Saiyans

"*You can take control of my mind and my body, but there's one thing a Saiyan always keeps; HIS PRIDE!!*"
— Vegeta IV

**Saiyans** (サイヤ *Saiya-jin*) are a race of extraterrestrials in the *Dragon Ball* anime and manga and its adaptive sequels as well as all fan-made projects, including *Dragon Ball Justice*. Famously recognized as a naturally proud and aggressive warrior race who were supposedly striving to be the strongest in the universe, the Saiyans tend to make up the bulk of many military forces across the universe.

Originally near the brink of extinction when Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta with most of the Saiyans on it, the Saiyan race has been slowly reemerging after the Qliphoth's destruction which caused different timelines to merge into one, allowing Saiyans from different points in history to emerge into the present day.

## Overview

### Name

The name is a pun on y*ajin* (野人) which means "wildman", and an anagram of *yasai* (野菜) which means "vegetable". The suffix *-jin* means "person". "Saiyan" is the English transliteration of the roman letter term *Saiya-jin*. In the Japanese language, *Saiya-jin* (サイヤ) is pronounced *"Sigh-ya-jeen"* while in FUNimation's English dubs, "Saiyan" is pronounced *"Sey-uhn"*.

Nearly all full-blooded Saiyans and several half-Saiyans have names that are a pun on various vegetables. (Examples include Raditz, Kakarot, Vegeta, Broly, Sparga, Daikon, Lettya, and Bardock)

### Homeworld

The homeworld of the Saiyans is Planet Sadala. The planet had a natural gravity that is ten times that of Earth, which helps give Saiyans a greater natural strength than most races. In Universe 7, the Saiyans lived here but their planet was destroyed by internal discord and civil war between the Saiyans who believed in good, and the Saiyans who delighted in destruction and chaos;After the destruction of Planet Sadala, Planet Plant is conquered by the Saiyans after the defeat of the native Tuffles, and they renamed it "Planet Vegeta" after their most powerful warrior and ruler, King Vegeta.

At some point, Planet Vegeta was visited by the God of Destruction Beerus, who ultimately deemed the Saiyans as a savage race with no chance of improving (or more accurately he felt that they were just annoying). He ultimately ordered Frieza to destroy the planet and the entire Saiyan race, who was of a similar mind set as he came to see the Saiyan race as potentially posing a threat to his tyranny. To which, the tyrant went to the planet and completely obliterated them from space, wiping out all but a small group of Saiyans.

Presently, the Saiyans who have been emerging into the Universe when their timelines have merged into the present one have no homeworld of their own to speak of, but a handful have been settling on Earth.

### Culture

Saiyans are a people who pride themselves on a warrior mentality, thus lending credence to their civilization adopting a "Might makes Right" philosophy. Fighting is the backbone of their culture and way of life, and the strongest is often given privileges their weaker peers would otherwise be restricted from. Strength is the most important thing to Saiyan culture and way of life - gender, beliefs, crimes, honor or lack thereof are all secondary to who is stronger. Because of this, Saiyans have a deep need to become stronger. Bordering on instinctive, Saiyans naturally seek out challenge that could kill them if they fail out of an instinctive cultural need so great, it has become a consistent trait in their genetics.

Saiyans are typically loners and rarely cooperate unless forced to by necessity. When grouped together, the strongest among the group is the de facto leader, often called the "Silverback," similar to gorillas. Unlike gorillas, however, a Silverback does not necessarily need to be male - female silverbacks have existed among Saiyans. These groups rarely last long and once the need is ended, typically disperse. However, some groups occasionally do stay intact and form social bands with the Silverback's word viewed as law. Typically a soceital quirk among Saiyan norms, these small tribes are rare and out of every few thousand Saiyans, one might form a band of perhaps a small dozen.

Saiyans have nonverbal ways of expressing themselves, usually seen through gestures with their tail. The tail being a key feature to read a Saiyan's mood, the posture of a Saiyan's tail can be read to determine attitude, intent, and social standing among a group. Tails coming into contact with one another is a strong indication of social attachment to another individual. Saiyans who form packs will bow and and let their tail reach for the tail of the Silverback in submission, and should the Silverback make mutual contact, the submission will be accepted. Romantic partners will intertwine their tails with one another and in the case of deep attachments, tails will be used to mark a partner with one's scent in territorial displays. These tail gestures are often crucial in social interactions to indicate attachment to another and help demonstrate to other Saiyans that there is a connection between a group.

Saiyans have a distinctive difference in how they approach courtship and romance than humans. Primarily a polyamorous people, Saiyans rarely develop lasting attachments to a partner and often only breed for reproductive purposes, but there are some rare occasions where genuine affection forms - though this is seen as an oddity and often regarded with amusement and confusion. Some small number of social groups allow the Silverback among the tribe to have multiple partners, much like how a real world Silverback gorilla will have a harem to themselves but this is an uncommon thing among an already uncommon practice in Saiyan societal norms - Among a society that encourages an individual to fend for themselves, only one in seven groups will have a Silverback who sits at the center of a harem.

