Bardock's 6 Strongest Transformations, Ranked

Bardock may be the father of Goku, but he is nothing compared to his son. Back in Dragon Ball ZBardock died with a power level of roughly 10,000, making him one of the strongest Saiyans at the time of Planet Vegeta's destruction, yet completely outclassed by the entire main cast by the time the Frieza Saga ends. That's the point though: Bardock's story is a tragedy, and purebred Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta who become ridiculously strong through training are extremes.

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As said, Dragon Ball Super and the series' non-canon spin-offs and video games have had a lot of fun making Bardock stronger with various transformations. Episode of Bardock made Bardock the first Super Saiyan in history, Xenoverse 2 made him unlock Super Saiyan 3, and Dragon Ball SuperGranolah the Survivor Saga even featured Bardock dropping into a form eerily similar to Goku's Ultra Instinct. Bardock may have been a lower class warrior in the DBZbut the franchise has gone out of its way to honor his legacy anyway.

6

Great Ape Bardock was his strongest form in Dragon Ball Z

Like most Saiyans before Planet Vegeta's destruction at the hands of Frieza, Bardock's strongest form was his Great Ape transformation at the end of Dragon Ball Z. When he ended his own TV special with a power level of 10,000, Bardock's Great Ape form would have had a power level of 100,000 (although he never got to use the form at that level before he died). As with Vegeta, it is implied that Bardock can control his Great Ape form.

Great Ape Bardock was last seen in Dragon Ball Super manga Granolah the Survivor Saga. Bardock was one of many Saiyans responsible for the genocide of the Cerealian race and was shown in flashback panels using his great ape form to destroy the planet. Reminiscent of his son Kakarot, but Bardock spared Granolah and his mother, later defending them from Gas before using a form with enough similarities to Ultra Instinct that UI Goku reminds Gas of Bardock decades later.

5

Super Saiyan Bardock is slightly weaker than First Form Frieza

IN Dragon Ball: Episode of BardockBardock is somehow sent back in time to Planet Plant after surviving Frieza's Supernova attack. In Plant's past, Bardock meets Chilled, Frieza's direct ancestor, and the two fight. After befriending a young alien named Berry, Bardock becomes a Super Saiyan when Chilled threatens the child. Since Bardock had a Power Level of 10,000 upon death, his Power Level as a Super Saiyan would be 500,000.

Frieza had a power level of 530,000 in his first form, making Bardock only slightly weaker than the man who killed him in the cannon. With that in mind, it's kind of depressing and poetic that even a Super Saiyan wouldn't have been able to stop Frieza. Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta for no reason, and would have been able to defeat Bardock just fine in his first form.

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4

Super Saiyan 2 Bardock has a power level of at least 1,000,000

Bardock unlocks Super Saiyan 2 in both Dragon Ball Heroes and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Super Saiyan 2 has a multiplier of 100, meaning that SSJ2 Bardock's power level would realistically only be 1,000,000. Since Second Form Frieza has a power level of over 1,000,000, even Super Saiyan 2 Bardock would not be strong enough to kill Frieza. He could fight well, but would ultimately lose the battle.

That said, Bardock uses Super Siayan 2 to fight Mira Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2and Mira is far stronger than any version of Frieza. The Xenoverse version of Bardock almost certainly has a base power level of over 10,000 to keep up with such powerful demonic enemies. Going off Dragon Ball Zs cannon, but SSJ2 Bardock can't handle Namek.

3

Super Saiyan 3 Bardock was strong enough to defeat Mira

Super Saiyan 3 has a Power Level Multiplier of 400x, giving SSJ3 Bardock a Power Level of only 4,000,000 – still too weak to defeat Frieza, as both Super Saiyan Goku and Final Form Frieza at 100% power were fighting nine figures in Power Level at the end of the Namek Saga. That said, Bardock only unlocks Super Saiyan 3 in Xenoverse 2 while fighting Mira, and Xeno Bardock is much stronger than base Bardock.

Super Saiyan 3 Bardock is actually strong enough to completely defeat Mira. After their battle, Bardock disappears from the Time Rift, leaving Future Trunks to wonder if Super Saiyan 3 was just too much for Bardock's body, resulting in his death. Goku struggled using SSJ3 like a mortal, and he was far stronger than Bardock in the Majin Buu Saga, so it's not out of the question that the strain of Super Saiyan 3 would simply be too much for a lower class Saiyan like Bardock.

2

Super Saiyan 4 Bardock is his strongest Saiyan form

Super Saiyan 4 doesn't have an official multiplier like Super Saiyans 1 through 3, but as one of the strongest transformations in the franchise, even Bardock with a power level of 10,000 would likely rocket to near-God levels by tapping into SSJ4. Like many other non-canon Saiyans, Bardock unlocks Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball Heroes.

Bardock looks almost exactly like SSJ4 Goku in his own Super Saiyan 4 form. Unlike previous Super Saiyan forms, Super Saiyan 4 Bardock has no real feats to base his power on. However, logic would dictate that Super Saiyan 4 Bardock is leagues stronger than his previous transformations and would be able to defeat Final Form Frieza, if not all of the other main villains in Dragon Ball Z.

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1

Bardock utilized a pseudo version of Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Super

“Ultra Instinct” is Bardock's strongest form Dragon Ball cannon; but it isn't really Ultra Instinct. Like Roshi's own version of “Ultra Instinct” in the Tournament of Power, Bardock just uses a technique that embodies the same principles for the UI. While fighting Gas, Bardock receives a massive power-up that allows him to turn the tide against what should be a far stronger opponent.

The biggest piece of evidence that suggests Bardock is tapping into a form of Ultra Instinct is that Gas is reminded of Bardock while fighting Ultra Instinct Goku decades later. Worth noting, the full color Dragon Ball Super manga gives Bardock a golden aura during battle, which Ultra Instinct does not has, making it clear that this is just a skin of the UI and not the real deal.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First TV show

Dragon Ball

Latest TV show

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Air date of first episode

February 26, 1986

TV program

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA