FANDOM: Saiyan hybrids are strong because they're Saiyans!
THE SERIES: Saiyan hybrids are strong due to Earthling blood & Earthling potential mixed with physical capabilities of a Saiyan.
To go beyond physical limits, you must increase your ki and control of it. The way Saiyans do this is by physically transforming while Earthlings simply increase their spiritual energy to break their limits.
EARTHLINGS: They have a lot of spiritual potential which allows them to go far beyond their physical limits. Because of the inability to physically transform, Earthlings have to solely rely on cultivating their spiritual energy (ki) to defend themselves & combat their opponents.
SAIYANS: They are born with higher battle power & are physically tougher than most other aliens. Thus the "warrior race" title. And how do Saiyans get stronger? By physically transforming. And with transformation, their power is multiplied. Physical ability is what Saiyans rely on the most to increase their strength.
Simply put, Earthlings have more spiritual/ki potential & break their limits by cultivating their spiritual energy. Saiyans have higher physical potential & break their limits by physically trransforming & by proxy, their ki levels increase.
SAIYAN-EARTHLING HYBRID: A hybrid like Gohan (& the others) has the natural advantages of a Saiyan to transform physically combined with the spiritual potential of an Earthling. And spiritual potential is where true limit breaking power resides. Gohan's ultimate form is a combination of both physical & spiritual, the Saiyan & Earthling. It's a kind of internal transformation which is why he doesn't change much physically (just as Earthlings don't transform physically). His features remain the same, but his hair mimics the physical transformation of Super Saiyan without changing colors.
Also, something interesting to notice is that Goku & Vegeta had to learn god ki [godly spiritual energy] in order to keep progressing because they hit their physical limits with Goku's SSJ3 & Vegeta's SSJ2.
I'll be making a post explaining how Saiyans aren't the only ones who break their limits. It shouldn't be too complicate nor confusing.
What Does The Phrase "Saiyans Don't Have Limits" Actually Mean?
So this post below is what @ankoku-yami-heroic-hopeful made a reply to.
GROWING STRONGER FROM BATTLE
Hmmm... 🤔
TRANSFORMATIONS
Hmmmm... 🤔
Saiyans claim that they are the greatest fighters that exist, yet majorit
And here's their response.
I just felt it easier to to respond to them this way. Also, what I have to say ended up being longer than I had originally planned because I wanted to get a bit deeper about the information. Without further ado, time to respond.
The DBS anime did have characters continuously growing in power. But they did so in different ways, which was cool to see. With Hit (as you mentioned) he was able to advance his technique and increase how much energy he puts out for his Time Skip technique, & Goku Black was able to increase the strength of Goku's body to a new level due to having the soul of a god combined with Saiyan abilities. And beyond them, we have Jiren who was the strongest mortal in the Multiverse. When UI Goku pushed Jiren to his limit, Jiren overcame his own limit with his "Super Full Power" state.
Saiyans (mainly Vegeta) boast about not having limits. And 'cause of all of this boasting accompanied with the fact that Saiyans were grear warriors, even Freeza wondered if it might be true that Saiyans have no limits.
But, that is just Saiyan ego as they over exaggerate their strength. ANYONE can go past their limits.
Examples of Limit Breaking:
Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist increases his strength, reaction time, & senses. This is one of the earliest examples of surpassing one's own limits in early DB.
Master Roshi's full power/buff form is another example. He focuses & swells his ki to increase his strenght & surpass his limits.
The Earthlings didn't know they could get so strong until after training with Kami.
Elder Guru drew out Krillin's own latent power when Krillin thought he hit his limit. Little did he know, he was far from his limits and could continue increasing his ki to keep growing stronger and stronger beyond his physical limit (as we have seen him do in DBZ & DBS, thus having the title as "Strongest Earthling").
Elder Kai drew out Gohan's potential far beyond his natural limits (something he can do for anybody). That limit being Gohan's Saiyan transformations, specifically his current limit; SSJ2. This is why when using his Potential Unleashed power, Gohan doesn't physically transform like how his father & Vegeta do. It's power far beyond Super Saiyan limits. Gohan just has to masterfully control the power & not become overwhelmed with it in order to keep growing stronger.
