And, it wasn’t because of the big hair…
One of the great challenges of adapting the Dragon Ball Z franchise has been the fights and their characters, however the animation team behind the anime has mentioned that there was something bigger: Goku’s facial expressions in his SSJ 3 phase. This is quite peculiar to analyze, when one of the greatest elements of movement of the Saiyan is his hair and not his face.
In an interview with “Dragon Ball Z” character designer Tadayoshi Yamamuro (translated by Kanzenshuu), animator and character designer for the series, discussed the challenges of animating the Super Saiyan 3 transformation. To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t the crazy long blonde hairbut Goku’s facial expressions:
“Super Saiyan 3 Goku was tough. I didn’t mind his bushy hair; were their facial expressions. Although his face had changed, I had to draw him so that you could still tell it was Goku, and that was difficult. “I had to draw him strongly thinking ‘This is Goku!’ (laughs) Also, even though I liked Goku as a kid, he was still pretty green at the time, so I had problems with him too. With animation, you have to make it look like the characters are moving in 3 dimensions, but it’s hard to convey that with round lines.”
Translating manga into 2D animation can be a more involved process than most general audiences realize. That’s especially true for an anime that features various transformations that change minor details in a character’s facial expression. The creator of “Dragon Ball”, Akira Toriyama, made sure to make slight changes to Goku’s face with each transformationusing these changes as a tribute to those who inspired his work, such as legendary actor Bruce Lee.
If Akira Toriyama’s “Dragon Ball Z” is famous for anything, it’s character transformations. When all hope seems lost for Goku and the battle is unbeatable, all it takes is some willpower and a shouting Saiyan for the character to transform before the eyes of the viewers. Transformations are a big part of what makes “Dragon Ball” so entertaining and engaging.with each new power upgrade for Son Goku coming with not only a cool new hairstyle, but also an incredible new strength for Goku to learn to master.
However, Goku isn’t the only one who has to learn to master his transformations. The animation team behind the “Dragon Ball Z” anime would face its own set of challenges with each new change Goku had in the hit shounen anime. A specific transformation of Goku who turned out to be a problem to animate was one of the last in the series. Super Saiyan 3, the most powerful form in “Dragon Ball Z”, required animators to animate Goku’s expressions differently. Which raises questions about the adaptation they will have to make in the new phases of the Saiyan.
Goku’s current most powerful function is True Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Super.
On twitter, the user @DBSChroniclewho has provided accurate translations of franchise-related material in the past, noted that an official summary that includes the Dragon Ball Super Chapter 85 referred to Goku’s transformation into as “True Ultra Instinct.” This transformation is essentially a variation of Goku’s Ultra Instinct form that features black hair and depends on the emotional state of the hero.
While summarizing the Granolah arc (till Ch85), the Dragon Ball Official Site said the following about Goku’s Ultra Instinct that he tapped into in Ch85.
They call this form “真の身勝手の極意/True Ultra Instinct”.
(Source: https://t.co/5BRXezyFgy) pic.twitter.com/GVYckKOylU
— SUPER クロニクル (@DBSChronicles) July 23, 2022
Introduced relatively early in this new phase of the franchise, the Ultra Instinct is a transformation usually used by divine characters, such as the Angels and the Great Minister. The hard-to-master form essentially allows its user to react autonomously and immediately in battle, making them incredibly formidable. Throughout Dragon Ball Super, Goku worked to master the form and it appears that he has finally succeeded, albeit in a completely opposite way than expected. To the point that Vegeta can’t believe it.