Saiyan Power

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, 2014 is a genetic trait that continually lets a Saiyan recover faster and increase in performance against adversity, either by healing from great injuries or enduring great struggle in battle.
==Overview==
This power allows a Saiyan to recover from harm in relatively short periods of time. During which, the Saiyan will imprint on the injuries and/or experiences and instantly learn from it. As it does, their minds and body adapt to the said struggles, allowing their instinctual methods and natural resistance to noticeably improve, which also increases their physical might and general efficiency as they recover, thereby lessening the chances of the problem happening again. The more severe the damage they recover from, the more significant the improvements will be, effectively making prolonged battles more favorable to them. Saiyan Power seems to increase noticeably after each use.
It is shown that accessing godly ki can greatly enhance the usage of Saiyan Power. It allows one to heal at an accelerated rate of mere seconds and likewise prove a noticeably more potent increase in power and efficiency. Even mere moments of pain or struggle will cause a quick and noticeable boost. When fully transformed into a divine form, the Saiyan is shown able to survive most otherwise-fatal injuries and regenerate from the damage. In Super Dragon Ball Heroes, the Warrior in Black theorizes that the incorporation of Zamasu's divine soul into Goku's body as the Crimson-Masked Saiyan allowed him to push the limits of his body and thus Saiyan Power even further.
Even though the effects seem to plateau upon reaching a certain base level of power, Saiyans are still shown to be able to improve incrementally during prolonged fights.
===Limitations===
As noted by Vegeta, a Saiyan cannot increase their power from self-inflicted wounds. This can be disputed by Goku's power increase after healing from his extreme gravity training, though Goku's boost could have come from a blast he was not actively controlling. Cell was also able to gain a noticeable power-up post-self-destruction, though his Saiyan attributes could have been improved through combination with his Namekian cells, granting him regeneration well-beyond that of a normal Namekian. The regenerative boost could have also come from the damage received from Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, who had kicked Cell so hard that he spat out Android 18 and reverted to his Semi-Perfect Form, creating a Saiyan Power boost so strong that it returned him to his Perfect Form as well as an ascension to Super Saiyan 2, creating "Super Perfect Cell".
The increase in power appears to be inconsistent. For instance, Vegeta's power level only received a moderate increase after he healed from his fight with Goku on Earth, rising from 18,000 to 24,000. On the other hand, Goku's power level made a massive jump from his battle with the Ginyu Force to his fight with Frieza, skyrocketing from 90,000 to 3,000,000 in a single go. It should be noted his body (while inhabited by Captain Ginyu) likely got boosted from the beating it took from Vegeta.
After the events on Namek, Saiyan Power seems to have diminished in both potency and importance. Subsequent Saiyan Power boosts became near negligible, such as when Gohan did not appear any stronger than before to Super Buu after being healed by Dende during their fight. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Future Trunks theorizes that Saiyans can only increase their power from this ability up to a certain point. This theory came from the fact Vegeta already reached well-beyond normal Saiyan limits and fared no better in a second round against Goku Black after healing from his previous beating against the latter. Ironically, in the anime, Black could still improve further by exploiting Saiyan Power despite being at a higher level of power than Goku and Vegeta at the time (as well as using Goku's body which had already experienced Saiyan Power several times before Black acquired it).
Another potential limit to Saiyan Power is that if an attack is potent enough to cripple a Saiyan's recovery, they may never be able to fully heal. This is suggested by Goku's battle with Nappa, where his Kaio-ken Finish left the brute with severe enough injuries that Goku believed Nappa's fighting days were over. However, it is likely that Goku was not aware of Saiyan Power and simply believed that the injuries were bad enough to put a seasoned fighter permanently out of commission.
==Usage==
In the Tournament Saga, during the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, it was noted by Master Roshi, disguised as "Jackie Chun", that Goku's skills were quickly improving the longer he fought the seasoned veteran.