A baby Saiyan's power level is measured as soon as they are born, if their power level is up to standard they are raised as upper-level warriors and become combatant candidates. If their power level remains low even after a certain amount of time has passed, they are classed as low-level warriors and become either engineers or infiltration babies. Infiltration babies are sent off to a planet the Saiyans have selected for take over, and if the baby grows up into a warrior capable of taking over the planet they are allowed to return as a full-fledged combatant. Infiltration babies have a low survival rate.

While all Saiyans are capable of flight, Saiyans do not naturally know how to fly - some need to be taught, while others work it out on their own. Training to increase power level is also uncommon, with only a few Saiyan children receiving a short period of special training to acquire a greater power level.

Saiyans do not celebrate any holidays. Instead of playing like Earthling children, Saiyan children fight amongst themselves.

### Technological Prowess

Saiyans are not famous for any significant technological advancements in particular, typically acquiring new technology through trade. However, even with their limited abilities in technological prowess, Saiyans were able to acquire and fashion their own method of space travel more advanced than that of Earth.

At some indeterminate point, Saiyans became capable of cultivating biotechnology, allowing them to craft and upgrade stronger variations of Saibamen.

### Military

As befitting a warrior culture, the Saiyans have a prominent and impressive military, aptly named the Saiyan Army. With a general at its head, the Saiyan Army is a devastating and lethal force feared throughout the universe. The Saiyan Army was employed under the Frieza Force, in which the tyrant would use the Saiyan warriors to conquer planets for him. Normally only upper level warriors are allowed to become combatants in the Saiyan Army, and they are chosen from birth, the army employs various ranks based on power levels: the only ranks mentioned in the series are *"Elites"* and *"Low-Class"*, with the series creator Akira Toriyama confirming in an interview that there are also *"Mid-Class"* warriors; while almost all Saiyans are low-class warriors, there are only about ten mid-class warriors, and only King Vegeta and Prince Vegeta are elite warriors. This rank is determined by an innate latent battle power, but if their battle power rises greatly afterward, they can be promoted. Saiyans who are deemed lower level warriors from birth are usually not able to become combatants, however a lower level warrior who is made an infiltration baby and who returns successful from their mission will be allowed to be a full-fledged combatant. The military force met its final destruction when Frieza committed his Genocide of the Saiyans, leaving only a handful of survivors scattered throughout the universe.

In Universe 6, the Saiyans try to protect the universe and get rid of evil doers. Because of this, they are known as **Heroes of Justice**. They also have their own elite unit in charge in protecting their home planet, called the Sadala Army.

## Types of Saiyans

### Universe 7

##### Ancient Saiyans

Ancient Saiyans (alternatively known as **Prehistoric Saiyans**) existed long ago. Aside from time travelers, none still exist in the modern time. They possess *ki* completely different from their modern-day counterparts, presumably due to what can be assumed to be due to the harsher climate of a prehistoric Planet Sadala necessitating a more powerful and different breed of Saiyan, but like them can transform into the Great Ape, Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 forms.

Predominantly an evil species, Saiyans in their prehistoric era of Planet Sadala were cruel and delighted in savagery and violence that earned them a reputation they would carry for the rest of their people's existence. Particularly evil and violent Saiyans were even capable of exerting the hatred and rage in their aura to corrupt other Saiyans.

A small sect of ancient Saiyans referred to themselves as the "Super Saiyan God race" or more commonly as the "**Righteous Saiyans**," descendants of the original Super Saiyan God. These Saiyans refer to themselves as "**the defeated"** due to being defeated and wiped out by the opposing larger faction of evil Ancient Saiyans, who the Righteous Saiyans refer to as "**the tainted"** or "**Malevolent Saiyans**" who reject what they believe to be the "true Saiyan way" that these pure hearted and good Ancient Saiyans fought to restore before being defeated and wiped from the annals of Saiyan history, leaving the evil Saiyans to pass down their brutal ways to Modern Saiyans.

##### Modern Saiyans

Modern Saiyans are the descendants of evil Ancient Saiyans who killed the original Super Saiyan God and wiped their followers out of existence in a battle that rendered their homeworld of Planet Sadala destroyed. After migrating to Planet Plant and wiping out the native Tuffles, then naming it Planet Vegeta before joining the Frieza Force. Following the destruction of Planet Vegeta, the surviving members of the Saiyan race scattered and scrambling to restore what was left of their race.

Time traveling Ancient Saiyans who followed the Super Saiyan God's teachings refer to these modern Saiyans as "**the tainted**" due to their inheriting the blood and philosophies of the evil Saiyans of the prehistoric age, though they are sometimes also referred to as **"Neo Saiyans**."

##### Saiyan Hybrids

Following the destruction of Planet Vegeta and their numbers being greatly reduced, surviving Saiyans took to settling into other worlds and began crossbreeding with compatible species in order to increase the chances of survival of their race.

By Age 1000, Saiyan blood had intermingled with the native population of Earth so deeply that Saiyan-Earthling hybrids were common, resulting in a newer generation of the Saiyan race.

### Universe 6

##### Evolved Saiyans

The Saiyans of Universe 6 differ from their Universe 7 counterparts in that they never left Planet Sadala and are a more heroic species, implying that either a civil war between good Saiyans and evil Saiyans never occurred in their prehistoric era, or that the good Saiyans emerged victorious. Additionally, they have evolved so they no longer possess tails nor require them to access their maximum efficiency in raw strength and combat performance, but subsequently as a result presumably have lost access the Great Ape form through conventional means. They have displayed the ability to achieve the Super Saiyan form, as well as Super Saiyan 2. They have also demonstrated the aptitude to obtain these forms with exponentially less effort than Universe 7 Saiyans.

