The Saiyans are by far the strongest warrior race in Dragon Ball – or they would have been if Frieza didn’t wipe out their species and planet 12 years before the start of Dragon Ball. Saiyans have near limitless potential, an idea Dragon Ball Super explores constantly throughout its run, but the fact the average Saiyan warrior died before they could make use of any Zenkai boosts resulted in a race that never lived up to their full potential.
By the start of Dragon Ball Z, there are less than 10 Saiyans left alive in Universe 7, all of varying Power Levels. At the time of Planet Vegeta’s destruction, the strongest Saiyans were only hitting five-digit numbers, which is shockingly low considering just how powerful Goku and Vegeta are by the events of Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
Watch Dragon Ball Super: Broly
10
Goku: Less Than 10
Goku is currently the second-strongest Saiyan in Dragon Ball after Vegeta beat him in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. That may be disappointing for Goku fans, but it’s an incredibly impressive achievement when you consider how weak Goku started. According to Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga, Goku is as low-class as Saiyans come, and his pitiful Power Level at the start of the original Dragon Ball (just 10) is the proof.
Considering Goku has a Power Level of 10 at the beginning of the series, this means he must have had a Power Level of around 5 when Bardock sent him to Earth. Bardock specifically chose Earth because Goku wouldn’t be overpowered by the average Earthling. As shown when Raditz scans the Farmer with Shotgun at the start of DBZ, the average human only has a Power Level of 5.
9
Beets: Less Than 920
We don’t know much about Beets’ Power Level other than the fact he’s definitely weaker than kid Broly. When Beets and Paragus read Broly’s Power Level on Vampa, Beets is shocked that the young Broly is already stronger than he is. Since Beets is low class, it’s entirely possible his Power Level is actually much lower than 920.
Beets has no meaningful feats in Dragon Ball, dying when Paragus shoots him with his gun. The fact that Paragus used a blaster, and not his own Ki, to kill Beets doesn’t bode well for the Saiyans’ full potential. All things considered, Beets is bottom of the barrell when it comes to Saiyans.
8
Raditz: 1,200
Raditz exists in a fascinating power vacuum, where he is simultaneously strong enough to pal around with Vegeta and Nappa, but much too weak to compare to Elite Saiyans. By the time of Dragon Ball Z, Raditz has a Power Level of 1,200, but dies shortly after. This means kid Raditz’s Power Level would naturally be lower, but since most Saiyans never got the chance to abuse Zenkai Boosts, it’s also possible Raditz was in the 1,000s already as a child.
Dragon Ball Super: The Best Version of Every Saga (Anime vs Manga vs Movies)
Whether the anime or manga’s version of the arcs are better has been a hot button issue for Dragon Ball Super fans for years now.
With that in mind, it’s interesting to consider that Raditz has more innate potential than Goku. As a teenager, Raditz is roughly 10 times stronger than Goku was when he fought Demon King Piccolo at what was likely the same age. Had Raditz lived and trained, he may have very well been able to surpass his younger brother. It goes to show just how powerful Bardock and Gine’s genes are, even for lower class Saiyans.
7
Average Saiyan Soldier: 2,000
When Kind Cold transfers control of his army over to Frieza, his son sizes up the Saiyans by scanning King Vegeta’s palace with his Scouter. Frieza notes that King Vegeta has Saiyan snipers positioned to take him out at any moment. Frieza’s Scouter shows a reading of 2,000 for the Saiyan sniper, before he instantly kills him with a Death Beam.
Considering these were the Saiyans personally guarding King Vegeta, it’s fair to say that the average Saiyan soldier sat in the 2,000 range. Stronger Elite Saiyans like Nappa and Paragus boast readings in the 4,000 range, while weaker Saiyans like Bardock and Raditz had Power Levels of roughly 1,000, which forced them to garrison together.
6
Nappa: 4,000
Nappa was Vegeta’s right-hand man for years, holding an impressive Power Level of 4,000. In Dragon Ball Z, Nappa was responsible for killing more Z-Fighters than any other villain in the series, taking down Chiaotzu, Tien Shinhan, and Piccolo all in the same battle. If Goku hadn’t arrived when he did, Nappa would have killed Gohan and Krillin, too.
Like Raditz, it’s entirely likely Nappa was slightly weaker when he was younger, but any gains in Power Level he sustained realistically came with age and from combat, as opposed to Zenkai Boosts. As strong as Nappa is, he doesn’t compare whatsoever to Vegeta, who sees his subordinate as firmly beneath him.
