Only One Justice League Hero Can Go Super Saiyan, And It Isn't Superman

Superman’s golden form is no match for a fellow Justice League hero’s very own Super Saiyan transformation, which DC explicitly described as something straight out of Dragon Ball. Although the concept of Super Saiyan forms didn’t appear until Dragon Ball Z, transformations became one of the central themes of the entire franchise. After Goku fulfilled the legendary prophecy, the other Saiyan Z-Warriors achieved their own Super Saiyan transformations and found higher levels that nobody else even imagined existed. Fast-forward to Dragon Ball Super, and the first Super Saiyan form is no longer an impressive feat compared to power-ups like Super Saiyan Blue and Ultra Instinct.

DC’s most powerful superheroes generally don’t need dramatic transformations to contend with the Saiyan Z-Warriors, since characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Martian Manhunter already possess extraordinary abilities that could give Dragon Ball‘s heroes a challenge. However, everything changes when the Z-Warriors tap into their full Saiyan potential. If Superman reaches a stalemate against base-form Goku, Goku can easily overpower the Man of Steel once he transforms into Super Saiyan, let alone if he attains Super Saiyan 2, 3, God, or Blue. Likewise, Goku could negate the effects of the Flash’s Speed Force powers if he uses Ultra Instinct to dodge and outrun Barry Allen or Wally West.

There are multiple ways Superman can enhance his power, but a different Justice League hero has access to the closest thing the DC Universe has to a Super Saiyan transformation.

The Flash Can Turn Super Saiyan

The Flash ; Written By Joshua Williamson; Art By Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Arif Prianto, And Hi-Fi

Joshua Williamson’s run on The Flash gave Barry Allen his own version of a Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan transformation. In The Flash , during the conclusion of the “Rogues’ Reign” storyline, Barry faces a powered-up Captain Cold, whose cryokinetic powers have been enhanced by Lex Luthor during the “Year of the Villain” event. Furious with Cold and overwhelmed by his own power, Barry unleashes a torrent of Speed Force energy, his body surrounded by a brilliant golden aura that resembles a Super Saiyan’s transformation. Such is his power output that Barry concludes that his powers have become too dangerous to use responsibly and voluntarily surrenders to the authorities.

The following issue, Flash foe Pied Piper reveals that Barry Allen’s golden transformation is a symptom of the Speed Force’s instability. To prevent negative side effects, Pied Piper helps Barry Allen, Wallace West, and Avery Ho to synchronize their connection to the Speed Force. However, the fix is not permanent, and Rathaway warns Barry that excessive use of his super-speed could cause him to transform into a “Super Saiyan” again, literally namedropping Dragon Ball‘s most famous transformation. Curiously, Wally West suffers a similar dilemma in DC’s All-In era, where he can predict and avoid all crimes and catastrophes, but he risks succumbing to Speed-Force wormholes inside his brain.

Dragon Ball’s Super Saiyan Transformation Is Too Good A Concept Not To Use In Other Universes

The DC Universe Has Given Many Of Its Heroes Their Own Super Saiyan Transformation

DC Comics has experimented with several temporary transformations that resemble Dragon Ball‘s Super Saiyan forms to different degrees. The most direct parallel is Superman’s golden form, introduced in 2025’s Superman Unlimited. When Clark Kent absorbs dangerous amounts of Kryptonite radiation, his body releases stored solar energy in a brilliant golden shell that protects him from Kryptonite and heals his injuries for exactly two hundred seconds. Also recently, all Lanterns are now able to tap into the shared power of the Emotional Entities, temporarily transforming into Chrome Lanterns and gaining the ability to draw on all energies of the Emotional Spectrum.

Parallel to the Green Lantern Corps’ creation of the Chrome Lanterns, Kyle Rayner taps into the White Lantern power at will, almost exactly the same way Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan when the situation calls for it.

Meanwhile, Billy Batson’s standard transformation into Shazam is one of DC’s oldest examples of a Super Saiyan-like power-up, having introduced the concept of tapping instantly into a higher power tier fifty-one years before Goku first transformed into Super Saiyan in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z manga. Other temporary transformations are exclusive to certain DC crossovers. The entire Justice League gain the power of the White Lanterns to fight the Black Lantern Corps in Blackest Night, and they receive a Black Adam power-up directly from Teth-Adam in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Which DC character do you think could beat Goku?

The Flash is available from DC Comics