### Legendary Saiyan

**Legendary Saiyans** are a unique type of Saiyan that exist in both Universe 7 and Universe 6. An individual Legendary Saiyan is born once every 1,000 years in both universes. These Saiyans are are born with a rare mutation that causes their power to be astronomical to absurd and frightening degrees. While not shown to be able to take on any normal Saiyan forms aside from the basic Great Ape, these Saiyans possess their own transformation line based around the Legendary Super Saiyan state. This unique transformation is feared even by other Saiyans for a Legendary Super Saiyan is regarded as a demon whose blind and indiscriminate rage leaves naught but death and devastation in their wake until that same power destroys them from the inside out unless restrained and calmed, to the point of even other powerful Saiyans hesitating to fight them and cower in fear.

Despite their demonic nature, Legendary Saiyans can be gentle hearted when not relying on their power. However, because of their demonic nature, they can end up becoming violent, bloodthirsty, and destructive. Because of their destructive tendencies legendary Saiyans are feared in both Universe 6 and 7, though in Universe 7 they are often associated with the legends pertaining to the Super Saiyan of Legend as the general Saiyan population in Universe 7 tends to be more barbaric and violent than their more evolved and kind-hearted Universe 6 counterparts.

## History

### Universe 7

#### Origins

The Saiyans are a fighting race who, since ancient times, have lived a violent and inhumane lifestyle, where they attack numerous planets to build up wealth and goods. Some scholars speculate that Saiyans were originally Great Apes who gained intelligence and took on a humanoid form. As noted by some individuals, "ancient Saiyans" possess different *ki* from the ones in the present time.

The previous Super Saiyan appeared approximately 1,000 years prior to the their enslavement to King Cold and Frieza, approximately 238 Before Age, and is described as a Super Saiyan who could only retain his status in the transformed state. As per the story of the Super Saiyan God told from the Namekian Book of Legends, this Saiyan was an individual with a noble heart, and along some of his comrades, tried to stop their evil fellow Saiyans. However, he couldn't achieve his goal and perished. In the legend, Yamoshi appeared to have lost control and gave in to his destructive primitive desires, destroying himself with his own power, in actuality Yamoshi was killed by the evil Saiyans. The good Saiyans and evil Saiyans were in conflict for a long time, with the good Saiyans only ever managing to get one victory to their name, eventually the evil Saiyans wiped out the good Saiyans, and thus all modern day Saiyans are descended from them.

Information is scarce and contradictory at times, but it is assumed that in the conflict between the Evil Saiyans and the Super Saiyan God, the clash was so devastating that, while it is unclear whose power became too great to control and resulted in self-destruction, it is known that a Saiyan whose power grew too great to contain destroyed themself in their rage and destroyed Planet Sadala in the process.

A small group of Saiyans eventually found their way to Planet Plant in Age 550, and the history of the Saiyans predating their conflict with the Tuffles.

During their cohabitation, Saiyans lived in arid wastelands while Tuffles lived in great cities and employed advanced technology. Eventually, the Saiyans attacked, vowing to conquer the Tuffle's great cities and extinguish the race.

#### War with the Tuffles

At some point a civil war broke out. The Saiyan Army tried many times to overthrow the Tuffles but were unsuccessful, sparking along lasting on the planet. Although the Saiyans were bigger in size and physically far superior, they were fewer in number compared to the Tuffles. The Tuffles had a trump card in the form of their technology to read the power levels of the Saiyans and advanced weaponry such as blasters to hold them off. Then, at some point (records indicate conflicting information), the Saiyans were able to transform into Great Apes thanks to the full moon that only appeared once every 100 years on the planet; with this, they finally annihilated the Tuffles and renamed the planet Planet Vegeta after their commanding hero, King Vegeta.

#### Meeting other Races

Following their victory over the Tuffles, the Saiyans were approached by a race known as the Arcosians. These aliens had money and technology, but their planet was unsuitable, so they hired a group of Saiyans to take over a planet for them; in return, they would share their technology with them. Over the years, the Saiyans also learned how to use the Tuffles' advanced equipment and became smarter and less barbaric, although they still lusted for fighting and destruction. This began the Saiyan race's career as intergalactic mercenaries who fought for the highest bidder to exterminate entire planets and make them suitable for immigration for new races looking to settle on new worlds.

#### Rivalry with Krypton

At some point in their species' career as planet brokers, the Saiyans were given the assignment to cultivate Planet Krypton and prepare it for profit. Unprepared for Krypton's military might and technological superiority, this sparked a long and bloody war among their people that instilled a deep hatred for each other for generations to come. Saiyan Pride refused to accept this loss and Krypton, equally proud, resisted the attempts to have their planet terraformed and invaded. Eventually this led to the job being secondary for the Saiyan people as they insisted on their blood feud with the Kryptonians. This mutual hatred dragged on long after conflicts had reluctantly ceased in order to focus efforts elsewhere.

