Dragon Ball's Most Powerful Super Saiyan Form Is Officially Unauthorized

Within the long-running "Dragon Ball" franchise, the Super Saiyan transformation is a legendary ability used by Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta. And it grants them a monumental power boost in battle.

Saiyans who have achieved the Super Saiyan form can unlock even greater forms like Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, and the absurdly powerful hybrid form Super Saiyan 4. The most powerful known form of Super Saiyan is said to be "Super Saiyan Blue," which can be achieved by a Saiyan who has mastered the powers of a Super Saiyan God and then transformed into an even greater form of Super Saiyan.

Unsatisfied with this final stage of "Dragon Ball" power scaling, fans online have frequently created their own ultra-powerful Saiyan States and abilities — with the most powerful of these fan-made states being Super Saiyan 5, a form which has no basis in the canon "Dragon Ball" franchise. Appearing in the cult fan-made manga series "Dragon Ball AF," this form was supposedly the strongest transformation a Saiyan could possibly achieve using only their inherent strength and no outside modifiers. It was said to exceed the abilities of other absurdly strong fan-made forms like Super Saiyan God 4, Dark Super Saiyan 4, and Saiyan Rage 4, and was first achieved by Goku Jr. during his battle with the demon "Zaiko."

If any of those forms or details seem unfamiliar to you (particularly Goku Jr.'s fight with Zaiko, a character who does not exist in "Dragon Ball") it's because Super Saiyan 5 is a state that exists only in the unauthorized fan manga "Dragon Ball AF."

"Dragon Ball AF" began as a rumored sequel series to "Dragon Ball GT", which first started to circulate the internet alongside an image that purported to show "Super Saiyan 5 Goku." In actuality, this was fan art drawn by David Montiel Franco for a 1999 issue of "Hobby Consoles" magazine, but the "Dragon Ball" fandom still latched onto the idea and began to expand the story of "Dragon Ball AF" on their own. This includes a slew of fan-drawn manga panels and chapters, and an entire "Dragon Ball AF" fanon with information about fan-made storylines, characters, and Saiyan forms.

While Super Saiyan 5 technically only exists in these fan-made resources, it's worth mentioning that we have actually heard a reference to this form in "Dragon Ball GT" -– when Bulma suggests that Super Saiyan 5 is a possible form of the Saiyan transformation line. While it's unlikely we see Super Saiyan 5 appear in any future "Dragon Ball" media, it's safe to say this fan-made form has achieved cult status among the majority of the"Dragon Ball" fandom.