In the Red Ribbon Army Saga, as Goku continued to struggle against Korin to obtain the Sacred Water, he steadily improved against the deity and ultimately improving enough to obtain the water in a mere 3 days, greatly impressing Korin. Krillin also noted a considerable increase in Goku's might since the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. In the anime, Goku after being pummeled by General Blue eventually managed to quickly turn the tables on the Red Ribbon General after the latter punched a cave wall. Similarly, Goku also proceeded to counter General Blue's Psychic Eyes shortly after the latter unwittingly released him from the ability by the arrival of Mousey when the latter attempted to use the ability again by poking his eyes at a fast enough speed that Blue could not react in time.
In the King Piccolo Saga, after drinking the Ultra Divine Water and almost dying, Goku gained a power boost from not just the water's powers, but also from his Saiyan Power, as seen from the silhouette of his Great Ape form.
In the Vegeta Saga, King Kai was greatly impressed by how quickly Goku repeatedly improved and completed each test given despite the initial struggles and soon surpassing the Kai. After Gohan healed from the injuries brought on by Nappa, he proved able to hold his own against the much stronger Vegeta. 
During the Frieza Saga, Vegeta's power level rose from 18,000 to 24,000 after recovering from his first fight with Goku. On Namek, Vegeta relied heavily on espionage tactics and Saiyan Power to stand up to Frieza's elite warriors, his initial power level allowing him to overwhelm Dodoria and base Zarbon, and a later increase to 30,000 allowed him to kill Monster Zarbon after nearly being killed by Monster Zarbon during their first battle. Vegeta properly explained the process to Krillin and Bulma, who realized this was how Goku got power increases from his battles. Additionally, Vegeta's power increase enabled him to cause minor damage to Recoome, but the Ginyu Force member was still too much for the Saiyan elite. Goku's healing from his first battle against Vegeta and multiple injuries during his gravity training in x100 Earth's gravity increased his power level from over 8,000 to 90,000 and allowed him to master a x10 Kaio-ken.
After Vegeta healing from his severe beating from Recoome, Vegeta's strength skyrockets to match First Form Frieza (power level 530,000). When Gohan healed from his pummeling by Second Form Frieza, Vegeta was left very impressed by the growth, to which Gohan's new power proved able to momentarily pressure Third Form Frieza, inciting the tyrant to use his Final Form. Once letting Krillin gravely injure him and then healing again, Vegeta could see and react to Final Form Frieza's movements and attacks, until he begins to put in even more effort. After recovering from battling Captain Ginyu, Goku's power level reached 3,000,000,Daizenshuu 7, 1996 enough to pressure Frieza's initial might in Final Form. When Frieza began decimating Goku with 50% Power, Goku's continued struggles let him advance enough repel Frieza's grip on him and use a x20 Kaio-ken. In the anime, when spurred by a vision of Vegeta, Goku's strength increased enough to pressure Frieza into fighting seriously with 50%.
In the Cell Games Saga, during the extreme battle between Super Saiyan Goku and Perfect Cell in the Cell Games, the latter who was partially created from Saiyan cells, King Kai noted that despite the exhaustion the two were going through, their power was actually growing the longer the battle went on. Later, when Semi-Perfect Cell self-destructed on King Kai's Planet, his being completely imprinted from the experience. This let him recreate his Perfect Form without needing Androids 17 and 18, as well as greatly amplifying its power to the point that Cell's aura now emanated blue electrical sparks, as Cell achieved the Super Saiyan 2 form, referred to as Super Perfect Cell. Ultimately, his newfound Super Perfect state let him equal Super Saiyan 2 Gohan's might, who previously toyed with Perfect Cell. However, he was still defeated by the Father-Son Kamehameha.
In the World Tournament Saga, after Gohan was drained of all his energy by Spopovich and Yamu, Kibito healed him, after which Gohan noted he felt much stronger than before.
In the God of Destruction Beerus Saga, Super Saiyan God Goku benefited greatly from Saiyan Power, letting him survive the God of Destruction Beerus' repeated thrashings and even a hole in his chest from the Destroyer's lethal jab. In addition to surviving and letting him continue battling, his repeated healing allowed Goku to constantly increase his power and subsequently adjust to the godly form's capacities and hold his own against Beerus.
