The Saiyan race stands as the narrative engine driving Dragon Ball. From their brutal origins as galactic mercenaries to the birth of universe-saving hybrids and divine warriors, this warrior species defines the stakes of Akira Toriyama's universe. If you've ever tried to map out every single Saiyan from the early days of Planet Sadala to the modern eras of Dragon Ball Super, the sheer volume of characters, transformations, and retcons can get overwhelming.
This guide breaks down every notable Saiyan in Dragon Ball history, tracking their lineage, power milestones, and exact roles from beginning to end. You'll get a clear, chronological breakdown of pure-bloods, half-breeds, and universe survivors without sorting through filler lore.
Ancient Beginnings and the Planet Sadala Era
Long before the Saiyans became the ruthless enforcers under Frieza's galactic empire, their history began on Planet Sadala. According to series lore, the original Saiyans were a proud, bellicose warrior race prone to internal conflict.
This ancient society eventually fractured due to civil war, destroying their original homeworld. Surviving Saiyans built a massive space sphere and migrated across the cosmos to Planet Plant, which they subsequently conquered, renamed Planet Vegeta, and shared (then usurped) with the native Tuffles. Experts at Bloomberg have also weighed in on this trend.
- The Original Super Saiyan (Yamoshi): Ancient history recognizes Yamoshi as the first Saiyan to achieve the legendary golden transformation. His spirit lived on, actively searching for a righteous user to spark the Super Saiyan God ritual centuries later.
- Early Warriors: Little is documented about individual names from Sadala's era, but their aggressive genetic traits—such as the Zenkai boost (growing stronger after recovering from near-fatal injuries) and tail-driven Oozaru (Great Ape) transformations—were fully established during this epoch.
The Planet Vegeta Era: Pure-Bloods Before the Fall
Before the tyrant Frieza wiped out the species to neutralize the Super Saiyan prophecy, Planet Vegeta housed a thriving military hierarchy divided between low-class warriors and elite bloodlines.
The Royal Bloodline
- King Vegeta: The ruler of the Saiyan race and commander of their military forces. He surrendered his people's autonomy to Frieza to preserve his own status, ultimately meeting his end when Frieza destroyed the planet.
- Prince Vegeta IV: Born into supreme privilege, Vegeta was recognized as a combat prodigy early in life. Sent off-world during the destruction of his home, he spent decades as a cold-blooded conqueror before finding redemption on Earth.
- Tarble: Vegeta's younger brother. Possessing a gentle demeanor that lacked the ruthless drive of traditional elite warriors, Tarble was exiled to a distant planet and later reappeared during the events of Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!.
Notable Low-Class and Mid-Class Warriors
- Bardock: A low-class warrior whose desperate final stand against Frieza's death ball became legendary. Canon expansions in Dragon Ball Super: Broly refined his character from a ruthless killer into a pragmatic father who saved his infant son.
- Gine: Bardock's wife and Goku's biological mother. Unlike most Saiyans of her era, Gine worked in meat distribution rather than combat, possessing a warm and gentle personality that heavily influenced her younger son.
- Raditz: Goku's biological older brother and the first major antagonist of Dragon Ball Z. Raditz arrived on Earth to recruit Kakarot for planetary conquest, showcasing the callous nature of surviving low-class mercenaries.
- Nappa: An elite military veteran and general who served as Vegeta's primary enforcer during the initial Earth invasion. He was executed by Vegeta after being defeated by Goku.
- King Vegeta's Elite & Squadmates: Warriors like Tora, Fasha, Borgos, and Shugesh (Bardock's team) represented the everyday combat units dispatched across the cosmos to slaughter populations for the Galactic Frieza Force.
The Surviving Pure-Bloods and Universe 7 Remnants
Following the annihilation of Planet Vegeta, only a handful of pure-blooded Saiyans remained alive across Universe 7, drastically altering the trajectory of the species.
- Goku (Kakarot): Sent to Earth as an infant pod-spawn, severe head trauma erased his aggressive programming. Raised by Grandpa Gohan, Goku transformed his innate Saiyan battle hunger into a lifelong quest for self-improvement and martial arts mastery.
- Vegeta: After his defeat on Earth, Vegeta slowly transitioned from bitter rival to dedicated protector, eventually raising a family and fighting alongside Goku to surpass divine limits.
- Broly: A mutant prodigy born with abnormal base power that vastly outstripped even Prince Vegeta as an infant. Banished to Vampa by a fearful King Vegeta, Broly spent decades isolated before being drafted into Frieza's army in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
- Paragus: Broly's father, an elite military officer who spent decades plotting revenge against the royal family before meeting his demise at Frieza's hands.