#### Occupation and Destruction

Eventually, the Saiyans were approached by King Cold and while information has been lost due to the destruction of recorded information, it is safe to assume that Planet Vegeta was either conquered or annexed by King Cold's empire and the Saiyans were drafted as soldiers to serve in the Cold Empire's military until King Cold retired and bequeathed his empire to his son, Frieza, renaming the Cold Force to the Frieza Force.

Due to 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).

ventually, seeing how quickly some of the more gifted Saiyan warriors were gaining power through battle, around Age 735, 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. In Age 737, a Saiyan scientist develops the Saibamen using biotechnology and those creatures make their way into the Galactic Frieza Army through the Saiyans. Soon, that same year the maniacal warlord Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, nearly eradicating the Saiyan race. There were only a few thousand Saiyans on the planet. As a warrior race, it would be difficult to increase their numbers (presumably, though left unsaid, because they would war with each other over superiority).

Over two decades later, the Saiyans were finally avenged when Son Goku defeated Frieza on Planet Namek.

#### Survival and Resurrection

What few Saiyan survivors began eventually settled on Earth and began making a new life, birthing Saiyan hybrids who would ensure the survival of their species. By Age 850, Saiyan hybrids had grown more and more common on Earth, resulting in the revival of the Saiyan race.

By Age 1000, pure blooded Saiyans had become almost entirely extinct in Universe 7 due to how only survivors of Planet Vegeta's destruction were male. Even with time displaced Saiyans from previous eras introducing women back into the modern era, so few numbers of pure blooded Saiyan females had been encountered through temporal displacements when the timelines were forcibly merged in the Qliphoth's aftermath that a pure-blooded Saiyan is one in a million.

### Universe 6

In Universe 6, their history diverged from that of Universe 7, the Saiyans remain to be a thriving race with their original planet intact. They have also come to use their innate capacity for combat productively, fighting evil rather than causing it. Around 220 Before Age, a Legendary Saiyan appeared among the Universe 6 Saiyans.

Universe 6 Saiyans lack tails, having evolved to not require them for full efficiency in battle, and can transform into a Super Saiyan with more ease once they obtain the knowledge of the transformation. However, the Universe 6 Saiyans were unaware of the existence of the Super Saiyan transformation until they were introduced to it by the Universe 7 Saiyans in Age 779 - with Cabba being the first Saiyan of Universe 6 to achieve the form. The only transformation that the Universe 6 Saiyans were aware of was the demonic Legendary Saiyan, with a Saiyan capable of transforming into it appearing once every 1,000 years.

Universe 6 Saiyans, similar to their counterparts, were employed by the emperor of the universe, Frost, in order to fight in wars on his behalf. Distinctly different from their Universe 7 counterparts, however, Saiyans embraced an idealogy of fighting for justice and good, becoming renowed across Universe 6 as Heroes.

## Physiology

### Physical Appearance

Saiyans are outwardly very similar to Humans, with the exception of their monkey-like tails. Especially in pure-blooded Saiyans, they are commonly seen to have black hair, black eyes and and mild tans, but some exceptions are noted as some Saiyans can be seen with darker skin tones and in even more extremely rare instances, varying eye colors. Male Saiyans are naturally capable of growing facial hair, and a popular trend among Saiyan men is to style their facial hair into moustaches.

#### Tails

All pure-blooded Saiyans from Universe 7 are born with a brown-furred monkey-like tail. Commonly for adult Saiyans, they will wrap their tail around their hip as a makeshift belt for better convenience. The tail is very prehensile and can be used to grasp things (much like some new world monkeys do), giving them in a sense an extra hand to fight with.

While as strong and coordinated as any other limb on the Saiyan, the tail is a particularly sensitive area. When grabbed or injured, it causes great pain to the owner, leaving them drained of all strength and effectively immobilizing the whole body. However, the Saiyans can train themselves to overcome this weakness, leaving them unaffected altogether. Their monkey-like tails, alongside their turning into Great Apes, is the main reason why those of Saiyan descent are sometimes referred to as "monkeys" or "apes" as a racial slur (especially notable by the Frieza Force's reference to them as such).

The tail also serves to help young Saiyans with balance - should an adolescent Saiyan have their tail removed, they will have trouble standing, let alone moving about. However, most adult Saiyans who have their tails removed forcible rarely find this difficulty and their balance is typically unaffected.

As noted by many Saiyans, the tail is the source of a Saiyan's true strength (Great Ape form), enabling them to perform to their maximum efficiency. This was supported by the claims of many Saiyans who state that they feels stronger with it than without it. The most unique and prominent ability the tail provides Saiyans is to transform into a Great Ape if exposed to the Blutz Waves of a full moon, attributed to a unique gland located in the tail that releases a chemical which triggers the transformation when a Saiyan's body absorbs Blutz Waves. If the tail is removed, this power is lost, forcing them back into their normal state if transformed at the time. If the tail is lost it will often suddenly grow back if the Saiyan is in danger. However, once a Saiyan reaches a certain level of strength, the Saiyan's body seems to deem the tail as an unnecessary appendage if removed. A Saiyan's tail has an 8% chance of growing back, and will not grow back if they have surpassed the power of their Great Ape form in their base form.