In the Universe 6 Saga, during the Tournament of Destroyers against Hit, while struggling at first to combat the assassin's Time-Skip, with each exchange Goku gradually adjusted to Hit's tactics until he began repeatedly blocking and counterattacking Hit's assault. 
In anime version of the ""Future" Trunks Saga" Goku Black made liberal use of Saiyan Power as part of his plan to ensure his rise as the strongest warrior in the multiverse, deliberately keeping his power low enough for his foes to inflict enough damage on him to imprint on. From this, it ultimately allowed him to obtain his Super Saiyan Rosé form and likewise enhance his techniques. In the anime, seemingly due to his natural access to godly ki, his Saiyan Power was especially potent, letting him seemingly never get tired from how fast he would recover. While base Black was heavily damaged by Super Saiyan 2 Goku, upon recovering, base Black fought on par with Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta while virtually unfazed by the latter's attacks. When taking a savage assault from an enraged Super Saiyan Blue Goku, once recovering, Black's power boost evolve his energy blade, letting him quickly defeat Goku. Later, when Future Trunks unlocked Super Saiyan Rage, while initially the hybrid was unfazed by Super Saiyan Rosé Black's attacks and soon simultaneously pummeled Black and Future Zamasu, once Black recovered from the assault, his power increased to quickly overwhelm Future Trunks again. Interesting enough, Goku Black doesn't need to be healed to gain an increase, as long as he has even a short amount of time to recover, he can freely make use of Saiyan Power.
In the manga version, while requiring Future Zamasu's help to heal, Black's power still jumped tremendously each time. Initially, Black was seen struggling to keep up with Super Saiyan 2 Vegeta while using Super Saiyan himself and ultimately left badly beaten up. Once healed by Future Zamasu, Super Saiyan Black gained a slight advantage against Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta.
In the Universe Survival Saga, during the Tournament of Power, the Saiyans competing repeatedly made liberal use of Saiyan Power, showing remarkable jumps in the 45-minute tournament, as noted by Vegeta. In the anime, as he began recovering from fighting Jiren, Super Saiyan God Goku was able to calmly overpower Legendary Super Saiyan 2 Kale and Super Saiyan 2 Caulifla simultaneously. Also, Caulifla, who was a crude brawler, began quickly adjusting to Goku's more experienced maneuvers, becoming more efficient in her combat skills and methods as Goku continued to pressure her. During the second fight against Jiren, Goku seemingly fully recovered and held his own with only Super Saiyan Blue, whereas before Goku couldn't even compete with X20 Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken. Through strategy, he even pushed Jiren to use a hint of his true power, something he could not do before with Ultra Instinct Sign. At the same time, as Vegeta continued to take Jiren's assaults, he gradually saw through the foe's attack patterns, eventually able to evade and land blows of his own.
In the anime, while using Ultra Instinct Sign, Goku's Saiyan Power was greatly enhanced, allowing his power and efficiency to increase at an alarming rate as he continues to fight against a foe of comparable or greater power to himself. The gods of Universe 11 are astounded that Goku is able to gain on Jiren so quickly as he gradually begins to overwhelm Jiren before his untimely regression to base form. This eventually resulted in him completing Ultra Instinct. In the completed Ultra Instinct form, Goku's power grew to levels that exceeded the Gods of Destruction and even the Full Power Jiren. Goku was able to easily outclass Jiren at his full power. When Jiren broke through his own limits, now facing Goku at an equal level and pressure him. As Goku recovered from the assault, Goku's growth again allowed him to overwhelm Jiren and essentially defeat him. Even more, as Goku began recovering from the aftereffects of overusing Ultra Instinct, at only base form Goku was able to fend of the battered but still fierce Jiren when fighting alongside Frieza.
