The Saiyans are a naturally aggressive warrior humanoid species. Most of the Saiyans were exterminated by galactic overlord Frieza after Goku was born. With only few survivors, they are functionally extinct. Fighting is a huge part in the Saiyan race. Most Saiyans spend most their entire life training to become stronger, so they can prove themselves in battle.
The Saiyan homeworld was destroyed by an out of control Super Saiyan while the species was still barabaric. Some manage to escape to the nearby planet Plant (or Vegeta) where the Tuffles lived. While their world was moonless, they were Exposed to their adoptive planet's full moon and they changed into gigantic ape-like creature that destroyed everything in their path and wiped out the Tuffles. Returning to their normal self, they began to learn and use the Tuffles' advanced equipment and became somewhat smarter and less barbaric, but they still lusted for battle. The Saiyans were hired by Frieza,a powerful galactic dictator whose dominion stretched over seventy-nine or more planets to exterminate the populations of other planets, preparing them for sale.
Frieza destroyed the Saiyan's new planet out of fear the Saiyans might rise up against him.
Saiyans are typically aggressive and stubborn with an explosive short temper. They display an enjoyment for fighting and challenging opponents during battle, often letting their emotions get the better of them when aroused in stimulating situations, leading to rash decisions on their part.
With the exception of their monkey-like tails, all Saiyans have an outward appearance identical to humans but with a larger, muscular build and black hair. A Saiyan's hair never changes length or style once it has fully grown.
Once full grown, their aging slows down.
Saiyans display a wide array of special abilities, possessing incredible natural strength, ki energy manipulation, superhuman agility and reflexes, heightened sensitivity to smell, hearing, and vision, and all are naturally born to fight.
Saiyans are incredibly strong, even at young age, easily lifting objects in the hundreds and thousands of kilos. Their strength is explained by their physiology and the gravity on Planet Vegeta, ten times the Earth's normal gravity, thus granting them correspondingly greater strength in Earth gravity and similar environments.
Without any form of training, a Saiyan can outrun any living thing or motorized vehicle without trouble. Their reflexes are so fast that they can avoid a bullet with ease. This agility can also be displayed in their fighting skills, as their movements occur in a fraction of a second, rendering them invisible to human eyes.
Saiyans have developed their Ki, the substance of personal energy formed into a combination of kinetic, light, and heat energies, to accommodate numerous types where they may utilize this power, such as flight, energy release and bombardment. Saiyans can increase their ki by fighting longer or by training intensively. Due to their genetic make-up, internal ki reserves are also exponentially greater than an average human.
Like humans, following intensive training, a Saiyan's strength and internal energy increases, albeit at a more accelerated rate. In addition, a Saiyan increases in power at an exponential rate after recovering from injuries, especially life-threatening ones. This form of regeneration appears to be a dominant Saiyan gene.
The Saiyans' most visually impressive trait is the ability to transform into a Great Ape (大猿, Ōzaru?), a giant were-ape with tremendous power, somewhere around ten times that of a normal Saiyan. This form, however, has a number of drawbacks, namely the loss of rational thought, although with enough practice, a Saiyan can keep his or her mind intact, yet this is not usually seen outside of the Saiyan warrior elite. Secondly, this form is only accessible in the presence of a full moon, or through artificial means, such as the "Blutz" wave emitter. Unfortunately, this transformation can be negated by the complete removal of the Saiyan's tail.
Nearly all Saiyans possess a monkey-like tail in appearance and covered in brownish fur. It is a particularly sensitive area for Saiyans when grabbed, temporarily immobilizing their body. However, some Saiyans can train themselves to overcome this weakness, becoming no more fragile than any other limb. It will also cut itself off from the body in a time of danger, similar to how a lizard's tail detaches itself as a form of self-defense. The tail is very prehensile, and can be used to grasp things like many other primates. 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 a Great Ape and potentially a Golden 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.
The pinnacle of Saiyan power is without a doubt the Super Saiyan evolution and its subsequent levels, all granting increasingly enormous power to the Saiyan who achieves this extraordinary feat.
Source:
Dragon Ball created by
Akira Toriyama.
Planet of Origin: Planet Plant (Vegeta)
