Saiyan

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4 full blooded saiyans (Nappa, Son Goku, Vegeta, and Raditz).

Saiyans (サイヤ人, saiyajin^?), commonly abbreviated as SJ, are a fictional, nearly extinct race in the manga series Dragon Ball, its three adoptions to anime and the self-parody Neko Majin Z. They are a powerful simian warrior race who play a central role in Dragon Ball Z once it is revealed that the main character, Son Goku, is a saiyan himself.

[edit] Name

The name is a Japanese anagram of their word for vegetable (野菜, yasai^?), followed by a suffix that literally means "person" (人, -jin^?). In a similar manner, all pure-blood saiyans in the series are named using puns on various vegetables.

[edit] The saiyan race

[edit] History

There were once two separate races on Planet Vegeta; the barbaric saiyans and the Tsufurujin (FUNimation dub: Tuffles), an advanced, scientific race. The Tsufurujin and the saiyans fought a civil war, but the saiyans were ultimately victorious thanks to their ability to turn into their Oozaru forms. Over the years they also learned how to use the Tsufurujin's advanced equipment and become somewhat smarter and less barbaric, although they still lusted for fighting and destruction. This early history of the saiyans is never discussed in the manga, but was later overviewed in the anime.

At some unknown time following the saiyan victory the planet was conquered or annexed by Freeza's empire and the saiyans, like many other races, were drafted to serve as soldiers in Freeza's military. Because of the saiyans' innate strength and penchant for violence, they were considered to be useful mercenaries and assisted in the conquering of many planets, or if assignment called for, eradication of the planet's population. Even saiyan children were considered powerful enough to conquer some of the weaker planets, such as Earth.

Eventually, seeing how quickly some of the more gifted saiyan warriors were gaining power through battle, Freeza grew concerned with the potential of the saiyan race and thought that they would grow strong enough to face him or even become the fabled Super Saiyans, able to defeat him in battle. So the warlord destroyed Planet Vegeta, almost eradicating the entire saiyan race.

Only a small number of saiyans remained after the destruction of their planet. Son Goku, Raditz, Nappa and Prince Vegeta were all off-world at the time, thus evading death. Various Dragon Ball movies reveal three more survivors; Broly, Paragus and Tullece.

[edit] Homeworld

Originally called Planet Plant, Planet Vegeta was the homeworld of the saiyans following their migration there from an unnamed world (As revealed in Dragon Ball GT, however how a backwards race is capable of space travel is not explained, even before Freeza's conquest). Planet Vegeta was conquered by the saiyans after they committed genocide against the dominant race, the Tsufurujin, an incredibly intelligent but physically weak race. Lead by Vegeta's father, King Vegeta, the saiyans were victorious and took the planet as their own, re-naming it Vegeta.

The planet has a natural gravity that is 10 times that of Earth which helps give saiyans a greater natural strength than most races.

With the advice of Zarbon, Freeza realized that the saiyans were evolving, becoming stronger than they'd ever been, and hearing the legend of a saiyan being with colossal power called a Super Saiyan, he decided that if just one saiyan ever reached this power, the saiyan race could potentially pose a threat to his tyranny. He used his power to completely obliterate Planet Vegeta, leaving only a few survivors.

[edit] Appearance

Saiyans are outwardly very similar to Humans, except for their increased natural strength, ability to manipulate ki with great ease, which allows them to undergo physical metamorphoses, and their monkey-like tails. They are commonly seen to have black hair, usually spiky, although there have been rare occasions when they have also been shown to have brown hair.

Pure-blood saiyan hair never changes length or style once it has fully grown, thus making far more similar to fur than hair. This is not the case with half-breeds like Gohan and Trunks who are shown to have several different hair-styles throughout the series'. Both of Vegeta and Bulma's children inherited their hair color from their mother's side. Goku's children both have black hair like him, but their mother Chi Chi also has black hair. They can grow facial hair. Saiyans also all have black eyes, though half-breeds do not always share this trait as Vegeta's son, Trunks, and daughter, Bra, inherited blue irises from Bulma.

Similar appearances can be noted in:

Goku looks like Burdock.
Vegeta looks like King Vegeta.
Gohan looks like Chi-Chi.
Son Goten looks like Goku.
Trunks Looks like his grandfather Dr. Briefs.
Bra looks like Bulma.
Pan looks like Videl.
Son Goku Jr. looks like Goten and Goku.
Vegeta Jr.'s mother looks like Bra and Bulma.
Vegeta Jr. also bares a striking resemblance to Vegeta and his father, King Vegeta.

[edit] Personality

Saiyans tend to share common personality traits, even at young ages. Being a war-like people, they share an innate enjoyment for conflict and fighting, choosing violence over peace with other races. Saiyans are typically very aggressive and hard-headed, with short explosive tempers. They are an intensely proud people, with a society heavily based around honor and social hierarchy. They are inclined to be arrogant at times, leading them to allow enemies to gain advantages in battle for fun. It appears (as demonstrated by Vegeta, Nappa, Burdock, and even Goku) that they have a tendency to let their emotions get the better of them when roused in stimulating situations, resulting in them making rash decisions at times. They also appear to lack sympathetic emotions, though by choice rather than by nature as shown by their relative lack of fear of death and uncaring attitude towards family, such as Raditz' brutal beating of his long-lost brother Goku and Vegeta's indifference to his father's death. A possible explanation for this could be that their society was corrupted as a result of generations of being under Freeza's occupation.

Due to their high metabolism, which enables them to generate much more power than other races, saiyans must consume enormous amounts of food. However, their extreme desire to eat seems to go beyond necessity, and is a character quirk all saiyans share. They are well known for their immense appetites for food, possessing an almost insatiable hunger. As a child, Goku once downed a 50 course meal at a restaurant. Note that this is not restricted only to full-blooded saiyans, as even the polite Gohan has been seen eating like a hog. This may also have simply been a gag, as Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and even the little Chaozu have all downed similar amounts of food (each) on North Kai's planet.

[edit] Racial traits

Though saiyans share aesthetic similarities to Humans they are fundamentally different on a biological level, possessing many unique abilities.

[edit] Strength

Saiyans have a naturally higher strength than a lot of different species, essentially built for fighting. The naturally high gravity of Planet Vegeta develops their strength further, making them considerably strong at young ages. Even the weakest among saiyans are capable of conquering most planets alone. Through tough training, saiyans are able to reach new levels of power, and the more intense the training and fights they go through, the stronger they become.

[edit] Energy

Every living being possesses an energy force called Ki, and saiyans have evolved to specifically manipulate this force with ease. A saiyan is able tap into their reserve of Ki energy and focus it in battle to levitate, fly, and even create explosive masses and waves. A select few also have huge amounts of dormant Ki that greatly enhances their maximum strength during battle when used. Dormant reserves of Ki are usually awakened through intense emotion like rage or out of mere desperation, and it rarely is accessible to the saiyan normally. By pumping himself up with Ki, a saiyan can become stronger and faster and even transform if he is forced to.

[edit] Tail

All saiyans, full-blooded or hybrids, are born with a tail, monkey-like in appearance and often coloured light or dark brown, getting darker with age. The tail is a particularly sensitive area for saiyans -- when grabbed, it causes great pain to the owner, as well as temporary immobilization and fatigue. Nonetheless, some saiyans of the Elite and Royal family, such as Nappa and Vegeta, respectively, are immune to this pain due to being more evolved than low-class saiyans. A low-class saiyan can work to strengthen their tail by undergoing much physical discomfort, pain, and hardship, but it is not a natural immunity. An example of this strengthening is when Goku was grabbed by Kuririn during their match at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, Goku surprised him with the lesser effect it had on him, compared to previously. Three years before that tournament, Goku was reminded by his grandfather, Son Gohan (who was sent to Earth for a day by Fortune Teller Baba at her palace) to train/strengthen his tail and it worked, but some warriors, such as Raditz, seem to have neglected doing so. The saiyan can control their tail with the ease of controlling an arm or leg. Most saiyans wrap their tails around their waists like a belt, presumably in order to make it harder to grab, and also to prevent loss of balance if the tail should be removed. It has been mentioned in Dragon Ball that a saiyan with a tail gains more power than one without a tail.

The tail also provides a unique gift in that it allows a saiyan to transform into an Oozaru and potentially a Golden Oozaru. If the tail is removed, this power is lost. Some saiyans have the ability to grow back their tails at various times, but at some point in life this regenerative ability is lost. Gohan for instance, who is not even a pure-blooded saiyan, grows his tail back numerous times after having it removed. Vegeta has his tail cut off during battle, but it is important to note that he is an adult and it never grows back, except through artificial means in Dragon Ball GT, which suggests that Saiyan children are able to regrow their tails, while adults cannot except through artificial means. This is further backed up when, with the help of Elder Kai, Goku regrows his tail in GT after he is returned to child form.

[edit] Healing

If a Saiyan survives a near-fatal injury or goes through either an intense battle or training, then after recuperation they gain an increase in their level of power that is far greater than what they had prior to the experience. (E.G. Vegeta gaining additional strength after recuperating from near fatal injuries in a battle against Zarbon in the Namek saga) Saiyan physiology is based on the aphorism whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, which seems to act as a form of limited reactive adaptation/evolution. Where a Saiyan's body, as it heals, adapts and evolves itself to make previous threats (fighters who were on equal footing or stronger than them) and almost neutralize them.

In fact, even the rate of recovery does NOT seem to hinder this ability, as a matter of fact, it can be summarized that because of this, Saiyans have quite the healing factor. Enabling them to heal from just about any injury, even near fatal ones, at a far faster and more efficient rate than humans do. However, that does not mean that healing by any means; either at their natural rate, nor through technological or mystical assistance, will not affect this ability in them. In fact, as long as they heal period, by any means necessary, their bodies will always gain a substantial enhancement and increase in strength, both on a physical (body) and metaphysical (ki) level.

"Seikan power" is sometimes the given title for this ability.

[edit] High metabolism

Saiyans have an increased metabolic rate which requires great amounts of energy for sustenance. Their high metabolism fuels a saiyan's alien physiology. It endows them with their seikan (healing) power, the ability to manipulate ki at an increased level with respect to other races, and undergo their various transformations. This also explains why most saiyans have an incredible appetite, something Goku was notorious for.

[edit] Life span

Saiyans and Saiyan-Human hybrids also have substantially longer life spans than normal Humans. They also do not suffer the effects of aging, remaining more physically youthful even into advanced years. Chi-Chi complained of this in Dragon Ball GT when Goku was reduced to a child thus making the fact that she was getting older faster that much more apparent (she said he was already aging slower and now it was even worse). Vegeta explains in the final chapter of Dragon Ball Z that saiyans stay younger longer so they can fight even more. This is seen when Nappa, who was Vegeta's attendant when he was a child, is in his prime (at 50 years old) still long after Vegeta has become an adult. This is again demonstrated in the GT finale when Pan is seen one hundred years later still strong but with grey hair despite being only a quarter saiyan. Goku is also seen in his regular form in that episode, despite having aged in the same number of years as Pan from a kid.

[edit] Oozaru

Main article: Oozaru

Their tail also grants a saiyan special transformations. Though a painful weak-spot for saiyans unequipped to handle the pain associated with tension on it, the tail allows a saiyan to transform into a giant Oozaru beast when looking at a full moon. The saiyan grows incredibly in size and strength while drastically changing in appearance. If the tail is removed, this ability is lost. In this state, some saiyans have limited control, but their aggressiveness is at its peak and they often become mindless animals fuelled by destructive rage. Elite saiyans have mastered this form and are able to control it, as demonstrated by Vegeta.

[edit] Super Saiyan

Main article: Super Saiyan

Goku as a Super Saiyan.

The legendary warrior of the saiyan race, this advanced state of saiyan warrior has the ability to drastically augment his speed, strength and energy by transforming his body, thus becoming a Super Saiyan. The ability is rare and normally difficult to achieve, but the end result is a warrior that knows no limits. Highly evolved saiyans can train their bodies to reach several levels of Super Saiyan, each level's power greatly enhanced from the last.

Female saiyans have never been shown to be able to transform into Super Saiyans. Akira Toriyama simply stated that he didn't know what a female Super Saiyan would look like. He also stated that the only female Saiyan that could've transformed just never had the motivation to do so. It is fair to assume that the same attributes apply to female Super Saiyans, increasing their physical abilities and altering their physical appearance in a similar way to male Super Saiyans.

[edit] Reproduction

Saiyan reproduction is very similar to Human reproduction, though it appears that Saiyan evolution is more in line with Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's theories of evolution in that life experiences and acquired abilities of the parent tend to affect offspring. For example, Gohan was not near as powerful as Goten at the same age, even though they have the same parents simply because Goku was stronger when he impregnated Chi-Chi. This may explain and provide a degree of validity to the saiyan caste system. Now this is not to downplay individual training, given that Raditz was much stronger than Goku simply because he had been gravity training and conquering worlds all his life, but it does seem true that Saiyans to a degree inherit their parent’s current power level. Also another issue in saiyan reproduction that is somewhat different than what is seen in humans is their highly redundant and grouped genetic traits. It appears that not only do you inherit a few of each of your parent’s genetic traits but you may in fact inherit essentially all of them, which may explain why Bardock, Goku, and Goten all look the same along with Turles who may at best be a distant cousin, and stated himself that Saiyans tend to have strong genetics. Now some may attribute this to animation style but the characters themselves will often notice this as well, such as Goku referring to Goten as “A little me.” Now Humans and Saiyans can interbreed, but thus far it shows that human genetics seem to be mostly recessive in comparison to saiyan genes. Even several generations down the line it appears that saiyan genetics still show dominance with characters like Vegeta Jr. and Goku Jr. looking much like their Grandfathers and still retaining their powers and certain personality traits as well. But even though Saiyans can interbreed with Humans their saiyan pride often keeps them from talking about their human lineage.

