Toriyama's art style changing over time with SSJ

[Xeztin]

We all know that Toriyama's style changed drastically over the course of the Series, but one thing that always stood out to me was Goku's Super Saiyan transformation.




This would be his first time transforming in his battle against Frieza.




And what it looked like over time.

To me SSJ during Frieza saga is the best, I think it look's a lot better than the latter when it got more detail to the hair lines.
Also the first looks to be bulkier, I always wondered what SSJ2/3 would have looked like if Toriyama continued with this style.

I'm sure i'm not the first nor the last to have noticed this, but what are your guy's thoughts? do you think the first style look's better?
To me they could easily be mistaken for two different transformations.
In my own head cannon, I usually refer to the first as "the legendary super saiyan" and the latter "Super Saiyan, or Super Saiyan 1"

[jjgp1112]

I've always preferred the simpler look of the Frieza/Early Android era of the transformation, but the post-Time Chamber version looks damn breathtaking in the right hands with all of the detail.

[Doctor.]

I've always thought the more detailed hair and the spikier aura in the Cell Game Super Saiyans were intentional, as a way of differentiating between the mastered and non-mastered Super Saiyan forms. Never really thought it was an aspect of Toriyama's artstyle that evolved with time that he never noticed.

[Hero]

I've always loved the Cell Games style SSJ the best. It's when the form flowed the best artistically to me, though I do like the idea of the form looking less and less "wild" representing how the saiyans mastered it.



During the beginning, the SSJ hair looked wild and untamed, just like the form itself. But by the Cell Saga it began to look natural and a part of the saiyan's bodies itself, showing visually that it was mastered and now fully intimate to the saiyans.

[Noah]

I've always thought the more detailed hair and the spikier aura in the Cell Game Super Saiyans were intentional, as a way of differentiating between the mastered and non-mastered Super Saiyan forms. Never really thought it was an aspect of Toriyama's artstyle that evolved with time that he never noticed.

My thoughts exactly. In my head canon this is appearance of an untrained SSJ:

Spoiler:

And as they to master the transformation, the details are more apparent, they are all FP SSJs:

Spoiler:

But yeah, just in my head canon... We know that the real answer is that the artstyle has changed, just look to this Namek SSJ in BoG:

Spoiler:

Breaks my head canon

[Lord Beerus]

I always saw the appearance of the SSJ transformation in the Freeza arc as a representation of just how much of a savage Goku had become when he transformed into a SSJ for the first time, with how wild his hairstyle was. The appearance of the SSJ transformation in later arcs looked great as well, as it had shown how much Goku was able to tame his anger and control his brutality.

[Xeztin]

I've always thought the more detailed hair and the spikier aura in the Cell Game Super Saiyans were intentional, as a way of differentiating between the mastered and non-mastered Super Saiyan forms. Never really thought it was an aspect of Toriyama's artstyle that evolved with time that he never noticed.

My thoughts exactly. In my head canon this is appearance of an untrained SSJ:

Spoiler:

And as they to master the transformation, the details are more apparent, they are all FP SSJs:

Spoiler:

But yeah, just in my head canon... We know that the real answer is that the artstyle has changed, just look to this Namek SSJ in BoG:

Spoiler:

Breaks my head canon

I think it breaks everyones It would have been cool if there was a given reason for why the hair style changed so differently. We know its because of the art style, and to be honest if the first SSJ design went onto SSJ2 and 3 I think it would not look right so he tweaked it. If that was the case then he never thought of SSJ2 during the FrIeza arc which was probably meant to be the end.

[dbzfan7]

Perhaps we should use manga images with this thread to get the point across more.

[ekrolo2]

Good thinking dbzfan7

From Namek to early Android:

A couple for Goku:

Spoiler:

Vegeta:

Spoiler:

Future Trunks:

Spoiler:

From the mid Android arc to the end of it:

Goku:

Spoiler:

Vegeta:

Spoiler:

Two for Gohan:

Spoiler:

Future Trunks:

Spoiler:

Definitely seems more art related than whatever in-universe affect their training is having imo.

[Noah]

Definitely seems more art related than whatever in-universe affect their training is having imo.

Nice scans, dude! Where did you get these ones?

[ekrolo2]

Definitely seems more art related than whatever in-universe affect their training is having imo.

Nice scans, dude! Where did you get these ones?

Some you can find online from just searching through the images, a few are from some sites I don't think Kanzenshuu's rules would be okay with me mentioning

[90sDBZ]

I've always preferred the way Goku looked during his fights with Frieza, Cooler and 19. The bigger, paler hair, with the more serious facial expression and bulkier muscles was awesome, and really fit well with the altered personality. I like how the Tenkaichi/Raging Blast games actually acknowledge the change in appearance between sagas, by giving Namek-era SS1 Goku the classic look.

One thing that I always noticed is how bulky Goku looked in the form early on. When he fought Frieza, he was huge, and you could actually see the difference in size during that scene were he reverts to normal. When he transforms to fight 19 you can see his muscles pumping up again. It seems to me like Toriyama actually took the bulkiness away from the form later on, to differentiate from the Ascended forms. When Goku goes USSJ in the Time Chamber he doesn't look all that much bigger than on Namek. It's also interesting to note that Vegeta and Trunks never seemed to bulk up when they transformed into a regular Super Saiyan, even when we first see them do it.

[Xeztin]

I've always preferred the way Goku looked during his fights with Freeza, Cooler and 19. The bigger, paler hair, with the more serious facial expression and bulkier muscles was awesome, and really fit well with the altered personality. I like how the Tenkaichi/Raging Blast games actually acknowledge the change in appearance between sagas, by giving Namek-era SS1 Goku the classic look.

One thing that I always noticed is how bulky Goku looked in the form early on. When he fought Freeza, he was huge, and you could actually see the difference in size during that scene were he reverts to normal. When he transforms to fight 19 you can see his muscles pumping up again. It seems to me like Toriyama actually took the bulkiness away from the form later on, to differentiate from the Ascended forms. When Goku goes USSJ in the Time Chamber he doesn't look all that much bigger than on Namek. It's also interesting to note that Vegeta and Trunks never seemed to bulk up when they transformed into a regular Super Saiyan, even when we first see them do it.

I forgot about Raging Blast doing that!
I think, ill call it Classic Super Saiyan, not as a transformation but just a design
Thank you

I like the other's idea's about it changing the more they trained it over time, but as said above BOG's flashback to the Namek SSJ kind of derailed that.
If they showed the original Kai cut, then the idea could very well work and be a good explanation at that, saying it's because of the art style changing is just not as fun even though it is the truth.

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

I wasn't much of a fan of the original design only because of the hair. I liked the larger muscles but the large clumpy spikes was unappealing. It also looks like his hair was a lot longer in that form than it was prior. It was just weird looking to me. I prefer the modern look where the spikes are thinner and more angler.

[z_cherub]

I I like how the Tenkaichi/Raging Blast games actually acknowledge the change in appearance between sagas, by giving Namek-era SS1 Goku the classic look.

Yes! That was a fantastic feature! The next Xenoverse should incorporate that (as well as hair style changes for SSJ transformations).