So its been many years, are alternate hair colors for Super Saiyan transformations a good or bad idea

[precita]

Even in the "classic" run we had this already with Broly with green hair, SSJ4 Gogeta with red hair, etc.

Super made this all canon and official with Super Saiyan God being red, Super Saiyan Blue, Super Saiyan Rose for Goku Black, Kale and Broly having green hair, and now Ultra Instinct giving Goku silver hair.

On one side it lets them streamline transformations without making the characters look completely different like SSJ3 and SSJ4 did, and they don't have to come up with constant new hair styles for the characters, but on the other hand they've basically all become color swaps. If you told anyone 10 years ago we'd have Super Saiyan red, blue, green, pink, silver hair, etc...it would have all sounded ridiculous like someones deviantart or fanfiction from the year 2005.

[Grimlock]

It's a bad idea. Hairs aren't supposed to be this carnival/rainbow thing. You can get away with the golden one because it somehow worked, a contrast to the constant black hair. But once you start palette swapping it left and right then it's just festival.

and they don't have to come up with constant new hair styles for the characters,

A pity. I pretty much prefer new hairstyles over recolors. It's really cool to see all kinds and possibilities with the shape of the hair depending on the transformation, but keeping them either black or golden (if it's really necessary to add another color, white is the only one that works, I guess).

If you told anyone 10 years ago we'd have Super Saiyan red, blue, green, pink, silver hair, etc...it would have all sounded ridiculous like someones deviantart or fanfiction from the year 2005.

But who said even after they became a thing they don't sound ridiculous anymore? It was ridiculous back then, it is ridiculous now, will always be ridiculous.

[Xeogran]

I would have kept it at:
Super Saiyan God (so it doesn't lose it's relevance literally one arc later)
Super Saiyan Rose (For Black only, since it fits him, would be his SSG counterpart instead of Blue)
and Mastered UI (because it feels grand and "perfect")

SSB still seems forced and it never really accomplishes anything spectacular, there was no real need for it.

Kale and Super!Broly would both keep golden hair rather than green which seems rather fanservice'y and wasn't even planned in Broly's case (IIRC Shintani added that form by himself)

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

It was fine when Battle of Gods was released as it was consistent with Toriyama's trope of a character's strongest form being the least imposing. Although Super Saiyan Blue undid that by becoming the new default transformation and replacing the original Super Saiyan in that regard. At this rate more pallette swaps would just be a crutch, and if there are new transformations in the future I'm hoping for something more creative like Super Saiyan 4.

There are exceptions though. I think Super Saiyan Rose worked for Goku Black because it symbolizes the concept of the black rose of death, but unless it has some meaning like that I think more hair colour transformations are unnecessary.

[JulieYBM]

They're a good idea. They're simple changes that get an idea of being different across without being a pain in the ass to draw, animate or look at.

[Matches Malone]

I think it worked in BOG due to the other differences the form brought to the table (ritual, time limit, skinny body, fire like aura), but what came after was too much for my liking. I think Goku and Vegeta should've stuck with base, Ssj2, & Ssj3, with SsjG being used as a last solution like fusion. By introducing all these new forms after SsjG, it not only took away from the forms, but also forced the writers to constantly make every new (and sometimes old) character stronger or on par with every new form which just destroys the power scaling of the story.

[SupremeKai25]

People are missing the point of the Godly forms.

They are meant to feel divine, regal, and elegant. Hence why their design is minimalistic, thus clean, concise, and aesthetically pleasing.

A form like SS4, that adds 50 different details and is all around very animalistic, primal, and barbaric, clearly wouldn't work as a Godly form.

This is also classic Toriyama subversion. "Final forms" are always simplistic in design, that's where the subversion comes from. Inferior writers would add 50 different details as the power-scaling increases and increases. Toriyama, in his genius, subverts this, he's always done so. He subverted this in Z with Final Form Frieza, Perfect Cell, and Kid Buu. Even Super Saiyan itself is a subversion, since it's just Goku with yellow hair, and SS2 is just SS with some lightning effects added onto it.

The subversion continues in Super, where the divine forms of the Gods are simple stylistic changes, and not massive overhauls that add 5 tails, 10 layers of fur, 4 eyeliners, wings, horns, and long hair. That shit exists only in fan-fiction, Toriyama is smarter and more creative than that. "Oh look guys, Super Saiyan Ultimate Supreme God adds 2 wings, 3 tails, extra limbs, and fur all over the body, isn't that just brilliant?!"

It is also not coincidental that Toriyama's concept arts of the Godly forms are very lean, thin, they are not hulking masses of muscles, because that just wouldn't nail the idea of Divinity, which is meant to be elegant and regal, not brutish. People complain that Saiyans in Super are much thinner than in Z, AND THAT IS PRECISELY THE POINT.

[LoganForkHands73]

I prefer them to the possible alternatives.

