Dragon Ball started out as a simple adventure story starring a weird little kid with a monkey tail. However, the truth was revealed in Dragon Ball Z: Goku was actually an alien sent to Earth in order to conquer it. With the revelation that he was a Saiyan, the focus of the show shifted dramatically from adventures in the forest and martial arts tournaments to saving the planet, and sometimes even the universe from extremely powerful and evil lifeforms. The Saiyan revelation did a lot to explain Goku’s amazing amount of power, even at a young age, and soon the show became focused on all the amazing powerups he and the people like him were capable of reaching.

Between Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, and even Dragon Ball GT, the list of surviving Saiyans grew astronomically. From Goku and Vegeta to half-Saiyans like Gohan, Trunks, and Goten, and even down to one-fourth Saiyans like Pan. However, despite all the attention these beings were given, the information we do know about the race actually makes very little sense. From biological laws, historical events, cultural practices, and simple escalation that franchise is so well known for, the Saiyan race is hard to follow and still come out right in the end. It feels like the rules about the species were never consistent and series creator Akira Toriyama made them up on the spot, when he wasn’t forgetting about one feature or another.

Here are 24 ridiculous things about the Saiyans that make no sense.

24 Where Are All The Kids?

Before the destruction of the Saiyan home planet, it was common practice to send small children out into space in order to conquer weak worlds. The Saiyans weren’t exactly loving toward their children, so no one seemed to mind much. Goku was sent to Earth as a baby to take it over, but a bump on his head seemingly changed his disposition permanently.

If this was such a common practice at the time of the planet’s destruction, where are all the other Saiyan kids?

Frieza sent out a call for all Saiyans to return to the planet, but there had to be some kids who were just too young to do anything about it. There had to be at least one other kid running around some alien world.

23 Can Saiyans Breathe In Space Or Not?

One major inconsistency throughout the show is whether Saiyans can actually breathe in space or not. Frieza, who probably knows more about Saiyans than Goku, comments that Goku cannot survive in the vacuum of space, unlike him. However, the show has depicted several instances where Saiyans were in space and seemed to be perfectly fine.

In Dragon Ball, Goku takes Monster Carrot to the Moon, but how did he breathe on the way up there? In a filler scene, Vegeta and Nappa are outside their pods when they destroy Arlia. Bardock flies into Planet Vegeta’s orbit to confront Frieza. In Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, both Broly and Paragus are hanging out in an asteroid field. Goku even fights Beerus in the Earth’s stratosphere, which has very little oxygen. So what gives?

22 How Do The Namekians Know So Much?

It appears that the people of Namek know more about the Saiyan race than even the Saiyans do. There was a Super Saiyan God 1,000 years ago, but the method of gaining that form seems to have gotten lost over time. It’s hard to say how exactly that happened, since the Saiyan race only got technologically more advanced over the years.

The knowledge of it seemed to have been lost even before the race was nearly wiped out.

You know who did know about the form? The Namekians, somehow. It’s never specifically stated, but it can be assumed that the Super Saiyan God never used the technique offworld because of the form’s time limit and by the fact the power eventually consumed him. Yet the Namekians somehow knew enough about it that now Shenron can tell Goku how to achieve it.

21 The Lifespan Of A Saiyan Is Complicated

Saiyans look exactly like humans, but they don’t age in the same way. Apparently Saiyans grow in spurts, which is why Goku looked like a child when he was already 12 years old. He grows again when he turns 18 before filling out and becoming more muscular around 30. Vegeta, meanwhile, still seemed to be growing by the end of Dragon Ball Z and during Dragon Ball Super, which is why he’s suddenly taller than Bulma.

Saiyans also age slower than humans and remain in their prime for longer, but hybrid Saiyans seem to age differently. Gohan at 5 is basically the same size as his father when he was 12. When he’s 11 during the Cell Games he looks like he’s 18, and when he’s 18 he looks like a full grown adult. Obviously alien biology is different than humans, but some consistency would be nice.

20 That’s A Familiar Haircut

Saiyans are said to be born with the hair they will have for the rest of their life. That’s why Goku has a full head of hair when he’s an infant, and it’s why no full-blooded Saiyans change their hair as they age (forget Nappa and Vegeta in Dragon Ball GT).

That doesn’t really explain why so many Saiyans have the exact same haircut as Goku, though.

Bardock has the same hair as his son, which could be genetic, but that doesn’t explain why Raditz has such different hair from his father. Half Saiyans seem to have hair like humans, where they grow and change over time, but then how is Goten’s hair like Goku’s when Gohan’s never was? This also says nothing for Turles from The Tree of Might, who looks identical to Goku, but isn’t related to him in any way.

19 Who Really Destroyed Planet Vegeta?

The destruction of the Saiyan homeworld is a pivotal moment in the Dragon Ball franchise, but it would seem that no one knows who really destroyed the planet. The initial story is that the planet’s guardian summoned a meteor shower and blew it up. Even King Kai, who is basically a god, told Goku this story. It turns out that Frieza was the one that blew it up, which was apparently a big surprise somehow.