Freeza surpassed his physical limits & power with his transformations. He was also being capable of controlling his ki at will. Then in DBS, Freeza created a further transformation & surpassed his limits with his "Golden Freeza" form.
All that to say that Saiyans ARE NOT the only ones who can break their limits and they never have been the only ones.
But, do Saiyans have no limit to their growth?
Yes & no.
Evidence shows us that the Saiyans (Goku & Vegeta & Gohan) have reached their physical limits WITHOUT ki.
What we call "zenkai boosts" [getting stronger after battles] have their limits. We notice in the Buu saga that after Dende heals Gohan, Super Buu stated that Gohan did not get any stronger.
The zenkai boosts can only do so much for a Saiyan's natural physical limit of strength without ki.
This is why in the Battle of Gods film/Saga, Goku & Vegeta nearly hit their limits without god ki. Then, in the DBS anime, after they learned god ki, Vegeta says that he & Goku are at their limits of power and won't get that much stronger. And in the DBS manga, Trunks says how Vegeta didn't get a power boost after healing because Vegeta & Goku have already hit their physical limit.
Zenkai boosts just get a Saiyan to their max physical limit (then they become ineffective), and Saiyans just happen to have a higher ceiling for their physical limit than most other aliens.
SURPASSING LIMITS
Toriyama explains in an interview how DB characters surpass their physical limits.
Everyone has their physical limits WITHOUT ki.
Ki is used to go beyond those physical limitations.
And if you aren't a transformation-type alien, you can still reach higher power through increasing & controling your ki, but the progression is steadier but slower for non-transforming types (like Earthlings) because there is no innate power multipliers for them to utilize. To quickly increase their power, Earthlings would need to learn techniques.
Roshi's Full Power technique uses ki to greatly enhance the physical limit of strength, but it decreases speed & cannot be maintained for long.
The dangerous & physically damaging Kaio-Ken. (Which is why Earthlings don't use it in the series.)
The Wolf Fang Fist (which is like a mortal version of Kaio-Ken x1 without various multipliers & no physical drawbacks).
With ki, any character can continuously increase their power through proper training & go far beyond their physical limitations. This is why characters like Piccolo & Krillin continue to get stronger.
NOBODY has limits in Dragon Ball. It's all about how to increase your ki and control it in order to break your limits.
But, how do Saiyans break their limits?
Well like anybody else does, Saiyans increase their energy. But, Saiyans (and other transforming-type aliens primarily) surpass their previous physical limits by transforming to a body that contains a greater amount of ki due to physical change.
In the Cell saga, the Saiyans discuss breaking the Super Saiyan barrier which is their current limit. Super Saiyan Grade 2 & Grade 3 were simply using ki to enhance the physical limit in a similar way to Roshi's Full Power technique. They don't truly go beyond the SSJ limits.
Gohan truly breaks the Super Saiyan limit when he awakens SSJ2. This is done due to the Earthling martial artist understanding of ki control & how to surpass your physical limits.
• SSJ transforms the physical limit
• The Earthling ki control method increases the multiplier of Super Saiyan, thus we get SSJ2 (& SSJ3).
And just like all Saiyan transformations, SSJ2 is accompanied with an increase of ki on top of the SSJ physical limit.
The highest Saiyan limit that Goku & Vegeta can currently reach is Super Saiyan Blue. This is why Vegeta says they are nearly at their limit. They can't find a Saiyan transformation beyond combining the Super Saiyan God power with Super Saiyan to get Super Saiyan Blue.
Without using god ki, SSJ3 was Goku's highest limit while SSJ2 was Vegeta's. The only higher power they could attain was through fusion.
But, with the introduction of god ki, they were able to keep advancing and breaking their limits once again. However even with god ki, they still had limits to their power. As said earlier, there was no Saiyan transformation beyond SSB. Blue was the limit for Goku and Vegeta (this does not apply to all Saiyans because MOST Saiyans aren't even capable of reaching SSJ levels of power).
