Akira Toriyama’s prolific Dragon Ball has always been popular with audiences. There’s a lot to appreciate in Dragon Ball’s sprawling story and incredibly powerful characters. The series has gradually made its way to outer space and beyond, with many new alien races and threats emerging in the process.

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There are dozens of unique alien species that Dragon Ball has highlighted, but the warrior race of the Saiyans easily receive the most attention. Many of Dragon Ball’s most important characters are Saiyans and they’ve become a defining aspect of the series. Saiyans have a high capacity for strength, but there’s also a lot about their culture and way of life that goes overlooked.

9 They’re Divided Among Low-Class Warriors And Saiyan Elite

Team Bardock prepare for fight in crater in Dragon Ball Z

Considering that Saiyan are all such chaotic and destructive individuals, it’s a little surprising to see that there’s such a social hierarchy system that exists between the warrior race. Saiyans find themselves largely divided between Low-Class Warriors and Saiyan Elites, both of which are sent into battle to conquer planets, but there’s more respect present for the upper class of the race. Saiyan Elites are also able to maintain a greater level of control over their Great Ape forms. Saiyans even adhere to a monarchy where they follow the orders of King Vegeta and help carry out his actions.

8 Relationships Are For Reproductive Purposes, Not Romance

Anime gine and bardock

Dragon Ball Super’s manga has recently filled in some enlightening details regarding the ways of Saiyan life, specifically through flashbacks that focus on Bardock and Gine, Goku’s parents. This material explains that despite how Saiyan relationships and family exist, they’re largely a means to an end. Nearly all Saiyan relationships are predicated on a desire for reproduction, rather than any sort of genuine romance or love for their partner. This doesn’t mean that a Saiyan parent can’t love their offspring, but merely that most are made for practical purposes.

7 Saiyan Youth Are Regularly Sent Out To Train And Grow On Their Own

Raditz and Vegeta as children in Dragon Ball Super: Broly

One of the most important events in Goku’s life is his parents’ decision to send him to Earth and save him from Frieza’s wrath back on Planet Vegeta. Goku’s exodus is atypical since his survival is the main purpose, but it’s quite common for Saiyan parents to send their children out into the recesses of space at a young age.

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Goku’s older brother, Raditz, is already out in space and undergoing intense training to hone his natural warrior instincts. This seems to be common practice among Saiyans and an effective way to boost the strength of the youth.

6 They Possess Incredible Technology

Anime Dragon-Ball-Z-Raditz-Reads-Scouter

Dragon Ball does an excellent job at establishing not only dozens of eclectic alien species, but contrasting levels of technology, intelligence, and strength. Curiously, the Saiyans are far from the most advanced race and there are many other more intelligent species, but their innovations are still greatly beyond what’s available on Earth. The Saiyans have effective equipment like their escape pods, malleable & durable armor, and scouters which can detect the power level of others. There’s a lot that the Saiyans can accomplish with their technology.

5 They’re Feared From Outside Alien Races

Anime Dragon Ball Z Planet Arlia Caverns

Reputation can be everything, especially in a series like Dragon Ball where there’s a wide galaxy of planets and dangers. The Saiyans are not the most powerful race in the universe, but they’re definitely notorious for the constant genocides that they inflict on weaker planets. The Saiyans have caused countless devastation – whether through their own whims or the wishes of Frieza – and it’s resulted in races like the Tuffles, Arlians, Cerealians, and Namekians all fearing their aggressive ways. The Saiyans certainly have a reputation that precedes them and many planets live in fear that one day they’ll land and attack.

4 Empathy And Emotions Don’t Come Naturally To Them

Bardock returns to Gine, who is cooking at home, in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

Part of what makes Goku such a compelling protagonist in Dragon Ball is that he exhibits traits and ideals that are practically the opposite of his Saiyan roots. The Saiyans are known as a race of warriors, which is a result of their strength and transformation abilities, but they also have a reduced capacity for empathy that further prioritizes their killer instinct.

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Human understanding is genuinely difficult for Saiyans, which can be seen through Bardock’s interactions with Gine, or even Goku’s early behavior in the series. Empathy obviously isn’t impossible, but it’s largely foreign to them.

3 Some Of The Population Devote Their Lives To Science

Anime Saibaman

The bulk of the Saiyan population focus their efforts on combat and building up their strength, but certain Saiyans back on Planet Vegeta were more focused on science experiments and bioengineering. It may seem a little jarring to picture Saiyan scientists, but they’re responsible for the creation of the Saibamen, which reflects some level of advanced intelligence in the field. If Planet Vegeta wasn’t destroyed, it’s possible that this Saiyan science could have gone even further and led to more ambitious creations.

2 They’re Comfortable Living As Mercenaries

Frieza And King Cold mock the Saiyans in Dragon Ball Super Broly

One of the more tenuous relationships that exists in Dragon Ball is the volatile union between the Saiyans and Frieza. The Saiyans appear to take pride in being selected by Frieza to carry out his dirty work and handle the conquest of planets, but it’s an inherently skewed dynamic. Frieza just views the Saiyans as a means to an end and he ultimately disposes of them once he’s grown tired of their pushback. The Saiyans love to invade and dominate planets, but it’s telling that they’re comfortable functioning in a mercenary position and carrying out other people’s work, albeit for the right place.

1 Other Universe Saiyans Operate Under Different Extremes

Cabba, Caulifla, and Kale from Universe 6 in Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super introduces many new concepts into the canon. Perhaps the biggest shift is the revelation that multiple universes exist, one of which even contains a thriving Saiyan population. Universe 6 is Universe 7’s complimentary universe and presents a fascinating alternative look at the warrior race. Universe 6’s Saiyans are still strong and combative, but they’re not feared to the same extent as Universe 7’s crop. Additionally, Universe 6 Saiyans still have a planet to call their home and aren’t nearly as dour as a result.

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