[Skar]

The recolored forms are on the list of concepts I've seen in fanfiction and never thought I'd see in official DB. That's about all I could say about them. I've accepted them at this point but that's different than liking them though. The only new form I liked was UI Omen since it was the closest to base. All the other god ki users (aside from Toppo in the anime) didn't have any transformations so I liked the idea that the ultimate form would be more of a state that has full mastery of God ki than a transformation. That didn't last long but I don't mind UI since the white hair could be a reference to the Angels.

[pepd]

SS established that saiyajin's hair has the property of changing color, so I'm fine with it becoming of another color with god ki, and since SS changes color, it has sense that stacking it on SSG also (and only) changes its color. Additionally, I think anything else would be too much.
MnG is less justified, but it also has some sense with the mentioned hair property and angel's hair.
SS Rosé is unnecessary and even less justified; as are the green haired forms, but I don't consider those, so Rosé gets more my attention.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

People are missing the point of the Godly forms.

They are meant to feel divine, regal, and elegant. Hence why their design is minimalistic, thus clean, concise, and aesthetically pleasing.

A form like SS4, that adds 50 different details and is all around very animalistic, primal, and barbaric, clearly wouldn't work as a Godly form.

This is also classic Toriyama subversion. "Final forms" are always simplistic in design, that's where the subversion comes from. Inferior writers would add 50 different details as the power-scaling increases and increases. Toriyama, in his genius, subverts this, he's always done so. He subverted this in Z with Final Form Frieza, Perfect Cell, and Kid Buu. Even Super Saiyan itself is a subversion, since it's just Goku with yellow hair, and SS2 is just SS with some lightning effects added onto it.

The subversion continues in Super, where the divine forms of the Gods are simple stylistic changes, and not massive overhauls that add 5 tails, 10 layers of fur, 4 eyeliners, wings, horns, and long hair. That shit exists only in fan-fiction, Toriyama is smarter and more creative than that. "Oh look guys, Super Saiyan Ultimate Supreme God adds 2 wings, 3 tails, extra limbs, and fur all over the body, isn't that just brilliant?!"

It is also not coincidental that Toriyama's concept arts of the Godly forms are very lean, thin, they are not hulking masses of muscles, because that just wouldn't nail the idea of Divinity, which is meant to be elegant and regal, not brutish. People complain that Saiyans in Super are much thinner than in Z, AND THAT IS PRECISELY THE POINT.

I like all those ideas for Super Saiyan God, as they distinguish it from the original Super Saiyan transformation.

Super Saiyan Blue, by comparison is too similar to Super Saiyan aesthetically and only waters down the concept of being Godly to just another generic transformation.

Ultra Instinct is a slight improvement because it's based on the separation of bodily and conscious movements, so it at very least has something to say for itself other than being a pallette swap.

I'm not saying new forms need to be complicated to draw, just that they should have their own identity either aesthetically or conceptually.

[SupremeKai25]

I like all those ideas for Super Saiyan God, as they distinguish it from the original Super Saiyan transformation.

Super Saiyan Blue, by comparison is too similar to Super Saiyan aesthetically and only waters down the concept of being Godly to just another generic transformation.

Ultra Instinct is a slight improvement because it's based on the separation of bodily and conscious movements, so it at very least has something to say for itself other than being a pallette swap.

I'm not saying new forms need to be complicated to draw, just that they should have their own identity either aesthetically or conceptually.

I can accept Blue's similarity with the normal Super Saiyan because ultimately that's the point of the form, No? It's the result of a Super Saiyan God using Super Saiyan on top of his divine transformation. The visual connection is intended.

All God forms have their identity really. The only exception is Blue, which is kind of very similar to Red, but ultimately that's the point. Blue is a direct evolution of Red, it's just natural that it would have some visual connection to it. It was the same for SS2, it's literally SS with some lightning. Whatever "identity" it might have is based solely on that scene where Gohan unlocks SS2, which is one of the most iconic scenes in shonen, but aside from that the form is literally SS but with some lightning on top of it. I'm not joking, it is literally SS but with some lightning rays. Yet people didn't seem to have a problem with that back in the day, how curious.

SS established that saiyajin's hair has the property of changing color, so I'm fine with it becoming of another color with god ki, and since SS changes color, it has sense that stacking it on SSG also (and only) changes its color. Additionally, I think anything else would be too much.
MnG is less justified, but it also has some sense with the mentioned hair property and angel's hair.
SS Rosé is unnecessary and even less justified; as are the green haired forms, but I don't consider those, so Rosé gets more my attention.

Actually I think that Rosé is easily the best of the God forms, because it is the most elaborated and developed conceptually. Rose is a colour and flower commonly associated both with beauty and with death, which are the two elements that define who Goku Black is. He's a God, so he's someone biologically beautiful, and he's also someone who exterminated all ningens in the cosmos, so he's like a "Reaper of Death". He has made it his mission to kill every ningen he can find. The symbolism just becomes obvious once he makes a scythe. So it's just fitting to give him a Rose-coloured form, there's no better colour to represent him.