In Universe 6, Saiyans naturally no longer have tails. This is because of the evolution process they underwent in their universe, presumably enabling them to naturally access maximum capacity without additional training. It is unknown if this permanently voids Universe 6 Saiyans of the Great Ape form or can access it without the need of a tail.

#### Personality

Saiyans tend to share common personality traits, even at young ages. Being aggressively militant, 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. Saiyans appear inclined to be arrogant at times, leading them to allow enemies to gain advantages in battle just for *fun*. It appears 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. Normally, Saiyans do not have much of a notion of romance or marriage, apart from the royal family and upper elite class who seek to cultivate and maintain the distinction between classes and prolong their own lineages.

They 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 family members and comrades, often either acting indifferent or outright laughing when they die due to a perceived "weakness" and "inability to fend for one's self", though there have been some rare exceptions of a Saiyan individual expressing emotional sentiment and attachment to another, be they family or comrade. Saiyans value honor for their race above anything else and prior to their race's genocide, seemed to have been not only opposed to mating with other races but producing half-breed offspring. After many years of settling into new lives across the universe, this distaste for interspecies breeding seems to have passed. 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.

The Saiyans also seem to believe that death is preferable compared to living with the shame of losing against someone inferior to them in level.

The trait that sets almost all pure-blooded Saiyans apart is their innate lust for battle, a trait prevalent in even kind-hearted Saiyans who do not share in their species' lust for destruction. This trait causes many Saiyans to seek out stronger opponents, either to test their might or for the desire to be the best. This trait has been the cause of many of the major conflicts in the series. Saiyans also have a tendency to conduct battles in a sport-like manner, preferring one on one matches and often not using their full power straight away in order to get the best out of a fight. This desire to draw out a worthy opponent has also been the cause of many conflicts, as refusing to co-operate or end a fight quickly often results in a Saiyan being defeated less by an opponent and more their own natures.

While Saiyans rarely form romantic attachments, they still value strength above all and only deem strong-willed and powerful partners as acceptable candidates for mating and courtship.

Kind-hearted Saiyans under the initial influence of the Super Saiyan form will become more barbaric, rash and explosively hot-headed and those who had typical Saiyan traits will had them amplified to a great degree, while in some cases changing their strategic mind to a more brash and impulsive one, these traits can be eliminated through training.

Apparently, besides power levels, Saiyan children are determined on whether they make suitable warriors by the extent in which they loudly cry as infants. Even weaker children born with low power levels are sometimes predicted to be great warriors and judged to have the feisty spirit of a typical Saiyan warrior due to constant wailing and crying.

#### Energy Manipulation

Saiyans have a natural affinity to control *Ki* energy, allowing them to generate very powerful energy blasts even at young ages. In some cases, it is said that Saiyans and half-breeds possess a unique type of energy called "Saiya Power" or "Saiyan Power."

Also, any energy lost during a battle, will be completely restored, and, in some cases, multiplied, after a short time of resting.

Ancient Saiyans possess different energy from their present-day counterparts, with the evil ancient Saiyans demonstrating the capability to have a corrupting aura and the ability to create shadow hands which can cause their modern day descendants to grow feral, violent, and destructive.

Saiyans have consistently demonstrated an ability to induce great spikes of power in their energy levels when under emotional distress. Extreme feelings of anger, fury, and in some particular cases desperate feelings of helplessness will trigger sudden surges of power that cause their strength to rise dramatically and turn the tides of a battle.

#### Flight

Due to their natural ability to control their energy, and the massively increased gravity of their home planet, Saiyans possess the innate ability to fly at hypersonic speeds, with little, to no effort at all. Due to their superior *Ki* control, they're able to learn how to fly much faster than other races.

#### Strength

Saiyans naturally possess vast superhuman strength, far greater than that of Earthlings and other alien races and are veritable fighting machines. Even without any formal training or exercise, they are capable of easily lifting ten times their own weight.

The naturally high gravity of Planet Sadala and Planet Vegeta (10x that of Earth) develops their physical strength, making them incredibly strong at young ages. Even weaker Saiyans are capable of conquering most planets alone. Due to their insane levels of physical power, they are easily able to destroy mountains, islands, and potentially entire planets just with pure physical strength, especially in the Super Saiyan states. A clash between even weaker Saiyans can result in blows that will result in a planet's surface warping and contracting with each shared blow.God-like Saiyans possess an astronomical level of physical strength, capable of crumbling apart the entire universe when clashing with another God. There have even been instances of Saiyans engaging in clashes with one another that cause them to shatter through reality and breech into other dimensions from the force of their blows 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, essentially evolving their power, the more they fight. 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 physical strength.

Saiyans put a heavy emphasis on strength and fighting ability when it comes to importance in their society. In fact, they will excommunicate Saiyans who do not show potential to assist in their violent ways, even alleged "royalty," further emphasizing their culture's focus on strength as its sole pillar.

#### Speed & Agility

Saiyans possess tremendous levels of superhuman speed, easily capable of breaking the sound barrier, even with their basic moves. They also have much faster reflexes than an average Human; reflexes so fast that they can avoid a bullet without any trouble at all, or even catch them with no harm. Their superhuman speed can easily be seen in their fighting skills; their movements occur in fractions of seconds which are not visible to average Human eyes, and even "super" humans have trouble following up a Saiyan's speed.

