Dragon Ball DAIMA introduced one of the coolest transformations in the series when it brought Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta to the (arguable) canon, but the form wasn't seen again in Dragon Ball Super. While Dragon Ball DAIMA's addition to the overall canon of the series is debatable, there's one element that has been bringing up a pretty big question: if SSJ3 Vegeta was in DAIMA, why wasn't he in Super?

Super Saiyan 3 is Vegeta's strongest form in Dragon Ball DAIMA. He goes on to unlock much more powerful forms in Dragon Ball Super, but at the start of the supposed sequel to Dragon Ball Z, his strongest form was Super Saiyan 2. It's a pretty reasonable question that might have a simpler answer than many would think, as Super Saiyan 3 isn't the form everyone thinks that it is.

Dragon Ball Daima Opened up the Franchise

Daima Introduced Fans to an Entirely New Realm

Dragon Ball DAIMA wasn't just the latest addition to the Dragon Ball franchise: it opened up the universe of the series to new characters, new abilities, and an entirely new realm. The Demon Realm was only really discussed when Supreme Demon King Dabura made his appearance during the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z.

Dragon Ball DAIMA dove headfirst into the Demon Realm, showing the true background of Namekians, introducing even more powerful Majin to the series, and introducing one of Dragon Ball.

The Z Fighters were transformed into children by the new Supreme Demon King Gomah. Because their Dragon Balls wouldn't be readily available to reverse the wish, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Bulma, and the Supreme Kai went into the Demon Realm for the first time to try and fix the problem at its source. In the Demon Realm, Goku and Vegeta both unlocked some incredibly powerful forms, including Vegeta's amazing Super Saiyan 3.

Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta Was One of the Best Parts of DAIMA

SSJ3 Vegeta's First (Somewhat) Canon Appearance

Nobody expected to see Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta in Dragon Ball DAIMA, and that only made Vegeta's legendary transformation even better. Dragon Ball is a franchise known for having some of the best transformations in anime, and Vegeta's first Super Saiyan 3 transformation did not disappoint. During a fight with the powerful Tamagami Number 2, Vegeta realized he would have to transform to be able to take the protector down.

His Super Saiyan 1 and Super Saiyan 2 forms were doing fairly well against the Tamagami until Neva gave it a significant power boost. Vegeta drew upon all his strength and finally went Super Saiyan 3, a form fans across the world have been waiting for. Vegeta only ever used Super Saiyan 1 and 2 in Dragon Ball Z, and in Dragon Ball GT, he skipped SSJ3 entirely and went straight to Super Saiyan 4 (with Bulma's help, of course).

Dragon Ball DAIMA Created a Lot of Plot Holes

Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta, Super Saiyan 4 Goku, and More

Dragon Ball DAIMA's status as a canon entry into the Dragon Ball continuity is questionable at best. There are a lot of plot holes created by DAIMA that don't make sense when watching Dragon Ball Super. When Beerus comes to Earth, he tells Goku to transform into his strongest form to fight him. Goku transforms into Super Saiyan 3, which makes sense because that was his strongest form at the end of Dragon Ball Z.

If Dragon Ball DAIMA exists in between Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, Goku should have turned Super Saiyan 4 instead. It's an obvious issue that never really gets resolved and just proves that Dragon Ball DAIMA might not be as canon as people want it to be.

Vegeta's Super Saiyan 3 form is less of an issue when taken into context. Goku's non-usage of Super Saiyan 4 is a much more egregious issue, but the Prince of all Saiyans might get a for this one. It would have been nice to see the form in Dragon Ball Super, but after a little bit of investiagation, it's easy to see why it never appeared.

Vegeta Never Used Super Saiyan 3 Because the Form Is Nearly Useless

It Wouldn't Have Helped Him Much in Dragon Ball Super

Super Saiyan 3 is known as Akira Toriyama revealed that Super Saiyan 3 wasn't a unique form at all. Instead, it was just another level of the base Super Saiyan form. Instead of being an entirely different form, Super Saiyan 3 just uses more stamina than Super Saiyan 1 and 2 in order to deliver more power.

Vegeta's usage of Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball DAIMA makes sense for two reasons. First, both of the times he used the form were when he intended to end the fight quickly, adding to the fact that Super Saiyan 3 drains stamina immensely. Second, it was Vegeta's strongest form at the time and a form he thought would be enough to finish off his opponents.

Vegeta never uses Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball Super because he realizes that by then, it's useless. His opponents in Super are much stronger than they were in DAIMA, so it wouldn't make sense to gas himself out in the middle of a fight with a form that might not be strong enough anyway.

We'll Probably Never See Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta Again

His First Appearance May Have Been His Last

For better or for worse, Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta will probably never again make an appearance in Dragon Ball. The form is basically useless outside a few key scenarios, but in Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta has gotten access to a few even more powerful forms.

Vegeta has access to at least four forms stronger than Super Saiyan 3 in Dragon Ball Super: Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, Super Saiyan Blue Evolved, and finally, the incredible Ultra Ego transformation. Each of these transformations are not only much stronger than Super Saiyan 3, but they're much more efficient, allowing Vegeta to fight much harder for a lot longer.

Super Saiyan 3 may never make an appearance again, and it's not likely that Vegeta would ever turn into a Super Saiyan 4 either, considering the fact that he has access to all of these divine forms. It's relatively disappointing that Super Saiyan 3 might be done as soon as it appeared in Dragon Ball, but with all the new, exciting forms that Vegeta has on hand, the Prince of all Saiyans probably couldn't care less.