DRAGON BALL Creator Reveals The Secret Behind Becoming a Super Saiyan
Akira Toriyama is the creator of the Dragon Ball franchise and he recently sat down with Saikyo Jump, a Japanese manga magazine similar to Shonen Jump, to talk about this beloved franchise. Fortunately, the internet is full of fans who have translated segments of the interview and put it on Reddit. In this interview, Toriyama gives us an explanation as to how Saiyans become Super Saiyans. Are you ready for this truth bomb?
“It’s not like anyone can become a Super Saiyan through training and anger. In order to become a Super Saiyan, one’s body must contain something called “S-Cells”. Once these S-Cells reach a certain amount, a trigger such as anger will explosively increase the S-Cells and cause a change in the body: that’s Super Saiyan. Most Saiyans have some S-Cells, although not a great quantity. the reason why Goku and Vegeta’s children can become Super Saiyan relatively easily is probably because to a certain extent they inherited a lot of S-Cells, and also because Earth’s environment is gentler and easier to live in than Planet Vegeta.”
That’s right, Toriyama just midichlorianed us. Took something awesome and mystical, and made it sound super dumb. Now, you’re not limited to the amount of S-Cells (I feel dirty acknowledging this is a thing) that you’re born with. Toriyama explains S-Cells a bit more in detail including how to increase the amount you have.
“Having a gentle spirit is the best way to greatly increase one’s S-Cells, but most Saiyans have trouble with this, which I think is why no Super Saiyans appeared for such a long time and they became the stuff of legend. However, one can’t reach the quantity necessary for becoming a Super Saiyan simply by having a gentle spirit, so a certain amount of battle power is indeed necessary. Looked at in this light, it’s easy to see why becoming a Super Saiyan came easy for Goku.”
This explains why Goku was the first Super Saiyan we saw. His ridiculous training increased his “battle power” and his kind heart gave him a winning combination. I guess Vegeta was able to just power through so that he didn't need that "gentle spirit." What do you think of this explanation?