Why Is Broly Green? (His Super Saiyan Powers Explained)

The original Broly in the Dragon Ball Z movies was always very popular among Dragon Ball fans because of his aesthetics and powers. It was only a matter of time until a canon version of the character was introduced as the Broly in Dragon Ball Super is just as awesome and even more powerful than the original. Of course, another aspect that was carried over to Super is the fact that Broly has a green aura. So, why does Broly have a green aura?
Broly’s aura is green mostly because it was a style choice on the part of the creators. It could also be a way of playing at his namesake, which is the broccoli vegetable. However, there are those who believe that he has a green-colored aura due to the more primal nature of his Legendary Super Saiyan form.
The fact that Broly has a green aura is what makes him quite unique among the Saiyans, as it allows him to distinguish his form from the normal Super Saiyan. In that regard, it only makes him even cooler than most of the other characters in Dragon Ball, as he is quite unique in terms of the color of his ki and aura. But let’s try to make sense of why Broly has a green aura.
Why Is Broly Green?
Ever since his debut back in 1993 in the Dragon Ball Z Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan movie, Broly has been one of the most popular characters in the Dragon Ball universe. However, the problem was that the original Broly was never part of the Dragon Ball canon because the movies were not Akira Toriyama’s creations. As such, as far as the Dragon Ball continuity is concerned, Broly never happened.
However, the introduction of Kale of Universe 6, who is a Legendary Super Saiyan herself, into the continuity made fans believe that Broly was eventually going to become canon. Indeed, Broly was finally introduced in the events of Dragon Ball Super: Broly as an enemy that Frieza tried to recruit into his ranks so that he could have someone strong enough to beat Goku and Vegeta.
When Broly unleashed his raw power on Goku and Vegeta, what became clear was the fact that he was indeed gifted and was even more powerful than Goku and Vegeta in terms of his potential. And when he released his Wrathful Energy, he was surrounded by green ki, which went well with the green pelt that he wore to pay homage to his friend back on his home planet.
As a Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly had the same golden hair that Super Saiyans have. However, in an attempt to overpower Gogeta, Broly powered up to the Full-Power Legendary Super Saiyan state that made him harness the energy of his Wrathful Form. This allowed him to have green hair and ki. But why does Broly have a green aura and hair?
There never was a clear explanation why Broly’s aura and hair are green whenever he is in his full-power state. But what we do believe is that this is more of an aesthetic choice for the creators of the character. In fact, when Toriyama created the canon version of Broly, he chose to ignore the green hair that was prominent in the original Broly. But Naohiro Shintani eventually added the green color to Broly’s Full Power Legendary Super Saiyan form to pay homage to the original design of the character.
We can also say that the green color was originally chosen to pay homage to his namesake, which is broccoli. Of course, Kale, who is Universe 6’s version of the Legendary Super Saiyan, is also named after a green-colored vegetable.
Jokes aside, there might be a better way to explain why Broly has a green aura and hair compared to the golden energy that the regular Super Saiyan has. And this might be connected to the fact that Broly’s innate energy and potential make him different compared from the other Saiyans.
As mentioned, Broly has green-colored ki that he inherited from his father, Paragus, who also has green ki. While this might be an aesthetic choice on the part of the creators of the character, it might be connected to the fact that green might be the “raw” form of a Super Saiyan instead of gold.
There is a gif of Vegeta having a green aura that eventually turns yellow as he transforms into a Super Saiyan. This could suggest that the raw aura of a true Super Saiyan is green but will end up turning yellow as the user eventually controls the transformation.
Nevertheless, we do know that Broly did have a green aura as a Super Saiyan even though his hair was yellow. This might suggest that he was only partially able to control the transformation because that was the first time he used it. However, when he eventually goes into his Full-Power Legendary Super Saiyan state in the fight against Gogeta, he mixes his Super Saiyan transformation with his Wrathful Energy so that both his hair and his aura are now green.
It is worth mentioning that Broly’s Wrath Form is basically him drawing the energy of his Great Ape form without transforming into the beast. So, whenever he transforms into Full Power, he ends up mixing the raw energy of the Great Ape with his Super Saiyan form to tap into the raw state of the Super Saiyan, which has a green-colored aura.
In that sense, this is the “primal” form of what a Super Saiyan should be, and that may explain why Broly seems to be a beast of destruction whenever he is in this form despite the fact that he has a meek personality. Of course, this also explains why Kale also has the same green-colored energy and destructive personality whenever she goes into her Full Power Legendary Super Saiyan. In a way, they become primal beasts that tap into the raw green aura of a Super Saiyan whenever they are in this state.
Is Broly’s Super Saiyan Different?
Broly’s Super Saiyan transformation, while never mentioned in Dragon Ball Super, is often called Legendary Super Saiyan. In terms of how to achieve this transformation, it isn’t different compared to the regular Super Saiyan state that Goku and Vegeta have access to. But there are reasons to believe that this is different in terms of its overall power.
It was always clear that Broly’s potential was through the roof, considering that his Wrathful Form was more powerful than Goku and Vegeta whenever they were in their Super Saiyan states. And the very reason why Broly and Paragus were even hated by King Vegeta was the fact that the young boy had powers that already exceeded Vegeta’s.
In that regard, it is widely believed that Broly’s Super Saiyan is the Legendary Super Saiyan that has been passed on from generation to generation among Saiyans. And it is the fact that Broly is in a much different state of mind that may suggest that this is truly a different yet similar transformation to the regular Super Saiyan that the other Saiyans can access.
Saiyans have always been destructive creatures that crave battle. In that regard, Broly becoming unhinged and destructive whenever he is in his Super Saiyan state suggests that he is in the pure and primal form of what a Super Saiyan should be. That may also explain his green aura, as this is the raw energy of a true Super Saiyan.
With that said, his Legendary Super Saiyan form is still, for all intents and purposes, the same Super Saiyan state that the other Saiyans in Dragon Ball can access. But the difference lies in the primal nature of this transformation. And that’s why it is often called the Legendary Super Saiyan, as the primal and destructive nature of this form stays true to the very nature of what a Saiyan is.