Summary

• Broly was inspired by Trunks' rarely-seen Super Saiyan Third Grade form.
• The Super Saiyan Third Grade transformation resulted in a slow but powerful physique.
• Despite Super Saiyan Third Grade being considered a failure, Broly became an iconic character in the Dragon Ball series.

Dragon Ball's Broly is one of the most popular villains the series has ever seen, as a Saiyan warrior who could match Goku in strength. What may surprise fans to learn is that Broly was actually inspired by a seldom-seen Super Saiyan form that many fans feel is one of the worst transformations in the series.

Broly was originally created by screenwriter Takao Koyama and designed by Akira Toriyama for the film Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, which was released in Japan in 1993. Broly was meant to be a powerful and evil Saiyan, a dark counterpart to Goku in every way. Broly would feature in three movies, known as the "Broly Triple Threat" trilogy, however these movies were considered noncanonical, as was Broly's existence in general.

Broly was eventually revived and redesigned for his first canonical appearance in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which toned down the character's formerly evil nature and made him a more sympathetic figure overall.

Broly Was Actually Inspired by Trunks' Worst Form

Broly's Muscular Physique Came About Due to Super Saiyan Third Grade

In the 1995 databook Daizenshuu 6, which features information on the Dragon Ball films and specials which had been released up to that point, Broly's creator Takao Koyama revealed his inspiration for the concept of Broly actually came while watching the episode "Trunks Ascends," in which Future Trunks transforms into the rarely-seen Super Saiyan Third Grade, an enhanced and extremely muscular form of the basic Super Saiyan state, distinct from Super Saiyan 3.

Super Saiyan Third Grade is often considered one of the worst Super Saiyan forms, both practically and visually, so its connection to a beloved character like Broly comes as a surprise. The transformation is said to allow the to utilize 100% of their power, without any inhibitions. However, they become so muscular in the process that it becomes difficult to react quickly, as evidenced when Cell easily defeats Trunks in this form. Slow but powerful, it was essentially useless against an opponent like Cell, but the form's appearance had a menacing nature to it which seems to have been what inspired Koyama.

Upon closer inspection, Broly's transformation into the Legendary Super Saiyan state certainly resembles the transformation of Future Trunks into Super Saiyan Third Grade, and the two even strike a similar pose when transforming. While most might consider Super Saiyan Third Grade to be an absolute failure, its role in the story did eventually lead to the creation of Broly, so even something that's seemingly awful on the surface can lead to surprising bouts of inspiration.

Since Broly would go on to become such an iconic character that he was eventually incorporated into the canon of the series, fans should be glad that Future Trunks took on the wrong form to face Cell. While Super Saiyan Third Grade may be better left in the dust, it's had a far longer-lasting impact on the franchise than many other transformations, even some of the seemingly more important ones. It will be interesting to see what role Broly's newest incarnation will have to play in the overall story of Dragon Ball, but he's sure to make more of an impact than his inspiration did.