The story of the planet’s destruction was again changed after Beerus wakes up from his slumber and reveals that he wanted to destroy the planet himself. Apparently he was the one who influenced Frieza into destroying the Saiyan homeworld, so at this point it’s really hard to figure out who is to blame for the destruction of an entire people.

18 Saiyans Did Well With What They Were Given

Everyone always refers to the Saiyan race as a group of savage warriors, but no one seems willing to mention how well they managed to do with the technology the had. After conquering the Tuffle homeworld, the Saiyans were able to utilize their scouter technology. They also developed an early form of the Battle Armor as seen in a flashback.

It would seem that they made enough advances with the scouter technology and the armor that Frieza eventually made it part of his army.

The Saiyans also did pretty alright with the Attack Pods and made it a standard procedure to have their children born in an artificial womb. The Saiyans may have borrowed and stole technology from other races, but it was up to them to advance them. They did alright.

17 Can Pan Really Be Considered Righteous?

In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods, the Super Saiyan God form is introduced, but to achieve it, Goku needed some help. According to the ancient ritual, five righteous Saiyans were required in order to channel their ki into Goku and allow him to ascend to Super Saiyan God. The only problem is that there weren’t initially enough Saiyans to perform the the ritual.

Goku recruited Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, and Gohan, but in order to find a fifth member, they had to turn to Videl’s unborn child. At this point, Pan is still in the womb, so it’s hard to say how she could be considered righteous and actually be able to channel the Super Saiyan powers she doesn’t have yet. It’s also worth mentioning that half-Saiyans seem to work just fine, so basically all you need is five vaguely Saiyan people, and their dispositions aren’t that important.

16 The Moon Shouldn’t Be The Limit

Saiyans have the ability to transform into Great Apes in the presence of a full moon, but it really comes down to a specific kind of radiation. In the Dragon Ball universe Blutz Waves are emitted from large celestial bodies, and if a Saiyan takes in enough of the energy through the eyes, they transform into a Great Ape.

However, according to their own rules, Saiyans should be able to achieve this transformation whenever they want.

A lot of focus is put on needing a moon, but in Dragon Ball GT, Goku was able to make the transformation by looking at the Earth from space. If Blutz Waves come from any celestial body, it should also mean that the planet they stand on produces enough to trigger the transformation. This either means they should always be Great Apes, or they should be able to become one whenever they want.

15 When Was Planet Vegeta Really Destroyed?

There seems to be some inconsistency when it comes to the exact date that Planet Vegeta was actually destroyed. At the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, Raditz comes to Earth and tells Goku that he is a Saiyan and that his people were wiped out with the destruction of their home planet. He mentions that this event took place just four years ago, which eventually turns out to be untrue.

We later learn that Goku was sent to Earth by his parents just before the planet was destroyed by Frieza. Since Goku is now in his 20s by this time in the story, there’s no way Raditz’s statement could be true. Either Toriyama changed his mind later on, which has happened before, or Raditz is just a liar.

14 Whatever Happened To All Those Tails?

It was established in Dragon Ball Z that all Saiyans have tails like Goku had when he was a child. That’s why Gohan had a tail when he was born, despite the fact that he was only half Saiyan. However, tails were soon eliminated from continuity with the birth of Trunks and Goten.

Despite being just as much a Saiyan as Gohan, neither were born with tails.

From this point, they were seemingly removed from continuity and ignored by all the characters. Toriyama seemed to hate drawing tales, so he decided to do away with them instead of having five different people have them at any one time. In order to explain the disappearance of tails, Toriyama made the claim that they are a recessive gene in half Saiyans, meaning they only appear sometimes.

13 The Class System Is Totally Bogus

Saiyan society is broken down into a class system that includes low-class warriors, the Saiyan elite, and some kind of middle class. The system seems to be determined by some combination of birthright and performance. However, it makes no sense for Goku to become more powerful than the Saiyan Prince Vegeta if he’s only supposed to be a low-class warrior.

Vegeta seems surprised when Goku can defeat him, but if that’s the case, he should be considered better than his class. After all, guys like Raditz and Nappa were shown capable of rising to greatness. Also considering the elite included no more than a handful of Saiyans, it feels like the whole class system was just made up garbage in order for the royal family to retain power.

12 Why Are There So Many Transformations?

At one point in the show, achieving the base Super Saiyan level was a big deal, but then that became old news. Then Gohan finally tapped into his unlimited potential and ascended to a new unknown transformation called Super Saiyan 2. Then after that, Goku and Gotenks found Super Saiyan 3, which really wasn’t all that great in the end.

When you include Super Saiyan God and then Super Saiyan Blue from Dragon Ball Super, and then Super Saiyan 4 from Dragon Ball GT, there are six different Super Saiyan levels, not counting the different power stress forms. It’s cool to see them break through previous limits, but if Super Saiyan God is really the only true legendary form, how were all the Saiyan warriors, who seemingly fought at all times, so weak? Someone should have been able to reach the base Super Saiyan form at least.