In the near-final moments of the tournament, Vegeta, in his Super Saiyan God SS Evolved form, was able to hold his own against Top in his God of Destruction Mode. After recovering from Top's assault, Vegeta was able to push this power even further, overpowering Top's Sphere of Destruction and eventually defeating him. 
During the Tournament of Power in the manga, Ultimate Gohan took on Super Saiyan Kefla by himself. Despite being overpowered in the beginning of their fight, Gohan was able to push back and even fight evenly with Kefla from then on. As noted by Piccolo, the intensity of the tournament not only helped Gohan regain his battle sense, but it also let him grow considerably stronger than before the tournament started.
In the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, after Goku is dealt a fatal wound, Gohan's rage powers him up, however this still proves unable to even move Transformed Moro, who downs Gohan with a single punch (Moro commented he is amuse that Gohan would power-up through sheer anger and said it was not enough to budge him making Moro compliment the half-Saiyan gaining a power boost in the battle). After Goku mastered proper usage of Ultra Instinct, he continued to grow against Transformed Moro, ultimately adapting to Moro's strikes enough to be physically impervious to the foe's attacks as Moro actually broke his hand jabbing at Goku's chest.
In the Granolah the Survivor Saga, Vegeta noted during his battle against Granolah that with each passing minute he was getting stronger. This was proven as he was gradually becoming able to hold his own against Granolah, eventually attaining Ultra Ego during the fight. As the fight continues, Vegeta deliberately took massive damage by not avoiding the majority of attacks from Granolah in an attempt to push his limits and increase his power even further and was successful in doing so as he showed an upper hand in physical combat against Granolah. Over time, Vegeta took so much damage that his body literally started to fail himself causing him to lose some blood and his vision getting blurry and thus he concluded to counter Granolah's next powerful attack in order to survive. After Goku recovered from his battle against Granolah, Goku had adjusted to the foe's attack patterns, able to anticipate how and where he would strike, letting him avoid the most critical of harm. Likewise, Goku was able to as Perfected Super Saiyan Blue draw out the self-improving foe, able to endure most of the force from Granolah's attacks and counter. In a flashback, despite losing his tail during the battle, Bardock was able to push his limits, allowing him to overwhelm the stronger Gas who previously dominated Bardock in his strongest form. Due to Vegeta and Goku learning this from audio that was recorded in Bardock's scouter while awaiting Gas's impending arrival, they decided to follow Bardock's strategy when Gas arrived.
In the Universe Creation Saga, it is heavily implied that the means Broly used to gain his Super Full Power Saiyan 4 Limit Breaker form was the result of several bouts of Saiyan Power from past defeats. With his increased power, Broly was able to fight against some of the most powerful fighters in the multiverse, such as Super Saiyan Blue Vegito (alongside Super Full Power Saiyan 4 Limit Breaker Xeno Vegito), Super Saiyan 3 Cumber, and even Jiren, who has been regarded as being the mightiest warrior in all of the 12 universes.
In the New Space-Time War Saga, the Crimson-Masked Saiyan was quickly overwhelmed by Ultra Instinct Sign Goku. After recovering, Crimson was able to draw out Goku, nearly catching Goku off guard. In the desire to further evolve his newfound Saiyan body, traveled to various timelines to face different incarnations of Goku. Ultimately, his quickly increasing might allowed him to evolve his Super Saiyan Rosé power to its maximum potential of Super Saiyan Rosé Full Power, a form that ultimately required Gogeta to defeat.
In Shadow Dragon Saga, during Goku's battle against Eis Shenron he was frozen solid by the Shadow Dragon. Originally, Goku required Nuova Shenron's aid to escape. Afterwards however, Goku became completely unaffected by the foe's attacks next usage as he instantly broke free while completely unfazed from the event. To which, Goku noted firmly that the same technique does not work twice on him. Later, against Syn Shenron, despite being blinded by Eis, once recharged by the other Saiyans' power, Goku adapted so completely from Syn's previous assault that just using his other senses let him react to all of the Shadow Dragon's attacks effortlessly.
