Who Was the First Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball? Explained

The Dragon Ball franchise is undeniably infamous and is home to a plethora of incredible anime characters for fans to admire. Goku has been dubbed as one of the most popular anime characters of all time, but he was not the original Super Saiyan contrary to what many believe – leaving many fans wondering who was the first Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball.

Yamoshi is a mysterious Saiyan, confirmed to be the first Super Saiyan in recorded history. He lived approximately 1000 years before the Dragon Ball storyline takes place, and it is believed that his spirit is still wandering in search of 6 worthy Saiyans to take on his power.

Despite the fact that Goku was not the first Super Saiyan in the Dragon Ball universe, he was the first to grace our screens and some of his powers may actually be a result of the original Super Saiyan, Yamoshi. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about the first Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball, as well as how he may still have an influence on present Super Saiyans’ power gains.

Who was the First Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball?

Goku had originally been seen as the main and first Super Saiyan in the Dragon Ball storyline, debuting the new super form during his fight against Frieza. Goku has a groundbreaking moment when Krillin dies, as his emotional turmoil towards the loss of his close friend pushes him over the edge – ultimately leading to his Super Saiyan form.

This sudden shift in form came as a massive shock to others in the storyline, as the concept of Super Saiyans had been viewed as a myth up until that point, even among Saiyans. Goku’s transformation not only confirmed that achieving higher-powered forms was possible for Saiyans, but it also acted as motivation for other Saiyans in the Dragon Ball world – spurring them on to reach Super Saiyan and beyond.

Yamoshi, The Legendary Super Saiyan

However, the first Super Saiyan to ever be recorded in the Dragon Ball universe was actually a mysterious man named Yamoshi, who lived approximately 1000 years before the Dragon Ball story takes place. This was also confirmed by the creator of the Dragon Ball saga, Akira Toriyama, who stated that Yamoshi was a heroic fighter who fought alongside another 5 righteous Saiyans of the time.

Based on the timeline, this would mean that Yamoshi was around long before the existence of Planet Vegeta, which ended up being the Saiyan planet in the Dragon Ball universe. Although, there is still some mystery as to how exactly Yamoshi accessed his Super Saiyan form.

Some say he achieved it in a similar way to Goku, while the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie suggested that Yamoshi went through the Super Saiyan God ritual – however, there are still some contradicting opinions concerning whether or not this specific installation is canon. Either way, Yamoshi managed to access the Super Saiyan power within himself in order to fight off the evil Saiyans, who unleashed havoc during that era.

Yamoshi was a fierce fighter as is, which contributed to the legend of all Saiyans being naturally violent and destructive. However, he did not manage to surpass the same boundaries we have seen our favorite Super Saiyans do throughout the Dragon Ball storyline, and Yamoshi’s power ultimately wasn’t enough to defeat the villains they were up against.

It is believed that Yamoshi ran out of energy and was eventually killed by the evil Saiyans who were set on wiping out all pure-hearted or righteous Saiyans. This would mean that the vast majority (if not all) Saiyans in the Dragon Ball universe are actually descendants of evil Saiyans.

This might explain why most Saiyans start off as evil or were raised to be on the dark side, such as Vegeta. But, it also reveals that every Saiyan has the choice to be good or evil, irrespective of their origins, ancestry, and upbringing.

Yamoshi’s Power & Form

Yamoshi is still shrouded by mystery and speculation, both for main Dragon Ball characters as well as for Dragon Ball fans worldwide. The main evidence Dragon Ball characters have is from the Namekian Book of Legends, as a Namekian elder chose to record information about Yamoshi due to feeling sympathy for his spirit after death.

It’s also quite possible that existing information was wiped out as well since present Saiyans would have been founded on the doing of those who had killed Yamoshi. However, he is known as an ancient Super Saiyan who could transform long before anyone else could, and is also referred to by the alias “The Legendary Super Saiyan”.

Although Yamoshi has never been specifically mentioned by name, he was referenced in both the Dragon Ball Z saga as well as the Dragon Ball Super saga. Both Frieza and Vegeta pointed out that Goku did not invent the form in Dragon Ball Z, he merely managed to reach this legendary state after centuries of this power being MIA.

Still, Yamoshi was shown a handful of times in various filler scenes throughout Dragon Ball Z in particular – specifically in his ape form which appears to be golden instead of the classic brown color. However, it’s unknown if this was truly Yamoshi’s form or if these visuals were based on the legend or myth’s interpretation.

Is Yamoshi Truly Dead? (Super Saiyan God)

After Yamoshi’s death, his spirit was released into the vast and boundless universe. According to Toriyama, Yamoshi may not have a physical form but he is not necessarily dead either – Yamoshi is actually wandering in spirit, searching for 6 worthy and righteous Saiyans to whom he can bestow his power.

Yamoshi’s spiritual and unconstricted form is believed to have sparked or at least inspired the emergence of the Super Saiyan God form seen in Dragon Ball Super, essentially leading to the insanely overpowered and god-like forms displayed by the Saiyans after that point as well. Apparently, Yamoshi is the Super Saiyan God form in a sense, as it may have been his pure and heroic Saiyan spirit and essence that led to the form’s creation.

He is believed to have made a brief appearance as well, although in spirit, as Goku was undergoing the ritual to transform into Super Saiyan God form and take on Beerus. Through this appearance, Yamoshi is believed to have a build, form, and appearance that’s strikingly similar to Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince – apart from the presence of a tail, which is missing in Dragon Ball for the most part.

Goku also made a rather interesting comment while fighting Beerus as well, saying that he had spoken “to” the Super Saiyan God power. This implies that, while Yamoshi is not physically alive in a tangible sense, he may still be able to subconsciously communicate with Saiyans he deems worthy.

In addition, many believe that Goku was not the warrior Beerus saw in his prophetic dream – it was Yamoshi’s spirit. This would make for an incredibly interesting twist, only furthering the idea that Yamoshi is still around – hopefully, fans get more info about this mysterious hero sometime soon!

That’s all there is to know about Yamoshi so far, with images thanks to Screenrant and the Dragon Ball Wiki. Yamoshi may just be a legend, as he was only mentioned a handful of times throughout the entire Dragon Ball storyline, but it seems that his existence is not just real – it’s ongoing. Yamoshi might just have a stronger influence on the Dragon Ball saga than many fans expect.