Their agility is also substantial in their battles and training, they can easily perform immensely high jumps or acrobatics far more advanced than those of normal human beings, with no drawback or strain on their bodies. 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 very fast. Some of the most powerful and high caliber Saiyans are capable of exceeding even light speed without experiencing any ill effects to their bodies.

#### Durability & Endurance

Saiyans possess enormous amounts of superhuman durability, and are a remarkably resilient species, who refuse to be physically broken. Even as children, Saiyans are easily capable of taking on bullets (at least those belonging to small arms such as handguns and machine pistols), explosions or sharpened objects and come out relatively unharmed, and as even younger infants, are able to survive extreme head-trauma and stunt forces. However, their ability to resist bullets may have limits, as they can be damaged by firearms if caught off guard.

However, as fully developed adults, Saiyans possess immense levels of resistance to nearly all harm, and essentially, no Earthling-made weapon could possibly hurt them, and even most alien weapons cannot either. According to scholars, some early adult Saiyans such as between ages 20-25 are already so tough, that even basic nuclear blasts and City-leveling explosions would not manage to kill them. Even while unconscious and in their base form, a Saiyan is capable of surviving re-atmospheric reentries with no negative effect to their bodies.

When a Saiyan becomes a Super Saiyan, their durability, as well as their strength, increases massively, becoming tough enough to easily survive powerful energy beams, even to their faces, with no visible harm or scratch, and take most blunt forces against large amount of rock or solid matter, with no discomfort. God-like Saiyans are able to survive universe-clashing forces with essentially no harm, or even take planet-destroying finger-taps from Gods of Destruction with little issue.

However, they are not invincible, and substantially powerful forces and enemies can overcome a Saiyan's basic durability. But even if they are hurt, Saiyans not only also appear able to heal from injuries at a faster rate than normal human beings, but also have an extremely high tolerance to physical pain, and will only succumb to injuries if a massively high amount of bones are broken, also, they possess remarkable immune systems, making it very hard for them to become sick, with only one instance in recorded history on Earth of a Saiyan succumbing to illness. If a Saiyan lets his guard, the most important part of their durability, gradually down, no matter how powerful, this will cause the Saiyan to become vulnerable to behind surprise attacks and will take as much damage as a "super-human" could. God-like Saiyans have an even higher durability and can survive star system-shattering energy attacks, but with extreme difficulty.

Saiyans are unable to survive in the vacuum of space, although they are capable of going to the upper levels of a planet's atmosphere. On a similar note, Saiyans also have a sufficiently high cardiovascular build, being capable of surviving even being a significant depth underwater, indicating that they might be able to survive without oxygen by holding their breath even in the vacuum of space but only for limited periods of time.

#### Intelligence

Saiyans are considered for the most part to be comparable in intelligence to humans. Due to a Saiyan's strength, their level of cunning is generally downplayed while they focus on a preference for overwhelming their opposition with brute force unless their strength is below average, necessitating a need for cunning and manipulation. Perhaps as a byproduct of their speed and reflexes, Saiyans are also abnormally quick learners, able to process large amounts of information within a limited amount of time. Despite being a race of barbarians, Saiyans have no trouble adapting to new technology. It is unknown if Saiyan aptitudes carry onto their hybrid children. However, a Saiyan's superhuman learning curve is seen time and time again throughout the series.

#### Appetite

Saiyans are noted for having ravenous, and seemingly insatiable appetites. Due to their enormous strength and intense aura, the Saiyans' energy and nutritional intake requirements are a great deal higher than normal Earthlings. This heightened metabolism also benefits their physique, as despite their gluttonous eating, it is still much harder for Saiyans to grow obese or even suffer indigestion or cramps; in fact, it seems to improve their overall performance. They are often shown eating plate after plate of food, resulting in many dishes piling up. In *Daizenshuu 4*, it is stated that they have no particular favorite kind of food, although they appear to prefer meat over anything else. Saiyan hybrids can also show a high appetite, although it may appear later in life.

#### Aging, Lifespan, & Growth

According to the *Daizenshuu*, Saiyan's lifespan is about the same as an average Earthling (75 to 100 years, with longer exceptions), but keep in their peak health, performance, and appearance much longer until extremely late into their lifespan. However, according to Akira Toriyama, their natural lifespan itself is longer than humans', but as a warrior race many of them die in battle, and by extension their general lifespan. Saiyans are generally considered as still young at the age of 80. As explained by Vegeta near the end of *Dragon Ball Z*, Saiyans maintain their prime they evolved into a natural warrior race, enabling them to fight longer.

In terms of physical development, this differs by Saiyan as it does with Earthlings. Most full-blooded Saiyans appear to grow in spurt phases, as seen through Goku. Saiyans appear identical to that of a Earthling baby in their early years, although they are born with a full head of hair more often than Earthlings, but also appear to grow at somewhat slower rates. For example, a pure blooded Saiyan at the age of 12 would actually about the same size as his hybrid offspring would be at the age of 5. By the age of 18, pure blooded Saiyans typically undergo their largest spurt phase; becoming significantly significantly taller and more muscular. General height and built once fully grown can still differ between Saiyans the same as Earthlings.

