Dragonball
Bardock, the father of Goku (Kakarot = Saiyan given name)
The Dragonball Trilogy all begins with Bardock, the father of Goku. At the outset of the story, his son, Kakarot , is born on Planet Vegeta, and prepared to be sent to a "frontier planet" (Earth) in order to destroy all life on the planet. Meanwhile, Bardock and his crew are on an assignment to exterminate all the lifeforms of Planet Kanassa. After the planet is seemingly devoid of all other life, Bardock and crew rest up and celebrate their victory... Until one remaining warrior (Tooro) catches him off guard and decides to give him the "gift" of seeing the future. This gives him the ability to see the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and the entire Saiyan race along with it, at the hands of their master, Frieza.
Bardock dismisses the visions, and goes to join his team on Planet Meat, but soon discovers his friends are all dead. He then briefly talks with the nearly deceased Toma, who tells him that Frieza ordered the attack on the crew, saying that Frieza was frightened by the growing power of the Saiyans. Saddened by his fallen comrade's words, he takes Tora's blood-soaked headband and wraps it around his head. He battles the ones responsible, and defeats them all, but is easily overwhelmed by a single mouth blast from Frieza's henchman Dodoria. He is left severely injured, but manages to make it back to Planet Vegeta.
Though Bardock attempts to convey the danger that they are all in to the other Saiyans, since he has now realized that Frieza is going to destroy them all, everyone laughs at his claim and Bardock alone begins one final assault against Frieza. Killing many of his minor henchman and sending a large wave of ki to Frieza himself, Bardock seems about to change the future. However, Frieza counters this with his Death Ball technique, which kills Bardock, many of his own henchmen, and destroys Planet Vegeta itself. As he is dying, Bardock sees one more vision of the future: his son Kakarot facing Frieza. Being assured that Kakarot will be the one to kill Frieza, Bardock gives a small smile as he disintegrates along with the planet. Bardock, after his death, telepathically tells his son Kakarot in the space pod to avenge the Saiyans, which wakes Kakarot up.
Elsewhere, Vegeta, having just completed an assignment on a far-off world, is informed by Nappa (in the English version it is one of Frieza's minor soldiers who tells him) of his homeworld's destruction. His pride keeps him from expressing his shock, and he remains outwardly emotionless. Soon afterward, Kakarot's space pod touches down on Earth, where he is found by an elder man named Gohan, and giggles happily in the old man's arms. Gohan then decides to care for the boy as his own grandson, and re-names him Goku. The film ends with a montage of Goku's many heroic deeds on Earth, leading to his battle with Frieza.
Bardock dismisses the visions, and goes to join his team on Planet Meat, but soon discovers his friends are all dead. He then briefly talks with the nearly deceased Toma, who tells him that Frieza ordered the attack on the crew, saying that Frieza was frightened by the growing power of the Saiyans. Saddened by his fallen comrade's words, he takes Tora's blood-soaked headband and wraps it around his head. He battles the ones responsible, and defeats them all, but is easily overwhelmed by a single mouth blast from Frieza's henchman Dodoria. He is left severely injured, but manages to make it back to Planet Vegeta.
Though Bardock attempts to convey the danger that they are all in to the other Saiyans, since he has now realized that Frieza is going to destroy them all, everyone laughs at his claim and Bardock alone begins one final assault against Frieza. Killing many of his minor henchman and sending a large wave of ki to Frieza himself, Bardock seems about to change the future. However, Frieza counters this with his Death Ball technique, which kills Bardock, many of his own henchmen, and destroys Planet Vegeta itself. As he is dying, Bardock sees one more vision of the future: his son Kakarot facing Frieza. Being assured that Kakarot will be the one to kill Frieza, Bardock gives a small smile as he disintegrates along with the planet. Bardock, after his death, telepathically tells his son Kakarot in the space pod to avenge the Saiyans, which wakes Kakarot up.
Elsewhere, Vegeta, having just completed an assignment on a far-off world, is informed by Nappa (in the English version it is one of Frieza's minor soldiers who tells him) of his homeworld's destruction. His pride keeps him from expressing his shock, and he remains outwardly emotionless. Soon afterward, Kakarot's space pod touches down on Earth, where he is found by an elder man named Gohan, and giggles happily in the old man's arms. Gohan then decides to care for the boy as his own grandson, and re-names him Goku. The film ends with a montage of Goku's many heroic deeds on Earth, leading to his battle with Frieza.
King Vegeta
King Vegeta was the king of all Saiyans and the father of Vegeta and Tarble. He was also the commanding hero of the Saiyan-Tuffle war, in which the planet was re-named in his honor.
The character of King Vegeta is primarily witnessed through several flashbacks. Curiously, he is absent from the Bardock television special, even though he was clearly leading a mutiny against Frieza at the time according to the anime's flashback sequences. He appears to be a level-headed, stoic, and honorable man and a symbol of Saiyan pride. Although he is "King", he has come to terms with the fact that his people have no real freedom under "Lord Frieza", but he does not let this feeling on to his people.
Before the attack on Planet Vegeta, he realized that Frieza had no further use for the Saiyans and no longer needed them around. According to an anime-only flashback, he decides to rebel against Frieza's oppression and mounts an assault on Frieza's capital ship. When he arrives in Frieza's chamber room, Zarbon and Dodoria bear witness as Frieza kills him with a single punch to the jaw, after Frieza dodged his punch without effort. The Saiyan elites that followed were also killed by Frieza. Shortly thereafter, Frieza launches his final assault and destroys Planet Vegeta and the entire remaining population of the Saiyan race.
King Vegeta is only seen in some original scenes created for the anime. As he is an anime-only character, he is not considered by most fans to be part of the greater Dragon Ball canon (Vegeta is acknowledged to have a father, the King of Planet Vegeta. However, the specific characterization of King Vegeta is not canon to the manga. However Toriyama did contribute to his creation). King Vegeta's appearance is never shown nor described in the manga (and he is not named), but he is only directly mentioned briefly in a single piece of dialogue of Frieza and Vegeta in the original manga.
One important aspect of King Vegeta is that he was the only person Vegeta truly loved for most of his life. When Frieza fatally wounded Vegeta, he explained to Goku that, apparently, the reason why he served Frieza was because Frieza threatened his father. He has the Vegeta Royal Family Crest on the left side of his armor, as did Prince Vegeta as a child. He also has a large one on the seat of his throne.
As a Saiyan warrior, it was remarked that he was far less powerful than his son Vegeta was even as a child. However, this opinion came from Vegeta himself — who did not have a high opinion of his father. Bardock (Goku's father) has even been speculated to have been stronger than King Vegeta, his power having sky rocketed shortly before death due to a couple of effective Zenkai powerups
King Vegeta's power level is unknown. During Bardock: The Father of Goku, the doctors working on Bardock after his injury sustained on Planet Kanassa, stated that his power level was nearing 10,000, and was expected to pass up King Vegeta in a short time. King Vegeta's power level was never actually stated, and his only fight was with Frieza which ended with a single blow, thus, fans don't really have much to use when attempting to gauge his strength. What is normally accepted is that he was weaker than 12,000.
The character of King Vegeta is primarily witnessed through several flashbacks. Curiously, he is absent from the Bardock television special, even though he was clearly leading a mutiny against Frieza at the time according to the anime's flashback sequences. He appears to be a level-headed, stoic, and honorable man and a symbol of Saiyan pride. Although he is "King", he has come to terms with the fact that his people have no real freedom under "Lord Frieza", but he does not let this feeling on to his people.
Before the attack on Planet Vegeta, he realized that Frieza had no further use for the Saiyans and no longer needed them around. According to an anime-only flashback, he decides to rebel against Frieza's oppression and mounts an assault on Frieza's capital ship. When he arrives in Frieza's chamber room, Zarbon and Dodoria bear witness as Frieza kills him with a single punch to the jaw, after Frieza dodged his punch without effort. The Saiyan elites that followed were also killed by Frieza. Shortly thereafter, Frieza launches his final assault and destroys Planet Vegeta and the entire remaining population of the Saiyan race.
King Vegeta is only seen in some original scenes created for the anime. As he is an anime-only character, he is not considered by most fans to be part of the greater Dragon Ball canon (Vegeta is acknowledged to have a father, the King of Planet Vegeta. However, the specific characterization of King Vegeta is not canon to the manga. However Toriyama did contribute to his creation). King Vegeta's appearance is never shown nor described in the manga (and he is not named), but he is only directly mentioned briefly in a single piece of dialogue of Frieza and Vegeta in the original manga.
One important aspect of King Vegeta is that he was the only person Vegeta truly loved for most of his life. When Frieza fatally wounded Vegeta, he explained to Goku that, apparently, the reason why he served Frieza was because Frieza threatened his father. He has the Vegeta Royal Family Crest on the left side of his armor, as did Prince Vegeta as a child. He also has a large one on the seat of his throne.
As a Saiyan warrior, it was remarked that he was far less powerful than his son Vegeta was even as a child. However, this opinion came from Vegeta himself — who did not have a high opinion of his father. Bardock (Goku's father) has even been speculated to have been stronger than King Vegeta, his power having sky rocketed shortly before death due to a couple of effective Zenkai powerups
King Vegeta's power level is unknown. During Bardock: The Father of Goku, the doctors working on Bardock after his injury sustained on Planet Kanassa, stated that his power level was nearing 10,000, and was expected to pass up King Vegeta in a short time. King Vegeta's power level was never actually stated, and his only fight was with Frieza which ended with a single blow, thus, fans don't really have much to use when attempting to gauge his strength. What is normally accepted is that he was weaker than 12,000.
Broly, Legendary Super Saiyan
Broly was born in 737 AD, his most curious feature being his unordinary power level of 10,000. This anomaly meant that by birth, Broly's power had already been close to that of Bardock and King Vegeta at the time of their deaths (which coincidentally happens during the afternoon of Broly's birth). In the Saiyan delivery room where he rests afterward, Broly is grieved by the constant disruptions of his literal 'crybaby' neighbor, Kakarot (later rechristened Goku). These neighboring babies are the butt of a joke by presiding doctors, who rave over Broly's power level while criticizing Kakarot's then-measly power level of two. Broly's exceptional gifts brand him a mutant, possibly even as the first Legendary Super Saiyan in approximately 1000 years.
King Vegeta fears the threat the boy poses to his empire, and so he gives the order for the infant's execution. Broly's father, Paragus, begs the king to spare the child's life, attesting that his son could be an extreme asset to King Vegeta and his prince. King Vegeta is quick to point out that while this is true, the same is true that Broly could use his ever-increasing strength to overthrow the Saiyan royal family. King Vegeta closes the argument by sentencing Paragus to death for disallegiance, shooting him with an energy wave.
From the beginning of his life, Broly was plagued by threatening environments, which evidently have had a lasting impression on his character. The day he was born, he was noticeably disturbed by Goku's incessant cries in the adjoining cradle. His troubles would only double with his attempted execution by order of King Vegeta, when Broly is stabbed in the abdomen with a dagger. Having survived this execution likely thanks to his amazing power level, Broly faces yet another threat that day, when Frieza's Supernova destroys Planet Vegeta. As his world is decimated, Broly shields himself and his father using an Energy Shield; this is the first time Broly demonstrates what just his infantile power is capable of. The attempted execution also increases the strength of both father and son, due to the Saiyan ability to greatly increase their strength after recovering from near-death experiences. Broly continues to hold a subconscious hatred against Goku throughout the rest of his life.
Subduing the unstable
As Broly develops, it becomes clear to Paragus that King Vegeta was not unruly in doubting his allegiance in the long-term. As astonishing as his son's power level becomes in such short time (especially considering the lifespan of the typical Saiyan), his disturbance and emotional instability are always one step ahead. While Saiyans generally enjoy the thrill of battle (which Frieza had somewhat rewarded his followers with, by tasking them with enslaving numerous planets), Broly was exhilarated by physically destroying whole planets at a time. Paragus eventually loses whatever influence he might have had over his son when Broly is in his teenage years, as illustrated by a bloody sequence in Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, in which Broly punches Paragus in the face and blinds him in the left eye.
Fearing for his own safety while considering the possibilities of having Broly's power at his back, Paragus has a scientist craft a ring to be used as a special control device to keep Broly under restraint. Paragus narrowly manages to survive adorning Broly with the ring, but after successfully doing so he soon launches a plan to rekindle Saiyan dominance, where he plots to use Earth as a base of operations, and take revenge on the eldest son of King Vegeta by luring him to a planet doomed to be destroyed by a giant comet. During this time, he also used Broly to destroy the remaining planets in the South Galaxy.
Legendary Super Saiyan
In his first onscreen appearance, Broly appears to be a quiet and gentle Saiyan, until his personality is later dispelled as a charade caused by the suppression of Broly's ring. When Goku appears at Paragus' palace after warping to New Vegeta using Instant Transmission however, Broly taps into his past and becomes extremely erratic, but his father finally manages to subdue the Saiyan once again. However, that night Broly fails to help himself from his memories and goes into a blind rage, attacking Goku in his suppressed Super Saiyan transformation. The battle is drawn to an early close when Paragus arrives and is able to rectify his control over Broly. This encounter leaves Goku certain that Broly is the Legendary Super Saiyan he has been tracking down, who left the South Galaxy in shambles.
Before Broly became re-aware of Kakarot (now known as Goku), Paragus was able to use the ring to subdue Broly with relative ease. However, following Goku's arrival on New Vegeta, Paragus can control his son only a handful of times before Broly retains complete independence. He destroyed his headband and transformed into the Legendary Super Saiyan and send on a rampage on Goku and the others. Rampant with the freedom of insanity, even the combined Super Saiyan strength of Goku, Gohan and Future Trunks are futile. Eventually, Piccolo spontaneously makes an appearance on the battlefield, but he too provides little help against the awesome power of the Legendary Super Saiyan. Soon after, Vegeta comes to his senses and joins the fight, only to be quickly outclassed.
While the devastated Z Fighters lie scattered about the rubble of a fallen city, Broly ties one more loose end by confronting Paragus, who is making an attempt to escape the doomed planet in a Saiyan Pod. Free of reason, Broly ignores the fabricated plight of his father, crushing in his arms the Saiyan Pod, and Paragus with it, before hurling the scraps into the comet. Goku rises one last time and asks his friends to channel all of their energy into him, which in turn he uses for one final strike, a punch powerful enough to tear through Broly's abdomen where he had been stabbed during his attempted execution as an infant. This attack seems to finish Broly, who until then had extremely outclassed all of the Z Fighters.
Goku and friends narrowly manage to escape the doomed planet moments before Comet Camori collides with it. While it appears that the planet's destruction would have killed Broly if Goku's attack hadn't, Broly proclaims after launching his father's Saiyan Pod at the comet earlier in the film, "Did he really think I would die just because this planet was about to explode?" implying that this would not necessarily be the case.
Second Coming
Up until now, the only primary villain to reprise their role in Toei Animation's film adaptations of Dragon Ball Z was Cooler. The series' Japanese fanbase responded so well to Broly however, that Toei decided to produce a sequel to The Legendary Super Saiyan, set seven years later while Goku is in Other World and unable to participate in the struggle.
In Broly - Second Coming, it is revealed that Broly manages to make a frantic escape in his Saiyan Pod as New Vegeta is demolished by Comet Camori. Over time the pod finally reaches Earth, soon after which Broly collapses from exhaustion and enters a sort of coma, where for seven years the elements expand around him. Eventually he is awakened underneath a thick pool of ice by the incessant cries of a nearby Goten, and after escaping this grave, Broly resumes his vendetta against the Saiyans who double crossed him, particularly Goten, who it should be noted was not involved in Broly's first downfall as he had yet to be born, and later Gohan, as Broly's sanity has been breached so heavily since the encounter on New Planet Vegeta that he fails to tell Goten and Gohan apart from their now deceased father.
Despite Goten being Broly's main target, Videl and Trunks fall victim to his brutal rampage as well, until Gohan arrives at the scene and is astonished to find himself reunited with the Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly's uncoordinated attempts to take revenge are unsuccessful, and he is ultimately launched into the Sun by a Family Kamehameha fired by Goten, Gohan and the spirit of Goku, apparently ending the life of the mighty Saiyan.
Revival through science
No less popular than in his debut, Toei commissioned a third Broly film, entitled Bio-Broly, in July 1994. This film's incarnation of Broly differs from the one in previous films however, although the original Broly makes cameo appearances in flashbacks during the film.
In Bio-Broly, it is revealed that after the Z Fighters leave the vicinity of Natade Village in Second Coming, the people expel the village priest Maloja, whose incompetence before the arrival of the Z Fighters led to the arrangement of a number of per-year human sacrifices. Now an unemployed vagabond, Maloja wanders about until he discovers Broly's blood-tarnished Saiyan Pod. Realizing what he has found, Maloja collects a sample of this blood and turns it in to wealthy industrialist Lord Jaguar, who prepares to pay the ex-priest handsomely. The blood sample is processed by Dr. Collie's team of scientists and a clone is born.
During a tour at Jaguar's abode, an island where his laboratory fortress resides, Trunks and Goten discover an incomplete Super Bio-Warrior, uncanny in resemblance to the Legendary Super Saiyan. Before long, Trunks and Goten encounter Maloja, who confirms what he has selfishly done, before escaping to claim his reward. Trunks and Goten prepare to destroy Bio-Broly before he can be fully replenished, but the clone simply catching sight of Goten is enough to awaken both the Saiyan instincts and the personal vendetta of his source material. Bio-Broly shatters his stasis cell, only to be drenched in culture fluid which, upon becoming exposed to air, becomes corrosive. This renders the clone a horribly deformed and slime covered mutant.
While Bio-Broly doesn't have the power of the Saiyan he was cloned from, he still easily defeats Goten, Trunks, Android 18 and Krillin. Considering a new plan, which Bio-Broly plays into, Trunks blows open an overhead container of culture fluid, drenching the clone in a corrosive coat which dissolves his body. With help from Mr. Satan they learn that water is the remedy to outbreaks of the culture fluid, which plays a part in finishing off Bio-Broly, who before long emerges from the ocean, revitalized and extremely enlarged. Within moments he is solidified by the ocean, and with this, Goten, Trunks and Krillin strike the clone with enough energy to shatter him into pieces.
The Saiyans
History
The Saiyans (are an almost extinct race in the anime and manga Dragon Ball and its sequels, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. In the series, the Saiyans are a naturally aggressive warrior race who were supposedly the strongest warriors in the fictional universe. Most of the Saiyans were obliterated by Frieza.
The Saiyans play a central role in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT once it is revealed that the main protagonist, Goku, is actually a Saiyan.
Although the manga does not tell of the origins the Saiyan race, the complete history of the Saiyans was revealed in the anime. The Saiyans were a group of barbaric aliens who came to the Tuffles's cities to take their territory and technology. When the Saiyans first arrived they met the friendly Tuffles, an advanced scientific race who had no way knowing the Saiyans would eventually take the whole planet for themselves and destroy their race. One day a civil war broke out and the Saiyans tried many times to overthrow the Tuffles but were unsuccessful, although the Saiyans were bigger in size and much stronger, they were fewer in number compared to the Tuffles. What also gave the Tuffles a upper hand was that they had technology to read the power levels of the Saiyans and advanced weaponry to hold them off. Then one night the Saiyans were able to transform into Great Apes thanks to the full moon that only came once every 100 years, with this they finally annihilated the Tuffles and had the planet renamed (Planet Vegeta). After their victory the Saiyans built a rocket ship and traveled to a near by planet called Arcose were they meet the Arcosians (little is know about this race as they are only mentioned once in the series by King Kai), now the Arcosians had money and technology but the planet Arcose was a dump, so they hired a group of Saiyans to take over a planet for them and in return they would share their technology with them. Over the years the Saiyans also learned how to use the Tuffles' advanced equipment and become smarter and less barbaric, although they still lusted for fighting and destruction. At some unknown time following the Saiyan victory the planet was conquered or annexed by Frieza's empire and the Saiyans (like many other races) were drafted to serve as soldiers in Frieza's military under the World Trade Organization. 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, Frieza 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 maniacal warlord destroyed Planet Vegeta, almost eradicating the Saiyan race. Only four pure-blood Saiyans survived the destruction: Kakarot (Goku), Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz as they were not on the planet at the time. Once the latter three discovered that their planet's destruction, Frieza lied to them that an asteroid had hit their world, and offered them continued employment in return for eventual wealth.The Saiyans were avenged when Goku defeated Frieza on Namek. Frieza later met his end on Earth when Future Trunks killed him. In the anime movies only, four more Saiyans survived the catastrophe: Turles, Broly, Paragus, and Tarble. As a side note, a common racial slur towards Saiyans is the term "monkey" or "ape".
Homeworld
The Saiyans true planet of origin is unknown.
Planet Vegeta was conquered by the Saiyans after the defeat of the dominant race, the Tuffles, an incredibly intelligent but physically weak race. Lead by King Vegeta, the Saiyans were victorious and took the Tuffles's cities and technology and renamed the planet Vegeta.
After King Vegeta was crowned king it was prophesied that the fabled Legendary Super Saiyan would be born from his bloodline, later on in the series it was proven false and left Prince Vegeta with a deep wound caused by the humiliation.
The planet has a natural gravity that is 10 times that of Earth which helps give Saiyans a greater natural strength than most races.
After the warlord Frieza decided that the Saiyan race could potentially pose a threat to his tyranny, the planet was completely obliterated from space taking most of the Saiyan race with it.
Appearance
Saiyans are outwardly very similar to humans, with the exception of their monkey-like tails. They are commonly seen to have deep black hair although there have been rare occasions when they have also been shown to have brown hair.
In the episode "Saiyans Emerge", Vegeta states that the hair of a pure-blooded Saiyan does not deviate from its appearance the day the Saiyan is born however, their hair can fall off, as hair composition various from Saiyan to Saiyan, This is why Nappa is bald(somewhat contradicted by the fact that young Vegeta is shown with strands of hair hanging in front of his forehead, but later has his characteristic widow's peak). This is not the case with half-Saiyans like Gohan and Trunks who are shown to have several different lengths of hair, and wear their hair in different styles throughout the series. Both of Vegeta and Bulma's children inherited their hair colour from their mother's side. Goku's children both have black hair like him, but then their mother Chi Chi also has black hair.
Saiyans also all have dark eyes though half-breeds do not always share this trait as Vegeta's son, Trunks, and daughter, Bulla, inherited blue irises.
Similar appearances can be noted in:
Goku's hairstyle and Raditz's eyes look like Bardock.
Vegeta looks and sounds like King Vegeta, but King Vegeta has a beard and his hair is brown.
Gohan looks like Chi-Chi during childhood, and Goku during adolescence and adulthood.
Goten looks like Goku.
Trunks's skin and facial features are almost identical to Vegeta's, except with Bulma's colouring.
Bulla looks nearly identical to Bulma.
Pan looks like Videl, but has Gohan's dark eyes instead of Videl's blue eyes.
Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. have the same appearance as their ancestors Goku and Vegeta.
Vegeta Jr's mother shares a striking resemblance to Bulla and in particular Bulma, but has a different hairstyle than both of them.
Tail
All pure-blooded (and at least some halfbreed) Saiyans are born with tails, monkey-like in appearance and covered in brownish fur. The tail is a particularly sensitive area for Saiyans when grabbed or injured, it causes great pain to the owner, and temporarily immobilizes the whole body. However, elite class Saiyans can train themselves to overcome this weakness - as did Nappa, Vegeta and also Goku (when he was preparing for the upcoming Budokai on Papaya Island, after being reminded by his grandfather at Baba's), and the tail becomes no more fragile than any other limb. The tail is very prehensile, and can be used to grasp things like many other primates. 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 Great Ape and potentially a Super Great Ape. 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, however, it never seems to grow back after it is cut off by Vegeta. His tail grows back twice, hinting that a half-blooded Saiyan's tail can only grow back twice before it is gone for good. 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.
Goku is similar, his tail is cut off many times in Dragon Ball (mostly to stop him from being an Great Ape and wrecking the city), that he also never gets his tail back while an adult. The exception to this rule is when Goku is transformed into a child in GT; it required the training of the Elder Kai to regrow his tail. This is presumably due to the influence of the Dragon Balls artificially suppressing his age. It is reasonable to conclude that Goku at that time was in fact a child only in appearance, hence explaining why his tail could not be re-grown naturally and required the Kai’s assistance. This is also supported by the fact that the magic of the dragon balls could be temporarily overcome by transforming into Super Saiyan 4, clearly showing Goku in his adult form.
Gohan is the only half breed Saiyan seen with a tail in the series. Other half breeds like Trunks, Future Trunks, Goten, and Bulla are not seen with tails. This is never explained in the series, though some speculate that the tails were removed, or that not all half-blooded Saiyans are born with tails.
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. Most of them are inclined to be arrogant at times, leading them to allow enemies to gain advantages in battle just for fun. It appears (as demonstrated by Vegeta, Nappa, and Bardock) they have a tendency to let their emotions get the better of them when roused in stimulating situations - resulting in them at times making rash decisions. They also appear to lack sympathetic emotions as though by choice rather than by nature as shown by their relative lack of fear of death and uncaring attitude towards siblings, i.e. Raditz brutal beating of his long-lost brother Goku and Vegeta's indifference to his father's death. A possible reason for that (as suggested by Vegeta's final words on Namek) could be that their society was corrupted in that area as a result of generations of being under Frieza's occupation; Vegeta states, "He made me what I am", stating that he (and possibly other Saiyans) would have been a far better person if Frieza hadn't come along. Clearly, Vegeta nor Nappa never showed any signs of sympathy for their fallen comrade Raditz when he was killed, they merely laughed and stated that he was only a "weakling", although Nappa did suggest bringing Raditz back to life with the Dragon Balls. Vegeta and Nappa themselves had a good degree of camaraderie between them, but Vegeta did not hesitate to kill Nappa later on when he displayed weakness by panicking at Goku's power (However, in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, he himself claimed that he gave Nappa a noble warrior's death). Also, Raditz implied in the story line Fateful Brothers that Saiyans may have been uncaring and battle-starved due to having guilt, as he says to Gohan that he and his race did "terrible things as punishment for their sins". Most Saiyans also possess a keen fighting sense and understanding of battle, which allows them to acquire many new skills, such as overcoming the weakness of their tails, learning to detect ki, and achieving new fighting forms and transformations.
In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Bardock is stated as being a good guy, (You can see by the color of his Dragon Ball in the Custom Characters menu) and in the movie special Bardock: The Father of Goku, Bardock is shocked and saddened at seeing his crew, as well as his best friend Tora slaughtered by Dodoria. Bardock's final words before dying "This is for all the people we killed in your name" also states that he wasn't all evil (and implies that he may have regretted killing many of the people for Frieza's desires). After the destruction of Planet Vegeta, Bardock talks to Goku from the other side saying "I wish I could have held you in my own two arms". Bardock may possibly be the first Saiyan to show true emotions. Another indication is that in Supersonic Warriors 2 after meeting Goku in the Other World and helping him defeat Frieza and Cell, he offers Goku to help him take over the Other World, Goku declines and rather than trying to destroy him and do the deed by himself he peacefully accepts and promises he won't try to take over himself. Vegeta himself has been shown to express emotion, such as when Frieza killed him and when Future Trunks was killed by Cell.
Strength
Saiyans have a naturally greater strength than many different species — including humans — and are quintessentially built for fighting. They are capable of easily lifting things that weigh many tons. The naturally high gravity of Planet Vegeta develops their strength further making them incredibly strong at young ages. Even weaker Saiyans are capable of conquering most planets alone. Through tough training, Saiyans are able to reach new levels of power, and the more intense training and fights they go through, the stronger they become.
If a Saiyan survives a near-death experience through extreme injury to the body then when the body recuperates, the Saiyan grows much stronger than they were previously, their body adapting to compensate for the damage dealt. The duration of recovery does not seem to hinder this ability as Saiyans have healed through natural, technological and mystical means and still gained substantial increases in strength. Saiyans also appear able to heal from injuries at a faster rate than humans and possess a greater deal of durability to damage.
Saiyans also possess a natural affinity to the manipulation of ki energy allowing them to utilize flying and energy-based attacks with incredible ease as well as unlock great depths of power when needed, or lending energy to others in battle when it's actually necessary. Lost energy is regained by the Saiyan in a very short span of time, regardless of the amount of energy lost. Sometimes, the energy the Saiyan regained is multiplied, as noted by their power level.
Speed
The Saiyans also have great speed and agility. They also have much faster reflexes than an average human; reflexes so fast that they can avoid a bullet or energy beam without much of a problem. Super speed can easily be seen in their fighting skills; their movements occur in fractions of seconds which are not visible to human eyes. Their agility is also substantial in their battles and training. These movements can be improved by training, transformations, and other methods. These natural powers of speed and reflex make nearly all Saiyan hand-to-hand combat exceedingly fast.
Appetite
Saiyans are also noted for being ravenous trenchermen with seemingly insatiable appetites. Owing to their immense strength and intense aura, their energy and nutritional intake needs are a great deal higher than most human beings'. They are often shown eating plate after plate of food, resulting in many dishes piling up, often eating more food than logically possible. At the end of the 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai, Goku, when he was only 12 years old, hastily consumed a 50 course meal (57 in the dub) in one sitting, and still had room for dessert. In Daizenshuu 4, it is stated that they have no preferences when it comes to food, although they appear to prefer meat over anything else; this is hinted with Vegeta munching on the flesh of an alien creature on the planet he and Nappa were on before departing for Earth. Note that this is not restricted only to full-blooded Saiyans, as even the normally polite Gohan has been seen eating large quantities of food in this way.
However, at times, their appetite seems to work against them: if Goku goes for too long without something to eat, he will become too weak to do much of anything.
Aging and lifespan
According to the Daizenshuu, Saiyan's lifespan is about the same as an Earthling's. However, Saiyans remain in their youth and prime longer than Humans. As explained by Vegeta in the final chapter, they stay young longer so that they can enjoy battle longer. This is seen when Nappa, who was Vegeta's attendant when Vegeta was a child, is in his prime still long after Vegeta has become an adult, but in actuality Nappa is roughly 50 years old. A possible example is in the original series' Tournament Saga, where Goku is fifteen years old and still has the appearance of a preteen boy. 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. This is again demonstrated in the GT finale when Pan is seen one hundred years later still strong but with gray hair despite being only a quarter Saiyan. Also some humans appear to lack any signs of aging (like Yamcha or Tien) so one can conclude that persons with greater power level and strength age slower than ordinary humans.
Reproduction
Saiyan sexual reproduction is assumed to be similar to that of humans in at least one parent provides DNA to create the offspring. The only main full-blooded Saiyans seen, Goku, Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, are never shown to have mothers, so their true origin is unknown. However, since they can produce offspring with humans it is plausible that they share similar genes to humans and share similar reproductive habits. One female and (presumably) pure-blooded Saiyan named Fasha has been shown (Although a number of unnamed female Saiyans were seen too in a bar). However, it is noteworthy, that when Raditz tells Goku about the destruction of their home planet, he mentions that "their parents" died along with it.
Inter-species Saiyans
When a hybrid of Saiyan and Human heritage is born, it is very common for them to possess extreme fighting potential. Generally the male hybrids are the most powerful, far exceeding the powers of their full Saiyan parent. It is also very common for them to develop the ability to transform into Super Saiyans at childhood. Due to their Human emotions and Saiyan abilities these hybrids have almost limitless potential. Saiyan Hybrids tend to become easily distracted from training (example being Future Trunks's case, this may have been due to the fact that he had to grow up in an apocalyptic future where his only options were to fight or hide, rather than regular Saiyan instinct to train and battle at all times, however, he was intent of becoming strong enough to help defeat the androids).
Other partial Saiyans like Pan seem to lack the qualities hybrids have, age much more like Humans do, and have weaker power levels.
Family
Saiyan families appear to be far different to that of a traditional human family. Children are kept in pods as infants and monitored by doctors whilst their parents are usually occupied on mercenary missions. Even as infants, their natural strength means that they are capable of conquering 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. Of the (pure-blooded) Saiyan families seen, none have had close relationships except Vegeta and his Father (and maybe even Paragus and Broly, to a lesser extent).
In the Bardock TV special Bardock was asked by Tora if he remembered what day his new born son was born. He replies, "No, but that was a long time ago," (possibly referring to his elder son Raditz). Fasha then goes on to say that it was the day before, and that he should go see him.
Transformations
Great Ape
Their tail also grants a Saiyan special transformations. Though a painful weak-spot for lower-class Saiyans (most upper-class Saiyans appear to have trained to eliminate the weakness), the tail allows a Saiyan to transform into a giant Great Ape beast with tremendous power when looking at a full moon. The Saiyan grows incredibly in size and tenfold in 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 fueled by destructive rage.
Golden Great Ape
The newer form of Great Ape that appears in Dragon Ball GT, Golden Great Ape is the far stronger transformation of the Great Ape. Their offensive capacities have become much greater, and their rage is even more intense than the Great Ape's. While in the legendary Golden Great Ape state, the power and strength of a Saiyan increase extraordinarily. Only a few Saiyans achieved this transformation: Goku, Baby Vegeta, and Vegeta.
Super Saiyan
The most powerful ability of a Saiyan however, is the ability to drastically augment their speed, strength and energy by transforming into a Super Saiyan. The ability is rare and difficult to achieve normally but gives the Saiyan unbelievable enhancements to their normal abilities. Saiyans possess several Super Saiyan transformations, each different in appearance and the power they provide. For the majority of the Super Saiyan forms, the Saiyans muscle mass increases slightly, their irises turn bluish-green and their hair turns blond/golden. There is a second form, and third form of Super Saiyans and even a fourth and final form was achieved where the Saiyans body becomes covered in a crimson fur, the hair becomes darker and longer, and the irises alter color, (although the eye color appears to be different for each Saiyan).