==Film Appearances==
In Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure, after Goku was injured by General Tao, he was given a Senzu Bean by Korin that provide a power boost of his second fight at him. This increase allowed him to shrug him off and block Tao's Dodon Ray albeit with little struggle. With Goku commenting it was useless and the same attack doesn't work at him thanks to Korin's advice, shocking his own foe and with Arale being impressed along with the Gatchan here.
In Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge, Goku experiences a boost after recovering from Cooler's Darkness Eye Beam, able to overwhelm the foe who previously grievously injured him with a single attack. The Japanese version of the beginning has Master Roshi indirectly allude to Saiyan Power when noting that Goku became significantly stronger since returning from Namek.
In Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, when Android 15 attempts to beat down Vegeta, although he initially was reacting to the blows, he eventually started to shrug them off before catching 15's fist, promptly going Super Saiyan afterwards.
In Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, it is stated that Broly survived his execution and grew stronger due to his Saiyan genes. In addition, the Funimation dub and to a lesser extent the Japanese version implies that Broly constantly gets stronger while he is in Legendary Super Saiyan form (the latter source instead claims that his Ki increases to the extent that it risks killing him in that form unless he vents the energy). Paragus may have also gained a boost after surviving King Vegeta's Execution Beam, although he was never shown fighting in the movie to confirm one way or another.
In Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming, it was noted by Gohan that Broly grew significantly stronger after recovering from his loss against Goku. The fact that Broly appeared stronger in only Super Saiyan C-type rather than his previous usage of Legendary Super Saiyan implies that Broly tapped into Saiyan Power.
In Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku, it was noted by doctors that which each mission Bardock returned from, especially when needing medical attention, he was showing a considerable increase in power. His power level was reaching 10,000. It was even noted prior to the genocide of the Saiyans that Bardock's power has come to rival King Vegeta.
In Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, originally Super Saiyan Future Gohan struggled against even one of the evil androids (Future Android 17 even noted that he used less than half of his power). By the battle at the Super World amusement park, Future Gohan was able to fight on par with Future 17 and gradually overwhelm him, shocking the foe and forcing him to team up with Future Android 18 to defeat him. Later after recovering, despite having lost his left arm, Future Gohan proved able to overpower both androids simultaneously at their full power, ultimately forcing the tireless androids to instead exhaust Future Gohan to defeat him. These improvements for Future Gohan seemingly came from accessing Saiyan Power.
In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Broly used this ability to constantly grow stronger during various fights, which implies his growth rate was superior to that of the average Saiyan's, as Vegeta noted that Broly learns as he fights, as well as Goku noting in a terrified tone that Broly was getting stronger after the latter ascended into his Super Saiyan form. Initially, despite his formidable power, Broly was outclassed by Vegeta due to the prince's superior combat skills and his power. After only a few minutes though, Broly had adapted enough that Vegeta had to transform into a Super Saiyan to gain an advantage, though this only lasted for a short while as Broly's rising power and usage of Saiyan power allowed him to neutralize this advantage quickly. This forced Vegeta to ascend to Super Saiyan God, which proved too much for Broly at first. Once Broly assumed his Wrathful form, pushing his power to new heights and continuing to grow at the same accelerated rate, he was able to overpower Vegeta with no problems. He went on to face Goku, forcing Goku to transform into a Super Saiyan and then a Super Saiyan God. But even in this form, Goku was on the losing end, due to Broly continuing to grow. It took Goku becoming a Super Saiyan Blue to overwhelm Broly, though Broly was still able to hold his own for a short while. Once he became a Super Saiyan, however, Broly was in a different league, overwhelming both Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan Blue forms.
==Video Game Appearances==
In Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu, when a Saiyan reaches less than 5 HP, using a full heal item on him (like a card of Kami) will result in him receiving a Saiyan Power and raise his level by 1. This can be used early on against Raditz, to boost Goku's level extremely high. Also in the game, there is a glitch with Saiyan Power: if a player chooses to level Dende to level 3 (9999 exp earned twice), Dende can heal a character as well. Should he heal a Saiyan that is at 5 HP or below, the Saiyan receives the Saiyan Power, but not the level up. This allows certain characters like Gohan or Vegeta to be boosted to higher-than-usual power levels. Using the Moon Card on Gohan, however, restores his power level to the level it should be.