Saiyans appear to undergo one final growth spurt between the ages of roughly 20 to 30, when the body seems to finalize its physical maturity. Growth in muscle mass can clearly be seen, with even some height gained. It is also interesting to note that even after experiencing their twilight years where a Saiyan might live to see old age and attain visible wrinkles and severe aging, a Saiyan can still remain energetic and retain their fighting strength.

#### Reproduction

Saiyans have a sexual reproduction system compatible with that of normal Humans, as they are able to produce fertile offspring together. This indicates that despite their vastly enhanced physiology, Saiyans have genes that are similar enough to a Humans’s to be able to avoid debilitating genetic conditions that come with hybridization, allowing the resulting hybrids to be born perfectly healthy and normal.

it is strongly hinted that, prior to their race's near-extinction, Saiyans were adamantly against reproducing with creatures of another race and bearing hybrids and only began intermingling with other species out of necessity.

Due to being a warrior race, Saiyans prefer to artificially incubate their offspring. Even non-warriors like Gine kept baby Kakarot in an incubation chamber due to its convenience.

Given that their ability to reproduce fertile and stable offspring with humans with few noticeable physical differences between hybrids and full-blooded humans, then Saiyans must possess 23 chromosomes in their DNA.

#### Family

Saiyan families appear to be far different to that of a traditional Human family; apart from the royal family and upper elite class, they are not particular about blood-relationships. Very few pure-blooded Saiyan families bear any close attachments to one another. Children are kept in pods as infants and monitored by doctors while their parents are usually occupied on mercenary missions. Even as infants, their natural strength and their Gre​at Ape transformation 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 not have much of a concept of family, but they do tend to have close relationships with their friends and comrades however, with whom they do spend a great deal of time in battle, with some very rare exceptions of romantic or emotional attachment to a mate. In contrast to the Saiyans of the Universe 7, the Saiyans of the Universe 6 seem to care for their families more,

Saiyans are naturally strong willed and typically seek out partners of equally strong will. Even among interspecies relationships, Saiyans will always seek out a strong individual as a potential mate.

#### S-Cells

Saiyans possess S-Cells within their bodies, S-Cells are what allow a Saiyan to become a Super Saiyan, however most Saiyans do not have many S-Cells within their bodies. Any Saiyan can become a Super Saiyan, however they require a large amount of S-Cells in order to take on the form, Saiyans who have a gentle spirit gain more S-Cells (though they cannot gain enough to go Super Saiyan through a gentle nature alone) and when a Saiyan increases their battle power they steadily gain more S-Cells. Additionally, a gentler environment that is easier to live in (such as Planet Earth and their native home planet Sadala compared to Planet Vegeta) makes S-Cell production increase. Once the Saiyan has enough S-Cells, a feeling such as strong anger or sadness can transform a Saiyan into a Super Saiyan, once a Saiyan has achieved the form they can transform into it any time by focusing. In some very rare instances, Saiyan who has a very large battle power can turn Super Saiyan without needing a trigger, due to their tremendous amount of S-Cells. Saiyan offspring will inherit S-Cells from their parents, which enables the children to have a much easier time achieving a Super Saiyan transformation.

## Transformations

### Great Ape

Their tail also grants a Saiyan special transformations; a great metamorphosis into a giant 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, a Saiyan will generally lose most if not all control of themselves, with aggressiveness reaching its peak, causing them to lose all rationality to primal instinct. However, some Saiyans who have advanced enough are able to contain this heightened ferocity, allowing them to retain their individuality and rationality to perform in battle as normal, ranging from partial control and an ability to differentiate friend from foe all the way to full control and retain levels of intelligence and speech.

Though normally a tail is required access the transformation, it is possible for Saiyans to transform even if their tail is removed, however they require the use of an artifical Blutz Wave Generator which will cause them to transform, causing their tail to regrow briefly while in their transformed state. As the Saiyans of Universe 6 lost their tails through the process of evolution, no longer requiring it to naturally access their full combat effeciency, they are presumably incapable of transforming into Great Apes (it is unknown if they would be capable of transforming via the use of a Blutz Wave Generator like the Saiyans of Universe 7).

By managing to access the power of the Great Ape without taking on the form, a Saiyan takes on the Wrath State.

### Super Saiyan

The most powerful ability of a normal 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 golden in color. There are additional transformations beyond Super Saiyan, and variations thereon.

There are several extensions of the Super Saiyan transformation that act as higher levels, most notably the Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 forms.

### Super Saiyan God

Through several different methods a Saiyan can ascend to godhood and achieve the Super Saiyan God form, the most notable being a sacred ritual involving the transfer of *ki* from five righteous Saiyans to a sixth Saiyan as host. Attaining these forms is quite difficult and very few Saiyans are known to have ever accomplished it, and even less retaining this power permanently. These forms possess Godly *ki*.

Retaining the godly power also causes the user's normal forms to become more powerful than before, and also gifts them with the God-like Saiyan state, a state which utilizes the power of Super Saiyan God without a physical change in appearance. A Saiyan can also transform into a Super Saiyan God at will if they retain the godly power.

A Saiyan with the power of Super Saiyan God who transforms into a Super Saiyan becomes a Super Saiyan Blue.

