Summary

• Super Saiyan 3 is rarely seen because it drains a Saiyan's ki significantly faster than other transformations, making it unsuitable for fights that require stamina.
• Super Saiyan 3 is a transformation meant for the Other World, or places where time doesn't flow, as it uses up too much energy too quickly in the mortal realm.
• Examples from Dragon Ball Super and Fusion Reborn support the idea that Super Saiyan 3 should only be used in locations outside the flow of time, further emphasizing its rarity in the series.

Out of all the Saiyan transformations throughout Dragon Ball continuity–including Dragon Ball Z, Super, and GT–arguably the one that is the most rarely seen is Super Saiyan 3, and the series has one genius answer for exactly why that is, though it's not a fully satisfying one.

Super Saiyan 3 is the third form of Super Saiyan that increases a Saiyan’s power exponentially, though it comes with a pretty sizable downside. Super Saiyan 3 drains a Saiyan’s ki much faster than the previous two transformations, so while it is powerful in small bursts, it isn’t ideal in a fight where stamina is required, such as a tournament.

Throughout Dragon Ball Z and Super, the only Saiyans to obtain the Super Saiyan 3 transformation were Goku and Gotenks (the fusion of Trunks and Goten), making it an incredibly rare form when compared to Super Saiyan 1, 2, God, or even Blue. While that could be because Super Sayain 3 drains too much energy to be worth it, there’s another reason why it’s so rare–one that is an extension of the form’s ki-draining side effect.

Super Saiyan 3 is Secretly an Otherworldly Transformation

Which is Why the Transformation is so Rare

In Dragon Ball chapter #475 by Akira Toriyama, Goku confronts Buu and Babidi to buy Goten and Trunks more time to learn the Fusion Dance. At that point, Goku had returned from the grave for just a day, and he only had a little time left. This meant he couldn't beat Buu, and with Vegeta dead and Gohan presumed dead, the only ones left to save the day were Goten and Trunks– but they didn’t stand a chance without fusion. So, Goku does tries to give Goten and Trunks the time they need by trying Super Saiyan 3.

Though Dragon Ball heroes like Bardock, Nappa, Raditz, and others unlock Super Saiyan 3 in spinoff material like Super Dragon Ball Heroes, these are regarded as non-canon compared to Dragon Ball Super and GT.

It is now common knowledge that Super Saiyan 3 uses a lot of ki, and in Dragon Ball chapter 476, Goku explains exactly why. According to Goku, Super Saiyan 3 should really only be used in the Other World, or anywhere time doesn’t flow. When used on Earth too much energy gets used up too quickly, and it isn’t worthwhile despite its power. This implies that Super Saiyan 3 is something of a divine Super Saiyan transformation, one that shouldn’t be used by mortals as it simply doesn’t work in the mortal realm.

Super Saiyan 3 is Difficult to Use in the Mortal World

The Flow of Time Makes its Chi Consumption too High to Maintain

In Dragon Ball Super, when Goku challenges Beerus on King Kai’s world Goku goes Super Saiyan 3 because they're outside the flow of time. In Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn, Goku goes Super Saiyan 3 to fight Janemba in hell, another location where time doesn’t flow as it does on Earth. Then, when Goku shows off Super Saiyan 3 to the Saiyans of Universe 6 in DBS’s Tournament of Power, he only stays in that form for a short period because of the ki drain, as the tournament is held in a place where time is flowing as it should.

Dragon Ball's Best Chance of Bringing Super Saiyan 3 Back is its Least Likely Heroes

Goten & Trunks Have the Best Chance of Making Super Saiyan 3 Relevant Again

Though heroes like Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan have evolved past the need for Super Saiyan 3, Goten and Trunks have the perfect opportunity to bring the form back in a big way. Given their disappointing fusions in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and in Dragon Ball Super, the series is clearly setting up the two young Saiyans for a character arc where they get serious and finally get Gotenks right. Considering Gotenks is one of the few canonical users of Super Saiyan 3, it's likely any serious return of Gotenks will mean a return of Super Saiyan 3.

Until that point though it's clear that Super Saiyan 3 isn’t meant for the mortal realm, making it an incredibly interesting aspect of Saiyan transformations that deserves to be more thoroughly explored, and that is why it is so rare in Dragon Ball Z.

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