11 How Many Really Survived?

After Frieza destroyed the Saiyan homeworld, it was determined that only Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz had survived. However, Raditz knew that his brother Goku had been sent to Earth. Then the movies introduced several new Saiyans who had somehow managed to survive the initial destruction of the planet.

Some of them made sense, while others were nonsensical.

The Tree of Might introduced Turles, who looked identical to Goku for no real reason. Then it was shown that Broly and Paragus had both managed to survive. Finally, Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! reveals that Vegeta has a long lost brother named Tarble that he has literally never referenced at any prior point. The movie Saiyans are also never referenced in the anime, so it’s hard to really tell who is and who isn’t canon at this point.

10 These Rules Can’t Be Real

What doesn’t end a Saiyan only makes them stronger. They seem to have this amazing ability to increase the level of their power once they recover from great injury. As great a trick as that may be for overcoming dangerous obstacles, there are rules in place to help manage this ability. Apparently Saiyans cannot gain a power boost from a self-inflicted wound.

Vegeta explains this to Gohan and Krillin when he has them gravely injure him in order to come back stronger and challenge Frieza. This rule serves the logical purpose of ensuring that Saiyans can’t just gain unlimited power by continuously trying to off themselves. At the same time, it makes no biological sense because how would the body even know what is and isn’t a self-inflicted wound? How does asking someone to injure you not count?

9 This Should Be Simple Biology

The Saiyan race is incredibly powerful and accomplishing amazing feats, but it is established in Dragon Ball Z that half Saiyans may be even more powerful than their full-blooded counterparts. It certainly makes sense that Saiyan DNA may be uniquely formatted to bond well with other powerful races, but half-Saiyan and half-human hybrids should not be this powerful.

Gohan’s human genes somehow give him unlimited potential, but it makes no sense when humans are the weakest species in the Dragon Ball franchise.

The weakest Z Fighters are Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu, while everyone assumes Hercule is the best the Earth has to offer. What fighting prowess does the human genome offer to make them something special when combined with Saiyan DNA? Everyone just kind of runs with this fact like it doesn’t need explaining.

8 The Super Saiyan Legend Needs Some Work

It was originally stated that a Super Saiyan only appeared every 1,000 years, and it’s why Frieza eventually wiped them out. When Goku finally attained Super Saiyan, it was the culmination of the Saiyan’s story and a fulfillment of their greatest legacy. Until it wasn’t. After Goku, Vegeta, Future Trunks, Gohan, Trunks, and Goten all managed to reach Super Saiyan, it no longer seemed to be special.

Then it was revealed that the legendary Super Saiyan was actually a Super Saiyan God, which was in fact completely different. The transformation could only be achieved through a ritual that included six Saiyans altogether. Perhaps it was a part of the story that simply became lost to time, but if that’s true, why are there so many Earth-based Super Saiyans and who is actually the legendary Super Saiyan God this time around?

7 No Way This Makes Sense

Many characters in the Dragon Ball universe are capable of transforming into new and stronger forms. Frieza has four different forms, Cell has three, and Buu...is just incredibly complicated. Saiyans also have the ability to transform, but their transformation is different because it is only temporary.

Their bodies go through tremendous sudden changes, and then just like that they return to normal.

However, it seems biological impossible for those changes to take place. When Goku, Gohan, or Vegeta turn into Great Apes, we see their bodies change by not just getting far larger, but also by changing the shape of their bodies. The change from humanoid to ape form has to be incredibly painful, considering it signals a change in their bone structure. This is magic, so the transformation has to happen physically, which seems awful.

6 The Kids Are Alright

Goku is easily the most powerful Saiyan in the Dragon Ball franchise, yet it still took him something like 30 years to reach Super Saiyan. Meanwhile, Gohan managed to reach Super Saiyan 2 by the age of 11, so he was younger than Goku was by the start of Dragon Ball. Then Trunks and Goten managed to reach Super Saiyan as kids. Goten was just seven years old at the time.

So what gives? How can kids gain these powerful levels so quickly these days? To help explain this, something called S-Cells were introduced to the franchise, where the more S-Cells a Saiyan has, the more likely they are to reach Super Saiyan. S-Cells can be gained through training and having a more peaceful disposition, and they can be transferred to offspring. This gives us a pseudoscience explanation, but it sounds a lot like midichlorians from Star Wars.

5 That’s A Lot Of Food

Saiyans have a very odd relationship to food, capable of eating an impossibly large amount of food in record time. As a kid, Goku showed that he worked up an appetite by fighting, but when he had nothing to eat, he was incapable of doing much of anything. Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta also show to have the same ravenous and insatiable appetite.

But how is that possible?

Considering the incredible amount of energy Saiyans expel when they fight, it’s possible they have overactive metabolisms that allow them to eat anything without gaining weight. Still, the sheer amount of food they seem capable of eating in one sitting seems insane. The inner workings of a Saiyan are never discussed on the show, but it really needs to be asked if they have more than one stomach.