The Tournament of Power presented the perfect opportunity for them to push themselves. But even so, Goku & Vegeta did not attain any new Saiyan transformation.
Super Saiyan Blue Evolution: Vegeta was able to evolve the power of SSB (thus named SSB Evolution) but it is still SSB.
Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken: Goku used the Kaio-Ken technique to multiply the power of SSB to go beyond his limits. Still SSB.
Ultra Instinct: Goku used the Ultra Instinct technique to reach a realm of power beyond SSB & beyond certain Gods of Destruction.
But, its important to understand that Ultra Instinct IS NOT a Saiyan transformation. Its a technique/spiritual state of mind, a spiritual transformation that anyone can use. But, due to Goku's Saiyan biology, Goku physically transforms when using Ultra Instinct's power. This means that Goku had to learn a TECHNIQUE/SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION to push his power beyond Super Saiyan Blue, his highest Super Saiyan limit.
Goku used the Kaio-Ken technique to temporarily surpass his limits, then truly surpassed his limits with the Ultra Instinct technique.
CONCLUSION
EVERYONE in Dragon Ball has physical limits. But, they can increase their ki to go beyond their physical limits.
Thus, nobody has limits to their power. Just different ways to surpass said limits.
Toriyama explains how DB characters become stronger in an interview.
TLDR; Beings with transformations overcome their limits by transforming
Saiyans just quickly surpass their limits with their Saiyan transformations that provide a new physical limit accompanied with an increase of ki. Once there is not another transformation to go to, they are at their physical transformation limit. Using the teachings of Earthlings & gods allow certain Saiyans to increase their ki to push their new physical limits higher (like SSJ2 & SSBE).
But we have to remember that Goku & Vegeta are exceptions. They ARE NOT the norm for full-blood Saiyans.
VEGETA: He was a genetically gifted prodigy among the elites and even surpassed his father while he was a child. (This was an extreme anomaly compared to all other Saiyans.) Then Vegeta later learned how to use ki from Earthlings & used Earthling resources to increase his strength.
GOKU: Thanks to being taught by Earthlings, being raised as an Earthling, & being a rare Saiyan with a good heart, Goku was able to keep his body & learn from a god after he died. Thanks to all of this (which is very un-Saiyan like) Goku surpassed what Saiyans were supposed to be capable of. Then, he continued to use Earthling understanding of ki to push his Saiyan abilities further & further.
BROLY: He so much of an extreme abnormality amongst Saiyans that he's considered to be a freak of nature even to Saiyans. Broly had monsterous power even beyond a Saiyan prodigy like Vegeta.
Toriyama explains how DB characters become stronger in an interview.
TLDR; Beings with transformations overcome their limits by transforming into a form that can utilize more ki (Saiyans, Freeza, ect). Beings who cannot transform (Earthlings and other alien races with lower physical limits) overcome their limits by cultivating & raising their ki to higher and higher levels of power. Their progression of power is slower than those with transformations, but with hard work they can surpass most other races.
For a simplistic way to look at it... Earthlings and certain other races like them essentially live life on "Hard Mode" while Saiyans & others are on an easier difficulty.
What would the difficulty level of Saiyans, Earthlings, & Namekians be if translated to a video game?
SAIYANS 🐒 - EASY DIFFICULTY
Highest ba
HOW SAIYANS BREAK THEIR LIMITS
Saiyan breaks their limits through physical transformation; wether it be Oozaru, Super Saiyan forms, or Super Saiyan God transformations.
Contrary to what DB video games show for fanservice & what many fans believe, the truth is that majority of Saiyans cannot turn Super Saiyan due to many, many reasons.
The only transformation that all Saiyans with tails can achieve is the Oozaru/Great Ape form. But even then, there were non-combatant Saiyans who never turned Oozaru (like Beets) and there are even Saiyan combatants who only resorted to transforming into the mindless ape form when it was absolutely necessary to defeat an extra strong race of people.