[edit] Inter-species Saiyans

Humans and Saiyans are able to interbreed, resulting in the offspring becoming more powerful than humans and maybe even full-blooded saiyans. Saiyan-Human hybrids appear to be nearly identical to full saiyans, except for some recessive genes, such as hair color. A trait that is typical for hybrids is that they tend to lose interest and focus in fighting quite easily. They simply don't possess the love of competition like pure Saiyans exhibit; this leads them to be unenthusiastic about their training and even gives them the unfortunate ability to lose skill. They do however share the Saiyan appetite for great quantities of food.

It seems that it is easier for hybrids to achieve Super Saiyan levels as some are gifted with the ability to achieve the Super Saiyan form at young ages and without as much training, such as with Goten and Trunks. Due to this, it would seem that Saiyan/Human hybrids have more potential than full-blooded saiyans. However, this was seen even when Dragonball Z first began and Gohan's natural power level was higher than Goku's even though he had never trained.

Toriyama has never given an official explanation as to why Goten and Trunks were able to achieve the transformation to Super Saiyan so easily at such a young age. It is assumed that since their fathers had both reached Super Saiyan level when they were conceived, becoming a Super Saiyan came almost naturally to them. This would explain why Gohan and Future Trunks could not become Super Saiyans at a young age, having to go through intense training as Goku and Vegeta did, despite both also being hybrids.

[edit] Family

Saiyan families appear to be far different to that of a traditional human family. Children are kept in pod devices as infants and monitored by doctors whilst their parents are usually occupied by mercenary missions. Even as infants, their natural strength means that they are able to conquer planets like Earth single-handedly and so it is unlikely, they spend much, if any time with their parents or siblings. Saiyans do tend to have close relationships with their friends/comrades however, with whom they do spend a great deal of time in battle.

[edit] Caste System

A very proud race, saiyans retain a social hierarchy, centered around evolution and physical might. There are three strata: Royals, Elites and normal saiyans. Royals and Elites are more evolved than their lower class brethren, being physically more powerful and possessing an immunity to pain and fatigue when their tail is squeezed, as well as being able to control themselves while in Oozaru form, and even speak as shown by Vegeta on Earth. They are well-respected and hold greater sway over military matters. Vegeta, the Prince of the Saiyans, expresses distress at the idea that the lower-class Goku is stronger than him.

[edit] Ruler

The saiyan race is governed by a monarchy, a royal family led by a king. King Vegeta led the revolt against the Tsufurujin and the planet was named after him. It is assumed that he was the first King and it is mentioned that he was one of the smarter, more tactical saiyans, which helped lead the race to their victory. Vegeta, being the son of King Vegeta, was a prince and presumably next in line to the throne had the planet survived Freeza's onslaught.

[edit] Character lists

Main article: List of Saiyans in Dragon Ball

In addition to the name "saiyan" being an anagram of the Japanese word for "vegetable", most pure saiyan characters in the series also have names with vegetable puns-- either in English or Japanese. Furthermore, the saiyan Royals are keeping in line with this, simply named Vegeta(ble).

[edit] List of full-blooded saiyans

Burdock; biological father of Son Goku and Raditz
King Vegeta; King of the saiyans, father of Vegeta
Nappa
Raditz; brother of Son Goku
Son Goku; whose original saiyan name is Kakarot (Kakarotto in original Japanese version).
Vegeta
Tullece
Paragus
Broly
Bio-Broly
Onio (appears in self-parody Neko Majin Z)
Seripa
Totepo
Toma
Panbukin

[edit] List of partial saiyans

Son Gohan - 1/2 saiyan
Future Trunks - 1/2 saiyan
Trunks - 1/2 saiyan
Son Goten - 1/2 saiyan
Bra - 1/2 saiyan
Pan - 1/4 saiyan
Vegeta Junior's Mother - 1/8 saiyan
Vegeta Jr. - 1/16 saiyan (Great Great Grandson of Vegeta)
Goku Jr. - 1/16 saiyan (Great Great Grandson of Goku)

[edit] List of saiyan fusions

Main article: Fusion

Gotenks (Goten and Trunks via the Metamarū Fusion Dance), (Names: Goten + Trunks)
Vegetto (Vegeta and Goku via the Potara fusion earrings), (Names: Vegeta + Kakarotto)
Gogeta (Goku and Vegeta via the Metamarū Fusion Dance), (Names: Goku + Vegeta)