Broly is mentioned to have undergone another Saiyan Power after being blasted into the Sun in various video games, which resulted in him becoming a Legendary Super Saiyan 3.
In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, a customize card named "Saiyan Power" can be equipped onto a character and raises their attack power every time they are knocked out.
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Saiyan Power is one of the Saiyan race's unique traits. When a Saiyan falls in battle, and is revived, either through teammate assistance or a Battle Item, they gain a large power boost that lasts for the duration of that battle. A Saiyan Power effect can be applied to non-Saiyans through Z-Souls such as Vegeta's "Saiyans are a Warrior race!" or through Super Perfect Cell's "That was a handy miscalculation".
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Saiyan characters can receive Saiyan Power in the same manner as they did in Xenoverse. Goku Black also possess the Super Soul "This pain will make me stronger!". During the Unknown History Saga, Super Saiyan Xeno Bardock fights with Mira inside the Time Rift he had trapped himself and Mira within who notices that Bardock is growing stronger as he fights. This combined with the alterations Towa had done to his body while he was brainwashed implies what allowed him to ascend to Super Saiyan 2 and then Super Saiyan 3 to defeat Mira. As part of the Super Pack 1 DLC, Cabba grows stronger like other Saiyan characters do in Xenoverse 2. Interestingly, he will reference this after being revived by saying "I feel great!".
In Dragon Ball Legends, upon consuming a Senzu Bean from Goku before their first sparring session after their encounter with the Saiyan in Red, Shallot finds he feels better and stronger, which Goku, Beerus, Whis, and Jaco all note is the Saiyan ability to grow stronger. Later on, Shallot is mortally wounded by Third Form Frieza. After being given a senzu bean by Vegeta however, his power increases enough for him and Vegeta to force Frieza into his Final Form, and the power increase boosted Shallot's S-Cell count to within the necessary amount to become a Super Saiyan as Shallot transforms in a rage soon after Vegeta is killed by Frieza. During the Super Cell Games hosted by New Cell and his team consisting of Cooler and Boujack whom New Cell had borrowed from Dabura who is secretly using the tournament to gather Kili for the Organization of Babidi, it is eventually revealed that New Cell's alternative motive for creating the games, which was to repeat the process that allowed the original Cell to achieve his Super Perfect Form by having his enemies blow him to bits in the hope his core will survive allowing him to regenerate more powerful and "Perfect" than ever before, with Super Saiyan 2 Gohan (who had defeated the original in his original timeline), Shallot, and their allies playing right into his hands. While New Cell admits his plan was a gamble and risky, he preferred to take the chance in order to achieve greater power. Ultimately his plan was a success, though Gohan and Shallot remain determined to stop him as they are tired of how he treats and uses others to achieve his own goals and with their combined Super Saiyan 2 power they are able to destroy him completely with a Combined Kamehameha-Wild Cannon that destroys the so-called "Ultimate Warrior".
==Trivia==
*This Saiyan ability is colloquially, yet erroneously called by the western fandom. The term Zenkai (全快) meaning "complete recovery" was used in Goku's explanation of Vegeta getting more powerful after having almost died,Dragon Ball chapter 283, "Ginyu Steps In" this is presumably the origin of the term. Zenkai (Full Throttle) was notably used in the first Dragon Ball Z ending theme, "Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Power!". Zenkai Power was also made the ability's official name in the French version.
*While the dub incorrectly implies that Saiyan Powers only occur with elite Saiyans, Goku a low-class Saiyan, receives them many times. This is confirmed by how Krillin states how Goku always grew ever stronger after recovering from fighting devastating battles.
**Additionally, in Bardock - The Father of Goku, the doctors note how Bardock's power level had increased after healing. Like his son, Bardock is a low-class Saiyan.
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