Female Saiyans have never been shown to be able to transform into Super Saiyans, however Akira Toriyama has stated that there were no female Saiyans to transform until the introduction of Pan and she never had the motivation to transform. 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.
Due to their healing abilities and the legend of the power of Super Saiyans, Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, bringing the Saiyan race to the brink of extinction.
List of full-blooded Saiyans
Bardock: Father of Goku and Raditz, he is killed by Frieza.
King Vegeta: King of the Saiyans and father of Vegeta and Tarble, he is killed by Frieza.
Raditz: Brother of Goku, he is killed by Piccolo.
Goku: The main protagonist whose original Saiyan name is Kakarot. He is killed once by Piccolo and once by Cell.
Vegeta: Goku's greatest rival and the prince of all Saiyans, he is killed once by Frieza and once by kamikaze.
Vegetto (Vegeta and Goku via the Potara fusion earrings), (Names: Vegeta + Kakarotto)
Note: Called Vegerot in the Viz translation of the manga. Spelled "Vegito" in the FUNimation Dub and Ocean Dub.
Gogeta (Goku and Vegeta via the Metamarū Fusion Dance), (Names: Goku + Vegeta)
Nappa: A large bald Saiyan who was Vegeta's partner and commander of Saiyan army, he is killed twice by Vegeta.
Shorty: A large muscular Saiyan seen only in the pendulum room.
Scarface: A short balding Saiyan seen only in the pendulum room.
Zorn: One of King Vegeta's subjects.
Turles: Main villain of Dragon Ball Z Movie #3. Looks just like Goku. He was killed by Goku.
Fasha: The only female member of Bardock's team, she is killed by Boysenberry of Dodoria's Elite.
Borgos: A large balding member of Bardock's team, he is killed by Grepe of Dodoria's Elite.
Tora: A tall masculine member of Bardock's team, he is killed by Dodoria.
Shugesh: A big overweight member of Bardock's team, he is killed by Tanger of Dodoria's Elite.
Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, main villain of Dragon Ball Z Movies #8, #10 and #11. Killed by Goku, Gohan, Goten and Trunks.
Paragus: Father of Broly, he is killed by Broly.
Tarble: Vegeta's younger brother who has a lack of fighting spirit.
Onio: A fat Saiyan that appears in the self-parody manga, Neko Majin Z.
The Saiyans (are an almost extinct race in the anime and manga Dragon Ball and its sequels, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. In the series, the Saiyans are a naturally aggressive warrior race who were supposedly the strongest warriors in the fictional universe. Most of the Saiyans were obliterated by Frieza.
The Saiyans play a central role in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT once it is revealed that the main protagonist, Goku, is actually a Saiyan.
Although the manga does not tell of the origins the Saiyan race, the complete history of the Saiyans was revealed in the anime. The Saiyans were a group of barbaric aliens who came to the Tuffles's cities to take their territory and technology. When the Saiyans first arrived they met the friendly Tuffles, an advanced scientific race who had no way knowing the Saiyans would eventually take the whole planet for themselves and destroy their race. One day a civil war broke out and the Saiyans tried many times to overthrow the Tuffles but were unsuccessful, although the Saiyans were bigger in size and much stronger, they were fewer in number compared to the Tuffles. What also gave the Tuffles a upper hand was that they had technology to read the power levels of the Saiyans and advanced weaponry to hold them off. Then one night the Saiyans were able to transform into Great Apes thanks to the full moon that only came once every 100 years, with this they finally annihilated the Tuffles and had the planet renamed (Planet Vegeta). After their victory the Saiyans built a rocket ship and traveled to a near by planet called Arcose were they meet the Arcosians (little is know about this race as they are only mentioned once in the series by King Kai), now the Arcosians had money and technology but the planet Arcose was a dump, so they hired a group of Saiyans to take over a planet for them and in return they would share their technology with them. Over the years the Saiyans also learned how to use the Tuffles' advanced equipment and become smarter and less barbaric, although they still lusted for fighting and destruction. At some unknown time following the Saiyan victory the planet was conquered or annexed by Frieza's empire and the Saiyans (like many other races) were drafted to serve as soldiers in Frieza's military under the World Trade Organization. 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, Frieza 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 maniacal warlord destroyed Planet Vegeta, almost eradicating the Saiyan race. Only four pure-blood Saiyans survived the destruction: Kakarot (Goku), Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz as they were not on the planet at the time. Once the latter three discovered that their planet's destruction, Frieza lied to them that an asteroid had hit their world, and offered them continued employment in return for eventual wealth.The Saiyans were avenged when Goku defeated Frieza on Namek. Frieza later met his end on Earth when Future Trunks killed him. In the anime movies only, four more Saiyans survived the catastrophe: Turles, Broly, Paragus, and Tarble. As a side note, a common racial slur towards Saiyans is the term "monkey" or "ape".
Homeworld
The Saiyans true planet of origin is unknown.
Planet Vegeta was conquered by the Saiyans after the defeat of the dominant race, the Tuffles, an incredibly intelligent but physically weak race. Lead by King Vegeta, the Saiyans were victorious and took the Tuffles's cities and technology and renamed the planet Vegeta.
After King Vegeta was crowned king it was prophesied that the fabled Legendary Super Saiyan would be born from his bloodline, later on in the series it was proven false and left Prince Vegeta with a deep wound caused by the humiliation.
The planet has a natural gravity that is 10 times that of Earth which helps give Saiyans a greater natural strength than most races.
After the warlord Frieza decided that the Saiyan race could potentially pose a threat to his tyranny, the planet was completely obliterated from space taking most of the Saiyan race with it.
Appearance
Saiyans are outwardly very similar to humans, with the exception of their monkey-like tails. They are commonly seen to have deep black hair although there have been rare occasions when they have also been shown to have brown hair.
In the episode "Saiyans Emerge", Vegeta states that the hair of a pure-blooded Saiyan does not deviate from its appearance the day the Saiyan is born however, their hair can fall off, as hair composition various from Saiyan to Saiyan, This is why Nappa is bald(somewhat contradicted by the fact that young Vegeta is shown with strands of hair hanging in front of his forehead, but later has his characteristic widow's peak). This is not the case with half-Saiyans like Gohan and Trunks who are shown to have several different lengths of hair, and wear their hair in different styles throughout the series. Both of Vegeta and Bulma's children inherited their hair colour from their mother's side. Goku's children both have black hair like him, but then their mother Chi Chi also has black hair.
Saiyans also all have dark eyes though half-breeds do not always share this trait as Vegeta's son, Trunks, and daughter, Bulla, inherited blue irises.
Similar appearances can be noted in:
Goku's hairstyle and Raditz's eyes look like Bardock.
Vegeta looks and sounds like King Vegeta, but King Vegeta has a beard and his hair is brown.