5
Paragus: 4,200
Paragus is revealed to be shockingly strong in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, but this makes sense considering his son had a raw Power Level of 10,000 as just a baby. As a malnourished old man who’d lived on Vampa for years, Paragus had a Power Level of 4,200, so it would make sense he was actually stronger in his prime.
5 Undeniable Reasons Vegeta is the Real Main Character in Dragon Ball Super
The deeper into Dragon Ball Super the story gets, the more it feels like Vegeta is the series’ real main character.
Unfortunately, exile left him with no opportunities to stay strong, train, or gain Zenkai Boosts. By Dragon Ball Super, Paragus is hopelessly outclassed by every Saiyan in the series, but had he joined the Frieza Force after Planet Vegeta’s destruction, he would have been second only to Prince Vegeta himself.
4
Bardock: 10,000
Bardock may be low class, but like his son Goku after him, he’s proof that even the lowest of the low can stand up to the Elite if they try hard enough. As revealed in Dragon Ball Super‘s Granolah the Survivor Saga, Bardock was strong enough to tap into an Ultra Instinct-like state which allowed him to overpower Gas, a Heeter and opponent who was by all accounts stronger than him.
While Dragon Ball Super: Broly has since retconned the events of Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku, the Dragon Ball manga does suggest a version of the TV Special did happen, making it possible Bardock still had a Power Level of 10,000 at his death. Unfortunately, a Power Level of 10,000 is nothing to Frieza, and Bardock dies alongside the rest of Planet Vegeta in his failed rebellion.
3
Broly: 10,000
Born with a Power Level of 10,000, Broly has more potential than any Saiyan in history. Ruling a society and culture that believes in the idea of “might makes right”, King Vegeta exiles both Broly and his father Paragus in fear that Broly will grow so strong, he’ll eventually usurp his rule of Planet Vegeta.
Dragon Ball: 7 Techniques Stronger Than Vegeta’s Big Bang Attack
As powerful as the Big Bang Attack is, it doesn’t take long for Vegeta’s biggest move to get outclassed by stronger Dragon Ball techniques.
Ironically, exile is the sole reason Broly lives to adulthood, giving him the perfect opportunity to fight Vegeta and put him in his place. As to be expected from a baby born with a Power Level of 10,000, Broly is so strong as an adult, he was powerful enough to keep up with Super Saiyan Gods in a fight. As a regular Super Saiyan, Broly was even strong enough to defeat Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta.
2
King Vegeta: Less Than 18,000
King Vegeta is Planet Vegeta’s ruler, so it stands to reason he’d be one of the strongest Saiyans alive at the time of the planet’s destruction. The only Saiyan confirmed stronger than King Vegeta was his son, Vegeta, himself. According to the Dragon Ball manga, Vegeta claims that he had already surpassed his father as a boy, meaning that King Vegeta’s Power Level is below 18,000.
Interestingly, King Vegeta has no on-screen canon feats in Dragon Ball. He never fights between Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Super, so there’s really no telling how powerful King Vegeta is. That said, he’s definitely weaker than King Cold and his own son, and the fact he was afraid of Broly’s 10,000 Power Level might imply King Vegeta’s real Power Level is even less than 10,000.
1
Vegeta: 18,000
History has repeated itself by the end of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, as Vegeta is once again the strongest Saiyan in Dragon Ball, just like he was when Planet Vegeta exploded. More so than any other Saiyan, Vegeta realistically never experienced any Zenkai Boosts until he lost to Goku and the humans on Earth. Any Power Level gains he experienced would have been from raw combat, of which he would have won near-effortlessly.
Vegeta likely did not have a Power Level of 18,000 as a child, but he was probably much closer to his Saiyan Saga highs than one would expect. While Vegeta isn’t quite on the same level as Broly, he has amazing potential, quickly catching up to Goku anytime his rival surpasses him. Now with Ultra Ego on his side, Vegeta is stronger than ever.
- Release Date
-
2015 – 2018
- Network
-
Fuji TV
- Showrunner
-
Tatsuya Nagamine
- Directors
-
Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa
- Writers
-
Ryu King, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
-
Masakazu Morita
Whis (voice)
-
Masako Nozawa
Son Goku/Goku Black/Son Gohan/Son Goten (voices)
