case of the possibility appearing in Super. In a flashback during Granolah the Survivor Saga, Goku’s father, Bardock, is seen using Saiyan Power. In chapter #83, Bardock receives mysterious powers while fighting Gas. The aura visible around him and the circumstances make it likely that this is an enhancement of the Saiyan’s power. This power increase is enough to allow Bardock to overcome Gas’s released state without going Super Saiyan, suggesting it makes him significantly stronger. Bardock won, but was not particularly healed, after which he was beaten quite badly.
Dragon Ball Super fixed the problematic “Saiyan Power” boost
It’s clear that Saiyan “zenkai” Power is still a factor in Dragon Ball Super, despite Toriyama’s claims. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as this possibility continues to be controlled. In fact, in chapter #20 of Super, Trunks says that Goku and Vegeta can’t abuse that ability anymore because they’ve reached their limit. After all, this is a power native to the Saiyans, and it only makes sense that it would still be displayed by other Saiyans even when the heroes have used it to its full potential. Finding a way to keep this possibility coming without using it to trivialize what should be major battles seems like the best possible outcome. It will be interesting to see how Saiyan Power, or zenkai enhancement, continues to be used in the future Super Dragon Ball as the story moves forward.
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