Gohan looks like Chi-Chi during childhood, and Goku during adolescence and adulthood.
Goten looks like Goku.
Trunks's skin and facial features are almost identical to Vegeta's, except with Bulma's colouring.
Bulla looks nearly identical to Bulma.
Pan looks like Videl, but has Gohan's dark eyes instead of Videl's blue eyes.
Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. have the same appearance as their ancestors Goku and Vegeta.
Vegeta Jr's mother shares a striking resemblance to Bulla and in particular Bulma, but has a different hairstyle than both of them.
Tail
All pure-blooded (and at least some halfbreed) Saiyans are born with tails, monkey-like in appearance and covered in brownish fur. The tail is a particularly sensitive area for Saiyans when grabbed or injured, it causes great pain to the owner, and temporarily immobilizes the whole body. However, elite class Saiyans can train themselves to overcome this weakness - as did Nappa, Vegeta and also Goku (when he was preparing for the upcoming Budokai on Papaya Island, after being reminded by his grandfather at Baba's), and the tail becomes no more fragile than any other limb. The tail is very prehensile, and can be used to grasp things like many other primates. 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 Great Ape and potentially a Super Great Ape. 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, however, it never seems to grow back after it is cut off by Vegeta. His tail grows back twice, hinting that a half-blooded Saiyan's tail can only grow back twice before it is gone for good. 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.
Goku is similar, his tail is cut off many times in Dragon Ball (mostly to stop him from being an Great Ape and wrecking the city), that he also never gets his tail back while an adult. The exception to this rule is when Goku is transformed into a child in GT; it required the training of the Elder Kai to regrow his tail. This is presumably due to the influence of the Dragon Balls artificially suppressing his age. It is reasonable to conclude that Goku at that time was in fact a child only in appearance, hence explaining why his tail could not be re-grown naturally and required the Kai’s assistance. This is also supported by the fact that the magic of the dragon balls could be temporarily overcome by transforming into Super Saiyan 4, clearly showing Goku in his adult form.
Gohan is the only half breed Saiyan seen with a tail in the series. Other half breeds like Trunks, Future Trunks, Goten, and Bulla are not seen with tails. This is never explained in the series, though some speculate that the tails were removed, or that not all half-blooded Saiyans are born with tails.
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. Most of them are inclined to be arrogant at times, leading them to allow enemies to gain advantages in battle just for fun. It appears (as demonstrated by Vegeta, Nappa, and Bardock) they have a tendency to let their emotions get the better of them when roused in stimulating situations - resulting in them at times making rash decisions. They also appear to lack sympathetic emotions as though by choice rather than by nature as shown by their relative lack of fear of death and uncaring attitude towards siblings, i.e. Raditz brutal beating of his long-lost brother Goku and Vegeta's indifference to his father's death. A possible reason for that (as suggested by Vegeta's final words on Namek) could be that their society was corrupted in that area as a result of generations of being under Frieza's occupation; Vegeta states, "He made me what I am", stating that he (and possibly other Saiyans) would have been a far better person if Frieza hadn't come along. Clearly, Vegeta nor Nappa never showed any signs of sympathy for their fallen comrade Raditz when he was killed, they merely laughed and stated that he was only a "weakling", although Nappa did suggest bringing Raditz back to life with the Dragon Balls. Vegeta and Nappa themselves had a good degree of camaraderie between them, but Vegeta did not hesitate to kill Nappa later on when he displayed weakness by panicking at Goku's power (However, in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, he himself claimed that he gave Nappa a noble warrior's death). Also, Raditz implied in the story line Fateful Brothers that Saiyans may have been uncaring and battle-starved due to having guilt, as he says to Gohan that he and his race did "terrible things as punishment for their sins". Most Saiyans also possess a keen fighting sense and understanding of battle, which allows them to acquire many new skills, such as overcoming the weakness of their tails, learning to detect ki, and achieving new fighting forms and transformations.
In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Bardock is stated as being a good guy, (You can see by the color of his Dragon Ball in the Custom Characters menu) and in the movie special Bardock: The Father of Goku, Bardock is shocked and saddened at seeing his crew, as well as his best friend Tora slaughtered by Dodoria. Bardock's final words before dying "This is for all the people we killed in your name" also states that he wasn't all evil (and implies that he may have regretted killing many of the people for Frieza's desires). After the destruction of Planet Vegeta, Bardock talks to Goku from the other side saying "I wish I could have held you in my own two arms". Bardock may possibly be the first Saiyan to show true emotions. Another indication is that in Supersonic Warriors 2 after meeting Goku in the Other World and helping him defeat Frieza and Cell, he offers Goku to help him take over the Other World, Goku declines and rather than trying to destroy him and do the deed by himself he peacefully accepts and promises he won't try to take over himself. Vegeta himself has been shown to express emotion, such as when Frieza killed him and when Future Trunks was killed by Cell.
Strength
Saiyans have a naturally greater strength than many different species — including humans — and are quintessentially built for fighting. They are capable of easily lifting things that weigh many tons. The naturally high gravity of Planet Vegeta develops their strength further making them incredibly strong at young ages. Even weaker Saiyans are capable of conquering most planets alone. Through tough training, Saiyans are able to reach new levels of power, and the more intense training and fights they go through, the stronger they become.
If a Saiyan survives a near-death experience through extreme injury to the body then when the body recuperates, the Saiyan grows much stronger than they were previously, their body adapting to compensate for the damage dealt. The duration of recovery does not seem to hinder this ability as Saiyans have healed through natural, technological and mystical means and still gained substantial increases in strength. Saiyans also appear able to heal from injuries at a faster rate than humans and possess a greater deal of durability to damage.
Saiyans also possess a natural affinity to the manipulation of ki energy allowing them to utilize flying and energy-based attacks with incredible ease as well as unlock great depths of power when needed, or lending energy to others in battle when it's actually necessary. Lost energy is regained by the Saiyan in a very short span of time, regardless of the amount of energy lost. Sometimes, the energy the Saiyan regained is multiplied, as noted by their power level.
Speed
The Saiyans also have great speed and agility. They also have much faster reflexes than an average human; reflexes so fast that they can avoid a bullet or energy beam without much of a problem. Super speed can easily be seen in their fighting skills; their movements occur in fractions of seconds which are not visible to human eyes. Their agility is also substantial in their battles and training. These movements can be improved by training, transformations, and other methods. These natural powers of speed and reflex make nearly all Saiyan hand-to-hand combat exceedingly fast.
Appetite
Saiyans are also noted for being ravenous trenchermen with seemingly insatiable appetites. Owing to their immense strength and intense aura, their energy and nutritional intake needs are a great deal higher than most human beings'. They are often shown eating plate after plate of food, resulting in many dishes piling up, often eating more food than logically possible. At the end of the 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai, Goku, when he was only 12 years old, hastily consumed a 50 course meal (57 in the dub) in one sitting, and still had room for dessert. In Daizenshuu 4, it is stated that they have no preferences when it comes to food, although they appear to prefer meat over anything else; this is hinted with Vegeta munching on the flesh of an alien creature on the planet he and Nappa were on before departing for Earth. Note that this is not restricted only to full-blooded Saiyans, as even the normally polite Gohan has been seen eating large quantities of food in this way.
