Saiyans: Light=Power by Andrew De los Reyes

For those unfamiliar with the Dragonball series, some of the characters belong to the Saiyan race. This branch of characters include many of the main protagonists in the show including the character pictured here, Goku. Some Saiyans have the ability to extend their powers to new heights and become so powerful that they emit bright beams of light that also brightens their hair to a gold-blonde tint. Basically, the more powerful the character becomes, the brighter their lights and hair becomes. I am very aware that this is a cartoon, but the use of light is very similar to what is used in theatre and in the world in general. Light brings clarity, strength and figure to those that it is illuminating. The Saiyans and Super Saiyans are a prime example of this. Here are 3 examples of how the Dragonball series uses light to display power.

Picture 1: This is the protagonist, Goku, before he reaches his Super Saiyan abilities. This form he is in is titled Kaioken, a slightly enhanced version of his original form in strength, speed and endurance. He produces a good amount of light but it is still clear that his original color and shape are maintained. I like to refer to this transformation as a "glow" because it shows his potential for the greater abilities to come.

Picture 2: This is Goku in his first transformation into his Super Saiyan form (SSJ1). As you can see, his hair becomes a bright gold color with beams of light radiating around him. Something to note is that his muscle and hair definition becomes more prominent as he becomes more powerful with the addition of this added light. This really emphasizes the point of light bringing clarity and shape to the figures that are being illuminated.




Picture 3: This is Goku in the third stage of his Super Saiyan form (SSJ3). As you can see the light has become very powerful to accentuate the transformation he has experienced. His hair and muscle definition now have reached almost ridiculous proportions. There is an added feature of electricity around him now which gives him the sense of being dangerous to the touch. In this form, he loses his eyebrows for some reason but I saw this as the light being so powerful that they could have burnt them off but the lack of eyebrows really brings out the definition of his face and really transforms the demeanor of this usually soft-hearted and humble character to a brash and relentless one. When this transformation happened, the screen went almost completely white for 15 minutes of him screaming brutally in the background only to reveal this insanely detailed figure that let the bad guy really have it soon after. I'll never forget seeing this as a kid and having one of my first "OHHH SNAAAAP!" moments.

Thank you for reading. I hope this blog shines some light on the many uses of lighting not only in the physical world but in the world of art that is beyond our beloved theatre and film.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           - Andrew D.