The phrase "Legendary Super Saiyan" creates endless confusion among fans because Dragon Ball splits its answer across official lore, non-canon movies, and ancient myths. Depending on whether you check Akira Toriyama's official background material, the classic movies, or Dragon Ball Super, the title belongs to different characters.
Strictly speaking within the main series canon, the original Legendary Super Saiyan of ancient myth is Yamoshi, an ancient warrior whose spirit sparked the entire legend. However, casual fans often picture Broly due to his unique green-haired transformation in the classic films, while Goku fulfills the literal prophecy as the first modern Saiyan to achieve the form in a thousand years. Unpacking this title requires separating folklore from physical transformations.
The Mythological Answer: Yamoshi
Long before Planet Vegeta existed, a righteous Saiyan named Yamoshi lived alongside five comrades, fighting against the corruption of his own race. Cornered by overwhelming numbers, Yamoshi unlocked a biological threshold never seen before: he transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Though his immense power wasn't enough to win the battle, his spirit survived. This wandering essence searched for a worthy savior, eventually laying the groundwork for the Super Saiyan God legend recorded in ancient Namekian books. Akira Toriyama confirmed in interviews that Yamoshi is the literal historical figure who inspired the myth. When Vegeta or Frieza referenced the warrior of legend who appears once every millennium, they were unknowingly talking about Yamoshi.
The Prophetic Answer: Goku
When Goku transformed on Namek during his battle with Frieza, he achieved what Frieza and Vegeta thought was impossible. For nine hundred to a thousand years, no Saiyan had reached the golden-haired state.
Vegeta spent decades tortured by the thought that someone else would become the legendary warrior of the bedtime stories he heard as a child. When Goku finally crossed that line, he became the living proof of the prophecy. In the context of the original manga arc, Goku is the legendary Super Saiyan because he broke a thousand-year dry spell and actualized the myth.
The Cinematic Answer: Broly
For decades, the title belonged exclusively to Broly from the 1993 non-canon film Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan. In this movie continuity, Broly is born with a power level of 10,000 and possesses a genetic mutation that sets him apart from standard warriors.
When Broly transforms, he doesn't use the standard golden Super Saiyan state. Instead, he grows massively in muscle mass, his pupils vanish, and his hair glows a distinct, eerie green. This specific state is officially named the Legendary Super Saiyan form. Because this movie captured imaginations globally, many fans adopted "Legendary Super Saiyan" as a descriptor for any bulky, berserk green-haired transformation, even though Z-Broly's story sat outside official continuity for years.
The Modern Canon Shift: DBS Broly and Kale
To make matters more complex, Dragon Ball Super introduced new variants of these legendary concepts.
- Kale (Universe 6): During the Tournament of Power, Kale unlocks a berserk, green-tinted transformation. Characters explicitly reference her as Universe 6's version of the legendary Saiyan.
- Broly (Dragon Ball Super): The 2018 canon film Dragon Ball Super: Broly reimagined the character. While his combat style utilizes his giant ape power in base form, official material generally calls his peak green-haired state "Super Saiyan Full Power" rather than the classic moniker, though fans still view him as the spiritual successor to the old movie concept.
You can read more about franchise continuity and character histories on the Dragon Ball Official Site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Broly's green-haired form stronger than a standard Super Saiyan?
Yes. Classic Z-Broly's green-haired form allowed him to effortlessly shrug off attacks from multiple Super Saiyans simultaneously. In modern canon, Broly's variant lets him scale his power exponentially by tapping into his Oozaru strength without transforming into a giant ape, eventually overwhelming Super Saiyan Blue.
Did Bardock ever become the Legendary Super Saiyan?
No. While the TV special Bardock – The Father of Goku and promotional media like Episode of Bardock showed Bardock traveling back in time and turning into a Super Saiyan against Frieza's ancestor Chilled, that story is entirely non-canon. Yamoshi remains the first historical Super Saiyan.
Why did Frieza fear the Super Saiyan legend?
Frieza wiped out Planet Vegeta because the exponential growth rate of Saiyans—combined with whispered myths of a warrior whose power grew infinitely without ceiling—threatened his monopoly on galactic control. Seeing Super Saiyans emerge confirmed his worst nightmares.
Is the Legendary Super Saiyan a separate transformation line?
In modern Dragon Ball terminology, it's treated as a genetic mutation or a specialized evolutionary branch of the standard Super Saiyan tree rather than a distinct numerical tier like Super Saiyan 2. It emphasizes raw, unbridled power and infinite stamina growth at the cost of mental control.