### Evil Saiyan

In some cases of extreme delight in barbarism and hatred, Saiyans can take on an empowered state known as Evil Saiyan. This form grows the user's hair to the same length as a Super Saiyan 3 - but keeps it it's natural color. Aside from an increase in power, Saiyans using this form possess an Evil Aura which has special properties and numerous utilities.

### Hybrid Forms

Saiyans are capable of mixing their Super Saiyan forms with their other non-Super Saiyan states in order to achieve powerful hybrid states. This has shown to be possible by mixing the standard Super Saiyan form with either Great Ape or Super Saiyan God.

#### Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan

Once a Saiyan masters the divine power of Super Saiyan God, by transforming from a Saiyan with the power of Super Saiyan God into the Super Saiyan form, they can access a new more powerful transformation called Super Saiyan Blue.

Alternatively, a Saiyan who possesses an actual status as a deity takes on the Super Saiyan Rosé form instead of the ordinary Super Saiyan Blue when they utilize their Super Saiyan transformation in conjunction with their Super Saiyan God power.

#### Golden Great Ape & Super Saiyan 4

By combining Great Ape and Super Saiyan, a Saiyan becomes a Golden Great Ape. Their offensive capacities have become much greater, and their rage is even more intense than the standard Great Ape's. While in the Golden Great Ape state, the power and strength of a Saiyan increase extraordinarily.

The Super Saiyan 4 form is a unique transformation attained through control of the Golden Great Ape form. Despite being called a "Super Saiyan" it is not part of the main Super Saiyan line of transformations.

While evil ancient Saiyans have been shown capable of taking on the Golden Great Ape form, there are no known instances of them demonstrating the ability to become Super Saiyan 4 after gaining control over their Golden Great Ape form.

## Fighting

Saiyans have an inborn need to fight. Most Saiyans will spend their lives training to become stronger so that they can prove themselves in battle. When Frieza hired the Saiyans as his planet pirates, he knew of their amazing fighting skills and used that to his advantage. However, Frieza began to notice how powerful the Saiyans were becoming and began to fear that one day one of them would overwhelm him as the most powerful being in the universe. This eventually led to Frieza's destruction of Planet Vegeta and all the Saiyans on it. Saiyans are frequently seen training and improving their fighting skills to keep up with each other's skills and the appearance of new, more powerful foes. After battles, injured Saiyans are placed inside Medical Machines by doctors of the Galactic Frieza Army. The healed soldier can then immediately return to the battlefield.

Many of the Saiyan and Saiyan/Human hybrids that appear throughout the series possess extreme fighting potential. It is also very common for them to develop the ability to transform into Super Saiyans at childhood, thought to be particularly likely when the hybrid's Saiyan parent had achieved the transformation prior to conception.

A Saiyan who achieves a level of power at the level of gods becomes a "God-like Saiyan".

### Protection

As a warrior race, the Saiyans would commonly wear protective armor consisting of a form-fitting body suit and battle armor. It was extremely light yet durable, able to protect from most attacks. At the same time, it is extremely flexible, able to stretch out so far without losing any of its integrity, enabling to remained clothed while turning into a Great Ape, moving about unhindered, and likewise return to normal size once the Saiyan shrinks back to their base form.

Prior to their conscription, Universe 7 Saiyan Armor originally looked very similar to the Universe 6 Saiyan armor which possesses a gladiator-like design. However, after they were conscripted into the Galactic Frieza Army, like most other members, they began wearing a remodeled version that consists of a body suit with chest-protection. Newer models would have large pads on the shoulders, on the hips, and/or above the pelvic.

### Transportation

Saiyans have small space-pods that are only big enough for one person sitting down. When more than one person is sent to a planet, each warrior has a pod to themselves, who fly alongside each other in a group. It is unknown what fuel the space pods use, and there is no visible exhaust area for the fuel's waste to be expelled from (though when they fly, they have an energy aura around them). However, the computers operating the pods seem to be very sophisticated, and can even change course in space, despite there being no visible means of doing so (in the real world, spaceships must either slingshot around a large gravity source, such as the Moon, or must have some object to push themselves away from, per the Third Law of Motion, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"). The passenger appears to be in stasis during travel, but upon reaching a destination air is pumped into the pod, reviving the occupant. Following their conscription into Freiza's empire, these became a widespread standardized method of transportation for soldiers in Frieza's army, extending beyond being seen as a Saiyan-exclusive vessel. These pods are typically seen as uncomfortable and generally disliked despite their widespread use.

There are some vessels utilized to house multiple occupants at a time, but these seem to be granted from trade and relationships with other races.

### Healing

Having become a natural-born race of warriors, Saiyans are shown to be very resilient and adaptive. As they continue battling, their minds and bodies continue to adapt and improve from the experience. To which, they instinctively learn from their mistakes and become more accustomed to the adversity before him. Even more, Saiyans are shown able to recover from injuries much faster than humans. Also, as their bodies recover and adapt from the injuries, their bodies will grow considerably stronger than before, a literal example of the saying "That which does not kill me only makes me stronger". This power increase is known as Saiyan Power.

### Evolution

While the Saiyans from Universe 7 have not changed much morphologically during their evolution, the Saiyans from the Universe 6 have changed somewhat morphologically, having long since evolved beyond naturally having tails as a physical trait.