However, at times, their appetite seems to work against them: if Goku goes for too long without something to eat, he will become too weak to do much of anything.
Aging and lifespan
According to the Daizenshuu, Saiyan's lifespan is about the same as an Earthling's. However, Saiyans remain in their youth and prime longer than Humans. As explained by Vegeta in the final chapter, they stay young longer so that they can enjoy battle longer. This is seen when Nappa, who was Vegeta's attendant when Vegeta was a child, is in his prime still long after Vegeta has become an adult, but in actuality Nappa is roughly 50 years old. A possible example is in the original series' Tournament Saga, where Goku is fifteen years old and still has the appearance of a preteen boy. 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. This is again demonstrated in the GT finale when Pan is seen one hundred years later still strong but with gray hair despite being only a quarter Saiyan. Also some humans appear to lack any signs of aging (like Yamcha or Tien) so one can conclude that persons with greater power level and strength age slower than ordinary humans.
Reproduction
Saiyan sexual reproduction is assumed to be similar to that of humans in at least one parent provides DNA to create the offspring. The only main full-blooded Saiyans seen, Goku, Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, are never shown to have mothers, so their true origin is unknown. However, since they can produce offspring with humans it is plausible that they share similar genes to humans and share similar reproductive habits. One female and (presumably) pure-blooded Saiyan named Fasha has been shown (Although a number of unnamed female Saiyans were seen too in a bar). However, it is noteworthy, that when Raditz tells Goku about the destruction of their home planet, he mentions that "their parents" died along with it.
Inter-species Saiyans
When a hybrid of Saiyan and Human heritage is born, it is very common for them to possess extreme fighting potential. Generally the male hybrids are the most powerful, far exceeding the powers of their full Saiyan parent. It is also very common for them to develop the ability to transform into Super Saiyans at childhood. Due to their Human emotions and Saiyan abilities these hybrids have almost limitless potential. Saiyan Hybrids tend to become easily distracted from training (example being Future Trunks's case, this may have been due to the fact that he had to grow up in an apocalyptic future where his only options were to fight or hide, rather than regular Saiyan instinct to train and battle at all times, however, he was intent of becoming strong enough to help defeat the androids).
Other partial Saiyans like Pan seem to lack the qualities hybrids have, age much more like Humans do, and have weaker power levels.
Family
Saiyan families appear to be far different to that of a traditional human family. Children are kept in pods as infants and monitored by doctors whilst their parents are usually occupied on mercenary missions. Even as infants, their natural strength means that they are capable of conquering 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. Of the (pure-blooded) Saiyan families seen, none have had close relationships except Vegeta and his Father (and maybe even Paragus and Broly, to a lesser extent).
In the Bardock TV special Bardock was asked by Tora if he remembered what day his new born son was born. He replies, "No, but that was a long time ago," (possibly referring to his elder son Raditz). Fasha then goes on to say that it was the day before, and that he should go see him.
Transformations
Great Ape
Their tail also grants a Saiyan special transformations. Though a painful weak-spot for lower-class Saiyans (most upper-class Saiyans appear to have trained to eliminate the weakness), the tail allows a Saiyan to transform into a giant Great Ape beast with tremendous power when looking at a full moon. The Saiyan grows incredibly in size and tenfold in 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 fueled by destructive rage.
Golden Great Ape
The newer form of Great Ape that appears in Dragon Ball GT, Golden Great Ape is the far stronger transformation of the Great Ape. Their offensive capacities have become much greater, and their rage is even more intense than the Great Ape's. While in the legendary Golden Great Ape state, the power and strength of a Saiyan increase extraordinarily. Only a few Saiyans achieved this transformation: Goku, Baby Vegeta, and Vegeta.
Super Saiyan
The most powerful ability of a Saiyan however, is the ability to drastically augment their speed, strength and energy by transforming into a Super Saiyan. The ability is rare and difficult to achieve normally but gives the Saiyan unbelievable enhancements to their normal abilities. Saiyans possess several Super Saiyan transformations, each different in appearance and the power they provide. For the majority of the Super Saiyan forms, the Saiyans muscle mass increases slightly, their irises turn bluish-green and their hair turns blond/golden. There is a second form, and third form of Super Saiyans and even a fourth and final form was achieved where the Saiyans body becomes covered in a crimson fur, the hair becomes darker and longer, and the irises alter color, (although the eye color appears to be different for each Saiyan).
Female Saiyans have never been shown to be able to transform into Super Saiyans, however Akira Toriyama has stated that there were no female Saiyans to transform until the introduction of Pan and she never had the motivation to transform. 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.
Due to their healing abilities and the legend of the power of Super Saiyans, Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, bringing the Saiyan race to the brink of extinction.
List of full-blooded Saiyans
Bardock: Father of Goku and Raditz, he is killed by Frieza.
King Vegeta: King of the Saiyans and father of Vegeta and Tarble, he is killed by Frieza.
Raditz: Brother of Goku, he is killed by Piccolo.
Goku: The main protagonist whose original Saiyan name is Kakarot. He is killed once by Piccolo and once by Cell.
Vegeta: Goku's greatest rival and the prince of all Saiyans, he is killed once by Frieza and once by kamikaze.
Vegetto (Vegeta and Goku via the Potara fusion earrings), (Names: Vegeta + Kakarotto)
Note: Called Vegerot in the Viz translation of the manga. Spelled "Vegito" in the FUNimation Dub and Ocean Dub.
Gogeta (Goku and Vegeta via the Metamarū Fusion Dance), (Names: Goku + Vegeta)
Nappa: A large bald Saiyan who was Vegeta's partner and commander of Saiyan army, he is killed twice by Vegeta.
Shorty: A large muscular Saiyan seen only in the pendulum room.
Scarface: A short balding Saiyan seen only in the pendulum room.
Zorn: One of King Vegeta's subjects.
Turles: Main villain of Dragon Ball Z Movie #3. Looks just like Goku. He was killed by Goku.
Fasha: The only female member of Bardock's team, she is killed by Boysenberry of Dodoria's Elite.
Borgos: A large balding member of Bardock's team, he is killed by Grepe of Dodoria's Elite.
Tora: A tall masculine member of Bardock's team, he is killed by Dodoria.
Shugesh: A big overweight member of Bardock's team, he is killed by Tanger of Dodoria's Elite.
Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, main villain of Dragon Ball Z Movies #8, #10 and #11. Killed by Goku, Gohan, Goten and Trunks.
Paragus: Father of Broly, he is killed by Broly.
Tarble: Vegeta's younger brother who has a lack of fighting spirit.
Onio: A fat Saiyan that appears in the self-parody manga, Neko Majin Z.