Without transformations, Saiyans can be surpassed by other aliens & even Earthlings as they have been in the series.
1st Form Freeza > all Saiyans
Krillin, Tenshinhan, Yamcha > 1st form Freeza
Thus, top 3 strongest Earthlings > 99% of Saiyans (not counting Goku, Vegeta, then later Broly who are either a prodigy, a mutant, or raised as an Earthling).
But, Saiyan bodies are capable of getting stronger from intense battles from what fans call "zenkai boosts." Because of zenkai boosts, their obsession for battle, & their Oozaru form, Saiyans are considered to be a warrior race, and that they are. On average, Saiyans were stronger than most other aliens. But, due to their culture's pride being in their strength, they call themselves the strongest race despite Freeza & many other individuals being stronger than them.
Collectively, Saiyans are the strongest race of aliens.
Individually, many other aliens have surpassed & can surpass Saiyans.
HOW MOST ALIENS BREAK THEIR LIMITS
There are transformation-type aliens who are capable of transformation similar to Saiyans, but in a way unique to their own race. These transformations can be for different reasons as well (conserving their power, increasing their power, camouflage, ect). Two examples being Zarbon & Freeza.
Most alien races are born with similar physical strength as Earthlings & don't know how to use ki. But, there are others who are born with the ability to naturally use ki. There are even some aliens who are strong and can fly but cannot use ki blasts, so they use laser guns and other weapons.
It is also very uncommon for most aliens to lower or raise their battle power drastically. One alien who can control their battle power is Captain Ginyu. He was made the leader of Freeza's elite squad because the ability to raise your battle power is a highly valued rarity.
Not only is Freeza capable of transforming, but he also has the ability to raise his strength at will, which is why he values such abilities in his army.
The warrior-clan Namekians & Earthling martial artists also have this ability to control their battle power at will. Freeza found them interesting for a reason on Namek.
Speaking of Namekians, Piccolo has a new transformation. So, it seems that even Namekians are capable of some sort of transformation. Or perhaps it's only for Super Namekians like Piccolo. But, we will have to wait for DBS: Super Hero to explain why & how Piccolo can transform.
(My explaination of Piccolo's power in DBS: Super Hero)
It is referred to as Piccolo's "awakening." It's something similar to Gohan's potential unleashed power.
HOW EARTHLINGS BREAK THEIR LIMITS
Earthlings are part of a rare group of beings that can raise their energy without transforming. They are considered weak at first glance, but they have deep understanding of spiritual energy (ki). Earthling martial artists understand how to cultivate their ki and keep increasing their energy in order to surpass their physical limits of power & overcome the power of their opponents. The extremely skilled ones [like Krillin, Tenshinhan, & Yamcha] have increased their ki to powers beyond most aliens.
Androids 19 & 20 even mistook Yamcha for Goku due to Yamcha's battle power being what they over calculated how strong Goku would be at this point (without knowledge of SSJ).
And although it's an extremely rare case & likely the only occurrence ever (so far), Earthlings can spiritually transform as we see with Krillin's Non-Self State.
Earthlings are born at a great disadvantage, but they have greater spiritual capability & spiritual understanding of how to surpass most aliens in the universe.
This is why Saiyan-Earthling Hybrids like Gohan are so powerful. Saiyan abilities with Earthling spiritual/ki potential.
This is also why Goku is so powerful. Saiyan abilities mixed with Earthling understanding of ki.
Do you ever just go for a run for the soul purpose of not feeling anything but exhaustion anymore? Do you ever run until your heart beats so hard within your chest that it feels like it wants to escape?
Because I do. I live for the pain and sacrifice necessary to achieve goals that are far greater than I ever would have imagined. I love pushing my body to the physical extremes until I have no choice but to collapse in shear exhaustion. This is what makes an individual grow and expand within the rights of their physical capabilities. Without this push, this desire, you will be left with only a fraction of what your mind can will and your body can succeed. So push yourself. Push your body beyond what is your "comfort zone" for the soul purpose of obtaining what you were meant to. Just go out and run.