- Turles (Non-Canon): A movie-exclusive pure-blood who bore a striking physical resemblance to Goku and used the Tree of Might to steal planetary life force.
- Cumber (Non-Canon): Introduced in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, an ancient evil Saiyan imprisoned within the Prison Planet.
The Next Generation: Saiyan Hybrids of Universe 7
The integration of Saiyans into Earth's ecosystem produced a new generation of half-breeds. According to series observations by Vegeta, hybrid Saiyans possess even greater latent potential and emotional access to power than pure-bloods.
- Gohan: Goku and Chi-Chi's eldest son. Gohan repeatedly bypassed traditional training plateaus through sheer rage, becoming the first mortal to achieve Super Saiyan 2 against Cell and unlocking his ultimate potential via Gohan Beast.
- Trunks (Present): Vegeta and Bulma's son, known for his precocious ability to turn Super Saiyan at a young age.
- Future Trunks: An alternate timeline survivor of the Android apocalypse. He traveled back in time to save Goku from a fatal heart virus and later mastered Super Saiyan Rage and the Sword of Hope to defeat Goku Black.
- Goten: Goku and Chi-Chi's second son, who achieved Super Saiyan status effortlessly as a child, shocking older generations.
- Bulla (Bra): Vegeta and Bulma's daughter, born in Dragon Ball Super. While she never pursues martial arts like her brother, her birth marks the full cultural integration of Saiyans into human society.
- Pan: Gohan and Videl's daughter. Showing prodigious flight and ki control as an infant, Pan represents the dilution and ultimate preservation of the bloodline into a peaceful era.
The Universe 6 Saiyans
Dragon Ball Super introduced the multiverse, revealing that Universe 6 also hosts a thriving Saiyan race. Unlike Universe 7's mercenaries, Universe 6 Saiyans evolved as peacekeepers and protectors under the jurisdiction of their Sadala military.
- Cabba: A courteous, professional member of the Sadala Defense Forces. Cabba serves as Universe 6's primary ambassador for Saiyan culture, looking up to Vegeta as a mentor.
- Kale: A timid young recruit possessing a legendary mutation identical to Universe 7's Berserker Broly. When triggered, her power level spikes uncontrollably into the Legendary Super Saiyan state.
- Caulifla: A punk-ish gang leader from Sadala with an astronomical combat intuition. She mastered the Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 transformations within minutes of learning them.
- Kefla: The fusion of Caulifla and Kale via Potara earrings, capable of pushing Goku to his limits during the Tournament of Power.
- Renso: Cabba's former captain, retired due to a leg injury.
Transformation Milestones and Bloodline Evolution
The progression of Saiyans isn't just about who survived, but how their bodies adapted to divine and mortal extremes. Below is a quick breakdown of how power scales across the lineage:
- Base and Great Ape (Oozaru): The primal state utilizing Blutz waves from a full moon or power ball via the tail.
- Super Saiyan 1, 2, and 3: The golden-haired evolutionary leaps pioneered by Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta, trading emotional stability for massive multipliers.
- Godly Ki States: Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue, which integrate divine energy into traditional Saiyan biology.
- Unique Paths: Vegeta's Super Saiyan God SS (Evolved), Goku's Ultra Instinct, and Gohan's Beast form showcase how individual Saiyans diverge based on personal fighting philosophies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Saiyans have tails?
Pure-blooded Saiyans are born with prehensile monkey-like tails. These tails act as a conduit for absorbing Blutz waves emitted by planetary bodies, triggering a transformation into a giant ape (Oozaru) that multiplies their base strength tenfold. If a tail is gripped tightly, the Saiyan is instantly paralyzed; however, consistent training can allow a Saiyan to outgrow this weakness.
Can half-Saiyans become Super Saiyan?
Yes, and often much easier than pure-bloods. Characters like Gohan, Trunks, and Goten achieved the transformation at significantly younger ages due to possessing higher concentrations of S-Cells—microscopic biological factors that trigger transformations in response to peaceful environments and high baseline power.
Are there any female pure-blooded Saiyans in canon?
Yes. Gine (Goku's mother) is a confirmed canon pure-blooded female Saiyan from Universe 7. Universe 6 also features prominent female pure-bloods such as Caulifla and Kale.
What is the strongest Saiyan form?
As of current Dragon Ball Super continuity, Ultra Instinct (mastered by Goku) and Gohan Beast represent the absolute peak of mortal Saiyan combat evolution, rivaling or surpassing the gods of destruction in raw combat output. You can check official franchise updates on the Official Dragon Ball Website.