I'm surprised you think it's the lamest of the forms, because it's actually the deepest, since it's not just a colour swap, but an actual "personality change". When Black uses Rosé, his Kai soul attunes with his Saiyan body completely, so he literally starts talking like Zamasu does, and his eyes become grey like Zamasu's. It's very well thought-out once you think about it.

[pepd]

SS established that saiyajin's hair has the property of changing color, so I'm fine with it becoming of another color with god ki, and since SS changes color, it has sense that stacking it on SSG also (and only) changes its color. Additionally, I think anything else would be too much.
MnG is less justified, but it also has some sense with the mentioned hair property and angel's hair.
SS Rosé is unnecessary and even less justified; as are the green haired forms, but I don't consider those, so Rosé gets more my attention.

Actually I think that Rosé is easily the best of the God forms, because it is the most elaborated and developed conceptually. Rose is a colour and flower commonly associated both with beauty and with death, which are the two elements that define who Goku Black is. He's a God, so he's someone biologically beautiful, and he's also someone who exterminated all ningens in the cosmos, so he's like a "Reaper of Death". He has made it his mission to kill every ningen he can find. The symbolism just becomes obvious once he makes a scythe. So it's just fitting to give him a Rose-coloured form, there's no better colour to represent him.
[...]

I actually like it as the color of choice for a special SS, but the reasons for a special SS existing come as justification. The most likely real reason for the form existing, to not confuse the kids, is the main reason I give it a pass.

[LoganForkHands73]

Blue is a direct evolution of Red, it's just natural that it would have some visual connection to it. It was the same for SS2, it's literally SS with some lightning. Whatever "identity" it might have is based solely on that scene where Gohan unlocks SS2, which is one of the most iconic scenes in shonen, but aside from that the form is literally SS but with some lightning on top of it. I'm not joking, it is literally SS but with some lightning rays. Yet people didn't seem to have a problem with that back in the day, how curious.

I agree with most of your post but to be fair to Super Saiyan 2, it did look significantly different on Gohan when it debuted in the Cell arc compared to when the other Saiyans used it by the Buu arc. It spiked up every strand of his hair and generally made him look far more fearsome. Plus, there was the whole emotional resonance of Gohan unlocking it and realizing his potential, so it's not hard to see why it's still seen as a big deal. On Goku and Vegeta (and even Gohan himself by his high school years), yeah, the form lost that distinctiveness.

To elaborate on the main thread question, when I see people complaining about the visual direction of the "recolour" forms, I always find myself wondering what the alternative would be other than further exaggerative forms that you tend to see in fanart like the one (Super Saiyan 8, I believe) I posted above. I'm not suggesting that there are no other alternatives, but how far can you push a more divergent Super Saiyan 4 direction before the characters lose all traces of their identity? Don't get me wrong, I like Super Saiyan 4, but I see that as close to the limit in terms of how far you can push Saiyan transformations (barring the intentionally radical ones like Oozaru). When you look at Heroes artwork of Super Saiyan 4 Goku, Bardock, Vegeta, Gohan, Vegetto and Gogeta standing side by side, they all just seem to be slight variations of Super Saiyan 4 rather than the characters themselves, if that makes sense. I suppose another alternative would be just recolouring the characters' eyes or something, but would fans really be more satisfied with that every time, especially if they're still marketed as Super Saiyan forms?

The benefit of the recoloured god forms is that when you look at Super Saiyan God Goku, you can still easily identify him as Goku (and he looks very distinct from Vegeta in the same form) but it's still different enough. They don't radically change everything about the character but show a slightly different side to him.

[90sDBZ]

They're okay, but if they take it too much further it will get silly. I still say SS3 and SS4 look cooler than any of the new forms, although UI is pretty badass and an interesting concept.

[Matches Malone]

They're okay, but if they take it too much further it will get silly.

It was okay in BOG, it got silly in RF, now it's outright laughable.

[MyVisionity]

Silly and uninspired, as previously mentioned like the kind of stuff kids at school would dream up imagining if DB were ever to continue in some form. Although I do appreciate the interpretation above involving the "divine elegance" effect.

I would much rather they had continued playing with the hairstyles. Like maybe have the SSJ3 hair grow so long it becomes a weapon, like suffocating foes or shooting projectiles. Or maybe they get so powerful that the hair just falls out altogether. Super Saiyan Bald.

I also thought about maybe just focus on how the Ki changes in higher Super Saiyan forms. Like have the auras and not the hair change colors maybe. Or at least make the Ki manifest itself physically into new clothing, weapons, or accessories like a bag of tricks or something.

[LoganForkHands73]

Or maybe they get so powerful that the hair just falls out altogether. Super Saiyan Bald.

Training regimen to obtain that form:

100 push-ups. 100 sit-ups. 100 squats. And a 10km run.

Every.

Single.

Day.

[Tai Lung]

I find it a bit hypocritical at times ... most of them criticize that but most of them love the ikari transformation of broly ..

So when is a bad thing?

[Grimlock]

Broly's rage form (along with Ultra Instinct -Sign-) is an example of how transformations should be. I fail to see your point or how people are "being hypocritical".

It's bad when it's just recolor.