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Dragon Ball fans have taken the internet by storm again, and this time, it's due to a claim that Super Saiyan mode acts as a base for all shonen transformations. Fans of Toriyama's ground-breaking series have garnered an infamous reputation in the anime fandom over the years, often by pitting Goku against every other character in the anime universe.
A recent Twitter post by a Dragon Ball fan went viral for claiming that Super Saiyan mode will always act as a base for all anime transformations. Reacting to the post, some immediately jumped to defend their favorite anime, while others agreed. Twitter user @Geo_AW was caught in the crossfire before doubling down on his original idea in the comment section.
Twitter explodes as a Dragon Ball fan causes shonen fandom to defend their favorite anime
Dragon Ball Z can be credited for being the progenitor of the modern shonen genre to some degree. It not only inspired the Big 3 - Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach - but also indirectly influenced the contemporary battle-shonen inspired by the Big 3.
Twitter user @Geo_AW immediately extended this influence to the fighting style and posted that Super Saiyan served as a model for all future shonen power-ups.
Geo's post featured a picture of Naruto in his Sage mode and Luffy in his newly revealed Gear 5 form over a scene of Goku turning into a Super Saiyan. The post's caption read:
"Super saiyan will always be the blueprint for anime transformations"
Geo followed up in the comments section with another response:
"It’s either you become a super saiyan or something that looks really close"
Fans were less than happy with this proclamation, with some viewing it as a personal affront to their favorite show. One Piece fans were quick to defend their beloved show from this seeming attack by a fan of Dragon Ball.
Others jumped to defend Naruto, claiming that the influence was limited. Here are some of the responses concerning Dragon Ball's influence on the famous ninja-based manga:
One netizen claimed that the transformation sequence had indeed influenced two of the Big 3. Still, its effects were less evident for Bleach which seemingly diverted from the visual portrayal of power-ups that Dragon Ball set the model for.
Some others talked about various shonen and even other genres of anime and their influence on transformation sequences.
One fan specifically took screenshots of the transformation sequences from Sailor Moon. At the same time, another explicitly confirmed that Sailor Moon is the real progenitor of the pre-battle transformation sequence across anime.
Final thoughts
The similarity between plots and a common narrative gimmick of the underdog striving to become the best in the village, the world, or even the universe makes various shonen tropes similar, warranting comparison.
Super Saiyan is an advanced transformation used by Saiyan race members and hybrids with enough S-Cells. In Dragon Ball Online, people of Earthly descent with Saiyan ancestry can also transform by wishing to awaken their latent Saiyan abilities. This mode is meant to be one of the higher states of existence that a Saiyan warrior aspires to be, with Goku's transformation an iconic moment in anime history.
